Now I know that the MCS is the real tuner-car of the family, but what (if anything) can I do to my MC to get it performing as best as it possibly can? The young ones among us who couldn't afford the insurance on an MCS are dying to know! Perhaps Reyphile (who i met at an Ann Arbor Starbucks the other day) could chime in on this one. Thanks in advance all!

--Neall

 

An intake and an exhaust (cat-back) are nice additions to the Cooper and can be had without stealing from the kids college fund. I have a BMP Promini intake (approx-$200) and an R Speed exhaust (approx. $460) on my 2003 Cooper. These add a little power and a lot of nice sound! IMO, the next step would be a ECU remap, which might give you 8-10hp for around $400-$500. Or a header might be comparable to that, for less money if you get an OBX header (approx $200 off ebay).

 

The exhaust idea sounds nice. What do you think about the magnaflow system?

Anyone know what this will do in terms of eligibility for H-stock SOLO?

 

A cat-back is fine for H-Stock, but the intake is a no-no. You can use a drop in Green or K&N airfilter, however. I think the RSpeed catback is the autocrossers choice, and I personally like the sound (although I have the Borla).

Other than that, all I can suggest is a good set of Konis, some light wheels that meet spec, maybe some brake pads, and some Hoosiers for ya to stay in H-Stock!

 

Hi there! I'm a Cooper driver as well. I recently added a Miltek exhaust to my Cooper and absolutely love it.
Do you live in/around Ann Arbor? I'm currently a Senior at UofM. There are quite a few Chili Reds (myself included) around town.

 

you don't have any liks for this stuff do ya?


Vunder - there may be a lot of CR/W coopers around, but ours are the coolest in town!!

 

konis and tires can be had with tirerack, they also offer the wheel weight when putting comparison too! go with 15'... drop-in filter u can probably find it anywhere... as long as you got the proper sized filter...

 

Hi Neall! It was cool bumping into you at Starbucks the other day

The Cooper is notoriously difficult to get power out of. We've found a few sure-fire ways to get some power; cat-back exhaust, high performance camshaft (like Schrick's), and quality ECU tuning, like UNIchip. Unfortunately, there are no cheap bolt-on's like are available for the Cooper S (i.e. s/c pulley). I'd say start with the Cat-back (the Milltek is GREAT sounding!) and/or the UNIchip, as those won't tax your fuel economy like a camshaft will.

I hope that helps - See you Motorin' around!
Ryan

 

Hey Ryan,

what are the installs like on the products you pointed me towards? also, whats the install like for the aero grill?

p.s. lemme know if you wanna do a photo shoot of you and your MCS

 

exhaust and intake are simple bolt ons... exhast likely an hr, intake 30 minutes.. chip dependent on model.. i have no experience with unichip, but mth for example can be done in about 20 minutes in two processes.. check out the mth forum.. people have reported good gains on the mth... and for 75 bucks US you cant really lose

camshaft is a diffcult job.. if im gonna do it i'd do it with a new ported and polished head... but that's a bit too far!

 

Yes the exhaust and intake are easy installs. The UNIchip install is very easy (10 minutes for most). The camshaft is not an easy install - though still easier than changing the cylinder head.

also - the Aero Grille install is rather difficult as you have to modify the lower grille and the bumper to have it fit flush. email Chad@DetroitTuned.com for more info!

Cheers,
Ryan

 

Does the schrick cam for MC cause a loss of torque on the low and mid end? Typically, from 1500 rpm to 4000 rpm?

Thanks.

 

Just keep in mind - anything beyond a cat-back, drop-in air filter, light wheels, r-compounds, brake pads, and Konis will boot you into STS for autocrossing.

As mentioned, Konis and wheels/tires can all be had at Tire Rack - so can pads, if you're interested in the brands they carry (the Hawk HP+ pads are really proving their mettle on autocrossin' MINIs in our neck of the woods).

I still like the RSpeed catback the best - can be had at RSpeed, as can the drop-in filter.

An intake, cam, software/chip will put you into STS, and if you go that route, you can't use r-compounds. You can be competitive in STS IF you are a very good driver and there aren't many really fast Hondas.

JMHO, but I'd spend $$$ on suspension, wheels/tires and brakes before power mods if you're seriously into autocrossing...

 

No. Schrick has done a great job grinding the cams, and I have measured no loss in torque in lower RPM, and good torque gains above 4000 RPM in both the Cooper and S. They do hurt fuel economy a bit because of the higher lift and greater duration.

Cheers,
Ryan

 

Once I get around to getting a spare cylinder head to port and polish up, I might have to drop a Schrick in there... Been thinkin' about it, but I need a head first, since I'd like to work one over off the car.

Thanks for the info, Rye!

 

Oh so you have done dynos for the cooper with the cam on?

Strange though, always thought that higher lift/overlap cams gave erratic idles and/or low end torque loss.

 

Yes I've dyno'd both Cooper and Cooper S before and after their respective Schrick camshaft. About 5HP and 5Lb-Ft with the Cooper, basically from 4k rpm up to redline. About 7-8HP and 7Lb-Ft with a mildly modded Cooper S, from 3500 to 6k. Yes the cams have higher lift and duration, but also greater lobe seperation than stock, for only a bit more overlap. This means idle isn't compromised, nor is low-end torque. A suprize I wasn't expecting, is throttle response is quicker on both!

 

I've got the Magnaflow on my 2003 Cooper (non-S) & it performs great! It is rather loud (sets off car alarms & wakes neighbors @ night), but I've also got it mated up to a Milltek header (which won't do if you want to stick to H-Stock). I found the BMP/Promini intake to be the biggest bang for the buck mod, but that won't fly for H-Stock either.

 

nrd2052,
You ask a "loaded" question. Why? Because the MINI is so easy, almost too easy to mod. And that goes for the MC or the MCS.

What if anything (you ask) can you do to mod an MC for best performance?
Plenty, but it's gonna cost you some bucks. $$$$$.

Before going down that route ask yourself-
What is my budget (total or annual)?
What is my goal (what is the MINI going to be used for)?

For most of us that aren't going to track our MINIs regularly or compete in some form of national level competition we can stick to the basics as already mentioned.

Realistically there are some power gains to be made but they aren't mind boggling.
Intake, Cat-back exhaust, spark plug wires. ECU software- if the budget allows.
Other things including a turbo kit or Quaife differential are possible on a large/jumbo budget.

What you can do for the MC is suspension upgrades, brake upgrades, and wheel/tire upgrades- as much or more than for the MCS.
Coil overs (or lowering springs), 19mm adjustable rear sway bar, front camber plates and rear adjustable lower control arms (if you want to adjust front and rear negative camber settings) and light weight but strong rims and 40 or 45 series tires.

And you can do whatever appearance upgrades you can think of. No holds barred.

Some past threads on upgrades for the MC-
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=20153
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ead.php?t=5828

And one on regrets-
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=18759

 

Quick question on the camshaft: Anyone know what a ballpark installation cost would be? I tried to search on this, but it seems that very few people have done this mod. From what I've been reading, its a bit pricey, but at about the same power as an exhaust, well worth it.

 

In general I can't say that I would suggest that any MC or MCS owner upgrade just the cam alone for about 5 or 6 hours labor and limited power gains on the high rpm side. It's much more cost effective to upgrade a Cat-back exhaust.

However if you plan to do ported and polished cylinder heads (larger valves) and add a schrick cam at the same time then that might be a better plan. Talk to Randy at Webbmotorsports.com or Ryan at Detroittuned.com for more info.
http://detroittuned.com/products/ind...20050219173837

 

Did I miss something???? I thought you wanted to stay in H stock?????
forget the ECU tuning
your options are limited
Cat back Exhaust
Drop in filter or just take the filter out for auto cross (still legal)
Light weight wheels and tires
DRIVING school!!!!
forget about the cam