Question on suspension rebuild and engine upgrades

[brazharris]

Hi there,

I'm looking for some advice. I have seen the technical write-ups for the Mini you guys provide and they look Great!

i have a few projects I'm looking to do to my Mini and I'd like to do them all in one tear down.

- New Front end components - Lower control arm bushings, Tie Rods, and Shocks.

- Clutch Kit

- Supercharger Reducer Pulley and serpentine belt

- Oil Pan Gasket

So in what order I should complete all of these replacements and any Tips or advice you have while I'm doing all this at once.

thanks!

Ben Harris

[Luccia at Pelican Parts]

Hello Ben!

Thank you for the compliment and glad we could help you with your MINI. I'm assuming you have an R53 (2002-2006 Cooper S). What year specifically is it?

Depending on the severity of your oil leak, I would tackle that first. I'd then do the clutch and suspension components. Last, I'd do the supercharger pulley and serpentine belt. Have you ever serviced your supercharger oil yet?

[brazharris]

Hi Luccia,

It is a 2005 R53 with 126, 000 miles on it. I've only owned it for about 9 months, so i imagine that the supercharger oil has not been done. i recently redid the Coil, Sparkplug wires and Plugs, all from pelican parts, and the car is now running excellent!


Thanks!

[Luccia at Pelican Parts]

That's a great year R53. Happy to hear it's running much better. The supercharger service will be a very good idea, especially if it hasn't been done. For the lower control arm bushings, I'd highly recommend Powerflex bushings. They're an upgraded polyurethane bushing, but they're also way more cost efficient as they'll last much longer than an OEM replacement. You'll also see prolonged tire life, improved performance, and better handling. For shocks/struts, if you're wanting a direct OEM repacement that'll give you better handling/ride comfort from your stock suspension then I'd suggest Bilstein Touring Class. They're very economically priced and they'll give you a performance gain. When you replace them, you'll also want to replace your front/rear strut/shock mounts. If it hasn't been done yet, I'd also suggest doing a fuel filter.

Bilstein Touring Class - 2005 Mini Cooper S Hatchback - Suspension, Shocks & Springs - Page 1
Strut Mounts (Lemforder Brand) - 2005 Mini Cooper S Hatchback - Suspension, Shocks & Springs - Page 2
DIY - Fronts Pelican Technical Article: MINI Cooper - Front Shock and Spring Replacement Rears Pelican Technical Article: MINI Cooper - Rear Shock and Spring Replacement

Supercharger gaskets/oil - 2005 Mini Cooper S Hatchback - Turbos & SuperChargers - Page 1

Powerflex bushings - 2005 Mini Cooper S Hatchback - Suspension Upgrades & Performance - Page 4
DIY - Pelican Technical Article: MINI Cooper - Control Arm Bushing and Ball Joint Replacement

Fuel filter - 2005 Mini Cooper S Hatchback - Fuel System - Page 1
DIY - Pelican Technical Article: MINI Cooper - Fuel Pump and Filter Replacement

Let me know if you have any questions or comments!