better pictures of after clean:


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whoops, i thought i pasted in the forums thumbnail codes but i guess i clicked the forum code again! sorry for those with slow internet

 

Wheels look great!!!

 

Update 05/25/10
---
Living in northern va and driving to work everyday in stop and go traffic, I wanted a little more from my stereo system. I am not a car audio genius, my goals for this upgrade were modest and on a budget.

I ordered an inexpensive clarion head unit with ipod controls, steering wheel control module, front and rear rockford fosgate speakers, and an inexpensive bass tube.

still sorting out a few issues
- front speakers didnt fit depth-wise, eventhough they were listed as fitting my car
- steering wheel module needs to be wired up still
- ipod wont play via headunit. i read this may have something to do with the right protection on the music files since the headunit will not play music with that setting on it.

anyways, so far it sounds much better.

here is the rear with all the panels removed to change out the speakers


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comparison of oem speakers vs rockford fosgates


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rear interior back in


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i'm deciding on if i want to move the sub to closer to the rear of the car

 

Great rims, could you tell me what offset they are and where you bought them?
Thanks.

 

drfubar, they are 17x7.5 +45 offset from Mach V Motorsports (http://www.fastmini.net/). Dan is on the forums if you have questions about what Mach V has in stock, etc. here is a link to their rota RB page: http://www.fastmini.net/rotarb.html

-Jason

 

im in nova also!

 

Recent Maintenance
--
about two months ago had to pull the thermostat. apparently, it was serviced at some point in the past and whoever did the work did NOT tighten down the bolts. so that was what was making a wierd smell (burning coolant).

the gasket was trashed and car temps would climb in stop and go traffic. i bought a replacement thermostat at advance auto to find out that it did NOT come with a new gasket. so, ended up having to go to the MINI dealer in alexandria to get a new thermostat.

--

battery died a week ago in best buy parking lot. it was on the way out since this past winter but it finally gave up. got a replacement one from advance auto in stafford (only place open on saturday afternoon/almost evening so now car is running fine.

still need to install a bunch of parts i have and do brake job and oil change

--

here are some new pics. nothing expert quality, i'm still new at using the camera (my first DSLR).



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in process of doing a brake job. issues getting the rotor torx bolts off. broke my oem intake tube so just ordered some parts from alta for their labor day sale

- alta intake with silicon tube
- alta short shifter on clearance
- alta silicon intercooler bellows
- alta catch can

still need to install my adjustable control arms in the rear. noticed slight camber wear from last 5k miles of driving on the coilovers. also have to still install my steering wheel control module and the alta rear sway bar. so much to do!!

future plans are
- NS1 cam
- tune

probably thats it for power. though that will probably change lol.

 

i see you on gallows all the time when i smoke a cig during my breaks


dell building on the corner of 50 and gallows

 

i think i saw you there. my friend used to work in that building for dell

 

was bored so i test fitted my factory MINI wheels on the miata. yeah they are huge looking and heavy.


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sold the NA and bought a NC2 since the 2010 were on clearance. sooo, no updates to the MINI in the past few months.



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You put in the only HU I'd consider putting into my R53! Is it the CZ300? How tough is the speaker swapping? I'm thinking about dropping in an amp and 4 new speakers in when I decided to replace the HU. Get it all done at once.

 

I don't remember the exact model clarion I got. It is the cheapest one that had USB input and aux-input and supported IPOD controls over the USB. Unfortunately I didn't get the bluetooth though, which in retrospect would be nice to have for wirelessly connecting my phone.

The speaker swapping was pretty easy, though my fronts woudln't fit without spacers. I just cut the plugs off of the wires and soldered my new speaker wires. I bought that additional wiring harness so that I could easily match the right wire colors from the clarion to the in car wiring as well.

Hope your install goes well. My clarion is still working great for me so far!

 

Ok, after 5 weeks of ownership of a 2010 Horizon Blue Clubbie, I still cant believe she's in my garage. Is this normal? Want to drive her all the time, or just sit in her and sigh.... someone on this website told me I'd have a "permagrin". You were right!!!!!!!!

 

hey i also live in nova.. fairfax va.. are yall in some group or something?

 

This is a great log! Keep it up!
you are doing mods that I used to do,
and you are kinda following the same path I did..

looks like a great MINI!

 

So, not much new on the MINI front, at least nothing worth posting pictures of. got the car re-inspected so it is road worthy again. Had to change out the passenger side CV boot.

Now the car is in the garage up on stands waiting for me to finish my installs
- rear coilover adjustment cables (never installed from first coilover install)
- adjustable lower control arms
- rear sway bar
- short shifter
- oil catch can
- detroit tuned bpv
- auto up circuit/dsc auto off

I still need to do the oil change too. It always seems that I have a never ending list!!!

also, sold the PRHT miata and got this used for more practicality:


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silver one is mine, black one is coworkers.

 

a few updates

got rear subframe lowered to prep for lower control arms and rear sway bar


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installed oil catch can and detroit tuned bpv upgrade. here is stock vs detroit tuned (look the same since detroit tuned is an upgraded stock unit)


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now need to figure out how to get at the inner bolts for the lower control arms without having to totally remove the rear subframe out from under the car.



on the STI front, I finished debaging everything but side badges and wheel center caps and painted the front mustache.


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also removed the intake resonator and plugged the hole


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UPDATE: Driving Impressions
I would strongly recommend doing the rear sway bar prior to coilovers if you are looking for a budget performance upgrade. The rear sway bar has had a major impact on the handling compared to the coilovers. I am not a track person or a racing person, I mostly daily drive and do some spirited driving in the corners. For someone on a budget, a RSB is a great budget upgrade with major performance benefits. Mine is set on the middle setting and feels great. The car feels much more planted and the body roll/lean is virtually gone.

As far as the the rear adjuster cables for the coilovers, I would recommend that if you are installing coilovers to take the few extra minutes to install these at the same time. It is worth it to be able to adjust the rears without having to lower the coilover off of the car. I just drilled holes in the rear and sprayed anti rust paint over the holes. My adjusters came with sleeves to prevent rubbing against the hole edges.

just some thoughts/opinions.

--

FINALLY installed rear adjuster cables for the coilovers, lower control arms, and my rear sway bar!

the rear sway bar makes a huge difference in body roll. I would have to say the rsb and the pulley are the best bang for the buck mods so far!

interior out for drilling the holes for the cables


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rear adjuster


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low control arm and rear sway bar


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rear sway bar


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not much going on, as i diverted some of my modding funds to the STI lately. I did FINALLY manage to get my drain bolt out (the head had rounded off), changed the oil and oil filter, and fixed a broken rear exhaust hanger. I also installed a fumoto oil drain valve.

Two tools that worked great - bolt extractor sockets (for the oil pan plug) and a tap and die set (for the rear exhaust hanger bolt)!

i have been thinking about painting my Rota RB wheels since one of mine is pretty bad shape. I had curbed it a year ago and in the winter, it has heavily oxidized under the clear coat. I am still undecided if I want to polish it up and re-clear coat it or just polish it up and change up the look.

 

I bought a new cheap fisheye wide angle lens. I was looking at the nikkon but since I am definitely an amateur, I wanted something that wouldn't break the bank. The rokinon is less than half the price and gets the job done for now. I am still learning how to take pictures with my DSLR.

 

Changed out the SC/serpentine belt. Mine was the original, so after changing it to a new one, the car's responsiveness was restored! boost comes in quicker, smoother, and hits harder.

I also changed out my boost gauge. I had an old VDO that was dying (dropped 3 times+ on pavement), then had an ultragauge. The ultragauge was ok but the main problem is the digital numbers do not update fast enough so if you are looking at boost, the read out "lags" and it is hard to tell what boost you hit. Also, the ultraguage measures in absolute manifold pressure so you have to do the math. I replaced it with a simple mechanical prosport gauge. All connections swapped over from my VDO and so far it is great!

gauge when "off"


gauge when "on"


gauge at night

 

NICE!! Chheck out C3M - Central Maryland MINI Motorists at www.meetup.com. Great people, fun runs, awesome MINI's!