I've been looking for a way to upgrade the exhaust of my 05 MCSc, however I am not able to spend the 6-700$ + that is required for a Miltek, Borla, Magnaflow exhaust.

I have heard of the one-ball mod, but I'm looking for at least a small gain in hp/tq from my 'new' exhaust. How would a custom exhaust that is similar to the Alta 2.5 work? I am worried that I would not get the proper amount of backpressure necessary for the supercharger and lose all of my low-end.

If this is a horrible idea, are there any less expensive exhaust systems that are of good quality that might give me a little more power?

(I'm not looking for big number such as 15+ hp). This is my first post, so any help would be appreciated!

 

is it a sound quality thing? cause the pulley change nets more hp for way less money .

 

The only problem is that my dad (the owner of the car) will not let me do any mods that will void the warranty. Uhhh. I know that the pulley mod is by far the best way to get cheap ponies but it's not my car...technically.

I don't want it to be too loud, that's for sure. Do you know of any less-expensive systems out there? Has anyone heard of TCSportline exhausts?

 

I have the one-ball mod and it works great for me. Someone on here documented all of the types of exhaust...I'll post the link in a few minutes. The one-ball gets you about 5HP and 5 Ft.lbs Torque.

 

I don't doubt that it makes 5/5 hp/tq for you, however you have the pulley mod which makes me think that backpressure would be a more significant problem for you with a stock exhaust, thus the one-ball would make more hp/tq...am i right in this reasoning? Or am I wrong?

 

What your dad don't know don't hurt him No seriously my dad didn't let me do anything to my car either. I just did stuff anyways and I have a pretty decent list going so far. Needless to say my dad loves my car and commented on how it should pull like this from stock (talking about pulley)...

 

The one-ball is just as effective as any other cat-back. As far as back-pressure, you'd be really hard-pressed to make it so free flowing that you'd lose low-end grunt. The cars are supercharged, generally with forced induction the freer flowing the better. Of course there is such a thing as "too much," but I don't believe any of the custom 3" guys have experienced significant low-end loss..

 

5 HP/5 Torque improvement for the One ball exhaust mod would be more than I would expect. If you have dyno results that show this then post them. You can search for many past threads about owners that have done the one ball and what their impressions have been.

If you talk to reliable MINI garages they can tell you what benefits the One ball can provide besides low cost and less weight. Eric at Helix13.com does them all the time.

Saying the One ball is "AS Effective" as any other cat back exhaust mod would be overstating the advantages of the One Ball in my opinion from seeing many cat back exhausts at the track, at driving schools, at autocross and on the road. Yes, there are a few owners that have one ball exhausts in my area.

Your best bet is to fine a MINI owner with the one ball and take a drive, listen to the exhaust and draw your own conclusions. If you are at the dragon then that's a perfect time to compare exhausts.

 

I come to the exhaust question not really expecting any gains from it. Exhausts and intakes are minimally effective on their own – they're for aesthetics and as supporting mods for the actual power-makers – heads, pulleys.

I can't say that I felt any measurable difference after doing my one-ball. I didn't do a pre and post dyno for it. (Would have ruined the cost-effectiveness of it, eh?) I believe I've seen pre and post dynos of the one-ball, and it WAS less than 5/5 hp/tq. It was more like 3/2 I believe. But I've also seen backpressure numbers for various exhausts, and the one-ball was right up there with other aftermarket systems. There have also been quite a few high hp MINIs (on NAM at least) that ran the one-ball, leading me to believe it's more than adequate unless you're going into the crazy-modland territory.

 

I have read a lot about the one-ball mod on NAM and it seems that the gains are pretty minimal, but I'll second RedSkunk that the backpressure numbers that I've seen are similar to other exhausts. How is it that it makes less hp if the backpressure is similar though?

 

this will give you plenty of answers and options...
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=23789

 

There are a lot of aftermarket exhausts that don't do much beside change the sound of the car. Some of these are good quality systems, but they are more for style and show. There are also some good quality systems that focus more on power and have some good power gains.

One thing that may influence your decision is the year of your MCS. I'm sure you know that the hp on the MCS increased from 163 to 168 starting in '05. Now, I'm not positive, but I recall reading that the 5hp increase (or a good portion of it) was attributable to some changes to the exhaust system.

So, I've always figured that most exhausts were originally dyno'd on pre-'05 MINIs. Maybe there wouldn't be as much of a power improvent on an '05 compared to an '04. I'm not sure how this would impact the whole one-ball option...are the results of the one-ball better on an early model MCS or an '05-'06? If there isn't much of a power increase, would you still want to mod the exhaust? Maybe a one-ball is the best answer?

 

Actually the later (05+) MCS exhaust "shouldn't" perform as well as the early unit. This is because when Mini introduced the cabriolet, another brace was placed under the rear of the car to aid chassis stiffness - the position of the brace is such that a small kink had to be introduced in the exhaust pipe (I think) pre- the first silencer to clear this brace. The kink actually causes a restriction in the flow.
Same exhaust used on cabs & coupes since cab introduced.

See here, post #86 onwards: http://www.mini2.com/forum/engine-dr...g-results.html

 

The one-ball is the best/cheapest way to decrease backpressure if you're not looking for the best sound. The folks at GT-Tuning across the pond recommend this over most after market exhausts.

 

What material should I use if I do a one-ball? I would like to do S/S but I have called two muffler shops and they do not have the capability to bend it!?! You would think a muffler shop could do it....maybe these shops are just not that good...? Any advice on bending stainless?

 

When I had my one-ball done the mechanic just took a piece of stainless that was an elbow piece (this piece I don't know the exact part name, but fits perfectly) and welded it into the existing pipe, after cutting the exhaust where need be. I forget which thread it is, but it shows the actual diagram of how the exhaust system is cut and "remade".

MINIFVR- your muffler shop probably just does not understand what exactly it is that you want him to do. Print off a picture or draw a diagram so that he understands.

Hope all of this helps

 

Thanks! If I were to get an exhaust system made for the coupe (I have a convertible), and I needed the midpipe to be bend a tad, could any old muffler shop do that for me?

 

I think Mini just whacked their exhausts with a hammer! Seriously though, it might be worth checking the cabriolet topics to see if anybody with one has had issues fitting an aftermarket exhaust due to the added bracing.

 

Steve's Auto Clinic in North Hills (near Van Nuys) did my one ball in less than an hour, for less than $150. I love it! It burbble a little more, too. A while back Grassroots Motorsports tested and dyno'd a stock and several aftermarket exauhsts. Stock fared pretty well, I figure with a more direct flow (one ball ) it should be even better??

 

Wow. Just checked out the prices for the exhausts. Thats a lot of frickin' money for not a lot of HP!!! Hardly worth it IMO.

Keep one thing in mind as you attempt to mod the Mini w/o your dad knowing - when you take it in for repair, the dealer will notice the mod and you risk them not warrantying the work.

 

i think what you could also do, is buy a magnaflow muffler to replace the ones that mini have and instead just have a one-ball maganflow muffler and just have the pipes welded to it.

 

http://www.myminiparts.com has a one-ball replacement bit of pipe. You cut out the ball and then clamp it on. It's SS, fits perfect, and mandrel bent. $120, your call.

 

Thanks for the advice. Very helpful....now a decision....