Hello everybody. I am new... Not just to NAM, but to the entire Mini universe! Two years ago I had finally (I'm 42) gotten myself to the point to where I could actually get serious about a car. I have fooled around with a few cars here and there in the past, but I had never been able to actually "build" a car. No matter what car I had, I was only able to do a few things to it before I was either forced to get a new one or I couldn't afford it. Now that I can finally get serious about a car, I want to get serious in a way that's different. The "me to" cars that people tend to flaunt around Louisville (imo) are either Hondas, Nissans or Mustangs. It's all I see when I'm driving around. You know what I don't see... Minis! Very rarely do I see a tricked out Mini. I'm not saying that I haven't 'cause I most definitely have, but in all... I have only seen 2 (maybe 3). Other than that, every Mini I see is usually driven by an older woman or an even older man and sometimes a 20 something girl. In Louisville, Minis get laughed at by the tuners. That's why when I decided to get serious, I wanted a Mini. I have actually wanted to trick out a Mini ever since I saw The Italian job. After watching The Italian Job and reading up on Minis I really wanted one. I just could never afford it. The Mini that I was finally able to buy came used from a dealer and unbeknownst to the saleswoman who sold it to me, she didn't realize it already had fully adjustable Gecko coil overs and a Magna Flow full racing exhaust (minus the downpipe). I know what your thinking, but the Magna Flow exhaust actually performs and sounds pretty good! So here I have this 2010 Mini Cooper Clubman S with coil overs and a racing exhaust. Obviously I bought an intake. I went with an AEM full ram/cold air set-up. After that I decided to go ahead and get a downpipe from Milltek and buy a set of Bosh high performance ignition coils. To get all of that xtra stuff to work I went ahead and spent a decent amount of money (way more than I thought it would be) for a Stage 2 ECU flash tune performed by MaloneTuning. That tune made an unbelievable difference... HUGE (it better have to for what it cost). So... That's where I am now. I have a CravenSpeed short-throw shifter sitting in the garage that I'm gonna put on in the next week. The problem I am having is not knowing what I should do next. All of the basics are done. I believe I am at the point where things are going to really get expensive... Forcing me to do things in stages. With the high cost, what should I do next. What is going to be the best "bang for the buck". I thought about an air/fuel controller and a boost controller, but I am not sure if my engine could push anymore than its pushing now without burning a hole in the block. The tune that I have has my car pushing 15lbs (according to the boost gauge). If my engine even could handle a couple lbs more boost, wouldn't I have to get another tune to keep the ECU from kicking it back down? Should I go with better internals (of course I should with better internals), but where should I even start with that... Valves, rockers (are roller rockers even a thing with Minis), lifters, cams... Does Mini have any kind of performance upper intake or lower intake manifold that I can get? I've got so many questions? Please forgive me if I sound like a bumbling idiot. I want to do this the right way. In the middle of this Pandemic it seems my car is the only thing that is keeping me happy right now. Every time I push that start button and hear that deep Mini growl I smile. It just feels so... Right! What is the one thing that I can do next that would make the biggest difference but not cost me a full 2 weeks pay? I absolutely LOVE my Mini. Every now and then I do get picked on and so far I haven't lost... I want it to stay that way. All I'm asking for is a little advice... Please.

 

I'm pretty sure 15lbs is the stock level for the turbo on the non-JCW N14. I've had Manic stage 2 and RPM stage 3. Both pushed between 22lbs and 26lbs. You may want to take a look at your tune. @MarioKart is the guy to talk to.

Honestly, your next "mod" should be maintenance related. It's a 2010 so you probably should look at replacing the front control arm bushings, engine and gearbox mounts and the lower motor mount at the very least. I'd look at all of the suspension bushings and start researching the N14. The N14 is a great platform but it eats oil, so check it regularly. The timing chain is known to catastrophically fail, so keep that in mind. That said, the N14 can be modded in ways the N18 cannot be, so you have more options for peak power.

After maintenance I'd focus on tires, wheels, and brakes. It's an unpopular opinion, but being able to stop quickly and controllably should come before go fast mods.

 

First off, Welcome from Cincinnati and to the family. I don’t have a tune and I’m hitting 15.5 lbs of boost, all of my mods are in signature. What did they actually due to your tune? We’ll have to meet up once we can, don’t mind driving down, gives me a reason to drive the mini more. Let’s see some pics.

 

Any follow up to this? I'm kind of wondering what is going on with that ECU flash.

 

I’m curious as well.

 

Gotta show off your ride...