I've been loving this car for almost 2 years now, base '11 cooper. I do want to get it tuned, nothing wildly aggressive, just better balance for the minor mods I did. yes it is loud, but not louder than a lot of production and modified cars in the area, so legally I don't have to have a muffler, I'm under the decibel limit. I may run a longer pipe to get the exhaust out behind the car, but I reshaped the heat shielding and it routes it well enough.

It does pop a bit when the revs drop, I get a lot of interesting looks from sports car and mod car drivers, the local auto parts store loves it, I'm there at least once a week. Yes the inspection is expired, no the local cops do not care. I get it tested at a shop twice a year but I do all my own maintenance and minor repairs. Nothing too bad has happened yet, it is running NGK plugs and coils. Aside from the intake, ignition and speakers, it's bone stock. I did remove the back seat, will be looking for other things to remove as well.

Of course, to run straight exhaust, I took the whole spare tire assembly down, the spare fits snug and neatly behind the passenger seat. Yes I sealed up the holes left open from removing the spare tire so I'm not filling the car with exhaust. I'm going to build a lightweight cover for the back area so it's more functional. I will be looking at a better way to seal up the air box so I can paint it and also access the filter easier. The box is supported by a pair of modified Simpson Tie straps from the hardware store. Eventually I will be making a custom hood scoop duct to mate up to it, so I can get rid of the dryer duct, hence the S hood.

There's not much more I can do aside from a tune unless I want to start looking into custom cams, pistons, full engine rebuild etc. but at that point it would be cheaper, easier and more productive to just do a K swap. I'm pretty happy with it as it is. Of course the top end power isn't much different, but it's my daily driver, so I spend most of my time between 2k-4k rpm and in that range, there is significantly more power in the middle power band. I live in hill country, it's very noticeable. I run 93 octane, I was averaging 35mpg before, and the onboard mpg tracker has been steadily climbing since I modded the intake and exhaust. The next tank of gas should show the improvement more clearly.

I do need to do some paint touch up, and hammer out the last few fender dents etc. but I think I'm ready for some Mini Meetups, what do you guys think? Is she ready?


S hood from an 09 convertible

Rear bumper from an '08 S for centered exhaust cutout

Exhaust delete, may add muffler later, not legally required here

8" Spectre filter

made a custom box from sheet aluminum, still needs a heart shield, I have scrap sheet and insulation already.

Yes, that is 4" semi-rigid dryer ducting, yes I know "muh err terbeulance"

but it mates up to the stick intake muzzle port so nicely, and I can cut slits in the hood to create a tiny ram air effect too