I done it now.

I went 8 months with my mini MOD FREE. All of a sudden, someone donates to me their S rear swaybar, and i'm already going nuts wanting more.

Thank god that and an "intake" are all i have now. But there's so much more i want to do now

But screw the idea of getting an S... i love my Cooper too much.

 

Congrats Dave! Welcome the land of the MC and improved gas mileage

Can't wait to check it out!

 

2002. MC PW/B

26,000 miles in 13 happy months of ownership! (yes, bought pre-owned!)

Performance.
ProMini CAI
Remus Sport Exhaust

Interior/Comfort.
Glove box organizer
Center console shelf
Blitzsafe Aux Input
iPod 4th G 20GB
Pro Clip

Exterior.
Window Tint: 20% Rear. 35% Front
R-83 16s with Bridgestone Potenza G-009s
Break light mod
Front Euro plate
MINI front mud flaps

Future Mods.
Springs
Sway Bar
ECU Remap
Alta Fog Light Bar

 

I figure it's time for an update to my earlier posts:

On the car now:
-Factory aerokit
-Megan/Pilo coilovers
-16x7.5 SSR-Comps w/ custom centercaps & 225-45 BFG G-Force T/A KDW-2s
-RSpeed catback (resonator came apart so I had it replaced w/ straight pipe)
-Helix strut brace
-B&M short shifter
-RDR rear sway bar
-ProMINI drop links
-HSport control arms (upper and lower)
-TCE Wilwood front brake kit
-TCE Wilwood rear rotor upsize kit
-MyMINI/AEF "cold air" intake
-M7 throttle body
-8.5mm Magnecors
-Denso Iridium plugs
-rear seats removed
-windows tinted
-Hamann checker bonnet stripes (anthracite)
-one of those hot pocket thingies
-glove box organiser
-boot box
-front euro plate
-MyMINI driver's knee rest
-MyMINI rear seat pull straps
-PIAA silicon wiper blades

On the shelf (for now):
-OBX header (shipped out to HPC to be coated)
-Megan/Pilo 2-piece header
-Spec Stage 2 clutch (for when the stock clutch goes...it's inevitable)
-RPS/M7 flywheel (will stay in the box until it's time to do the clutch)
-MyMINI strut bar (goes on once it's been repainted)
-Stebro catback (new - haven't tried it yet)
-auto-up/garage door opener circuit (going in soon)
-another set of Hamann checker bonnet stripes (silver)
-pair of tear-type (US flag) vinyl stickers from SpeedGraphics custom sized for use as bonnet stripes
-custom aerokit rear apron mesh vinyl stickers from Cooper Flags
-17x7 Kosei K1 TS w/ 215-45 B-Stone S-03s
-X-lite rims w/ runflats (winter shoes)
-H&R front sway bar
-Mintex Redbox rear pads
-Pipercross Viper CAI (took it off the car a while back - don't know if I'll use it again)
-Hella horns
-Green drop-in panel filter
-K&N drop-in panel filter
-MyMINI rear tail light kit
-John Cooper Challenge springs

In the works:
-collecting bits and pieces to build a custom CAI
-need a cat to go with my OBX header - any suggestions?

Going, going, or gone (in the wings and/or left-overs):
-17x7.5 SSR Comps (got fed up after 3 bent and/or broke - sold the other 2)
-Rogue catback (sold)
-Helix catback (sold)
-Racing Dynamics strut brace (sold)
-RacingBrake drilled & slotted front & rear rotors (sold)
-EBC Greenstuff front brake pads (new - stock size - bought before the Wilwood kit - headed for the Marketplace)
-Nology Hotwires (sold)
-Dinan strut bar (it's an S-only item - hood wouldn't close - back to the vendor)
-Koni Sport (yellow) dampers (sold)
-H-Sport springs (headed for the marketplace)
-RDR camber plates (sold)
-5-star rims w/ runflats (ready to sell)

 

I posted this somewhere else but this looks like a good place to post my Cooper mods!!

Stock (25 days ago):



My best upgrades so far:

K&N Cold Air Intake. Power seems to come on a little earlier now with less hesitation. But the real magic is the sound. Oh my, I never realized the engine snarl can be brought out by the intake. $135 at Ebay and it's worth every penny. Another great upgrade was $40 for Sylvania Silverstar headlamps. The original lamps were yellow and scattered. They Silverstars are much brighter with a better beam pattern. Next is the Wheelskins steering wheel cover for $30. The factory steering wheel looked plasticky and was slippery thus not a good match for the car's heavy steering. I took a big chance with this wheel cover since there's a big unsupported flap due to the steering wheel's design. It worked out perfect though as I Shoe Goo'd the flap in place. Red is cool. Yeah


Next MVP mods are the 5-star 16-inch wheels with Kumho SPT tires and painted calipers. Used mini wheels are cheap. Tires are not. I had to exercise a lot of will power to stop myself from getting those pretty S-lite wheels. Heavy wheels and tires are bad for performance, so I've learned. My new wheels are heavier than my 15s but they are way prettier and handle better. They're comfortable and quiet too. While I had the painting bug, I painted my lower grill black and the screw caps on my front plate red. My new Isotta shifter is way cool. It's no Whalen but it was only $20 new at Ebay!


And now that my confidence was building, I went on to harder stuff. I installed a factory Ipod adapter. Nice integration! In my old car, I got so sick futzing with the Ipod while I drive. I always forget to turn it off too when I leave the car. My most daring work so far was installing factory racks. I drilled 8 holes on my roof and lived to tell about it. This rack is pretty and it is solid. It will serve me well during the biking season. Finally, the Borla exhaust is on. I was going to DIY it but then I heard my biking friend owns a muffler shop. I ain't no fool. I had a beer as he installed. Look ma, no spare tire. Saved 32 lbs!!


And so there it is. My love affair with the Mini has begun. Thanks to NAM as your posts here have been invaluable. This post is my little thank you for all your feedback. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. M7 springs and Mintex pads are next in line. I'll post a couple videos I took today.


Sunny day in Norcal! Here's a few shots and videos. Sounds are from a Cooper with K&N CAI and Borla exhaust. Driver is my bud Derek.


http://mtbr.com/author/photos/cooper/mvi_5742.avi

http://mtbr.com/author/photos/cooper/mvi_5747.avi

regards,
francois

 

Just installed Denso Spark Plugs - really made a difference in the way it runs. Plus all the extras listed below.

 

My '06 PW/B now has its first mods - MyMini touring exhaust; ITG drop in filter, MyMini leather door pull covers & glove box organizer. Next up: 195/60/15 perf. rubber for the holeys & MTH

 

Last weekend, I just got H-Sport lowering springs and a pair of M7 strut tower plates. Hopefully, this will end my modding...yeah, riiiight.

 

My current mod list:

Go-fast goodies:

aFe Magnum Force CAI
Borla cat-back
MTH'd
Coming soon - a custom ported/polished S head and Schrick cam (picking up the head this weekend, will be a couple weeks before I am done with it and have in installed)

Go really fast goodies:

H&R springs
Bilstein SP struts
19mm H&R rear swaybar
Ireland Engineering Street/Race camber plates
KMAC rear camber kit
OMP lower chassis brace
OMP strut brace
15" Flik Blast-C wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport Cups (r-comps)

Interior:

Monster iCruze iPod kit
Schroth clip-in harness (only used for autocrossing)

 

Here is my current list.

Rogue catback
Pipercross intake
Rspeed rear bar
Powerslot frozen rotors
Hawk pads
Stoptech ss brake lines
MTH
Denso IK20 plugs
Jackson racing wires, red of course
Flik Apex2 wheels with Toyo Proxes 4
15 inch Holeys with RA-1's for the track
Smoked out side repeater lenses
center console organizer for Palm (Nav system and obdII software)
lots of Zaino.

Next on list, Koni FSD's

 

Current Mods:

• Removed Spare Tire
• 15" Konig Rewinds with 205/55 R15 Yokohama AVS ES100's
• H-sport Springs
• M7 Strut Tower Plates
• M7 Throttle Body (Version 2.006)
• Silver MINI Aero Kit Roof Spoiler
• Audi TT Stubby Antenna
• MCS "clear" side repeaters
• Philips Silver Vision PY21 Turn Signal Bulbs
• Euro Parcel Shelf
• Randy Webb's "Preferred" 19mm rear sway (on order)

I'm contemplating removing my H-sports and doing that one too.

 

I feel certain I've answered this before, but here's my list:

Suspension:

H-Sport springs
H-Sport "sport" sway-bar set
H-Sport lower control arms
Alta End Links (front & rear)
SSR Comps 16x7 wearing Avon M500 215/50R16 (stored for Winter)
Kosei K1-TS 17x7 wearing Kumho MX 215/40R17 (stored for Winter)

Brakes:

Wilwood 12.19" BBK (stored for Winter)
Goodridge stainless lines (front & rear)
Axxis Ultimate pads
Brembo slotted front rotors
TyrolSport Caliper Stiffeners

Speed:

MiniMania Ultrik CAI
MyMini Sport Exhaust (getting installed today!)
OutMotoring Ignition set (coil-pack, plugs, wires)

Driver Control:

Schroth Harnesses
Ultimate Pedals
B&M Short Shifter (getting installed today, too!!)
Alta Gauge Pod
AutoMeter D-PIC
AutoMeter A/F Ratio

Creature Comforts:

IceLink Plus
Light-in-Sight
Glovebox Organizer
OEM Rubber Mats
Back-seat lift straps
Ian Cull's Auto-Up Circuit

Miscellaneous:

Rear fog lights
Peg Perego Baby Seat (does that count?)
OEM window screens (rear sides & rear)

 

Ok, update time.

One of the bothersome things about owning a Mini is brake dust. The stock pads brake well but generate a lot of dust. The dust is particularly fine and hard to remove. If you like to keep your car clean and if your wheels are white, the pain is multiplied. So I knew I had to change my pads. Better performance perhaps but less dust please. My pick was Mintex Redbox pads. It gets generally good feedback. $55 complete, shipped from ecartoys.com is just too good a deal. I did the dirty job with a friend. We also changed the brake fluid to ATE Blue. After 300 miles, the brakes started squealing. I put on Mercedes anti-squeal behind the brake pads and it's all good. Power is very good and there is less dust. Also, the dust just wipes off easily with a soft brush.

I am curious about Hawk Ceramic pads since folks say that's the king of no-dust. At $180 a set though, I'll have to see in 6 months if I'm still **** about keeping my white wheels white.



Ok another issue, my shifter is a little bit hard shifting. Sometimes it has a hard time getting in reverse. Sometimes, it's notchy getting into second. After reading a bunch, this seem to be a common problem with Minis. My solution, Redline MTL transmission fluid. $20 of fluid and a dirty DIY job later, it's done. It's shifting a lot better now. Issue solved as far as I'm concerned. Now that it's done, I can shorten my shifter. It's just too long. My solution is to get a hacksaw can cut about 1.75 inches off the rod. Cheap mod but if it doesn't work, I can get a short shifter kit. Luckily, it works like a champ!!!


I have a new favorite mod. It is the R-speed 22mm rear sway bar. The Mini is the best handling car I've ever driven. People insist though that there's body roll and understeer. So I get the bar and install it myself. It took about 2 hours. Little test drive... then I go straight to the mountains. Holy smokes, this is an epic upgrade. First, when I yank the steering wheel left to right, there's hardly any body roll. It's like a go cart. Then I take a corner, a faster corner, a super-fast corner. The car is flat and turns like it's on rails. This has just become my favorite upgrade ever. It unseats the K&N CAI. The car is a new machine. The downside is the understeer goes away and there is a possiblity of oversteer. It turns out that understeer is a highly desired handling trait for the general public. The tail of the car will never swing out when the car plows into a corner, the driver instinctively backs off the throttle and everything is ok. For an enthusiast, this is not so good. The car can't corner as fast and there's more body roll. So is there any oversteer? Well, yesterday I took an on ramp at full speed. I backed off the throttle and I could feel the rear get a little loose. Ahh. I'll explore and learn the limits carefully.

Next not-really-a-mod is Zaino. $100 for cleaners?? Well, who knew that geeking out on car wax could be so much fun? My wife made fun of me but I Zaino'd my car and I Zaino'd her Benz. Then she understood. Btw, if you don't know what clay-bar is, you owe yourself. It is the finest cleaning tool ever!!

Finally, I put on a rear aero bumper. One of the things I covet most from the S is the nice rear bumper. Those two cavities with fake holes are the cat's meow. I got the rear aero kit and it's even better than the S bumper. I am a happy boy!


francois

 

I agree with this. I've had my R-Speed 22mm since December. I had no idea what I was in for. I knew that it would allow me to corner flatter, and have more traction, but what I never realized was how much faster I would become.

The fact I can take corners faster without losing traction, means more momentum being carried through, and I come out of turns with a lot more speed than before. Those 180 degree onramps are an absolute blast--and the only thing I hate about my new sway bar is that EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE takes those turns too slow!

I'm hitting the gas, and cinching down my CG Lock while the cars in front of me are hitting the brakes! Frustrating! :impatient

Richard

 

Well said my man. Btw, you and Randy Webb are the best thing going on this site. I read and use your DIYs. The effort you make and the detail you go into have saved me a ton of time and money.

I just need a laptop in my car or garage so I don't have to run to my computer room to look at your posts when I get stuck DIYing.

francois

 

Wow, I consider this a very high compliment. Thank you very much. I'm glad the writeups help!

Richard

 

"THIR13EN" European front plate
Body-color painted trim
Factory body-kit rear apron
Factory body-kit side-skirts
"SPORT" emblem in trunk/boot
Clear light side-indicators
Chrome side-indicator housings
Chrome honeycomb patter front grille
Custom mesh-grille top air-vents
Custom mesh-grille fog-lights cover
Orciari 3-piece rear-wing
Short antennae

Interior:

Racing inspired diamond plate floor-mats (front and rear)
Racing inspired heel-toe pedals
15% limo-tints (all around)
Interior chrome toggle and speaker pieces
Cooper S sport seats

Performance:

MyMINI Sport exhaust
Cobalt cold-air intake
Magnacor spark-plugs
Fidanza short-shifter
Racing Dynamics front strut bar

Wheels & Suspension:

17"x7.5" ASA LW5 (white) wheels
H&R lowering sport springs
Cooper S rear sway bar
EBC GreenStuff brake pads
StopTech direct replacement rotors

Soon to Come:

JCW (European) style rear lights (white turn-indicators)
Throttle body (from M7tuning)
Headers (possibly ALTA)
ECU/MTH upgrade

Take care,
Leo.

 

Nice work Leo

 

Beautiful red cooper man!! Nice body-colored moldings. How are they holding up?

What a huge mod list. But like always, what I'm most curious about is:

Which mods are your favorite. Which deliver most value? If you could only keep a couple mods, which ones would they be.

Also, which mods are your least favorite?

 

Asodestrom: Thank you! The car took a while to get the way it is, when I got it, it was bone stock... I'm sure you might have read that somewhere... Sorry - just proud of my work here! hehe. PS: You picked a bad picture!! I meant to take better ones, but no time. Thanks for the plug, though!!

Francois: Thank you also! I love the color-combo, but to be honest, this was my second choice. I wanted Indi Blue first, but back to my previous comment, the car was bone stock, which meant no extra money - not even on paint! And red = nonmetalic = $0. Indi Blue = metalic = $400 (at the time).
The body-trim holds up just fine, a small problem with the back end of the side skirts, but a little bit of glue on the connectors and presto! No problem anymore. Another small problem with the front lower-lip. It constantly "looks" as if it's coming off, but I tap it back into place and it holds for another 5-6 months. lol. May add a little glue on the inside of those, too... Just in case.

Best mod: I'm gonna have to say the air intake. As soon as I put it in, the sound was dramatically changed, and so was the power. With the new exhaust, the sound improved much more, but power was still about the same.
Secondly would be the wheels, since those are rare finds and I think they stopped production on them.

Least fav.: Don't have anything that I don't like or like less than the others. I guess the spark plugs. I got them used from a friend of mine, and to be honest, the only time they come in hand is when the car is full (rarely) or when I have the AC on (again, rarely). I'm always riding with the windows down, so there's no "loss of power" due to the AC - even though it's a small "loss", you do feel a little hesitation with the AC in stock cars, but the spark plugs "somewhat" eliminate that. It's a small change for the better, but something that I almost never get to feel... So I guess that one was just a bonus. hehe.

Again, thank you guys for everything. Kind words are always appreciated, and when people know and understand the hard work put into it, it just makes my day... really appreciate it!

Gotta go get some tools for some seat-installs now.
Talk to you guys later.
Leo.

 

I have a Pepper White 2006 MC convertible. Some pictures in my gallery.

Performance & handling

• JCW Sound Kit (installed by dealer before delivery)
• 15x7 SSR Competition wheels (added MINI logo caps)
• 205/55-15 Michelin Exalto PE2 tires
• M7 Under Strut System
• H&R 19mm rear sway bar
• Koni FSD shocks
• Texas Motorwerks engine damper

Exterior

• OEM black front grille (click here)
• OEM Euro tail lights (amber turn signals)
• Multivex right side mirror, OEM aspherical left side mirror (for convertible rear visibility. Read about the mirrors here)
• OEM front mud flaps
• OEM white side turn lenses
• Color-coded front license plate holder

Interior

• Black Cocomats
• GloveBoxTidy
• Custom Whalen shift **** (pic here)
• Leather shift and e-brake boots
• Filler plugs on the door ovals
• OEM Euro parcel shelf
• Visor warning stickers removed
• JCW leather steering wheel

Electronic/electrical

• OEM rear view camera (click here)
• MFSW relay from MikeyTheMINI (unused phone button on the steering wheel controls on-demand viewing of the rear view camera)
• Rear fog mega mod (click here)
• OEM aux input
• OEM front fog retrofit

Future

• Interior lights for rear passengers (very dark back there when the cabrio top is up!)
• Front strut brace
• Dynamat (or similar) sound dampening
• External amp and upgraded speakers (with stock head unit)
• Lower dust brake pads

 

Can you give some quick impressions of that setup. I have the H-sports right now and a 19mm bar on the way, but I'm contemplating holding off on the install to get the FSD's and do it all at once (install the 19mm with the stock springs and the FSD's, then sell my h-sports).

I'll be stripping my interior sometime in the middle of next week to do sound deadening.

 

I barely had 300 miles on the car when the FSDs, sway bar, and frame brace were all installed at the same time. The car was still in early break-in and I hadn't driven it hard yet, so I can't give much of meaningful before/after comparison for handling, except that the car now stays much flatter on both sharp turns and during braking.

However, the ride quality I can compare, because the FSDs made an immediate and obvious difference. The car came supplied with 15" 5-spokes/Contis, and the ride became noticably more harsh and bumpy when I swapped in the 15x7 SSRs and Michelins. Then the FSDs were put in, and the quality of ride improved beyond the original setup. Small jarring bumps are smoothed out, yet the suspension feels stiff and responsive. I would say that the FSDs live up to the hype that they have been receiving.