Hello! Hope i can learn from the more experianced folks here!

 

Congrats, we've built several so hope we can help you out with what you need.

 

Welcome and Congrats

 

Welcome to the forum. If you can't find information on what you need to modify a MINI on this site, you won't find it anywhere. Pictures are always welcome.

 

 

Mostly Hill Climbs, very little autocross, track days at both The F.I.R.M. in Starke Florida and Roebleing in Savannah, GA. Almost all of that was done in a Polaris slingshot, but SCCA and NASA will not allow me to run the Slingshot, so i bought the mini because i figured it would get me the track time i need to be able to run at Pikes Peak next year, on my bucket list. Here is a pic of my slingshot at the tail of the dragon right after I got stuck behind some slow riding Harley riders pulling trailers!

 

Any idea of what has been done already? Supercharger reduction pulley? Coilovers? Rear Sway bar?

A lot of what you can do to an R56 applies to a R53 in the way of suspension mods.

Engine - power comes from changed pulley(s), injectors, and tune (RMW?)

Suspension-
Everyone will tell you, add the 22mm solid or 25mm hollow rear sway bar. This can add a bit of snap oversteer, which I am not a fan of. So I would suggest balancing that with a 26mm or 27mm front bar. The front bar will really flatten the car out, which is good for maintaining camber up front. The 26mm bar in front will be less understeer than the 27mm bar.
If you have the budget for it a set of Ohlin coilovers, like this setup:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4409094
(hopefully this takes you to post 28)
Front lower control arm bushings (power flex)
Adjustable endlinks for the sway bars as the stock ones likely won't handle the larger bars.
Adjustable rear control arms

Front brake upgrade - See what Todd at TCE Performance products has:
http://www.tceperformanceproducts.co...01-06/kits-16/
If you plan to run 17" wheels I would definitely opt for the Plus 3a, TCE 13" kit

A set of Schroth QuickFit harnesses to keep you planted in the seat.

Hope this helps.

 

Following

 

Sell it and buy a Honda J/K!

1. Fix all the fluid leaks
2. Decide what class you are going to be in and what you can modify on the car to stay in said class (Don't do any mods yet!)
3. Replace all worn out suspension and brake components (Use #2 as a guideline as to which components you can use)
3. Purchase safety items such as helmet, roll bar, seat, and harness
4. Use the car at stock power level to learn the chassis dynamics
5. Modify to suit your driving ability and class chosen

 

Welcome.

Track day car... let the fun begin.

+1 above ^^ on the list not about buying a Honda.

I assume you want a Street Legal Track Day car, I like that idea.

Loads of information in the threads here and with all out Forum Sponsors... they can provide loads of parts.

Motor On!

 

We have done all of the suggested tricks for a 14 year old mini:
Changed out all of the rubber hoses, bushings and belts, added the 15% reduction pulley, a new alternator, serviced the supercharger, replaced the waterpump, added the DDM cold air intake, MSD coil pack, MSD red Wires and colder spark plugs, all new motor mounts and a-arm bushings, added a front strut tower brace, added the BC coilover kit, added 17" rims with Proxes tires, changed out the brakes to drilled and slotted rotors with stainless steel lines and Hawk brake pads (those are going on tonight), bought the Shark Re-flash tuner for 93 octane, short throw shifter with the billy club shifter handle, added an optima yellow top battery, built a 2.5" stainless exhaust with the 4 into 1 header and magnaflow 6" round stainless muffler and a oval single exit exhaust tip with a vance and hines HD baffle kit to get rid of the "ricer" sound. still need to pick up a roll bar and a dual set of harnesses and a rear sway bar, have not settled on that yet.

Still dealing with the battery not charging... I'm trying to figure if it is a ground issue, alternator issue (even though it is brand new), connection issue, or the 15% reduction pully/ belt issue? Not sure what to do yet? I was hoping the shark programmer might help with that issue, but I'm not wanting to download the program if there is other issues that could affect that.

 

I do quite a few track days, change out your crank damper before you go. I carry extra belts for 11, 15, and 17 in my trailer because some r53 is gonna blow his belt, and it's probably because his damper is going or gone.

 

^^ What he said on the crank pulley.

If the alternator is not charging a tuner is not going to help.

Check your ground strap on the RH side of the engine, then check all your fuses. If those all look good you probably have a bad Alt. Make sure you get a new Bosch unit, NOT a parts store rebuild.

Also change the fluid in the supercharger and check the PTO gears while you're in there.

And you may want to read this:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...erience-2.html

 

 

if you are looking for track parts we have the parts and tuning that have powered every single national championship in the Mini Coopers

 

 

Mike, is that you?

 

Not quite, I'm not as reserved as he seems to be.

If you're taking the time to post here why don't you share your opinion on his setup and mini knowledge with this beginner to help him down his intended path? Instead of posting a sales pitch.

 

like we do with every single customer that is going to race, the 1st thing we do is have a very detailed phone call
where we discuss the class he wants to race in (to make sure the car will be competitive for his goals and budget)

no amount of here, put this on your car is going to help him when the parts you are advising him on will put him possibly in the wrong class (wasting money that could have been spent on a proper build)
it's exactly why you go to people who have actually done it vs those who talk about doing it

but thanks for asking

 

From above post - "2. Decide what class you are going to be in and what you can modify on the car to stay in said class (Don't do any mods yet!)"

I've been in racing since I was 16, built more cars in more classes than I can remember lately , but I still try to guide the beginners when I can.

Your experience and reputation carry a lot of weight here and so even if you can't walk him through an entire build you can still give him pointers to help, and when you do it here that adds to the information that people will find before they make mistakes and buy parts that aren't what they need.

Just figured I'd ask

 

anyone can build a car to race
how many can build them to win?

this is exactly why I don't post much anymore, everyone is an expert without the hardware to back up their claims

 

Not everyone is competing at a national level, some just like having fun. (Do you even remember when it wasn't about trophies? )

You post quite a bit but 99% contain the words: Trophy / Championship / Nationals/ Winning or just general derogatory sarcasm towards other members, vendors, and products that aren't yours, used by you in your shop, or built by you.

You are an "expert with the hardware to back up the claims" so why don't you try and add information, be helpful, and be a asset to this community rather than just a another guy with an ego on a forum?

If you chose not to be an asset to this community why not save yourself the aggravation of us "amateurs" trying our best and just stop posting in threads like this and keep to your "Look at what I made!" threads.

Sorry I asked in the first place

Big Nana- Sorry to have hijacked your thread.

 

Hi and welcome to NAM,
It is great you want a track car!

 

 

Welcome! Just MHO, but a track car and a race car are two different animals. If you want to attend HPDE's and do some open track, I heartily suggest you initially build for reliability because there's nothing worse than being at an event with problems. Get used to the handling characteristics of the MINI, namely dial in the suspension, evaluate the brakes and pads. Just a suggestion but I'd ditch the drilled rotors for some solid ones and rig up cooling ducts. Also, you'll save at least 15 lb. by going to an Odyssey or Braille battery. Enjoy the ride!