I can wait no longer - I have put off for over 18 months doing anything to my '02 BRG Cooper because of not wanting to change much til the warranty runs out... So this year's resolution is to add on to the Mini... I think that this is one resolution that I may keep

I have been looking at all the different exhaust options and costs and it appears that the Borla and RSpeed options are approximately the same in price. The magnaflow looks to be significantly cheaper and not as popular among those that have added an exhaust system. Any suggestions/recommendations... The Borla and RSpeed options are probably the most I would spend.. Any recommendations on who has best pricing and customer service?

As far as intakes go I have read some concerns about rubbing/clearance problems with some systems? How is the Promini/BMP system - it seems to get good reviews across the board! Would someone recommend a better alternative..

Throw out some ideas on some good combinations to add! There are many options - almost to the point of confusion.

I would also be interested to know if other MC owners leave intakes & exhaust systems on when taking the car to the dealer for service? Does the dealer say anything - I leave in NE Ohio and Classic is my nearest dealer!

Thanks for the help - Happy New Motorin' year..... :smile:

 

I would go with the Madness Twister and the BMP/ProMINI Supersprint. The Supersprint has a great mellow sound and is not loud. The Twister appears to be the largest filter out there for the Cooper and that's what you want, the largest volume.

Other than that filter, your next option is to move the battery to the trunk and use that freed-up space for a Cooper S cold air intake such as Madness or Alta. You would need some 'S' parts for ducting the air and adapting to the Cooper scoop as well as an "S" lower airbox/ECU container (just plastic parts from the dealer).

Graham

 

My Helix Minisport cat-back and Pipercross Viper are a nice combo, but they are not cheap. I do have mine for sale as I'm going to an S. The exhaust has been on for like a month only.

I have been told that that is the best mini non-S cat back system, but i am only going on others word on that. It is only a little loud at higher rpm's, otherwise it has a nice low pitch rumble to it.

 

I bought a slightly used Rogue exhaust and a pipercross intake from someone switching to an S. That's a great option. If you want a green twister, pm me. I have one for sale. Less that 1000 miles on it.

As far as dealers go they said nothing about mine at my 10k service.

Andy

 

I just got my MC with a dealer installed Madness intake and exhaust -- at Sterling MINI (N. Virginia). Thus, my dealer supports aftermarket upgrades and has many more to choose from, whether it be suspension or engine or body mods. They say they can do anything I want. So, I am not too worried about warranty issues. I am very happy with the Madness CAI and exhaust. Not loud at all until you hit higher RPMs, and then not too loud. Sounds real cool.

If I did not use the dealer for upgrades, I would still not worry too much about warranty issues, as if there was a problem, the dealer has to show the problem was caused by the aftermarket part, so the onus is on them not you -- this is a law as I have heard that many times here on NAM. Warranty issues are probably only a concern if you do the more serious upgrades, for example, if you added a turbo to your car. Then, I think your warranty on your engine would be voided, but your warranty on everything else would still be valid.

I have heard that some dealers are different though, and do not approve of upgrades. However, as said, the onus is on them to prove the upgrade caused the problem.

 

As far as the rubbing goes with the BMP/ProMini, I just had to push the intake down farther, and I have had no issues with rubbing since then.

My recommendation for the exhaust would be rSpeed.

The only thing I would recommend doing the same time as the intake/exhaust are larger plug wires, and if you can, possibly look into upgraded coils.

Look at the Pilo Ignition Upgrade kit.

Hope that helps!

 

The Twister intake has really BAD rubbing issues under the hood. I have one right now, and it's a nice intake, but after a while you'll see the damage under the hood as time passes. I wouldn't get the Twister. If I had to get an intake right now, I would get the Monster MINI Monster Force Intake or wait for M7 to make an intake. Just trying to save the under of your hood.

 

I have the Magnaflow exhaust and Moss Mini intake. The Magnaflow has a nice deep growl and is a great quality cat back exhaust...and you can find them for a great price The moss intake has really bad rubbing issues also and the filter is kinda cheap. I'd go with the monster force intake if I had to do it again.

I've taken my mini to the dealer with my exhaust but I usually take my intake out, only takes about 15 minutes to take it out or install it anyways...the dealer didnt really care about it. A couple of the sercive techs asked what kind of exhaust I had and said they could really notice it when they test drove the car.

 

OKMini,

Happy New Year and great, you are going for some mods!

>>I have been looking at all the different exhaust options and costs and it appears that the Borla and RSpeed options are approximately the same in price. The magnaflow looks to be significantly cheaper and not as popular among those that have added an exhaust system. Any suggestions/recommendations... The Borla and RSpeed options are probably the most I would spend.. Any recommendations on who has best pricing and customer service?

Of the two exhausts I like the RSpeed-$495.95. Rspeed also sells an intakes for the MC.
http://www.rspeed.net/mini/item.asp?...p;prod=M20-105
Basic cone intake for MC $90
http://www.rspeed.net/mini/item.asp?...p;prod=M20-107
ProMini/BMP intake for MC $195
http://www.rspeed.net/mini/item.asp?...p;prod=M20-145

The Borla for the MC is also good.
Helix for the MC is a bit more power and a little louder but not bad at all.
I would not get any intake that rubs so the green twister is out. Also some parts might fit better on the 5 speed MC rather than the CVT-you have to ask.

Don't worry about removing anything before going to the dealership. It's not even worth doing. Classic should be OK.
Have fun. The louder intake noise and exhaust should make the MC more fun to drive even if the power gains are modest- maybe a total of 6 or 7 real HP.

 

OKmini,

I did the Rspeed exhaust and Viper intake... we did these 2 upgrades at 1200 miles right after breakin, i now have 17K miles on the 03MC and all is well.. i do like the ride and the additional kick over 4000 RPM.. Sounds good as well, throaty not too loud either..

i think the pilo ignition upgrade and powerchip mod also helped smooth out the shifts..


We leave all the mods on when i go to the dealer in Hartford, CT as well...No problems at all so far, this car is solid no flack from the dealer..we never have any problems..

Good luck with your tuning..

DA

 

I've got the BMP/ProMini intake and couldn't possibly be any happier...

I also have the Borla catback. I listened to all the exhausts first hand, and also liked the RSpeed and Helix, but ended up with the Borla. I think any of the three would be great.

 

I have the Rogue exhaust and Monster MINI Force intake. Nice, aggressive combo. I have had the Rogue exhaust on for 23,000 miles now. Only problem with doing what you're about to do: you will tend to drive more at WOT and see your gas mileage dip a bit as you stomp the gas around town

 

Thanks for all the feedback.... :smile: With the myriad of alternatives out there, its great to have a place to throw around some ideas and learn from other experiences!

Its time to do some post holiday damage to the old credit card

 

Cool!

First you have to ask yourself
"what is it I WANT to do?"

If you are seeking high HP gains, intake and exhaust are not the route.

I have heard a lot about the Helix guys and M7 as far as being sources of good advise.

I hold little faith in all the intake promises, you can get good results with a good drop in like the K&N.

Also, Exhaust hp results seem pretty "high claimed", remember, while searching for an exhaust, that the MINI desires backpressure. It needs it in the lower rpms for good results.

I think there is a "better" intake design that has yet to be touched or produced. See some of the Import Intake Mods, they work.

There is a lot of heat under the MINI hood, and no "true" cold air intake available, that I know of, yet.
again, check out the import market

I'm sure many of the community here has had Imports to tinker on.

Good Luck

-WCC

 

If you want just noise, get the intake and exhaust.
If you want to go fast, I would invest in a nitrous kit. :smile:

 

>>Also, Exhaust hp results seem pretty "high claimed", remember, while searching for an exhaust, that the MINI desires backpressure. It needs it in the lower rpms for good results.

Yup, backpressure is good, especially important in the MC. I think the RSpeed provides a very good compromise between retaining that backpressure (with better lower end torque) and improving the area under both the hp and torque curves. Plus, it's an excellent compromise wrt sound quantity and quality. It's somewhat louder than stock when you're just mildly tooling around but really turns heads when you open it up. There's none of the dreaded 3-4K rev range resonance boom in the cabin (at least, I have none) and the quality of the sound is a pleasant contrast to all the buzzing rice bombs. I know it's an overused phrase, but to me it has that old-school Brit sports car sound.

>>There is a lot of heat under the MINI hood, and no "true" cold air intake available, that I know of, yet.

The only true cold air intake for the MC is the Pipercross Viper. It's completely enclosed from the same intake port used by the stock airbox to the throttle body. Problems? It's expensive and I still haven't heard of any second-party testing to show positive effects. Of course, it's almost impossible to get a true test of the dymanic effect of a CAI when the car is parked, indoors, and hooked up to a stationary dyno, so don't hold your breath for conclusive dyno curves to help with your decision. Also, if you're looking for increased sound from the engine compartment, look elsewhere, because the canister attenuates sound about as well as the stock box. In lieu of good numbers, you have little to go on other than seat-of-the-pants impressions from others. Here are mine. I THINK there's an increase in oomph using the Viper, and it can't be entirely wishful thinking. There's an obvious and marked difference in low-end grunt under certain conditions, specifically, outside air temp makes a difference. In my MC, as the air heats up in the summer you can feel an accompanying decrease in power and that's with the AC off. I had my Viper off for a while after a visit to the dealer and when I installed it again mid-summer the car was suddenly more responsive at low revs - easier to get going from a dead stop, etc. There may be positive effects across the rev range, but nothing as blatantly obvious as this affect at the lower end in the summer heat.

I have quite a few mods the dealer has never mentioned, but I also haven't had any complaint they had any hope of attributing to my mods.

 

I thought that the Mini Mania Cold Air Intake was the only true CAI.

How does the Remus compare to these aforementioned exhausts, as far as sound goes? I've read positive reviews on it's sound as well. Not loud, but low Brit sound.

 

Kenchan, I know you're feelings on mods here...but I 'm pretty sure OKMini didn't say anything regarding looking for more speed. I can tell you first hand that some of the things I have to my car did change things. I'm not talking massive amounts, but there is a difference on the low end. It's not just noise, you can actually realize some gains on the Cooper...

And you don't need nitrous to go fast...

 

Would love to see the following two square off at Solo II:

dandp
kenchan

In autocross, hp/torque/bling bling/all that extra s*** can really mean jack

 

Don't forget to give a holler to Randy at www.webbmotorsports.com. He can provide an objective opinion that best meets your needs.

 

erik808 - being that kenchan's car is stock, and I am pretty sure he is far more experienced at auto - x, it wouldn't be much fun to watch. Although this spring I fully intend to get out there and actually learn the ropes on the local circuit.

 

My money (& I am a bettin' man) is on you, dandp

 

erik808 - I guess we'll find out once I get out there in my "lowly base model Cooper" Such a pitiful non performance vehicle. All show, no go. Pass the barf bag please...one of my friends asked me to give him an sample of my brakes and he said he thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head. Yes, he was exagerating a bit.
I really think there needs to be a Cooper support group to make others realize even 115 hp can can really make people upset...

 

>>I thought that the Mini Mania Cold Air Intake was the only true CAI.
>>

Good call, I forgot about the MiniMania CAI. It's not the only one though as the Pipercross Viper is also a "true" CAI, but they're very different designs.

The MiniMania system replaces the stock intake snorkel, panel filter, and the stock airbox cover but retains the stock box.



The new snorkel and box cover are supposed to improve flow, etc, and I believe the filter is a high flow foam element. It's completely sealed, just like the stock system it resembles, and draws air from behind the grill so it is a CAI.

The Pipercross Viper uses the stock intake snorkel but replaces the entire airbox with an enclosed canister and a connecting hose.



The canister houses a high flow inverted cone foam filter. As you can see, it's a completely enclosed system drawing air from the same place as the stock system and the MiniMania so it too is a CAI.

Other differences? Price, for one. Also, I think MiniMania's intake tube eliminates the lower part of stock system that extends below the airbox. The true function of this stock part has been often debated but I have yet to read anything convincing. Is elimination of this element positive or negative? Depends on its true function...figure that out and report back. Otherwise, which of these you choose depends as much on which catches your eye as anything else.

 

*dandp: Like I mentioned earlier, you're gonna find yourself passing many (time-wise) at autocross . Keep on motoring hard & TGIF, dandp!!