hey guys, just found the site. i'm the proud owner of a Red 06' Cooper S with 16k miles looking to throw down some mods to keep up with a few of my friends and look good.



Any suggestions?

i apologize for the lack of wash on the car :P

 

Welcome! MANY previous threads on mods...

 

welcome to nam!

 

Nice!

Drop it on coilovers!

 

Welcome, hope I can help you with anything you need.

 

The first thing you should do is ditch the run-flats if they are still on there.

 

Congrats. The mods with best bang for the buck for us initially was the 15% pulley and a CAI.

 

Thanks everyone for the welcomes! on another note, I was talking to a few of my buddies at the shop and they said that one of the guys is selling some legitimate black volk ce28n 16x8 weels/tires for $1k they only have about 500 miles on them. the thing im wondering is if it would look goofy with 16s seeing how ive got 17s now.

Buzzsaw, how much does the 15% pully cost and is it hard to put in?

 

Welcome to NAM!

 

Small wheels arent that bad, in fact Id like to get some holies at some point. Lighter rims are always a nice touch to your car. In fact theres a thread here about a guy who couldnt believe how awesome his car drove after going smaller. Do get some droppy drop. Nothin wrong with more low... Get a swaybar too... I find suspension very rewarding. The pulley is an inexpensive very noticable upgrade as well.

 

how much money are we talking here for suspension? once i get the wheels ive got to wait a month for another grand. any recommendations on how fr to drop it? i want to be able to take on speedbumps, im not completely opposed to slowing down to 5 to pass them though. i just worry.

 

New coils would be around 1k, or some minor dropage with just springs would be more economical (you'll need new control arms in the back with either coils or springs ). a new sway is around 200. Used of course lowers the cost of these.

 

I second nabeshin's suggestion to ditch the run-flats. You can get a great set of Yokohama's (include road hazard and balancing) for the cost of 2 run-flats, and they will last you at least twice as long. You will need to get a flat kit (small tire compressor, slime, plugs, etc) or carry a spare. I will eventually do a rear seat delete and have a full sized spare with a matching wheel in the back of the MINI.

 

Pretty much a go on diching the run flats once i get the volks. On another note, if I just get springs and keep the stock coils would it be a downgrade on performance? I like how it drives now.

 

A pulley itself will cost about $120.00 + or -. I had our pulley installed by the dealer prior to delivery. Here is a pulley installation DIY I found if you want to attempt the installation yourself. Personally if I have no experience on any mod installation, I have it done professionally. Saves me money in the long run. Good luck.

 

I'm not sure where you are at but if there's a local mini club I'm sure someone could assist in a pulley and sway bar install. My car already had a 17% when I bought it but my local club has garage days where they tackle pretty much all the bolt ons. I put my own bar on had had one of the local guys help with my springs. I noticed improved handeling with my springs and def with the bar. I did both pretty soon after I got the car so I couldnt really tell you if theres more bumpy ride quality, but when your the driver its not that bad.

 

I'll look into springs. Should be around the 400 range? I'm in Sarasota fl never really thought about a mini club however all the mini people I see are really nice I love getting waves haha. Any suggestions for how low to drop it. I would like to not worry about speedbumps

 

I have Alta's springs right now and bumps aren't a problem. every now and then I scrape the air dam thing. I really just need to trim it. If you look under your front bumper you'll know what I mean. Just master the art of taking bumps at an angle.

 

Springs are different then coil overs. $400 isn't a price range for neither coil overs or springs. Coil overs should be from 900 to 1000+. Springs will usually cost $200 to $300 at most.

I suggest a pulley. Get a 15% or 17% super charger pulley and a smaller super charger belt for about $120. A good mechanic can do the swap in about an hour. Should cost $150 or less to install. The pulley will be the most noticeable difference in terms of performance, next to run flats.

 

You would need new rear arms put on and new springs would put you really close to 400-500... You will need Rear arms either way. Coils or Springs.

 

realized that about the coilovers and springs yesterday and needless to say I fealt pretty dumb lol. I know a friend of mine that owns a shop here locally in Sarasota so installation shouldn't be too bad. Is there a noticeable difference with the 17-15%? or should I just go 15?

 

Im not sure, as my car had the 17% already on when I took ownership. But as compared to a stock pulley I can tell you its pretty significant. I wouldn't say we raced, but someone I know from work pulled up next to me in his stock mini and we zipped off and I pulled ahead pretty easily. Lighter/non-runflat wheels and a pulley will make your car a lot more responsive. Everytime someone here in the local club gets a pulley put on they cant stop talking about it, 15 or 17... but why not go "***** out" and get the 17?

Im sure it would be fine in Florida, but here in Salt Lake winters can be hard on metal parts. My friend showed me his Alta arms after one winter here and they were totaly rusted and fused together. So there was no adjustability.You may want to consider that in your control arm choice.

 

Welcome! I just joined up a few weeks ago, myself....

I was going to ask you where you were from, but later in the thread it came out that you're in Florida. It's amazing how much some parts of Florida look like my old stomping grounds in the Pine Barrens of southern NJ, which is what piqued my curiosity....

Good luck with the new car, and I hope you enjoy yours as much as I've been enjoying mine!!

C ya,

 

If it helps, the 17% and 19% pullies will spin the s/c in excess of the unit's designed redline. The 15% will spin the s/c just to the unit's designed redline. Exceeding the s/c redline means more heat, no gain, and more part wear.

If you stay well below the engine's redline, then the 17 and 19 will provide more low end power.

If you like going all the way to the engine's redline all of the time, then you'd want the 15%, for durability and efficiency.

This was all discussed in a thread at some point, the title of which escapes me.

 

yeah big help, thanks. usually when i get on it i go to redline to shift so i guess ill just hit up the 15%. im sure it'll get better gas as well compared to the 17-19. then again i could be wrong.

Joe,
i hear NJ is pretty nice, haven't gotten a chance to go there though, thanks for the welcome!
McCooperS,
Thanks for the heads up on prices

new stuff!
went 15% tint all around, nice and dark inside