I agree. I wish there was more out but I understand why there is not. I got my mini to commute everyday and have some fun on the weekends. I drive alot I have 25K on my 09. When I ordered my Mini everyone thought I was crazy for not ordering a S. I do not regret it one bit. Although I have put alot into my cooper to make in more unique/enjoyable and maybe a tad faster. I enjoy messing with my car/car,s what ever I drive. Its what I do and have always done.

On a side note I just put in a header and removed both cats. In the next few months I plan on having Waylin doing a tune on it. I will let you know how it goes.

Matthew

 

No it wouldn't be any different then adding an exhaust to any other car. And the S has no spare so I would just have to see what it would look like. It has been awhile since I have had my MINI on a lift.

 

Very much enjoying this thread...

I'm glad there are at least a few other people out there who figured they didn't need the extra power, but still want a very capable handling car.

I'm inspired to maybe even try and build the Carbon Fiber wing for my Cooper before I track it at Sebring in a couple weeks. We'll see. Lots of design decisions and work to do.

 

Not really... even back in my college years, when I was heavily into modifying watercooled VWs, engine mods were never very appealing to me. As always, factory power is always cheaper than aftermarket. Trying to mod up a MC for more power just doesn't make much sense, when you can trade it in for a used MCS or JCW of similar vintage for only a few more clams. The secondary market is saturated with preowned late-model Cooper S's.

Besides, if power is your thang, MINIs are not really the best platform anyway. There is no getting around FWD's limited power ceiling cap. You'd be better off with any BMW, or one of the other popular RWD Sport Coupes.

Whether we admit it or not, most of us are drawn to MINIs because of the styling of it. My wife and I both already have our primary vehicle - a minivan and a luxury SUV respectively. But she made me trade in my weekend funster - my beloved Ford E-150 Chateau - for the MINI Cooper. Talk about polar opposites! With the big van, one doesn't "drive" it as much as steer it like a big land yacht. Go kart handling it ain't got, but it'll comfortably accomodate my whole family - plus a 1/3-scale Super Cub - on trips to the RC flying field.

I reluctantly agreed to the swap, but on the condition that I get to do whatever mod I want on the Cooper. She's cool with that, as long as the MINI remains perfectly drivable for her - without any NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) issues. So underhood werk is strictly verboten.

 

Agreed... if you want MCS power, buy one.

If you want a car that's really fast in a straight line, no MINI is a great platform, MCS/JCW included.

CAN you make them fast? Of course... but that's not really what MINI is about, so there are a lot of better choices unless you just HAVE to have a MINI and you HAVE to have a car that's fast in a straight line. In that case, I recommend you get ready for some serious weight reduction on your wallet.

 

I love it when I see a Justa at the track!

 

I went to Embry Riddle back in 1968. We worked on airplanes all week and our cars all weekend. They should be able to fix you up. Just don't be surprised if you see some of the nuts safety wired.

Jim

 

Agreed - I don't mind being smoked off the line by a Mustang (for example). I can slow down and laugh as he goes into the trees the first time he turns a corner.

 

I hate to say this, but I love to lure them in. The other day I had a guy right on my bumper on the road to our farm. There is one really nice curve, so just before the bridge I slowly took us from 50 to 65 and hit the turn. Funny, they backed way off after that.

Jim

 

Theres a road I drive on the way home that winds paralell to the highway and I usually take that instead to avoid the traffic (at least thats what I tell my fiancee). There is a guy with a red late-model Shelby Mustand who I see going the same way every now and then and I usually either tailgate him or fly into the distance. He doesn't hang around down that road but it's twisty and he can't escape.

Last week we met at the light just after the end of the road - two lanes in our direction, leading to a traffic circle about a 1/4 mile further on - and he nailed it away from the light, so I paced him as best I could in the JCW and blew past as we went into the circle. I wasn't looking behind me until I was on the far side but he was moving a LOT slower on the way out than on the way in.

Usually I meet him on Friday's... Maybe they'll be a rematch tonight

 

Watch out, you might get warned for that kind of talk!

 

I guess I lost track of what performance you guys are reffering to. I thought you wanted engine performance and now I am seeing that you want suspension related parts. Well then you are not forgotten becuase that is the same as the S. And the platform that it is (ie ff,rwd,awd) does not affect how much power can be derived from the motor. Even displacement doesn't mean anything anymore. There a great many 4 cylinder motors out that are cranking out some serious 500+hp. Granted a lot of those cars are not street drivable.Twisties are fun but a little more power to balance out a nice suspension and regardless of a Cooper or Cooper S will be a fantastic machine. And in overall by the end of the year both motors will be the same minus the S will have direct injection and a turbo.

 

Perhaps we should define performance as "engine" and handling as, well "handling". There are a few modest "performance" mods that can be done to the justa and I'm fine with that. I guess what got me started was there is a lot of talk going on about a GP wing in production. As I watched this with great interest I realized that one to fit the justa was not in the works. I plan to go with a front spliter, so the need for a functional wing to off set this will be needed. From what I see there is not one out there. I just happen to fall in love with the GP, just like everyone else and I want my car to be included. I just wanted to see if there were like minded justa folks out there and am very happy to see that I am not alone.

Jim

 

The platform doesn't make a difference to how much power the motor can produce but it does decide how efficiently that power is transmitted to the road. Theres nothing stopping you putting a 1000hp motor in a FWD car but you're never going to get the same performance as a RWD car with the same power.

 

Do the wings on the MINIs really make that much of a difference? My understanding was that for most small aerodynamic changes to make a noticeable difference you had to be travelling far above sensible road speeds.

A second factor to consider is that the MINI understeers by nature so adding the front splitter (thereby increasing front grip) and leaving the rear wing (thereby maintaining rear grip) may actually improve the balance.

As far as the fit goes, the justa is the same body as all the other coopers so anything that fits an S spoiler-wise should fit a justa right? Can someone correct me if I'm wrong?

However, adding for looks... that I am behind 100%!!

 

Why are you thinking a GP wing for the S won't fit a non-S? The roof/hatch is exactly the same on both cars minus the factory spoiler that comes with an S. Which is a cheap addition if you need to add that for the GP spoiler to fit for some reason.

That's what I thought in the beginning too. Suspension is my main focus right now. Just added a strut brace, coilovers and a 22m sway bar are coming in the next month or so. If I decide I'm going to keep this car till it dies, an engine swap or a turbo/supercharger is on my to do list.

 

Oh and by GP Wing you mean MINI Challenge wing because a GP wing will not fit an R56 it was meant for the R50/R53 cars. Oh and originally in the design of the Cooper, Rover wanted to make it an econobox (thankfully they didn't). Oh man I got stuff for days. Like aero would be a good idea for the MINI because it has a drag coeffiecent the same as a Dodge Durango. Makes senseconsidering its a little box on wheels.

 

Which just goes to show that there isn't that much more available for the "S" than "justacooper".

Everything that has been listed (suspension, CAI, tires, etc, etc) is the same requests and needs from "S" owners.

I'd say about the only thing you won't find is tuning stuff (ECM rewrites, piggyback computers, etc, etc) which shouldn't be a problem because according to the "justacooper" guys, they never bought the "justa" for straightline performance. (though it is capable of holding it's own)

Not many of you may remember or know Chad that use to work for Hendrick Mini in Charleston, SC but he was always embarassing the "S" guys with his "justa". The same suspension mods, tires are readily available. for both.


My .02 worth.


Mark

 

Unless you're out on a racetrack running triple digits, I seriously doubt any wing will make that much difference on road course.

I made mine simply for looks.

 

And look it does my friend!

 

The S spolier and the attachment lip are two seperate items. The folks working on the GP Wing are using the attachment point for the S spoiler to attach the GP which the justa does not have. I also believe the part that ataches to the hatch has a different number of bolts. Not sure, but this is what I've been told.

Jim

 

One is being made now that will fit the R56 S.

Jim

 

I questioned this as well and have been told by the designers that the down force effect will start around 45 mph and multiply from there. It has been tested at highway and track conditions.

Jim

 

It's certainly feasible to design a wing that makes 200lb of downforce at 100mph, so because downforce is proportional to the square of velocity, you would see 50lb of downforce at 50mph. So, it wouldn't probably be a HUGE impact on daily driving, but it's not completely insignificant. Obviously, you'll really see the effect at the track more than the street.

 

Granted, the higher the speed the more the effect, but something at lower speeds is a good thing too. Plus you would be getting something positive as well as looks.

Jim