There's a scene here for every kind of tuning
Some European tuners just aren't that well known in the US.

 

Appreciate your time and information.


My MC has a MyMini cat-back exhaust and a drop in ITG filter.

At the dealer last year I had the tech upgrade the ECU with the latest version. At he time he said I was the first MINI to use it at their dealership, and it was a "beta" version. My MC immediately felt more responsive and free revving...and the problem of bogging off the line in hot weather with the AC on was 98% cured. This was all free under the warranty. I am wondering if spending money for an aftermarket ECU upgrade would be worth it considering the results with a factory upgrade?

 

It depends about what kind of upgrade you are talking.
If you felt that your car was not driving well, in that case they can install newer software, but this should not give you more power.
It might have only given you the power your car should have had to begin with.
It's hard to tell like this, without having any numbers of what your car was producing before.
But in theory, these software upgrades don't really give extra horsepower.

There was however a horspower factory upgrade that BMW offered a while ago (maybe still today).
I remember getting this offer in the mail one day.
But sometimes the price that they ask for these upgrades is not worth it.
I remember BMW/Mini asking 700 euros for a so called 10hp upgrade.
But for half that price, you could go to a tuner for an equal type of upgrade.
And over here, BMW/Mini doesn't even mind if you go to certain well known tuners.
At some dealerships they even put them in their folders that they give to their clients.

 

So drop in filters are good for some power not really sound? Right now I have a True Flow foam drop in filter, Magnaflow cat-back exhaust, powerflex upper and lower motor mounts, rear seat delete, and spec stage 1 clutch. What you guys think I am pushing to the wheels?

 

It's really hard to say.
It all depends on how strong your car is stock.
The best thing you can do is put your car on a dyno.

A drop in filter is good for a mild hp increase (1-2hp).
But is doesn't improve the sound.
A cat-back exhaust isn't going to give a lot of power, you might get another 1hp.

 

Latest update:

BMC CDA

The alu hose sucks cold air from the area that is seperated from the engine space.
Cold air gets into this seperated area through the vents right under the windshield.

 

WOW That is really really nice! Where can I get that intake from? How much?

 

I paid 192 euro for the intake and shipment.
The intake was 180 euro and the shipment was 12 euro.

http://cgi.benl.ebay.be/BMC-Carbon-D...sid=p1638.m118

 

Im in the USA. Anyway I can by one in American currency?

 

That shouldn't be a problem.
Just send a message to the guy who sells them.
He always answers fast to any question and he uses a fast delivery service.

 

Does it perform better with this setting/placement? Felt any different?

 

I like this setting/placement, but how do you remove that part (not sure what it called) ? Do you have to cut it?

 

It does feel different.
I haven't been on a dyno yet with this setup, but I'm pretty sure that I'm gonna reach higher numbers with the BMC CDA.

 

That's the setup that Kelleners (German tuner) uses.
It is very hard to install the BMC CDA like that.
A guy I know, has tried it.
It didn't work, he couldn't close the hood anymore.

What Kelleners has done in that picture, is remove that front plate that has the air scoop in it.
They completely removed it, then installed a carbon plate to close to seperate the filter from the radiator.Then they used the alu hose that comes with the BMC CDA to install the filter upwards.
The area that you pointed out on the picture, is the piece that is left when you remove that plate.
The filter can rest on top op that.
Like I said before, someone I know tried it, but he couldn't close the hood.
You could send an e-mail to Kelleners for more info.

 

Cool, thanks for the info. I'm a BMC CDA user also. I managed to install it and take the cool air thru the existing/OEM air scoop but have to bend/twist the black alloy hose that come with kit.

I will post some photo when I reach home.

 

Hi,
I'm not sure whether this setup will get more cold air from the air scoop near the windscreen as there is a plastic cover, covered/block the air... please refer to the attached photo.

If you able to remove that plastic cover, I believe you can get more cold air

 

There is indeed a little plastic cover that can be removed.
All you have to do is take out 1 plastic screw, and you have access to that seperated area that gets cold air from one of the vents below the windscreen.

 

There is an airflow with the euro models.
I can reach the grill (where the air enters the seperated box) with my hands, so there is nothing stopping the air on my car.
All I had to do was take out 1 piece of plastic.

 

Latest dyno showed 123hp.
Mods : software, BMC CDA, eisenmann, air diverter plate

 

That last dyno was done on a Maha.
It's known here that this dyno shows lower numbers compared to a Superflow.
I'm going on a Superflow again real soon.
I'll probably run somewhere between 123,5 and 125hp on that one.
So, the CDA did it's job, I gained more hp.

Also, keep in mind that all runs were done with the hood closed !
This is very important, because I sometimes see people dyno with the hood open to get higher numbers.
This is cheating and it gives numbers that are not realistic.
People drive with the hood closed, so I think you should dyno with the hood closed.

 

Small update:

Used tape to make the alu hose that sucks in the air a little bit stronger.

 

Hey my 04 mini cooper has a K&N induction kit and a playmini exhaust which is only a single silencer, would having removed 1 of the silencers,( the 1 before the cat) and just having a back box silence it improve the power, my car ran a 123bhp on the dyno ill try get a pic up of the results, apparently power lines fluctuated alot and werent straight up, the dyno tester said maybe the air flow meter needed cleaning, i could have oil from the K&N. bah excuse the poor english

 

Just a few important questions :

-what type of dyno (some dynos read a lot higher compared to others) ?
-what correction numbers were used ?
-hood open or closed (open hood = non realistic numbers) ?

The reason why I ask is because I once ran 127,8hp and 125hp with just software and open BMC intake.

You see, many factors need to be taken into account.
With just a K&N intake (I assume this is an open filter) and a playmini exhaust (I assume with stock cat. and headers), chances that you are in the 120s (at the flywheel of course) are very small.
An open intake is gonna steal power in most situations, instead of giving extra power (I have tested this many times on a dyno, trust me).
And an exhaust gives maybe 1 to2hp.
The mid-pipe isn't going to give much power either, sure less friction and more noise, but extra power will be very limited.
This of course doesn't mean that some dynos are gonna tell you that you have that much power.
The question you need to ask yourself is, do you really believe it ?
Like I said, some tuners will show you higher numbers, but that doesn't mean they are real.
Hey, I can claim that I have 127,8hp if I really wanted to (I have a dyno sheet that shows this), but the truth is, at this point I have somewhere between 123hp and 125hp. Real hp that is.
If I were to go back on that first dyno that showed 127,8hp (with software and open BMC intake at the time) with the mods that I have now (software, BMC CDA, Eisenmann), I probably would run +130hp.

The real power gains on a Cooper are the following:

-cold air intake
-software
-cat.
-cams with software
-polished heads
-gasoline cooling

 

Here's a dyno of a Mini Cooper non S owner with the same mods as you Ian.
The difference is, this guy has a custom exhaust (with quad pipes) this exhaust is superior compared to the playmini exhaust, and he has an open intake with a heat shield (aFe intake) which is also better compared to an open intake with no heat shield.

He ran 119.6hp on a Superflow.
See what I mean ?
His dyno sheet:



His exhaust:

 

My search for a good intake is over.
I already posted the video in another thread, but here it is anyway