Hi everyone,

I recently purchased an F56 as a fun daily driver. It's a 2016 MCS manual trans with the JCW tuning package with the pro exhaust, Racechip GTS with XLR, and some 18" OZ wheels. I bought the car to replace my S2000 which I loved but gave me serious back pain if I drove more than 1 day a week. The S2000 I was able to drive for 2 years, put more than 15K miles on and sell for more than what I paid. Obviously I'm not expecting to be able to do that with a Mini but so far the car is great fun and I'm loving the comfort/seating position, relatively small size and torque. Luckily I don't think of cars as investments!

My main requirements for my new fun DD were a good drivers seat, torque and a decent manual gearbox. The car checks all of those boxes as well as being fairly fuel efficient and practical. I am a bit of a sucker for a car with a good story. Believe it or not I purchased my S2000 from a guy named "Johnny Tran" a la fast and the furious, I kid you not. My F56 MCS was a 1 owner car whose owner was a Catholic priest. I didn't know there were priests out there that were car enthusiasts. His license plate was LST RTS or "Last Rights" and he had a badge on the back that says "priest interceptor" it's also a black car with a white roof and mirrors. SO, not only was he a car enthusiast but he also had a sense of humor. Not keeping the plates but the Priest Interceptor badge will stay as it makes me laugh every time I see it. I was also surprised to see he was rocking a radar detector. I guess I always just thought that cops don't write priests speeding tickets. Much like cops are just regular people, I guess priests are too...

I probably paid a little more than I should have considering the car had 60K miles and was not actually a JCW but finding a used F56 MCS with a manual trans in a color I liked in California was not as easy as I would have thought. Plus all the mods were things I would have most likely added to the car anyway. I am hoping the F56 will hold up much better over time and miles than the last two gens. I have some very fond memories of driving a friends R53 non S Mini with a 6 speed when it first came out. Driving that car in the canyons, going full throttle everywhere was a real delight!

Getting back in an R53 years later and a little time in a R56, the lack of build quality becomes very apparent and hard to live with on a daily basis. I am coming from RWD cars, most recently the S2000, an 18' Camaro ZL1 and a Subaru BRZ. I sold the ZL1 after spending too much money on tires, brake pads and rotors going to the race track; as well as missing being in a lightweight car despite loving the torque. Instead I opted to swap an LS3 engine into my BRZ and that is now my track weapon of choice. Part of the whole reason I bought the MIni was to retire the Chevubaru from street duty and install a cage, dry sump, aero, fire suppression etc. to make it a full track car. Car makes 450 WHP, weighs 3112 LBS with a full tank of gas, interior and me in the car (I'm 190).

On my daily commute I'm lucky enough to drive pretty much exclusively beautiful canyon roads. I am much less frustrated getting stuck behind someone slow in the F56 as I find it just as pleasurable to drive slow compared to my other cars. I do find it's lacking in handling dynamics in the tight turns compared the older Minis R53/R56. It is great in long sweepers but struggles in the tighter turns. I had already told myself that I wouldn't modify this car and I am pretty happy with the power it makes with the JCW tune and Racechip GTS. However, I am finding that I would really like to improve the handling and overall tactile feel of my F56.

I am considering ordering the following parts from ECS tuning. With the goal of improving handling while reducing torque steer, as well as improving the clutch, shifter feel and adding more turbo sound.

-Wavetrac LSD
-KW V2 Coilovers
-Clutch Masters FX200
-Eventuri plastic intake
-Forge short shifter kit

I have a few questions.

1) Has anyone here ordered from ECS? I see a lot of negative experiences online.

2) Does anyone else with a JCW pro exhaust have trouble getting the valve to open sometimes? Mine refuses to open in the morning when it's cold outside but then works every time once it warms up outside. I guess I should just make it so it's always open? I will say I prefer the sound of this exhaust compared to Remus and the other aftermarket exhausts I've heard.

3) While I have no intentions of adding more power to the car in the near future, a remap at some point does sound nice. Who has gone from a tuning box to a remap? What was your experience?

4) If you have installed any of the mods above please share your experience

5) While I have zero intention of taking this car to the race track I think I would like to compete in my local autoX events. My local Porsche and Corvette club break down the classes based on tire treadwear rating. There are 3 groups 300TW and up, 200TW and up and below 200TW. I will probably start out in the 300TW category with the hopes of being competitive. What would be the the best tire for this? I'm thinking Hankook V12...

If you took the time to read all of this long post I appreciate it and any advice you're willing to offer. Although I am not new to modifying cars, I am new to this platform. I am hoping to greatly improve handling and feel without making the car underivable on the street with springs that are way too stiff or a clutch that is too aggressive. Last thing I'll add is I'm hopeful this is finally the car that is going to convince my wife to learn to drive manual as she is a big Mini fan. She did well with her first lesson, fingers crossed it won't be her last! Would probably be best if someone else was teaching her though...

 

I found this post on Car Throttle from a few years back in case anyone is doubting my story. https://www.carthrottle.com/post/al5ebpz/

 

sorry posted in wrong thread