Has any one turboed their non s coop? I have a 09 and I was hoping some one could steer me in the right direction. And before some one says shoulda bought an S....... I don't like things that come from the factory go big or go home.....

 

Good luck with your project. I installed a supercharger on my previous toy car (a Miata) and it really changed the character of the car. I didn't opt for an "S" primarily because of the runflat tires but I wouldn't say no to a ton of extra hp. Supercharger and turbocharger kits were readily available for the Miata but I don't know of a Mini Cooper aftermarket kit. The mechanics of installing an aftermarket forced induction system are not that difficult but convincing the onboard ECU to tolerate it may be a whole new problem.

 

Trust me -- your wallet will be better served by heading back to the Mini store to trade for an "S". Turboing a Justa -- while undoubtedly possible and perhaps even effective -- will be an expensive and time consuming project. Mini/BMW have been at it since 2007 and they haven't gotten it completely right yet.

But if you do figure it out -- let me know my Justa needs help, too.

 

On top of the new internals & turbo, you'll definitely need a tune, which is something that's REALLY hard to find for an MC.

It would be cool to see someone actually do it, but I just don't think it would be worthwhile. I know you don't want to hear this , but I'd go spend the $4000 more on the already turbo'd car rather than the $10,000 it's probably going to cost you to effectively turbo an MC.

 

May the Force be with You.

 

I've yet to hear of a single one.

Good Luck

 

Your gonna have to bring down the compression from 11:1 first

 

About 7 or 8 headgaskets stacked on top of one another -- oh wait, we're turbocharging. Nevermind.

Hey Coop, ya wouldn't happen to have a spare wastegate and an intercooler sitting around in your garage do ya?

 

IMHO: Trade up to a R53 (supercharged) while there are still some good used ones on the market and let your modding fever loose on it. It's the best MINI for taking over the top. I guarantee you will be rewarded with an excessively fun car to drive that will surprise many as you near that magical 10lbs/hp ratio.

 

I had the same dilemma, a Cooper and I was thinking about turbo or supercharging for more power. Ended up keeping the 09 Cooper for a long distance cruiser and just sold our second car and ordered an 011 MCS. Problem solved...

S.

 

there are some complete, bolt on, turbo kits for non-s models, but they are low boost, around 5psi... and do cost way too much.

 

Offset: OK, you piqued my interest. Got a link so I can window shop?

 

http://www.autofashion.co.uk/turbo_conversion.htm

 

That link easily makes the point I've been saying, the cost of the turbo kit alone is more than the difference between an S and a Justa....

Not saying you shouldn't do it, just that it doesn't make economic sense - to me.

 

I agree with Dave. On top of that, even if it did work, I'd suspect the performance wouldn't nearly be that of an S, and when you go to sell it, it'd be worth less than an S and I suspect even less than a Justa. Who's going to know what to do with it. I trade in for whatever decent S you can get your hands on R53 or R56 and work from there.

 

I completely agree with all of it, the only way it would make sense financially is if you have fabrication skills and are able to source out used parts in good condition.... a complete turbo can be fabricated for less than 500 with second hand name brand parts, but you have to have some skillful hands

 

Just a note. The turbo kits in this link are for the R50 NA engine not the R56. They are not the same engine.