2004 R53, one owner, 160K, neither tracked nor wrecked. Last year I replaced all strut components, front and rear. It improved things a lot, but I still have clunks, and excessive rear inner tire wear. I want to return as close to original suspension feel without breaking the bank; not looking to improve over how it felt when new. Question # 1: Should I replace the trailing arm brackets, or does installation of the 'performance polyurethane rear trailing arm bushings' accomplish essentially the same thing? Question # 2: Is replacement of only the lower control arms likely to be sufficient? Question # 3: Are all control arms interchangeable? Some vendors claim that the uppers differ from the lowers; others say they are all the same. TIA.

 

I would for sure go with a set of adjustable lower rear control arms and do a proper alignment. That will do wonders for feel and tire life as these cars stock eat through rear tires.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/h-spor...ber-links.html

The upper and lower rear control arms are the same length so they are interchangeable.

The poly bushings are great to replace on the trailing arms as they do wear out, just not as bad as the fronts.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/powerf...m-bushing.html

If you wanted to go all out you could convert to the Aluminum trailing arms which are lighter and reduce unsprung weight.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/alumin...rsion-kit.html

 

Way: Thanks, but I'm not interested in installing adjustable rear control arms, and I want to avoid replacing the trailing arm brackets or bushings if I can. Question: How satisfactory a solution are your 'Powerflex Rear Trailing Arm Bushing Inserts?' SKU PFTrailBushInserts.

 

Top and bottom control arms are the same. Just swapped out all the rear bushings (control and trailing arms) on my 2004 with polyurethane. You don't need adjustable control arms unless you've lowered the car. Uneven tire wear suggests misalignment. You'll need to have the car realigned anyway if you decide to replace the bushings. Replacing the bushings is a bit more difficult than I imagined but it's within your scope if you have the tools and can turn a wrench. You will need a hydraulic press to remove and install the bushings. Honestly, I don't feel a ton of difference after the poly installation (I've also replaced the rear struts) but I'm sure, long term, that it will be better. PSB poly bushings (what I used) are quite a bit less expensive than Powerflex if cost is a factor.

 

Due to the geometry of the suspension - pivots for the trailing arms being very close to each other (vertically). And the trailing arms being "splayed" (not perpendicular to the wheel) any amount of deflection of the bushing or settling of the strut/spring combo will automatically camber the tires in and wear the inside.

New control arms are not needed, but new bushings are. Poly bushings are better.

But if you replace the bushings only don't be surprised if you still wear the tires - because a soft spring will lower the car, and the camber cannot be adjusted.

Thus the only long term solution is to have adjustable control arms. And you only need one per side - I suggest lower just because it's easier to get to.

This advice from me - a person with a shop and alignment machine. I replaced the arms with stock already, but they are still cambered in. Not as bad as before, but noticeably. I don't want to lift the car back up, so new adjustable arms are on the shelf waiting to go in.

 

Most all first generation Mini's seem to have...too much...negative camber from the factory. This WILL adversely effect the wear of the rear tire wear.

In buying the adjustable arms (at least one pair for the lower position) you can take out much (almost 1/2) of the camber that the rear has. Not only will the tires last longer, they will stay flatter on the road with spirited driving.

Mine were, -2-1/2° on one side and -2-3/4° on the other side. They are now both -.75°, and the tire wear is very good after some canyon and normal street driving.

Might be worth rethinking buying at least two adjustable arms..!

Mike

 

I don't understand then. You want to solve the alignment issue, but not put adjustable control arms on?? That is the solution though. You just need one pair of lower arms like others have said and it will allow you to dial in the alignment exact and reduce the rear camber even with the stock suspension on the car as they come with a lot of camber.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/h-spor...ber-links.html

as for trailing arm bushings the inserts I like and install all the time. If the bushing isn't worn out you can add them easily as you have to think they are more of a support for the stock bushing and will reduce it's flex a bit. They aren't going to fix a worn out bushing, but I feel they should extend the life of the stock bushings. So I say you can't go wrong with them.

 

Funny thing, I started developing a weird grinding/scrapping sound from the backend that would disappear while braking. So I cracked open all four calipers to clean and lube everything (a couple weeks ago) and when I got to the rear set I found the exact same thing; inner brake pad running a berm groove. Turns out the boys at the local wheel & tire franchise (who I won't mention here) slapped in those rear/inner pads without properly clipping them onto the piston. The pad-mounted spring hardware is designed to slide into a groove behind the piston's facing edge, keeping the pad firmly attached to the piston and in the right location for positive rotor contact. Looks like the same thing happened to yours.

The suspension build looks really good so far, especially those rear control arms! The MINI suspension system functions magnificently well, but it is also the achilles heel of the car. I built out the front end so far (with plans on tackling the rear during exhaust upgrade) and kept having issues with premature parts failures due to moon-crater potholes. The one thing that seems to make the most difference is running smaller wheels. I've talked about this with a few other members and we all agree. Unless you want to be replacing strut mount bearings, control arm bushings and ball joints on a semi-annual basis, get a set of 15" wheels and some 205/60 tires (anything wider that 205 will rub) to safely jump those potholes. You should be able to clear the stock calipers easily unless you've upgraded to 4pistons already, in that case you may be able to get away with a 16" set. That's enough unsolicited advice from me, thanks for sharing the progress pics.

 

something glitched, should this have been posted here:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...n-refresh.html

 

The top and bottom rear control arms are NOT the same (though they are likely the same length - I did not measure them). They may be the same length, but the bottom ones on my car were aluminum and the top ones were steel if I recall correctly. BOTH bottoms on my car (a mid 2003 production date) were bent - one slightly and one significantly. I would *strongly* encourage anyone doing work on the rear axle to replace at least the bottom ones with heavier duty adjustable units.

Real OEM: wishbone, lower - 33326768726; Wishbone, top - 33326768724.

 

@jcolletteiii Interesting note: My pre-facelift (10.'03) 04 R53 upper & lower control arms are (were) same length and made of steel.
I agree to replacing at least the lowers w/adjustable to alleviate that ridiculous (& uneven) amount of camber. I have replaced my lowers with aluminum adjustables and have happily diminished the squat to where it sits and wears much more evenly.

 

Were they different colors? Upper black, lowed silver or grey?

 

Both upper and lower appear to have been black.
After 18 years of heat and dirt they looked matte black. But definitely steel.
All bushings were in remarkably great condition.

 

Hmmm.... have me second guessing now. Dunno if I tested them with a magnet or not. Both of my lowers were silver, bit were bent, and neither had any indication of rust - so I assumed (perhaps incorrectly?) that they were aluminum. I'll have to see if they are still in the parts bin later. Car lived its first 6 years in the salt-laden MA winters, as evidenced by my old rear axle carrier...

The black upper arms also had rust, the lower silver ones did not. Made an assumption. Not shiny silver, either. More like how the rear bumper looks when you take off the bumper cover. kinda a dull matte greyish. I can't find a picture and I thought I took one of the bent arm.

 

This is interesting. They are indeed listed as unique OEM part numbers for Genuine MINI parts but the aftermarket suppliers list only one, installable in either position. Example (not to single out ECS):

https://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2006-...r_control_arm/

Note two of them (Lemforder and Delphi) are listed as OEM suppliers.

 

ebay lower control arm...



Upper control arm...



My uppers were way rustier than this one, but one looks to be distinctly painted and the other does not. This is how my uppers and lowers looked. They have to have separate part numbers for some reason.

 

I can also notice significant rear camber on my car. Makes me wonder if the earlier cars had different parts and maybe they were prone to bending? Maybe ever so slightly different lengths to accommodate the camber? Dunno?

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daftlad

something glitched, should this have been posted here:

Not a glitch just user error. I usually get on here first thing in the morning as a source of inspiration, unfortunately this is also the same time my coffee is starting to kick in. I grabbed the slider bar and pulled it all the way down into the "questions" section here unintentionally, maybe the coffee kicked in sooner than expected , thanks for pointing that out.