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Hi Everyone.
So im ready to build my new 06 JCW MCS
here are some shots of when I first bought it
I've done various racing car setups on all trypes of vehicles mostly JDM. My wifes had Minis, I've always loved riding in them amd driving them but I was never allowed to molest one in any way. My wife feels that what I do to cars makes them to loud and to fast.
However having this Mini has caused me to go a different route than my normal speed conquers all thinking.
So I decided to try out one of my other hobbies on this...which is air ride.
I've been working with Alex from BagRiders and finally placed my order for a full Air Lift V2 kit.
My choice in management came after an exhuasting 2 week comparison between this system and the E-level. Since I will be the only one in this car and not have many varying loads so I felt a pressure system would be more than enough especially with eight presets.
ETA is 4 to 6 weeks so while I'm waiting I oreded some more things
Then I got a JCW grill kit and blacked out the mini
So I ordered parts in the earlier part of last week
Typical maintenance items ..new serpantine belt , stoptech pads cross slot rotor for JCW brakes, Plugs, oil ect..... but I wasnt happy. So I told my wife im pulling the trigger and building it all the way!!!! I also snagged a deal on a new Piper cross jcw replacement filter for $30.
BBS RS 16x8 black center w red center caps
Mini Cooper black jack mirror caps
Mini Cooper Gloss black hood.scoop with grill mesh
Mini Cooper Black headlight rings
Outmotoring Skid plate
Suspension:
Air Lift performance Air struts
Air Lift V2 management
2.5 gal tank
Vair 444cc compressor
Smc check valve/ water trap
Hotchkis lower arms
Poly bushing kit
Interior
Innovative MXTD/MXTL guages for guage pod
Momo hub adapter
Momo quick release
Sparco 350mm wheel
Blox red weighted shift ****
Everything is ordered and im just waiting on boxes now
I'll be shooting pictures and updating with every little project I tackle!
You can save some money by returning the coil pack, wires, and radiator, and intercooler. None of those out perform what is already on your car.
Im well aware of some of this. However the idea of saving money went out the window with the Air Lift kit amd BBS RS wheels. Performance isn't my goal with this project. This is just another fun build to add to my collection.
Its not like any of those things hurt performance.
Im well aware of some of this. However the idea of saving money went out the window with the Air Lift kit amd BBS RS wheels. Performance isn't my goal with this project. This is just another fun build to add to my collection.
Its not like any of those things hurt performance.
Well the intercooler, coil, and wires all perform worse than stock, so yeah they will.
Well the intercooler, coil, and wires all perform worse than stock, so yeah they will.
Well in my 16 years of EXTREME horsepower engeneering I can tell you I have a couple of problems
The coil and wires dont hurt performance
I've been present during 100 or more Mini R53 dynos with that setup and never once saw any loss in power over stock
And even the very basic idea that upgrading to and 8.5mm wire will hurt spark/performance is absurd
Second ive never logged an IAT above stock level with a a forge IC on an r53 during multiple pulls
So no they dont hurt and when your building a car you want to show...those products are eye catching
Wasn't trying to hassle you, just trying to save you some money and you said it was your first MIINI. I've had ours for 10 years and we've been through it all. These cars have been around for 13 years now and all of these things have been tested extensively and a lot of that info is here on this site. I've got a relationship with a tuner that specializes in high horsepower R53's and has done thousands of dyno tunes on these cars. So I go with what his knowledge and my experience has shown. We have built ours to show too so I understand about having a mod list and choosing show over go. Love the BBS and air ride, I have 3 VWs and our MINI is on Schmidts. Looking forward to seeing it all put together.
Wasn't trying to hassle you, just trying to save you some money and you said it was your first MIINI. I've had ours for 10 years and we've been through it all. These cars have been around for 13 years now and all of these things have been tested extensively and a lot of that info is here on this site. I've got a relationship with a tuner that specializes in high horsepower R53's and has done thousands of dyno tunes on these cars. So I go with what his knowledge and my experience has shown. We have built ours to show too so I understand about having a mod list and choosing show over go. Love the BBS and air ride, I have 3 VWs and our MINI is on Schmidts. Looking forward to seeing it all put together.
Apologies on my end if I sounded gruff it wasn't my intention.
This is the first Mini I've owned personally
However I bought my wife over the years
2003 MCS
2005 MCS (traded in 03)
2009 MCS (traded in 05)
And now she has a
2013 MCS JCW GP after a trade in on the 09
I work as a software calibration engeneer and when I used to freelance I found myself tuning many types of cars quite a few were Minis.
I understand choosing your tuners experience and im all for it. My setup was chosen from the countless Mini logs I have in my Tunetop and analyzing the findings using a bunch of excell plotting.
The coil and wires I found dont make any immeadiate gains but if you can write code and add parameters you can add sections that allow for coil dwell and optimize your spark.
Again majority of this is for show
Currently I own three cars starting with a min hp level of 750 working its way up to my ultimate toy which has just over 1,000 hp
Im tired of race and just want to gently cruise to a car meet and.display shiny bits.
I love your roster. Any links to your vw builds?
Last edited by Spencer Roper; 07-27-2015 at 06:54 PM.
Your not kidding about the BBS and air ride, big money. Since the BBS's have gotten popular with the JDM scene the prices have really shot up. I like that new Air Ride kit for the MINI and they make great stuff. Air ride has come a long way in the last few years.
No crazy horsepower here lol. Our MINI should be close to 280 after we add meth and get it tuned, but that is pretty hefty for the R53. I have an 88 16V Scirocco which is mostly stock, an 04 Jetta GLI that is my daily and my 90 GTI with a 1.8T swap which is a long term work in progress. There is a build thread here: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...2#post61649032
Your not kidding about the BBS and air ride, big money. Since the BBS's have gotten popular with the JDM scene the prices have really shot up. I like that new Air Ride kit for the MINI and they make great stuff. Air ride has come a long way in the last few years.
No crazy horsepower here lol. Our MINI should be close to 280 after we add meth and get it tuned, but that is pretty hefty for the R53. I have an 88 16V Scirocco which is mostly stock, an 04 Jetta GLI that is my daily and my 90 GTI with a 1.8T swap which is a long term work in progress. There is a build thread here: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...2#post61649032
280 is quite considerable in a Mini so I do count that as extreme
About two years ago I tuned an R53 with a sneed long block and a custom single turbo PTE 56/56 it made just about 412hp on a "light" tune and it was near undrivable.
Here in the NW I can't even take my 1,000hp EVO out because of how impractical the pwer curve is for rainy weather so im happy to be in a moderatly powerd ride.
I like the new Air kits as well. The V2 isnt the most advanced or accurate system to date but its had a few years now to really lock in the features and reliability.
The VW looks NIIIIICCEE ! Ill keep that page bookmarked.
Well as of yesterday I finished up the exhaust. Ill get some better pics with my camera later if the underside but I managed to snap a shot of the tip I chose.
Also my distributor for the forge IC and Rad have fallen through claiming they are out of stock.
So im considering two options
Leaving the stock one
Or really selling out and going with the very pricey copper option available currently
I also saw a company that makes a radiator and FMIC combo.....is worth all the faff?
No real progress to report today, I'm just collecting boxes !
I did manage to install the craven dipstick as.mine was on the verge of breaking.
However I was driving around today a.d the car missed suddenly then the check engine light came on. I turned the car off and restarted and it ran fine then after driving 40 or so miles the check engine light turned off.
Ive never experienced this with my wife's Minis before.
07-27-2015, 12:43 PM
