So I heard that if you do lowering springs, it messes with the geometry (well duh) more than other cars. So if you go with a drop of 1.2" do you need to get adjustable control arms because it is unbearable?

 

Hi.
A quick search around the forum could help but I will answer this.

You need an alignment afterward not adjustable arms

Camber arms/plates come into play if you are running a race setup or an agressive wheel fitment (ET30 and lower)

 

That's not correct. If you lower the car you will need adjustable control arms in the rear unless you want to burn off your tires. Camber on the Mini is already maxed, that's why they went with the adjuster nut on facelift models.

 

You do risk wearing the rear tires unevenly. Here is a good thread on NAM about lowering springs and rear adjustable control arms. If you're looking for a good set of control arms, look into Hotchkis Adjustable Rear Control Arms here. Good quality product and gives you a range of camber adjustable from 0 to -4 degrees.

 

I guess I've just never personally had that problem
As the first time we did 1.5"springs on my wife's 05 the alignment machine was able to pull it dead in with no adjustment or uneven tire wear for 4 years.
I thought it was like most vehicles where you can get away with slight drops and non adjustable components.

Good info Pelican!!!
I'm happy to learn these quirky bits

 

If I'm not mistaken, I believe the R53 OEM arms have some adjustability, not a lot, but some. You end up with a good amount of negative rear camber when you lower it. The rear control arms allow you to take some of that negative camber out so that your tires will wear more evenly. Glad I could help! Lots of good info on this site.

 

Only the Facelift models (after Jan 2005-2006) have the adjustment nut on the bottom arm. Pior to that there is no adjustment.

 

Your not kidding!
We've had Minis for years but joining the forum has really educated me far more than that entire time period.

I guess its truly beneficial going from an owner perspective to a an enthusiast perspective.

I wonder if with the air ride I could re install my stock arms test some different heights to see just where it starts to affect things drastically.

 

Ah yes. The '06 was my reference point so thanks for the info.

 

Yes, and asking a lot of questions is good. It's how I learned during the building process of my race car (non-MINI). While you build yours, don't be afraid to ask because there are a lot of folks on here with some very good knowledge about these cars.

 

Understood completely
These Bimmers have some trickery like any car so I can definitely say it's good to have enthusiasts who paved the way and provide experience.

Do people try to swap the two different style arms for the R53?
Or do they always go aftermarket
Seems like overall it would be a waste unless they ended up being drastically cheaper and you had no intention if ever using more than a small drop like OP

 

Um no you have the wrong part in mind. The control arms are all the same the eccentric is part of the training arm. Would be a waste of time unless a person went with the 2g aluminum trailing arms 12lbs of unsprung weigh. Exactly what I did for my rebuild.

 

I understand what part is different
I know the RCA is fixed on all models
But you did answer my question about us being a waste
I just wanted to see if people would switch to facelift rear suspension parts in earlier models as a cheap camber adjustment.
My 06 has the eccentric setup and its adjusted along with my Hotchkis RCA . The aluminum arms sounds good I'm going to look into that for my build.
Again GOOD INFO!!!

 

No, it's not something I have seen personally. I feel people tend to upgrade to the Hotchkis arms.

 

True that!
In fact you sold me mine a while back when I started

 

Very nice! I love those arms. Great product.