Should have gotten a Mini sooner....
#1
12-27-2018, 10:23 AM
Should have gotten a Mini sooner....
Hello all,
I have always been into Alfa Romeos and Porsches but have always owned a beater that has to be an automatic for everyday driving kids to soccer, errands, bad weather, traffic etc... That car was a Camry but I got sick and tired of the zero fun factor of it. My mechanic buddy got a good deal on an 06 red R53 S automatic and since it was only $4,500, I swooped it up. That was after trolling these boards and educating myself on all the mods and the various generations that Mini's offer. I do prefer the more simplistic lines that the first gen offer and the 05 and 06s seem to be the years to get. The car is a blast to drive and I'm addicted, I see so much more potential. In a months ownership, I have added 17" 7.5 OZ wheels and 215/45 tires, 15% reduction pulley and reduced belt with +1 plugs, MSD ignition and 8.5 red wires to match. Yes, MSD ignition may or may not suck but no matter my age (48), aesthetics will always matter to me and doesn't red crap make cars go faster. I added the 25mm hollow rear sway bar along with a front tower brace to take care of the mushrooming and bought a nice used Milltek exhaust. Next will be the Wilwood brakes and I'm leaning towards Bilstein coilovers.
This is where I need help. I will probably hand this off to my son in college, he needs a car. I want to build another Mini for myself with much more horsepower. Anyway to have a Mini hang with Porsche Caymans? I know I can make the R53 faster but it seems to be very costly adventure and ECU tuning options seem to be less with the first gen minies. I don't mind spending money but it has to make sense. I was also considering adding a turbo kit hoping to hit around 300hp. It seems like I can buy a cheap 1st gen min and spend 10k-15k modding it for horsepower but that might equal spending that same on a 2nd gen with a little less money on mods or buy used 3rd gen and be at same spot. I know that this is a very generalized question but any thoughts on the best mini to tune for HP along with reliablity. They handle so well, that's less of a concern for me. Also with all the added HP, getting that power to the wheels on such a light car becomes difficult. No point having 500hp when it gets wasted. What are the thoughts going maybe with a with All4 to help get the power to the road. My criteria is a Mini with best options with return on investment to tune for speed but has to have A/C. I live in the SF bay area if there are any Mini tuning shops around. Sorry to sound a little noobish but I don't want to bore you with an essay.
Cheers, Boogers.
I have always been into Alfa Romeos and Porsches but have always owned a beater that has to be an automatic for everyday driving kids to soccer, errands, bad weather, traffic etc... That car was a Camry but I got sick and tired of the zero fun factor of it. My mechanic buddy got a good deal on an 06 red R53 S automatic and since it was only $4,500, I swooped it up. That was after trolling these boards and educating myself on all the mods and the various generations that Mini's offer. I do prefer the more simplistic lines that the first gen offer and the 05 and 06s seem to be the years to get. The car is a blast to drive and I'm addicted, I see so much more potential. In a months ownership, I have added 17" 7.5 OZ wheels and 215/45 tires, 15% reduction pulley and reduced belt with +1 plugs, MSD ignition and 8.5 red wires to match. Yes, MSD ignition may or may not suck but no matter my age (48), aesthetics will always matter to me and doesn't red crap make cars go faster. I added the 25mm hollow rear sway bar along with a front tower brace to take care of the mushrooming and bought a nice used Milltek exhaust. Next will be the Wilwood brakes and I'm leaning towards Bilstein coilovers.
This is where I need help. I will probably hand this off to my son in college, he needs a car. I want to build another Mini for myself with much more horsepower. Anyway to have a Mini hang with Porsche Caymans? I know I can make the R53 faster but it seems to be very costly adventure and ECU tuning options seem to be less with the first gen minies. I don't mind spending money but it has to make sense. I was also considering adding a turbo kit hoping to hit around 300hp. It seems like I can buy a cheap 1st gen min and spend 10k-15k modding it for horsepower but that might equal spending that same on a 2nd gen with a little less money on mods or buy used 3rd gen and be at same spot. I know that this is a very generalized question but any thoughts on the best mini to tune for HP along with reliablity. They handle so well, that's less of a concern for me. Also with all the added HP, getting that power to the wheels on such a light car becomes difficult. No point having 500hp when it gets wasted. What are the thoughts going maybe with a with All4 to help get the power to the road. My criteria is a Mini with best options with return on investment to tune for speed but has to have A/C. I live in the SF bay area if there are any Mini tuning shops around. Sorry to sound a little noobish but I don't want to bore you with an essay.
Cheers, Boogers.
#2
12-27-2018, 10:58 AM
Welcome to the adventure Booger’s! Great username! Lol
I can’t really speak to a lot of your questions. But I would suggest talking to Mariokart, he is the guy to make it fast, in my book.
As far as getting power to the ground, good tires are the most important thing I think. Having an All4 Mini myself, I can say it’s a pro and a con. The pros are good, It grips like a Mother! I have never worried about losing traction in a corner, even when wet. You feel very solidly planted. And I really love it. The drawbacks are mostly cost of replacement parts, and the fact that with the extra bits in the drivetrain, you do lose a bit more between the crank and the wheels. That being said, with the tune and upgrades I have, with the DSC/Traction turned off, it will easily break the tires loose on hard acceleration from a stop. I like having tires though, so I generally leave it on, since general commuting doesn’t give you the ability to really rip without getting pulled over anyway, lol. You can’t go wrong with All4 as far as I’m concerned, the benefits outweigh the negatives for me. But if you want it, on anything other than the newer ones, you will be looking at a Countryman. The new Clubbies have it now also, but I am partial to gen 2 cars mostly because that’s what I have, lol.
Regardless, it sounds like you have the bug! Lol. Really no matter what you do, you can’t go wrong if you are happy with it! There’s lots of opinions out there, and mine is just one.
Enjoy driving your go-kart R53 until then, and then you son will get a badass mini when you move on to another one! That’s just fantastic! Good luck!
I can’t really speak to a lot of your questions. But I would suggest talking to Mariokart, he is the guy to make it fast, in my book.
As far as getting power to the ground, good tires are the most important thing I think. Having an All4 Mini myself, I can say it’s a pro and a con. The pros are good, It grips like a Mother! I have never worried about losing traction in a corner, even when wet. You feel very solidly planted. And I really love it. The drawbacks are mostly cost of replacement parts, and the fact that with the extra bits in the drivetrain, you do lose a bit more between the crank and the wheels. That being said, with the tune and upgrades I have, with the DSC/Traction turned off, it will easily break the tires loose on hard acceleration from a stop. I like having tires though, so I generally leave it on, since general commuting doesn’t give you the ability to really rip without getting pulled over anyway, lol. You can’t go wrong with All4 as far as I’m concerned, the benefits outweigh the negatives for me. But if you want it, on anything other than the newer ones, you will be looking at a Countryman. The new Clubbies have it now also, but I am partial to gen 2 cars mostly because that’s what I have, lol.
Regardless, it sounds like you have the bug! Lol. Really no matter what you do, you can’t go wrong if you are happy with it! There’s lots of opinions out there, and mine is just one.
Enjoy driving your go-kart R53 until then, and then you son will get a badass mini when you move on to another one! That’s just fantastic! Good luck!
#3
12-27-2018, 12:03 PM
Welcome, sounds like you found out what we all knew LOL. MINIs are great and people often ask me what I would drive if it wasn't a MINI and I usually say BMW M Coupe or Cayman.
Let us know if we can help with any of those future mods as you will only love it more.
Let us know if we can help with any of those future mods as you will only love it more.
#4
12-27-2018, 08:07 PM
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