Power mods on the Justa's?
 

Hi,

Just wondering what can be done modification wise to boost the stock engine output of the Justa's.

Anybody doing a build they want to share?

try searching first :wink:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ds-cooper.html

What he said. Long story short:

Handling
Intake
Exhaust

and if you're adventurous with a fat wallet? Add a JCW head, cams, and a tune. You can see in my sig what I've done, and it's a night and day difference. It's not a Cooper S and it's never gonna be, but I love it, and prefer it over a stock MCS. To be installed are even lighter wheels (Konig Feathers) and ST coilovers.

Driving skills classes is your best bet...
Intake, maybe an exaust, but both will get you mostly sound, and a bit of power...
A bigger swaybar will tighten things up on ramps and helps with corners.....
Lightening things up...lighter rims can help, but adding hp is a $$ proposition...(weight loss can be cheaper)..no simple, cheap things like an S.

That pretty much sums it up, I'd say. Chasing HP on this car is a fools errand after a point, but you can improve acceleration with wheels, tires, and weight loss. Suspension is always the best bet... a well handling car will FEEL much faster. If you're not on a race track or di** measuring on forums, that's just as rewarding as horsepower.

Search function must suck on this site. I did search and nothing relevant came up.

But I see what you guys mean. Just interested to know, that's all.

that thread is stickied at the top of the performance cooper (non-S) forum
i don't use the search function, i usually peruse through a couple of pages in any given forum.

I also find the search function on this site sorely lacking. You are much better off entering your search terms on google, and adding the parameter to limit search to northamericanmotoring.com

It really does suck. Hope we didn't come off as rude.

For power, I have the aFe cold air intake with the oiled filter, and a Borla cat-back exhaust. It is not a huge power gain, but is is there. Yes, many equate noise with speed, but even when the stereo is up loud enough to drown out both, it DOES pull harder at 4000RPM.

I have a 19mm ALTA rear sway bar set to full stiff, my wheels are 4lbs lighter than stock each, and in the summer I run 205/50/16 Yokohama S.Drives. The wheels and tires make accelerating quicker, I recommend going to a tire size with a smaller diameter than stock and lighter than the runflats.

In the spring I'll install the ST coilovers, 5mm spacers, and Konig Feathers, which are 15lb wheels (4lbs lighter than my CURRENT konig rush wheels.) and I'm confident it will feel plenty quick, especially in the corners. That's where it counts, anyway.

Tell us about your car. What year? Any mods so far?

Cheers
Dan

Don't worry about it, mate. Internet responses are emotionally ambiguous so it's no big deal.

Anyhoo, reason I asked is because I was thinking of a Cooper or S for a daily. I've looked the Cooper S up and down for years but I wondered if you could make a good bit of power with the newer BMW Prince motors, the NA ones that is.

Always been a fan of linear NA engines with crisp throttle response and no turbo lag and I figured that modding one might be interesting. I'm just worried that if I were to do it, I would be disappointed in the long run with the power difference vs. an S. I think I need to drive a Cooper sometime as I've only really seen what the Super/Turbo'ed motors can do.

Definitely drive both before you make your decision, it's the only way to know. After buying my Cooper I really considered trading it in for an S. I come from riding fast motorbikes and I thought more power would make it more fun. I test drove several models (first and second gen, hatch and clubbie, etc) of the S cars and I wasn't swayed. Many others violently disagree and would never be caught dead in a "Justa," to each their own. Neither is really a FAST car stock, it's all about the corners if you ask me, and the the Cooper is a blast when the road gets twisty.

As for throttle response, it's not great on either without a little help. A sprintbooster works good, or a tune. Sport button on the second gen cars makes a big difference as well.


Good luck in your search! :thumbsup:

Since this is posted in the 2nd Gen forum I'm guessing you have an R56 justa, most the other people posting in this thread have the older R50 Cooper.

For an R56 Cooper non S I would first suggest the DDM intake, makes a great sound, and great torque.
Then the NM torque arm Bushing, simple cheap and effective.
Then of course a rear sway bar.

These are the biggest improvements for a Justa to start with.

I had an 09 Justa that I traded for an 08 MCS. Sometimes I regret it. The MCS is worth driving, because there is minimal turbo lag. There was something about my Justa, it just felt more nimble and willing to run. The MCS feels heavier but definately more powerful. I am now getting about 6 mpg less on my commute also. Drive both, see what you like.

Mike

I traded in a 2007 MCS for a 2011 MC (Justa). The MCS performance was outstanding and I was really impressed by the very small amount of turbo lag. I picked the Justa because of the lower price, better gas milage, most importantly my driving needs. Most of my driving is on hilly back roads with lots of turns. For this type of driving, handling is more important than power. The MCS has such a wide power band it does not require as much driver input. Because I wasn't using the extra power of the MCS and must shift more, I actually like driving my Justa better for my typical driving conditions. If you want the maximum power and performance, the extra cost of the MCS or JCW MCS are a bargain compared with getting the same power from a Justa.

2011 MC, PW, Manual Transmission,Sport Seats,ScanGauge II

I think Byron's onto two somethings.

1. Maybe the most cost-effective performance mod for the Justa is the S (60 more hp for only a few grand, and warranty to boot). Maybe the same goes for moving up from the S to the JCW. Aftermarket suppliers might disagree.

2. The Justa may be more fun to drive; assuming the driver wants more driver involvement. With a Justa you can race in traffic without anyone else knowing you're actually racing.

With a Justa you can race in traffic without anyone else knowing you're actually racing.[/QUOTE]


Ssssshhhh. Minikins might hear!!:lol:

:lol::lol::lol:

I read on your site that the DDM intake showed a 8lb torque gain, was there any HP gain at all? Obviously coupled with a K&N filter I would guess that there was, but was just looking for clarification. Thanks WMW.

I traded in my 2007 "S" for a base 2012 model - TWO HPFP (engine destruct on first) incidents, the second covered by the repair warranty on the first - AND IF YOU CHECK THIS SITE similar reports are starting to trickle in on 2011s and 2012s (now that they are starting to accumulate mileage) despite a purported "fix" (to HPFP, timing chain, cold start rattle, etc.) - so I still would not recommend an "S" without the extended warranty (if you plan on keeping the car past 50K miles) - so now the extra power costs about $6K - not $3K - plus the hassle.

Driving mostly around town I am getting about 36 mpg instead of the "S"' 32, handling is same or slightly better (sport suspension, Holey wheels), the big lack is HIGHWAY ACCELERATION - I miss dusting almost everyone and those effortless 70 to 110 moves.

I have driven both generation S and Non-S cars, and I have to say that I am happy with my 1st gen non-s for sure. The driving feel is very connected and with a few mods here and there the car has become a true joy to drive and drive quickly.

Since dropping mine with H&R springs, installing a rear sway bar and an intake, there’s really a difference from stock. I’m soooooo tempted to look into a full exhaust and tune, but I would have to drive into a pile of money first. :lol:

I notice a couple of posts that talk about a straight Cooper being more responsive (handling) than the MCS. Do you attribute that to the weight difference or something else?

And has anyone done an intake, a tune and a full exhaust (no headers) and thrown it on a dyno? I’d be super curious about that! :thumbsup:

come summer i'll be doing full exhaust(which includes headers) and installing my JCW sound kit intake side. as well as some new bushings

Which exhaust are you going with?

Megan racing header to tip. it was the best value and they sound pretty decent. plus i won't feel bad once it starts corroding from the winters here.
i might spray it with some ceramic header paint just to protect the exhaust system.

1. I don't want an S. But I would like a few more HP at the wheels. I always tweak what I have, I've added HP to Jeeps, Hondas, Dodges, and Fords. I am not looking to make an S out of my Justa, I would just like to add to the HP/TQ numbers.

2. Agree completely. I can drive my Justa spiritedly and no one hears the turbo or supercharger whine. :grin:

[Rant On]I have searched this topic on a few MINI forums and the answer always seems to be the same. "You should have just bought an S" and that gets very frustrating. I don't want an S, and I don't want to be told by countless aftermarket companies that they don't think making power mods for the Justa is "Worth the time and effort". I'm not trying to turn my Justa into a 300HP monster, I am just trying to push the numbers up a little, from 118 to the 125-130 range. That is about the most that I would even think about trying to get out of the non-turbo engine. As a fairly new entrant to the MINI community, I find the lack of respect for the Justa a little dis-heartening. [Rant Off]