I want to first say this is a question purely out of curiousity.

For people wanting to modify their Cooper why did you not just buy an S? I'm not talking about the cooper owner who is looking for style modifications or slight performance modifications...but more geared at those looking for 160+hp out of the Cooper. With products like the mini mania turbo kit I wonder why you wouldn't just start with an S for the price. I don't mean for this to sound insulting to cooper owners just purely curious and looking for other owners interpretations of why they bought the car they did.

Cheerio
Casey

 

Two primary reasons for me;

1) I personaly don't care for the air scoop on the hoop of the "S", I think it detracts from the original design,

2) I wanted the British Racing Green/Tan Leather interior more than anything, and this is/was not available on the "S".

 

Casey - do a search for the "To S or not to S" thread from a couple weeks back. I think that gives a lot of rational behind this choice. For me I bought my Cooper knowing I wouldn't be modifying it much more than an Exhaust. But I know there are people out there that like many aspects of the MC or the MCS. Style, optional colors, weight, and sometimes just a challenge. The one thing I've found is that there are a ton of reasons and there is no one right answer for everyone.

 

I never even thought about modifiying my Cooper until I went to the Rogue Engineering open house in the fall, and started reading the boards. And I have thought about trading up to an S, but I know how cars de-value, and I love the look of my Indi Blue MC. How fast can I really go on my 9 mile commute to work without getting arrested? I can sneak up pretty quick on most cars when I need to and destroy them on the twisties. I suspect most MCS owners didn't really give the poor Cooper a shot to begin with. Driven correctly, it can be quite a blast - hi-rev shifts and screaming through the tall second gear with the Rogue exhaust rumbling....besides, I had a chance to drive a heavily modded WRX yesterday that was pulling down close to 275 horses, made me realize even with an MCS, it's not going to feel like that.

 

Dandp. Did you get the Rogue exhaust system. I love the sound on their clips. If you have it, how is the highway sound.

As for the question of the hour. I chose the mc so I could use the money I saved on mods of my choice, both performance and looks. Let's face it. if power were all we were looking for, we wouldn't be driving minis.

Andy

 

my question is less of to get an s or a cooper....but are there owners out there that want to seriously modify their cooper...and if so why they decided to go with the cooper vs starting with the S. There are a ton of good reasons to go with the Cooper....but in the perf area if you are going to modify and want more then starting with the S makes more sense to me...so I was looking for opinions from the other side of the table...from cooper owners that want to do major mods and what drove them to make the choice they did.

 

For me, the process is what is fun. Researching different options, seeing how much you can get with each mod.

My reason for going with the cooper vs the s has nothing to do with bottom line hp.

Engine mods are just a part of the puzzle. Suspension, body styling, engine dress up, etc. Aside from horsepower, there isn't a whole lot of difference.

 

My goal is to have the fastest Cooper in NJ...in the end, the amount of $$$ I spend doing stuff - suspension, tires, exhaust, intake, yeah, I could have done the S. But isn't a modded Cooper more of a stealth car than the S? People expect the MCS to be fast. And it is addicitive to torture myself continously with possible mods. I never had a car I wanted mod before. My previous car was a '99 GTI (4 cylinder) Same horsepower as my MC, and probably VERY moddable (is that a word???) But just going to Rogue, Helix and talking to other owners has pushed me into a whole other area.

asodestrom - I'vew had the Rogue on since October. There can be a 3000 RPM drone, but I suspect it's similar to what some MCS guys say about the Magnaflow. I like it, especially flooring the car in 2nd gear and getting the RPM's up over 5500. Going under bridges is especially fun, got a nice burble lifting off the throttle. It's also cool to downshift as you drive by some guy walking his dog...I'm 35 and this car is causing me to regress like you wouldn't believe.

 

Like others have said, I never considered doing the slightest modification to a car before buying the MINI, and knew nothing about exhausts, intakes, or anything else before getting sucked into this forum. My decision to buy the Cooper was based on two huge factors: cost and fuel economy. I am passionate about environmental issues, and I really could never respect myself if I drove a car that got less than 30 mpg, especially if I paid three grand to lose 5-10 mpg. I'm having a lot of fun with the mods, and it gives me something worthwhile to do with portions of bonuses, tax rebates, etc.

I've added Borla exhaust, Moss intake, and Magnecor spark plug wires to my car, and I'd be surprised if I ended up getting more than 8 or 10 hp out of it, but it's not even the hp that I'm after. I'm enjoying getting to know my car and how it works, and how to make it more efficient. This forum has taught me an immense amount!

 

chrisnl - what Moss intake do you have? any pics? notice any difference over stock? that's one of my next mods...

 

>>My goal is to have the fastest Cooper in NJ...in the end, the amount of $$$ I spend doing stuff - suspension, tires, exhaust, intake, yeah, I could have done the S. But isn't a modded Cooper more of a stealth car than the S? People expect the MCS to be fast. And it is addicitive to torture myself continously with possible mods. I never had a car I wanted mod before. My previous car was a '99 GTI (4 cylinder) Same horsepower as my MC, and probably VERY moddable (is that a word???) But just going to Rogue, Helix and talking to other owners has pushed me into a whole other area.
>>
>>asodestrom - I'vew had the Rogue on since October. There can be a 3000 RPM drone, but I suspect it's similar to what some MCS guys say about the Magnaflow. I like it, especially flooring the car in 2nd gear and getting the RPM's up over 5500. Going under bridges is especially fun, got a nice burble lifting off the throttle. It's also cool to downshift as you drive by some guy walking his dog...I'm 35 and this car is causing me to regress like you wouldn't believe.


The stealth comment is great...very good point. Thanks guys for your replies and enlightening me to your decisions. Yea these forums are great, just damn expensive....costs 10-50 bucks a month to browse the internet, but the cost of what you find out on the net costs you thousands...hehehe

 

Hey Casey,

I decided on the Cooper because the ride in the S was just too harsh for day to day driving. After deciding that I'd look seriously at the Cooper instead of the S, I took a 20 min+ test drive and found that the car just seemed to fit. The gears seemed to flow better, not the constant mixing bowl of the 6 speed. The ride was enjoyable, it communicated without punching you in the kidneys at every pothole, (very BMW like). Don't get me wrong, the acceleration in the S is intoxicating. So now I get to tinker under the bonnet, get to know my car and see if I can cajole a few ft/lbs and ponies from it.

Remember, it's not the grail, but the quest that enrichens.

 

I have had a Cooper with sport suspension and the S.
Both fine cars. But for everyday ride quality you cannot
beat the Cooper with 15" wheels and tires I drove as a
loaner. I like 'em all. To each his own. I'd take all three
if I had a garage.

 

2minis - great answer :smile: now i just need to build a bigger garage.

 

>>my question is less of to get an s or a cooper....but are there owners out there that want to seriously modify their cooper...and if so why they decided to go with the cooper vs starting with the S. There are a ton of good reasons to go with the Cooper....but in the perf area if you are going to modify and want more then starting with the S makes more sense to me...so I was looking for opinions from the other side of the table...from cooper owners that want to do major mods and what drove them to make the choice they did.

I'm not crazy about forced induction engines (Turbos, Superchargers).

retroom

 

>>chrisnl - what Moss intake do you have? any pics? notice any difference over stock? that's one of my next mods...

dandp - I have the Moss intake that they sell with the silver, red, or blue connecting tube for around $120 (I didn't pay the extra $20 for the color!). I had it on for about six weeks before adding the exhaust. I can't say that I actually noticed any performance difference, but then again I don't usually tend to drive at full throttle and redline the car, either. I did notice a much livelier sound from under the hood, which was nice, and I like how it opens up the engine compartment a bit as opposed to that airbox that takes up every available cubic inch. I'm not sure the added sound would be noticeable with an exhaust already in place.

 

chrisnl - thanks for the info, I do like the look of that intake. It would be fun if my Cooper sounded like the Audi S8 in the movie "Ronin" Of course that's a sick 8 cylinder monster engine...

 

There are a few reasons why I did not get the MCS:

1) No spare tire
2) Harsher ride
3) Increased Fuel consumption
4) higher insurance costs
5) Longer Wait (8months to order one in Mass)

The reasons why I chose the MC:

1) Great Fuel economy (avg 31 mpg with 60% city 40% highway driving)
2) Cheaper.
3) Slightly better ride than the Sport Suspension Plus on the S.
4) Great handling even with 16" run flats
5) spare tire

I think I'm going for the Borla Exhaust, K&N drop in, and a GIAC chip when it comes available and when the car has about 6K miles on it. That should cost me about $1000. The S is a great car, but I wanted a fun sporty everyday commuter . I couldn't justify the S, when I already have a passat which has over 215 horse/225 ft-lbs (GIAC Stage1) and gives 25mpg in the City. Might start modding the VW!

 

I would like the MCS, but I must have an automatic transmission and the CVT only comes on the MC

 

I got the Cooper, not the S, for some of the same reasons others have posted.

-I wanted the CVT, and I wanted a Silk Green, neither of these options are/were available on the S.
-I was also interested in the getting the best ride quality and so I wanted the 15" holies/all seasons and the basic suspension.
-I hate the look of spoilers on any vehicle. I could order my Cooper spoilerless.
-I fell in love with all of the chrome on the Cooper, the black plastic grill on the S doesn't do it for me.


Like Dandp, I never intended to modify the MINI. But with all the time to wait from order to delivery, I started reading these forums and got hooked. First came the styling mods (clear tail lights, clear/chrome side markers, S2000 shorty antenna, chrome license frames, vanity plates [HARMINI], Euro. parcel shelf, chrome tach and speedo rings, homemade "hot pocket&quot. And now that I got her looking the way I want, I intend to start tweaking the performance a bit. The Viper intake and the Helix exhaust are what I've planned so far. But will it stop there? I say that half the fun of owning my MINI has been the creative aspect, making this car look and perform to suit my tastes and needs. After the intake and exhaust will come the XM install........and then???

 

Although this may not be exactly the heart of daMatta's question, I feel similarly. I got the Cooper based on my needs, priorities, and preferences. It wasn't until after spending time driving the car and reading these forums that I had a desire to do any mods.

I really like that thought! (Except, I think the word is enriches. ) It fits very well with the sentiment that Chris was expressing.