Name's Matt. I've lurked for literally yrs here with an account, but just recently picked up my Mini. It's a 2006 with 61XXX on the clock. I'm in the Air Force (12 yrs) and have been involved with the automotive scene (all makes/models) since 2000. I currently live out in Delaware but I'll be relocating out to Las Vegas next Thursday. I hope to get as involved with the Mini scene as I was with Hondas yrs ago. Ask any questions you have ... I'm an open book.



*Sorry for the quality ... the sun was going down and all I had was my iPhone*

 

Welcome to the forum, Matt and I'm glad you not just a lurker anymore. Congrats on your new MINI, it looks fantastic. Thanks for the pics right up front. Delaware to Las Vegas will be quite a change for you and the MINI. Happy motoring and please don't forget to promote the MINI wave.

 

Welcome! There is a pretty active group out in Vegas. Sin City Minis I think. You'll find the mini community to be more rewarding than the honda crowd. That's my experience anyway. Good luck with the move!

 

Welcome matthoef, enjoy NAM and have a blast with the MINI!...

 

Thanks!

A few of my friends and I were doing things that were considered impossible back in the days. I had the first completely working S2000 cluster swap in an Integra amongst a few other things. My experience with the Honda crowd was great so if the Mini crowd is better, then I'm definitely glad to have made the jump. I plan on joining the Sin City group after I get situated and whatnot out in Vegas.

Thanks!

 

Congrats on your MINI, and welcome to NAM! You picked possibly the best MINI when you signed for a BRG '06 R53. And I could be a bit biased.

These are great little cars, and while they're tons of fun in stock form the first gen cars can be easily modified for even more. Throw a 17% supercharger pulley and a CAI on (or a 15% for track/AutoX'ers) and let the good times roll. There are so many upgrades you can make, I don't think you could ever get bored with this car.

Good luck with your move and drive her in good health!

 

Welcome! Congrats on purchasing the best year cooper S.

 

We're nearly twins, haha! I was just looking at the 17% pulley and 2% crank pulley on Detroit Tuned. I can't find any real info on reliability of the two combined though. I don't think I'll do much AutoX or track ... never really got into either with any of my other cars, but who knows. Definitely going to be doing the Defenders of Speed DDM CAI intake as soon as possible. Wish I had more time here in DE left so I could order the setup before my trek across the country, but hopefully I'll get situated quickly and get it done soon. I've been looking around and have a good idea on the route I intend on taking with my mods though ... definitely not new to "playing" with cars, haha.

Thanks! I think I'd have to agree on best yr.

 

ive been running the 17% / 2% combo for the past year, and have no complaints. you will need a shorter belt and colder spark plugs with this setup. possibly even larger injectors to be safe.

youll want to stay below 6400 rpm though. i notice any higher and its just heatsoaking.

(i also have cai, header, exhaust, colder plugs, injectors, w/m injection, jan tuned... along with many other things)

if youve been lurking, you probably are aware of a lot of common things to look out for, but any questions, feel free to ask.

check lead #3 on the coil pack. use 93 or better octane gas. get your coolant flushed amd keep an eye on the leaky resevoir. get those RFT tires off and replace with anything 215/45R17. one-ball the exhaust if youre not going to buy a full kit. craven oil dipstick (stock it brittle and stupid).

 

So everything is good until right at redline? I assumed I'd have to go with colder plugs, since that's common practice for running more boost any setup. Hadn't thought about injectors though ... is a tune required for larger injectors? Here in DE, I don't have access to 93 but once I get out of here on Thursday I'll be at the mercy of what's available at the truckstops on my trek out to Las Vegas. Vegas, I know though, has 93 (or least they did 10 yrs ago when I was last out that way). I plan on changing out the RFT when I switch to RPF1s next yr ... I'll go to 17x7 (18x7 if required for the JSW retrofit). I plan on a full exhaust (block to exit) that will be Swain Coated to help get the exhaust gases moving and to keep the engine bay cool(er).

Thanks for all the tips!

 

91 is ok too. with all euros they recommend 93 or as good as is available. octane booster is an option too. as long as youre not running less than 90 for the whole life of the car, it shouldnt be a problem.

and yes, with anything 17% or more, you dont realy see much for gains past 6k rpm. i usually shift right about 6.1k when im really getting into it.

for injectors, you can get the jcw 380cc which are a direct fit and will not require a tune. you may even get lucky and have a dealer that will reflash the ecu for you to make better use of the mods. that is uncommon though.

a lot of your power is going to come from a tune. so if you plan to get a tune, you could go bigger like 440cc. theyre all pretty much the same price. theres debates about duty cycle and spray pattern etc etc, but if you dont plan to go all out, the 380cc would be a safe bet. i personally have the 440cc with a tune.

the rft emoval will be night and day. once you get in to a 215/45 non-rft, the ride is so much smoother, and it takes about 10lbs of weight off each so the power you do have, can get to the ground a little quicker.

for wheels, i beleive 17s should be ok, but im not positive in that. ive never read much into the jcw brakes. i just got some powerstop d/s rotors with ceramic pads to keep dust off my nice white wheels lol.

 

Yeah, I ran 93 when I picked up the car in VA ... but at least here in Dover, the best I've found is 91. No biggie though. I plan on picking up a few bottles of octane booster for the road just in case I can't find 91 for whatever reason. I think until I get deeper in the mods, I'll probably just go the JCW route for injectors. I definitely want to get a tune though ... I had a tune on a bone stock 00 Integra back in the day and it definitely made the car behave completely different. I've been reading about the JCW retrofit and it seems as though the RPF1 17x7 fits at 45 offset. I think lower and you run the risk of being uncomfortably close.