Hey everyone --

Have an 04 R53 with 85k and stock suspension (besides an M7 front strut bar - meh).

The ride is definitely harsher then when I first got it at 35k, I can't tell if the suspension is worn out or what but the roads here suck and hitting a bump or pot hole makes the entire car jump and sounds terrible. I don't have the lowest profile tires (205/45/r17) so I'm not sure what is needed.

Do I need different tires? I'm not sure of the whole relationship between springs/shocks/struts. I do drive it hard at times, but i'm never going to track it and I don't think I'm going to get 'limited' with a softer setup. Even getting it back to stock feel would be good to me.

 

First question are they run flat tires ?

 

They are not... thankfully.

 

KONI FSD shocks would help

 

Any new struts would help....
Having owned s mini since new, I can say the ride was "firm" but not jaring or punishing when new...
With about 50 ,000 miles I noticed the factory struts were getter firmer... The ride more jaring....
I put in koni fsd's (stock height only) and the ride became better than new....
But once ANY strut is 70,000 miles plus and 6+ years old....bet the gas has leaked out and they have zero rebound and a poor ride....and VERY POOR HANDLING.
A car that rides bad does not have a fully functioning suspension....thus handling is more like a wagon when you hit a bump....
Folks seems to say " its a mini, it rides firm"....firm yes...hard or painful NO.
GET NEW STRUTS. Folks seem to hate to buy parts that have no bling value...parts that just do their job unseen....but suspension parts are the foundation of your cars handling....
IMO steer clear of cheap coilovers....they ride poor...have limited adjustability....but are sold so folks can say "look at mine!!"...... Any coilovers that is cheaper than a strut is junk...think about it...they are a STRUT, A COIL AND EXTRA HARDWARE.....

 

So just struts would do it? Stock springs are OK? Is there an advantage to new springs as well (even if I'm not looking to lower)? What about shocks?

Also it looks like a set of FSD's is about $600. Any idea on the cost to install (friendly mechanic, not a dealer), are we talking like $500 or $1500?

I'm also interested in a new exhaust or a tune + need new tires soon... suddenly my 11 year old car worth probably 7 grand if I'm lucky could cost me 2500 bucks lol.

 

As for the tire part, I just got a set of hankooks for $59 each. For me, they are experimental at 205 50 17. Great price and they took a bit of harshness out of the ride. Keep in mind I also run koni sports and tein h techs.

 

while KONI FSD's are great, they are kinda $$$.
Like all aftermarket performance parts, they are priced higher than "OEM-Equivalent" parts....
buying parts, then brining them with you is IFFY at best.....
My suggestion...
if you do not have a "mod friendly"shop that will install parts you procure (unusual AND not charge you an extra high $$$$) and you are not going to diy it, price out a new set of OEM-equivalent parts, installed...a set of KYB struts (at the middle to premium end of the market) will be 90% as good, and give the car a ride that is like new....
Going to the lower end (think Monore or other parts store Specials) might save a few $$, but will be short lived.....

 

Bilstein B4s ("Touring Class") are a lot cheaper than the FSDs and will return your car to roughly stock, if just a twinge stiffer. Not like HDs. It will be better than blown OE struts/shocks. They're twin tube just like OE, and they have the Bilstein warranty. I daily drive and autocross H Stock with the Bilsteins, Powerflex LCA/swaybars, Dunlop Direzzas and some lighter wheels...the car is compliant on horrible Milwaukee streets, damped properly (if a little too stock for me) and rips around corners. The struts are on special for $86/piece on Pelican right now.

 

Here are the assemblies just before install. They look mostly factory. My car was like yours before I did all this work--banging like crazy, rough, wandering. One strut wouldn't compress, the other was loose with almost no resistance.

 

double post

 

So when you guys say struts/shocks they are the same thing?

I understand FSD's are expensive, but at wmw for example the set of 4 B4's is only $75 cheaper than the koni's. Doesn't seem like that much to me if the FSD's are really better.

I'll try to find a good shop to do it for me. I liked Helix a lot when I worked near Philly but they are too far now.

 

Struts are in the front and shocks are in the back. If you care about the distinction just read about MacPherson struts, otherwise it's not critical.

The B4s are $294 shipped to do all four corners from Pelican (2x struts, 2x dampers (shocks)). I'm not trying to plug a supplier, but they do have free shipping. FSDs from Way are $645 if you include the shipping. Way Motor Works has been very good to me.

The FSDs are more sophisticated but over twice the price. I have reservations about FSDs when it comes to medium to long-term durability and handling consistency. Lots of people rave about them, however, and they have tested well.

For me the difference is harder to justify considering these cars' market value and the marginal difference in performance. FSDs aren't a focused performance part, they are designed mostly toward improving daily drivability while providing some harder damper performance sometimes, so is it that much better in that role? If it had to be spent, I would rather put the difference toward replacing worn out lower control arm bushings, ball joints, etc.

 

Well of course a $350 difference would make me get the B4's... no question. I was just saying on Way the b4's are 525 and FSD's 600 (should be free shipping right now) which is much closer.

For 300 I almsot want to order it today...

 

Looking at a few tutorials, this doesn't look like THAT impossible of a job. I'd rather spend the money on all the required tools and learn it myself. 1 week out of each month I work from home and don't need my car at all.

Is this a project worth taking on or are there little things a novice would mess up?

 

How experienced are you with working on cars? Dropping the subframe, for example, was not a big deal for me, but it alarmed my non-car savvy friend. If you break something important it can become a big project.

Replacing just the struts is not that bad, and the rear shocks are easy enough that my friend used to pull his in the parking lot at autocross events to crank up the damping. Keep in mind you might find more broken stuff. I just went and dropped a grand and bought all the parts for the entire suspension before I even took it apart, and I'm glad I did.

Best tool I ever purchased was a Snap-On CT4410 with a modified battery shoe to accept the 18v battery. I don't know how I worked on cars for years without it. My suspension project time was cut at least in half by this tool.

 

Not very experienced at all, but I've been wanting to actually to do it forever. You are right about finding something else broken, that would be my main concern as well.

 

I think the overall best setup for a compliant but controlled ride on a mini is as follows :

1) Good shocks/struts (Bilstein,koni,ect.. )
2) Stock rate or close to stock rate springs
3) Light weight 15" Rim with a 50 or 55 series tire ( ie 205/55/15 )

I think those changes would go a long way to making the mini a great all around daily driver.