hey guys, just wanted to say hi to the mini community. I am sad to say I am selling my 04 Subaru WRX. It was having some problems with boost and i and just cant spend time fixing it anymore. But all the good times i had with that fun awd 330whp machine and money i put into upgrading. But that'll all be in the passed soon. I just made an offer on an 05 mini s with low miles and fully loaded. but i do have some questions. Are mini's high maintenance? like do they encounter a lot of problems? And im debating between the turbo or supercharger. i'm liking the instant spool on the supercharger but some people tell me ill more get power out of the turbo. What do you guys think? ill be reading the sticky's in the meantime

 

No on high maitenance and lot of problems. However when buying used there is always the chance of problems from previous owners driving style, mods, failure to keep up normal maitenance, or other types of abuse. As to SC vs turbo, I have been told that turbos benefit more from perfomance tunes than the supercharged vehicles by about 2 to 1 in horsepower gain. I don't know wether this is true or not.

 

good luck n welcome to forum

 

First things first... have any used MINI taken to a qualified and experienced MINI mechanic to have it looked over before you buy. There are some odd quirks to these cars that you want to have checked out. For example, the '05 you're looking at is a Gen1 car, which can have some issues with the front strut towers deforming. It's something a non-MINI mechanic may not know to check for.

Once you get one, take a look in the generation-specific section of this forum for the best advice on how to get the most out of your new MINI.

 

Ditto on what jtbrown says. Welcome to NAM. Who knows, after a little more study, you may opt to get a new one. Good luck.

 

Supercharged is through 2006. Turbocharged started in 2007.
The subercharged and turbocharges models are different in many minor ways. You should drive one of each to see which you prefer based on size, style, handling, and power.
There are many aftermarket parts for both models.
Vendors are now getting good tunes for the turbo engines so they are making good power.
Both models have their share of minor problems usually fixed under warranty but not all.
If you purchased a used car maybe many of the problems have been fixed.
For example here are some common 05 MCS problems:
- Engine mount failure. Leaks black fluid onto car. I have had two leak.
- Oil pan gasket leaks.
- Thermostat housing leaks.
- Dash board rattles.
- Strut tower mushrooming. Top of tower deforms because it is weak.
- Front lower control arm bushings wear-out usually by 50,000 miles.

 

well those dont seem too bad a fixes. im liking the supercharger a lot. quick question, im just looking to get 240 to the whells wit my mini, no more. is it possible to achieve this with a 17% pulley or will i need to upgrade to 19%

 

To get to the 240 range you are going to need pulley, cam, head, injectors, exhaust, and tune. The percent pulley between 15, 17 or 19 is probably not going to make a big difference. It is the head, cam, and tune that will be needed to push you into that range.

The normal pulley, injectors, exhaust, and tune is only going to get you into the 210 range.

 

hmmmm only thing thats gonna be holding it back is that tune. no tuners in illinois. thanks for the input

 

Don't get too hung up on power numbers though. My other car is a z28 but I find the stock power on my Clubman to be pretty adequate. Obviously more would be fun but I don't expect to be really wanting once I get an intercooler and tune.

 

Some tuners travel around the country to perform tunes. These events are usually coordinated by local Mini clubs.
Some tuners do remote tunes where they send you a tune, you drive to collect data on the tune, and then they update the tune.
You can also get "canned" tunes that are programmed for common upgrades.

 

what does a tune usually cost? for jdm cars there usually 250-400. think ill just do a 19%, catback, cai, 380cc, rear sway and possible tune. if i go headers, is there anyway to shut off the CEL? i did it on my wrx but my buddy with a 328i said the vanos unit will just bring it back on

 

welcome and good luck!

 

Drink the kool-aid and never look back !

Coopers are a sweet ride !

EL Tiger

 

Go with an r53 nothing sounds better then the supercharger whine.

 

Hi,

welcome to the forum.

Have a nice weekend in your mini.