R53 Cooper S refresh - make it a better road car
Discussion
When I came to UK a couple of years ago I needed a car. I've had a few PHish motors before like a WRX that became intimately acquainted with a telegraph pole, FN2 Civic Type-R with always sticking rear calipers and a GT86 which lead a surprisingly boring life and there's still my Eunos Roadster with some bits bolted on tucked away in a garage where I came from. I wanted something reasonably entertaining to drive, something I could use for a tip run or to bring cheap tat from a charity shop in and last but not least cheap. I ended up with this - a 53 reg Cooper S. The main rule of buying an old car was broken. I bought the first one I saw, largely because I had to do an hour's train trip to see it and the thought of getting the train back was too much. It's really not easy to buy a car when you don't have a car.
I brought it home. Well, the place I called home back then. It was in fact an Airbnb place. I say I brought it home, but that was some time after I set out from Penistone where the deal was made. In fact, several hours after, even though it was a 30 mile trip. Not too far from home the litlle b
d cut out and I coasted to a stop on a motorway in the middle of Leeds just after a blind corner with a joining slip road. Couple of hours later I was home though, having gained a useful knowledge that the fuel gauge is fked.
The car looked good. Apart from a rust spot on the tailgate. And misaligned bonnet. And tyres that you almost could make out what the tread pattern was like. And white roof that was sort of greenish and actual moss growing out of sunroof seals. I went to check the oil level, pulled the dipstick and dumbfoundedly looked at the dipstick handle in my hand, rest of it diabolically laughing at me from the innards of the engine bay.
It wasn't that bad to be honest. Paint was in great condition, if only wishing for a good clean. Engine was willing and the stainless exhaust did a bangity-bang sort of sound every time the throttle was released bringing a silly smile to my childish face. Steering was responsive, the car changing direction to where you pointed it at almost before you did. I looked at it and thought of a little terrier.
I soon moved to a place with a garage and spent a few evenings and weekends sorting out the little niggles. Previous owner mentioned they've had fuel tank sensor replaced and it turned out the monkeys at the garage got their fuel tank float in a twist so it never reached the bottom, explaining why the gauge was off. That was an easy fix with an added bonus of a night of exciting dreams after breathing fuel fumes for a couple of hours. By that time I've had some of my old stuff moved here, so the trusty polisher came out and by the end of the day the little Mini wasn't looking as neglected. I gave it a service and replaced some suspension bits and bobs that were tired. Then one day I snapped a clean facelift tailgate off ebay and replaced the old one.
Two years passed. The Mini has served surprisingly well. It took me to work and the shops, it easily brought home a set of garden furniture, a desk and a double bed from Ikea and reliably transported me to Le Mans and back.
But I wanted a change. Rock hard suspension, interior that squeaked more than that girl in a video you wouldn't want your parents to see and just driving the same car most of the time. I grew tired of it. Many nights were spent on ebay and autotrader, contemplating between Renault Sports, Integras and fast Fords. Why didn't Honda build a quick Jazz? Twingo RS and Swift Sport are an interesting proposition but I'm not sure I could live with 130ish horsepower on motorway. If only there was a small cheap hatch with more power.
Eh? Yes, well. Thing is, I've bought another MX5 some time ago and every time I was going to drive for driving's sake I would pick that. Mini was relegated to commuting duties and in a way became like a wife of 10 years wearing trackie bottoms at home. Then you go for a night out her wearing that tight dress and you suddenly remember what's that all about. Or, to stop with ridiculous metaphors, one night for no reason at all I took the little prat out for a spin and it dawned on me.
The decision is made - there is no point in getting rid (Mini, not wife) but if it's here to stay it deserves a little refresh and some improvements wouldn't go amiss too. Cue this thread. The aim is to make this Mini a better road car. First point of attention is horrible ride quality and handling over bad surfaces. These are known for having very hard dampers and springs and runflat tyres not really helping. I've replaced tyres with non-runflat ones a year ago which sort of improved things a bit but the factory suspension set up is hopeless. Factory wheels are also proper boat anchors at, according to the internet, 11.5 kg apiece and that sort of unsprung mass is certainly playing a big part.
I'm also not a fan of the steering wheel. There have been great 2 spoke wheels made before (hey, Peugeot!). This isn't one of them. Not great to look at, not great to use. Turns out the facelift Mini came with a much nicer 3 spoke wheel and it's a direct fit. I'd have one of those please.
A steering wheel has popped up on facebook and I couldn't give it a miss, so it will hopefully be here next week. As for the wheels, I'm a bit of JDM fanboi so a set of Buddy Club SF's is on order. They are supposed to weigh in at 7,5 kilos saving whopping 4kg of rotating unsprung mass per corner. Still contemplating what to go for with suspension, tempted by Meister R as they seem to focus on road, rather than track qualities and offer a reasonable spring rate with matching damper valving. KW is another option, mainly because of stainless casing that'd be better for a all-year-round road car. I'll make up my mind soon.
More updates to come.
I brought it home. Well, the place I called home back then. It was in fact an Airbnb place. I say I brought it home, but that was some time after I set out from Penistone where the deal was made. In fact, several hours after, even though it was a 30 mile trip. Not too far from home the litlle b
d cut out and I coasted to a stop on a motorway in the middle of Leeds just after a blind corner with a joining slip road. Couple of hours later I was home though, having gained a useful knowledge that the fuel gauge is fked.The car looked good. Apart from a rust spot on the tailgate. And misaligned bonnet. And tyres that you almost could make out what the tread pattern was like. And white roof that was sort of greenish and actual moss growing out of sunroof seals. I went to check the oil level, pulled the dipstick and dumbfoundedly looked at the dipstick handle in my hand, rest of it diabolically laughing at me from the innards of the engine bay.
It wasn't that bad to be honest. Paint was in great condition, if only wishing for a good clean. Engine was willing and the stainless exhaust did a bangity-bang sort of sound every time the throttle was released bringing a silly smile to my childish face. Steering was responsive, the car changing direction to where you pointed it at almost before you did. I looked at it and thought of a little terrier.
I soon moved to a place with a garage and spent a few evenings and weekends sorting out the little niggles. Previous owner mentioned they've had fuel tank sensor replaced and it turned out the monkeys at the garage got their fuel tank float in a twist so it never reached the bottom, explaining why the gauge was off. That was an easy fix with an added bonus of a night of exciting dreams after breathing fuel fumes for a couple of hours. By that time I've had some of my old stuff moved here, so the trusty polisher came out and by the end of the day the little Mini wasn't looking as neglected. I gave it a service and replaced some suspension bits and bobs that were tired. Then one day I snapped a clean facelift tailgate off ebay and replaced the old one.
Two years passed. The Mini has served surprisingly well. It took me to work and the shops, it easily brought home a set of garden furniture, a desk and a double bed from Ikea and reliably transported me to Le Mans and back.
But I wanted a change. Rock hard suspension, interior that squeaked more than that girl in a video you wouldn't want your parents to see and just driving the same car most of the time. I grew tired of it. Many nights were spent on ebay and autotrader, contemplating between Renault Sports, Integras and fast Fords. Why didn't Honda build a quick Jazz? Twingo RS and Swift Sport are an interesting proposition but I'm not sure I could live with 130ish horsepower on motorway. If only there was a small cheap hatch with more power.
Eh? Yes, well. Thing is, I've bought another MX5 some time ago and every time I was going to drive for driving's sake I would pick that. Mini was relegated to commuting duties and in a way became like a wife of 10 years wearing trackie bottoms at home. Then you go for a night out her wearing that tight dress and you suddenly remember what's that all about. Or, to stop with ridiculous metaphors, one night for no reason at all I took the little prat out for a spin and it dawned on me.
The decision is made - there is no point in getting rid (Mini, not wife) but if it's here to stay it deserves a little refresh and some improvements wouldn't go amiss too. Cue this thread. The aim is to make this Mini a better road car. First point of attention is horrible ride quality and handling over bad surfaces. These are known for having very hard dampers and springs and runflat tyres not really helping. I've replaced tyres with non-runflat ones a year ago which sort of improved things a bit but the factory suspension set up is hopeless. Factory wheels are also proper boat anchors at, according to the internet, 11.5 kg apiece and that sort of unsprung mass is certainly playing a big part.
I'm also not a fan of the steering wheel. There have been great 2 spoke wheels made before (hey, Peugeot!). This isn't one of them. Not great to look at, not great to use. Turns out the facelift Mini came with a much nicer 3 spoke wheel and it's a direct fit. I'd have one of those please.
A steering wheel has popped up on facebook and I couldn't give it a miss, so it will hopefully be here next week. As for the wheels, I'm a bit of JDM fanboi so a set of Buddy Club SF's is on order. They are supposed to weigh in at 7,5 kilos saving whopping 4kg of rotating unsprung mass per corner. Still contemplating what to go for with suspension, tempted by Meister R as they seem to focus on road, rather than track qualities and offer a reasonable spring rate with matching damper valving. KW is another option, mainly because of stainless casing that'd be better for a all-year-round road car. I'll make up my mind soon.
More updates to come.
Edited by Overall D on Sunday 27th October 01:12
Are you staying with the same size wheels or going down an inch or two?
I’ve gone from the OE 17’s to 17” TD pro race 1.2’s which were massively lighter but still very stiff and crash to some 16’s. Granted the 16’s are my winter tyres but the extra sidewall will offer more comfort, so next spring/ summer I am thinking of going for some 16” pro races again with some stickier rubber for the best of both worlds.
Excuse the pic I just cobbled it together quickly to give you an example.
I’ve gone from the OE 17’s to 17” TD pro race 1.2’s which were massively lighter but still very stiff and crash to some 16’s. Granted the 16’s are my winter tyres but the extra sidewall will offer more comfort, so next spring/ summer I am thinking of going for some 16” pro races again with some stickier rubber for the best of both worlds.
Excuse the pic I just cobbled it together quickly to give you an example.
Looks a nice car OP. Plenty of options to squeeze out some more power for a few £’s if you want to go down that route.
I would change the wheels as well. The ones you have are few heavy and slightly smaller will improve the ride.
I’m toying with the idea of going back to a R53 as I only need it for commuting, and to take 2 spaniels to the park. Did you do a rear seat delete, or leave the back seats in?
I would change the wheels as well. The ones you have are few heavy and slightly smaller will improve the ride.
I’m toying with the idea of going back to a R53 as I only need it for commuting, and to take 2 spaniels to the park. Did you do a rear seat delete, or leave the back seats in?
Been there but with a r56 Cooper S.
I replaced dampers with Koni FSD's made a considerable improvement in taking away stiffness(car came with non runflats from nes had Continentals on rear ant Toyo on front when I bought it).
Was going to do a review of them but you only have to look at any threads regarding ride and runflats via non runflats to see how divided opinions are.
Briefly IMO ride improved in that if hit a bump mid corner car wouldn't skip across road but although in general an improvement not as good as I had expected. Koni info says that dampers adopt to driving styles and I did begin to think that this could have some element of truth in it.
Decide to downgrade from 17" wheels to 16" 195/55/16 Michelin Energyon R115 rib spoke after a thread on pistonheads. Again made a marginal improvement and found that when driving car I was no longer thinking about the ride when driving it, Left it like that for a year but Costco had an offer(less than £200 fitted) on Michelins and decide to replace front Toyo tyres(even tho they had plenty of tread) with Michelin PS4's(non runflats) on the 17" wheels.
WOW what a transformation completely changed the car and I suspect would have almost be as good on the Michelins without the Koni's.
My first advise for anyone wanting an improvement in ride would be to put PS4's on.
The 16" rib spoke and alloys currently for sale as replaced the R56 with a F56 Cooper S which has an improved ride but PS4's will be replacing the runflats when its time to change the Pirelli non runflats.
I replaced dampers with Koni FSD's made a considerable improvement in taking away stiffness(car came with non runflats from nes had Continentals on rear ant Toyo on front when I bought it).
Was going to do a review of them but you only have to look at any threads regarding ride and runflats via non runflats to see how divided opinions are.
Briefly IMO ride improved in that if hit a bump mid corner car wouldn't skip across road but although in general an improvement not as good as I had expected. Koni info says that dampers adopt to driving styles and I did begin to think that this could have some element of truth in it.
Decide to downgrade from 17" wheels to 16" 195/55/16 Michelin Energyon R115 rib spoke after a thread on pistonheads. Again made a marginal improvement and found that when driving car I was no longer thinking about the ride when driving it, Left it like that for a year but Costco had an offer(less than £200 fitted) on Michelins and decide to replace front Toyo tyres(even tho they had plenty of tread) with Michelin PS4's(non runflats) on the 17" wheels.
WOW what a transformation completely changed the car and I suspect would have almost be as good on the Michelins without the Koni's.
My first advise for anyone wanting an improvement in ride would be to put PS4's on.
The 16" rib spoke and alloys currently for sale as replaced the R56 with a F56 Cooper S which has an improved ride but PS4's will be replacing the runflats when its time to change the Pirelli non runflats.
twokcc said:
Been there but with a r56 Cooper S.
I replaced dampers with Koni FSD's made a considerable improvement in taking away stiffness(car came with non runflats from nes had Continentals on rear ant Toyo on front when I bought it).
Was going to do a review of them but you only have to look at any threads regarding ride and runflats via non runflats to see how divided opinions are.
Briefly IMO ride improved in that if hit a bump mid corner car wouldn't skip across road but although in general an improvement not as good as I had expected. Koni info says that dampers adopt to driving styles and I did begin to think that this could have some element of truth in it.
Decide to downgrade from 17" wheels to 16" 195/55/16 Michelin Energyon R115 rib spoke after a thread on pistonheads. Again made a marginal improvement and found that when driving car I was no longer thinking about the ride when driving it, Left it like that for a year but Costco had an offer(less than £200 fitted) on Michelins and decide to replace front Toyo tyres(even tho they had plenty of tread) with Michelin PS4's(non runflats) on the 17" wheels.
WOW what a transformation completely changed the car and I suspect would have almost be as good on the Michelins without the Koni's.
My first advise for anyone wanting an improvement in ride would be to put PS4's on.
The 16" rib spoke and alloys currently for sale as replaced the R56 with a F56 Cooper S which has an improved ride but PS4's will be replacing the runflats when its time to change the Pirelli non runflats.
Hey - can you link me to the advert for the rib spoke wheels please - or provide some details via pm or email (bobbyturbo at outlook). I'd be interested I replaced dampers with Koni FSD's made a considerable improvement in taking away stiffness(car came with non runflats from nes had Continentals on rear ant Toyo on front when I bought it).
Was going to do a review of them but you only have to look at any threads regarding ride and runflats via non runflats to see how divided opinions are.
Briefly IMO ride improved in that if hit a bump mid corner car wouldn't skip across road but although in general an improvement not as good as I had expected. Koni info says that dampers adopt to driving styles and I did begin to think that this could have some element of truth in it.
Decide to downgrade from 17" wheels to 16" 195/55/16 Michelin Energyon R115 rib spoke after a thread on pistonheads. Again made a marginal improvement and found that when driving car I was no longer thinking about the ride when driving it, Left it like that for a year but Costco had an offer(less than £200 fitted) on Michelins and decide to replace front Toyo tyres(even tho they had plenty of tread) with Michelin PS4's(non runflats) on the 17" wheels.
WOW what a transformation completely changed the car and I suspect would have almost be as good on the Michelins without the Koni's.
My first advise for anyone wanting an improvement in ride would be to put PS4's on.
The 16" rib spoke and alloys currently for sale as replaced the R56 with a F56 Cooper S which has an improved ride but PS4's will be replacing the runflats when its time to change the Pirelli non runflats.
Thanks,
Rob
I've spent probably too much time reading forums and thinking about the suspension setup and wheel size to go for. It seems that shock and spring combos have quite a mixed feedback, that's both Bilstein and Koni. On the other hand I have Meisters on my MX5s and they are brilliant on the road, very unlike most coilovers. As for the wheel size, 16s would definitely be better for compliance but I like the look of 17" wheels on these and also I couldn't find 16" JDM wheels in my budget. One has to compromise somewhere.
Apparently, wheels are like buses. Only a couple hours after I've put an order for the Buddy Clubs a set of forged BBSs appeared for sale on Facebook. Everyone knows it's a bad idea to drink and browse car parts on the internet. After much deliberation I didn't do anything silly and went to sleep instead. Except of course I didn't and inevitably ended up with a lounge full of wheels and decision to make.
Dave. said:
Amazes me how many people have both an MX5 and a Mini.... 
Hahaha, I know of someone else on this forum who also had an FN2 and has a Mini and an MX5. There's something about these cars.MC Bodge said:
Bizarre isn't it? Many road cars are not really suited to the road.
dandam said:
The price of vanity ??
me above said:
I like the look of 17" wheels
point proven LanceRS said:
I love these things, not quite brave enough to take the plunge though and not sure it’s the most ideal thing for my 60 mile motorway commute.
Looking forward to following this one.
I certainly wouldn't want to do 60 miles every day in it, though I do motorway runs from time to time. This Sunday covered over 500 miles in it and of course some old 7 series would suit that trip better but it wasn't really bad. Saying all that, the exact point of these mods is to make it better on the roads, and that includes motorway miles. I doubt it will feature in the barge thread any time soon but I'm keen to see if it's possible to make it noticeably better.Looking forward to following this one.
twokcc said:
Been there but with a r56 Cooper S.
I replaced dampers with Koni FSD's made a considerable improvement in taking away stiffness(car came with non runflats from nes had Continentals on rear ant Toyo on front when I bought it).
Was going to do a review of them but you only have to look at any threads regarding ride and runflats via non runflats to see how divided opinions are.
Briefly IMO ride improved in that if hit a bump mid corner car wouldn't skip across road but although in general an improvement not as good as I had expected. Koni info says that dampers adopt to driving styles and I did begin to think that this could have some element of truth in it.
Decide to downgrade from 17" wheels to 16" 195/55/16 Michelin Energyon R115 rib spoke after a thread on pistonheads. Again made a marginal improvement and found that when driving car I was no longer thinking about the ride when driving it, Left it like that for a year but Costco had an offer(less than £200 fitted) on Michelins and decide to replace front Toyo tyres(even tho they had plenty of tread) with Michelin PS4's(non runflats) on the 17" wheels.
WOW what a transformation completely changed the car and I suspect would have almost be as good on the Michelins without the Koni's.
My first advise for anyone wanting an improvement in ride would be to put PS4's on.
The 16" rib spoke and alloys currently for sale as replaced the R56 with a F56 Cooper S which has an improved ride but PS4's will be replacing the runflats when its time to change the Pirelli non runflats.
This is quite interesting. I appreciate sidewall stiffness is very different between tyres and effects ride quality a lot, but I'm surprised to hear that non-RF PS4 is softer than non-RF Toyos. Mine's on Nexen something something at the moment, chosen based on combination of decent wet performance and compliance as tested by Germany's ADAC and Auto Motor & Sport and being cheap as chips.I replaced dampers with Koni FSD's made a considerable improvement in taking away stiffness(car came with non runflats from nes had Continentals on rear ant Toyo on front when I bought it).
Was going to do a review of them but you only have to look at any threads regarding ride and runflats via non runflats to see how divided opinions are.
Briefly IMO ride improved in that if hit a bump mid corner car wouldn't skip across road but although in general an improvement not as good as I had expected. Koni info says that dampers adopt to driving styles and I did begin to think that this could have some element of truth in it.
Decide to downgrade from 17" wheels to 16" 195/55/16 Michelin Energyon R115 rib spoke after a thread on pistonheads. Again made a marginal improvement and found that when driving car I was no longer thinking about the ride when driving it, Left it like that for a year but Costco had an offer(less than £200 fitted) on Michelins and decide to replace front Toyo tyres(even tho they had plenty of tread) with Michelin PS4's(non runflats) on the 17" wheels.
WOW what a transformation completely changed the car and I suspect would have almost be as good on the Michelins without the Koni's.
My first advise for anyone wanting an improvement in ride would be to put PS4's on.
The 16" rib spoke and alloys currently for sale as replaced the R56 with a F56 Cooper S which has an improved ride but PS4's will be replacing the runflats when its time to change the Pirelli non runflats.
Apparently, wheels are like buses. Only a couple hours after I've put an order for the Buddy Clubs a set of forged BBSs appeared for sale on Facebook. Everyone knows it's a bad idea to drink and browse car parts on the internet. After much deliberation I didn't do anything silly and went to sleep instead. Except of course I didn't and inevitably ended up with a lounge full of wheels and decision to make.
Overall D said:
Go-faster bits are at the back of my head. Seems quite easy to get more power out of them and I really wouldn't mind a facelift 'box with LSD. The plan is to sort out handling and ride first though.
Ride and handling first, definitely. That will make the biggest difference to an already brisk car. Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff