I put the Milltek exhaust on today. VERY nice product, sounds 'just right', not too much drone at freeway speed, nice appropriate sounding deep idle note, and great when on the throttle.

This was a slam-dunk decision now that I hear it on the car, BUT the exhaust headers on the Cooper are made of pencil-dicks ! MAN are they tiny and restrictive.

Who has replaced the header?
What brand/where sourced ?
Any adverse warranty issues ?

I have to get more air to this exhaust !

 

Made of what?

I have the OBX. Sounds great and more midrange torque, a few more HP too. I definately recommend for the price.

 

Doesn't the OBX while being a 4-2-1 which would be better for torque, not come with a cat ? I see the Playmini and Milltek are full stock replacements but 4-1 isn't as good for torque ?

 

I talked to Webb Motorsports today, I was mistaken. 4-1 is better for torque than 4-2-1. 4-2-1 flows more air, better for top end, but 4-1 is better for torque, so when I can afford it, I'll get the Miltek manifold with catalyst.

 

I have the Milltek and it works just fine

 

No dealer complaints about the aftermarket header ?

 

I've been running the Milltek header for 21540mi. and no complaints, only smiles (does not include neighbors). Been in & out of Assael BMW, and they've never said anything about it or other mods. Have fun when you get yours in there!

 

Beautiful car. I just checked your gallery. I have the same idea but only Astro metallic was available as a choice. Where did you get the RCs ? I want RGRs but have a coronary every time I check the price, AND Tirerack doesn't show the RC fitment. How would you compare the 17s with normal tires to the 5spoke 16s (even though I have the runflats and I know you had normal 16s)?
Thanks for the feedback on the Milltek header.

 

If you're talking to me, I got the BBS RC/Yokohama AVS ES-100 combo from the Tire Rack. They're there (at least last January). I wanted the RKs, but they're not being made for the MINI anymore. I did have Dunlop runflats that came on the car. The side walls were way too stiff. I replaced them with Yokohama AVS ES-100 205/50/R16, then went with 205/45/R17 for the BBS RC wheels. I like the bigger wheels fine. Less sidewall and an extra half inch of rim width make for noticably more stability.

Everything is here:
http://talosiankeeper.com/mini.html

 

TireRack no longer stocks the RC in a Mini fitment. I still want RGRs more than any other wheel, but the O.Z Ultralegerra is starting to appeal to me as well. It'll be a while before I do wheels and tires, the exhaust header comes first. I'm glad I found out about Webb, their price is better than Stratmosphere.

 

Pulled the trigger Friday, order is shipping today. I just could not justify the 17" RGR's price, but I ordered 17" O.Z Ultraleggera with Kumho Ecsta SPT. They'll be here Wednesday, that gives me Thursday-Saturday to attempt to shake up some tread and get the tires partially broken in before an autocross on Sunday.

I had simply had it with the heavy, stiff 16" runflats on this car with Sports Suspension Plus, so I'm really looking forward to the lighter wheel/tire combination and better traction and (from every review I've read of the SPT) better ride.

I'll post photos on the car Wednesday or Thursday.

 

No warranty issues, due to no warranty! (just turned 70k miles).

Matt

 

I don't get it. I've searched and read and searched and read (repeat, many times), and I don't think I've seen a single thing that agrees with this. On the other hand, since I was single-mindedly (obsessively) looking for info on tq values at low to mid rpms (and lack of loss thereof), I might have seen and instantly disregarded such a discussion if it was focused on peak values, etc. There are certainly more things to consider than just the macro level geometry (4-1 vice 4-2-1), but in general there seems to be a lot of agreement out there that 4-2-1s are more likely to add tq under the curve at lower rpms.

 

Hmmm, well I've not found one 4-2-1 that is a bolt-on replacement that includes a catalyst, but given my satisfaction with the Miltek exhaust, I'll go with their 4-1 manifold/hi flow cat.

On another note, picture quality sucks but I ditched the heavy 16" stars and runflats, just put on the 17" Ultraleggeras/Kumhos. Need to go for a ride and settle the suspension back down.

 

Nice Did you go through the Tire Rack?

As far as 4-2-1, Super Sprint makes a bolt-in cat that fits their header.

 

Yes, TireRack's service is fantastic.

I found the SuperSprint header but haven't found the bolt-in cat. I wonder if their header and (if I find it) bolt-on cat are the same length as the Milltek to mate up with my exhaust ? I'm still most likely going to get the Milltek and then order the MTH cartune from their US distrib where you specify when ordering the modifications already on the car.

 

the Cooper and the S use the exact same exhaust manifold. I'd say that the stocker has more flow capacity than the base Cooper needs. A cheap and easy way to open it up is to remove the pre-cat, then you're left with something that flows better, and has the stock cat and look. It is possible that you can put on too big a set of primaries, and screw with the scavaging effect in the header, a decrease motor breathing. You really want to breath better, go for a head.

Matt

 

Yeah. Tire Rack rules

Here's your Super Sprint cat:

http://www.promini.com/product-exec/...arch_model/100

However, the price isn't all that inviting.

Isn't the Milltek cat-back you have 2-pc.? There ought to be plenty of play to make it long or short enough for your needs.

 

Im running obx 4-2-1...I like it...but you kno when you go no cat you will get a louder and possibly raspy sound.

Also I think every answer here will be biased to what they have or are going to buy. Just because once people have the header and put it on...they don't want to change it and try something else. you kno?

 

The less sense it makes. You're driving a Cooper, and even though it has a 10+:1 comp ratio, it's still a 1.6 litre that spins less than 7000 RPM. To do the SS header and cat, you're talking almost a grand! And you will only get marginal gains. At a very expensive price. If you double the cost (I know this thought must hurt), you can get a head from Webb, with a cam in it, and really wake the motor up. You will get more than twice the bang.

The place that you're most constricted is the exhaust valves/ports. For a motor that's pushing about 110+HP, the header designed for an S, that is pushing almost twice the air (if it's pullied, it's more than twice for sure) just doesn't seem the right way to go.

I don't know if anyone has put a head on a cooper yet, but I'd ask around and see, before spending all that hard earned $ on a cat and header.

Matt

 

and he's really happy with the change. If you haven't bought a header yet, read this thread and see if you want to go that way.

Matt

 

IMO the header is the best bang for your buck on a MC. I got the PILO header, which is very reasonably priced, and let me tell ya...if there is any mod that you will notice on a non-s, this is it. Last summer i posted dyno sheets, and with just header, cat back and HAI, my car made 151 to the wheels(after correction). I have an safc-2, which it was tuned with, but it seems that the coopers have a very good fuel map already. I acually lost 3hp to the wheels after the tune. The guy that tuned my car just flattened out the afr which meant leaning out around the 3500-4500 range and adding a little more to the top. But this leaves me to guess that the most significant mod for the car is the header. sitting the two next together is like night and day, and it most certainly makes a big difference. My dyno was in a garage that was 93 degrees and humid also . I think that no matter which header you get, the gains will be comparable, but the price-tag most certainly is not - that is simply buyer preference. Just get one...you won't be sorry. And as for the warranty, my dealer in st. louis never said anything about any of my mods. It only comes into play on part they direcly affect.