Cooper (non S) Modifications specific to the MINI Cooper (R50).

Performance Mods :: Cooper

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  #101  
Old 05-03-2009, 07:18 PM
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wrong section
 
  #102  
Old 06-05-2009, 01:37 AM
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after some changes, i added a 62mm throttlebody , with some handwork on the intakemanifold...

now the car is a little faster on 0-60mph (7.1-7.3) and increased top speed speed..

good mod who somebody is interested

this mod added to the other in my forst post....

IM STILL WAITING for and increased rpm range!!!!!!!!!!! ANYBODY HAS ANY INFO...???????????????????
MTH TUNING SOFTWARE STILL ON 7200!!! they dont think in the increase, but i think is a big mistake...
 
  #103  
Old 06-05-2009, 02:26 AM
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RE:

Originally Posted by MBoned
after some changes, i added a 62mm throttlebody , with some handwork on the intakemanifold...

now the car is a little faster on 0-60mph (7.1-7.3) and increased top speed speed..

good mod who somebody is interested

this mod added to the other in my forst post....

IM STILL WAITING for and increased rpm range!!!!!!!!!!! ANYBODY HAS ANY INFO...???????????????????
MTH TUNING SOFTWARE STILL ON 7200!!! they dont think in the increase, but i think is a big mistake...
You modded what?

The plastic air intake??

I'm thinking on fitting the cooper S air intake and "work" it.

Need some mods and a bypass to work.. but i think i can do it..

i also have an enlarged throttle body.
Its a cooper s but a little bit enlarged(about 60mm)
 
  #104  
Old 06-28-2009, 11:08 AM
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After a lot of thought, i decided that none of the aftermarket intakes worth the asking money, so i made my own one.

I removed the stock resonator (that was a pain in the ***...), and i used a flexible pipe which ends exactly behind the hood grill, and has much smoother angles than the stock 90 degree bends. Some pics :
 
Attached Thumbnails Performance Mods :: Cooper-p1000145.jpg   Performance Mods :: Cooper-p1000146.jpg   Performance Mods :: Cooper-p1000147.jpg  
  #105  
Old 06-28-2009, 04:33 PM
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Originally Posted by nickbmw
After a lot of thought, i decided that none of the aftermarket intakes worth the asking money, so i made my own one.

I removed the stock resonator (that was a pain in the ***...), and i used a flexible pipe which ends exactly behind the hood grill, and has much smoother angles than the stock 90 degree bends. Some pics :
....... soooo what does that do? any sound differences?
 
  #106  
Old 06-29-2009, 05:17 AM
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Originally Posted by AggieMini11
....... soooo what does that do? any sound differences?
Before i do this, my intake was totally stock except for the K&N panel filter.

Then i removed the resonator and left the factory airbox with just a hole, in other words, exactly what you see in the pics but without the flexible pipe to bring cold air. This setup was cutting power, and i felt that it wasn't reving good, after 5000rpm it was noticeable. The only positive was the sound, so loud that i couldn't even hear my cat back and very agressive. I feel that the Intake Air Temperature was VERY high with this setup...

Then i added the pipe, which brings cold air in the box. The loss i had is restored, and the car feels good now. I can't tell any difference in sound compared to the stock airbox, but i am pretty sure the IAT is a bit lower even than the stock intake, and the flow is increased with this mod. (resonator removed, pipe sitting exactly behind the grill).

I am under the impression that intakes like DDM and Afe, although they make very nice sound, they hurt performance compared to stock. There are members who have noticed this using these intakes, and it sounds normal to me, since the IAT is going high, and the flow ON TO THE FILTER is decreased. To make it more simple, what is better, to let the engine suck the air totally on it's own, or create airflow to help?

Just my opinion
 
  #107  
Old 07-13-2009, 10:01 PM
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I care more on handling than power, that's why my coop got some stealth mods on it. rear sway bar,drop in filter,h&r springs, control arms(rear) and upper stress bar. that's all for now.
 
  #108  
Old 08-05-2009, 08:48 PM
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I have a stock 02. What are some good upgrades to add power?
 
  #109  
Old 08-06-2009, 10:12 AM
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A DDM cold air box, a performance catback (Borla or something similar). The other options start getting very expensive. I just traded my R50 in on a R56. After three years of modding my R50, and getting little extra performance, I felt trading was the best option. That and my R50 spent 4 months in the shop .
 
  #110  
Old 09-15-2009, 02:42 AM
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Yeah, I am wondering the same thing. I too have an 02 Cooper and want to add some extra HP and MPG to it without breaking bank. What are some viable options and about how much would this cost. Is this a D.I.Y. project?
Thanks
 
  #111  
Old 09-15-2009, 05:10 AM
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A cold air intake, and a cat back system, will not make you go faster, but they'll make you think you go faster, because of the sound. If you want to really go faster, and not a placebo effect, get a Fidanza flywheel, a camshaft, a header, and then get a tune. These are going to make your car really faster. If you can't afford all of these, keep the flywheel and the header with a free flow cat or a de cat pipe. This way you will not need the tune as well.
 
  #112  
Old 09-16-2009, 02:18 PM
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I was looking at headers...they're like $1,500. That's more than I want to spend, for the time anyway. First thing I am going to do is to get the WAY/DDM Cooper CAI. Reviews say you get a little more MPG and according to the product description, a slight power increase. Even if that's not true the sexy sound would be well worth it to me

Where should I shop for these parts so I can check prices? I'm sure camshafts are expensive and what do you mean by a "tune"? ECU upgrade? And what is a free flow cat? Sorry, I'm new to all this stuff. Thanks for helping.
 
  #113  
Old 09-16-2009, 02:31 PM
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There is no header going for 1500... You can get a decent header at 175 plus shipping, like OBX. You can use your oem cat with it, or spend 100$ more, and get a Magnaflow free flow cat. The free flow cat shows less resistance to the gasses going through it, because it has larger holes.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/OBX-E...Q5fAccessories

Fidanza flywheel, not very expensive part, but costly labour to have it on.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Fidan...Q5fAccessories

The camshaft is about 400$, but this is the last you should look for of all the above.

The ECU tune, is a remap done on a dyno, where the software of your car is been optimized according with the parts you have. There are vendors here who can do it, and i think it costs around 350$.
 
  #114  
Old 09-16-2009, 02:45 PM
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Hey thanks. I just found a magnaflow for $472 at http://www.autoanything.com/exhausts...0A3038783.aspx

What are the reputable sites you would recommend I shop at? (low prices +high quality). And would you suggest the WAY CAI or the free flow K&N air system?

There is a stage 1 upgrade here: http://new.minimania.com/web/Item/NMK1001/InvDetail.cfm would that be worth the price or would you suggest something else altogether?

I want to get a noticeable difference in power and fuel economy for as little as possible. Even better if they are D.I.Y. projects to save on labor.
 
  #115  
Old 09-17-2009, 06:04 AM
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Τhis is the free flow metalic catalytic converter to suit an OBX header. I have used this shop a few times, and i am very pleased. An exhaust shop is needed either if you choose to fit the OEM cat, where you will have to cut it from the stock manifold and weld it on the OBX flange, or you'll have to weld the Magnaflow on the OBX. You could also just make a de cat pipe...
http://www.greyhoundperformance.com/...56_p_5313.html

This is the Magnaflow cat back, if you insist :
http://www.greyhoundperformance.com/...em_p_4458.html

If you ask ME, i would suggest the same CAI with mine, you will find it a few pages back in this thread. But the DDM CAI is a nice piece, just a not true cold air intake. A friend of me has it on his R50, it makes nice sound but not sure about the gain compared to my much cheaper solution.

If you follow my advice, you'll have a faster Cooper, because i've been through this already... But better milage, i don't think so. Especially with the CAI and catback, you'll floor it all the time just to hear it :D

There are no easy DIYs that will make your Cooper faster... Making N/A power is a really hard task...
 
  #116  
Old 10-16-2009, 01:16 PM
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OBX looks like a good one to go with however, I'm leaning towards the Megan Racing Exhaust/headers. The exhaust is $380 and the headers are $179. I don't have to pass emissions testing so would I even need to worry about welding on the catalyst?

I might just get the ALTA panel filter.
Because the K&N panel filter is inside the air box, is there still the possibility of the oil from the filter messing with the mass air flow sensor?
 
  #117  
Old 10-17-2009, 08:34 AM
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I was also thinking about the Megan header, but after my search here, i found a lot of people had problems with them, so i avoided it.

There isn't any problem with the oil of the K&N, unless you reoil it too much after cleaning. Even if you do, still you won't have problem, your car deosn't have an mass air flow sensor, but a map sensor.
 
  #118  
Old 01-17-2010, 11:05 PM
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I bought the DDM intake and love it. Throttle response is better. I would get the OBX header and tune but I know if I add much more torque to this car, the midlands is gonna shred itself. Shame Really wanna make some N/A power!
So, guess it'll be the DDM + a catback. Either Megan or see if IE has one for a R50. Then, on to suspension and brakes.
 
  #119  
Old 02-06-2010, 09:09 AM
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could someone please help me, i just got into the mini scene and having trouble finding out what parts fit which years, for example i had trouble finding a adjustable short throw shifter because it says 2002-2006 r53 which i dont have so does that mean it wont fit my r50, what parts from a mini cooper s will fit my non s, i want to change out my bumpers with a cooper s bumpers, what parts are compatible as far as exterior and performance parts, can someone help me ?
-branz
 
  #120  
Old 02-06-2010, 09:15 AM
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what would be the best websites to order performance and exterior mods, i was looking at mossmini and minimania but is there any other sites out there that has more variety and better parts
 
  #121  
Old 02-06-2010, 11:16 AM
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Originally Posted by blong808
could someone please help me, i just got into the mini scene and having trouble finding out what parts fit which years, for example i had trouble finding a adjustable short throw shifter because it says 2002-2006 r53 which i dont have so does that mean it wont fit my r50, what parts from a mini cooper s will fit my non s, i want to change out my bumpers with a cooper s bumpers, what parts are compatible as far as exterior and performance parts, can someone help me ?
-branz
Pretty much everything is interchangeable except engine parts. Body panels, transmission parts, suspension, interior stuff etc etc is all the same. As long as it doesnt go under the hood, you should be OK.
 
  #122  
Old 02-06-2010, 01:03 PM
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If you go to WayMotorWorks.com or OutMotoring.com - they divide the cars by models and then sub-divide into parts. Really easy to find what you're looking for.

As Johnny villan said, exterior are exchangable. I've seen may Coopers with S hoods, bumpers, etc.
However, air intakes, exhausts, and most performance mods will not fit. Suspension will though.
As far as transmissions....they have two completely different transmissons. The r50 has the midlands 5 speed (except 05-06, it is a getrag 5 speed) where as all the Ss have the getrag 6 speed. So no, transmission parts are not interchangeable. Although, you can swap out the entire transmission of the R50 for the getrag 6 speed (from the S). Proably cost you around $3,000 to do that though, depending on where you have it done and where you get the parts from.
 
  #123  
Old 02-06-2010, 05:44 PM
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Here is a direct link to what we have on the site for your car.
But if you don't see what you want, definetly email us. I'm a car guy not a webguy so my site is always behind.
http://www.waymotorworks.com/02-06-cooper-r50/
 
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  #124  
Old 02-20-2010, 11:01 PM
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recently purchased a 2002 mini, wanted to know what would be my first options for performance parts that will make the biggest differences, so far all i have is a injen short ram intake, let me know, thanks
 
  #125  
Old 02-21-2010, 07:57 AM
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I hate to break it to you but an r50 will never be "fast." You can drop $5,000 under the hood and only be as fast as a Cooper S.

You can get an exhaust but it wont do much other than sound cool. Focus on suspension after that.
 


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