Hey guys, should be getting a Mini cooper S with the new R56 engine..

gonna get Jcw body kit, big brake kit, lock differential, manual and so on.

i just wanted to see some opinions from this forum before i get some goodies.

-Engine/turbo Tune
-catted downpipe
-exhaust system
-FM intercooler
-maybe a CAI


any suggestions?
thanks


-lumi

 

You might have better luck posting in the R56 section...PM a mod to move it.

-Cody

 

very sorry about that, i might have clicked the wrong section..

thanks

 

Thread moved to 2nd generation Cooper S Drivetrain forum.

Everyone's Favorite Mods will be different based on everyone's favorite bias for modding.

The R56 MCS with LSD has plenty of power. That helps.

You will not be able to use any more power if you lack traction. If you have wheelspin which is very common then you need more grippy rubber.

Usually that will mean non runflat tires.

If interested contact Alex@tirerack.com about
205/45-17 Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R Extreme Performance tires.
Only 180 treadwear but very good handling and street comfort.

In my book the best mod is always-

Driving school. You won't be able to make much use of your car (even in stock form) unless you have the skill to drive it. If you are a multiple time high performance driving school instructor then nevermind.

Another common oversight is to upgrade suspension before you upgrade power.

I have a mid modded MCS R53 and I test drove a new stock R56 MCS. R56 power was good but handling was soft and for street use.

 

thanks alot for all the great advice.

coming off a e46 m3 and a 335i coupe, better rubber and suspension is the first on the list. i do call myself a track junky sometimes aswell.

i did order with LSD..

 

Alta has some sweet stuff. Do a CAI and turbo-back exhaust and you'll compete with (if not beat) the JCW cars. Or combine both for one screaming MINI!

 

Favorite MOD.. the Ice cream cone holder that hold the cone near the AC vent which helps it from melting to fast

 

My favorite upgrades so far are:
1st - Hardwired BEL RX65
2nd - Alta 22mm rear sway bar
3rd - My homemade CAI
4th - Piloti Prototipo shoes
5th - Schroth Quickfit Harness

I have done other's but these are my top favs.

 

my favorite mod is not a preformace mod but a mod for looks and is the first on i added. i changed out all the white lights for blue leds from here

 

Hey everyone! I'm a 19 yr old college student and about to be on my 2nd MINI, and this one's an "S" Just wanted to share something- maybe it doesn't hold a whole lot of weight with most veterans on here but anyway

-I was young and had the modding craze (still am young comparitively though)
and modded my 05 cooper as much as I possibly could.. trying to squeeze out 5 hp here and there with everything I did.
=and mini gurus and my dad, who is a big car guy too like you guys (he's been into club racing with BMW's and Porsches) recommended 9 times out of 10,
DRIVING SCHOOL
GET SEAT TIME
and GOOD TRACK RUBBER
and MORE DRIVING SCHOOL...

-and they're aaaaalllll right. O
Though I still loved all the mods I did, I am going to wait/abstain from anything with this Turbo. And since my dad and I BOTH drove my MINI to the last BMW event (Mid-Ohio) and he totaled it... I'm going to be not doing the race-track thing until I can replenish totaled MINIS on my own.... lol ....

hope that helps maybe coming from me.!

The time in the seat I had was some of the best money spent.. much unlike hotwires and chips and intakes that add .01 hp (truth be told),, (Madness V2 header WAS a good step though)
and the other thing I learned was that there's just something magical about driving home at the end of the day with a nice quite car with sweet-*** power that doesn't kill my ears.. (though I loved my Magnaflow on the cooper...)

 

My first mod was to cut about 4" off the stick shift. Love it. Cost: $000

 

Get a Whalen then go to driving school.

 

Man, that's a HUGE car next to your Mini...

 

Yeah, I had to look twice at that big white car. Kinda shaped like an SUV but somehow very familar.

OK, now I see my sense of reality was distorted.

-----------

OK, my other favorite mod is:

Light wheels and low sidewall tires. Anybody running stock wheels has got to try reducing each wheel by 10-15 lbs and going for a drive on sticky non runflats.

 

Sorry for bringing this one back from the dead
Is this as straight forward as it sounds?

 

Pretty much. I pulled the shift **** off. The lever has a slot at the top, and a little taper, so my first cut was only about 2" (just with a hacksaw blade in a reciprocating saw). Jammed the **** back on and tested it for feel.

Then went back in and cut another inch or two off. I also removed the boot and took a little off the bottom (you don't want to take too much off, maybe 1/2" because otherwise it might not fit around the retaining ring at the base).

IIRC, I may have wrapped the stalk with something to make up for the reduced diameter (If you know Red Green, you can guess what I used). Put it all back together, and have no problems. I'm not sure what the top slot does, but with the pressure fit, it is difficult to turn or pull off just like it was initially.

Since the car was so easy to get into reverse, it helps to have the reduced leverage to shift into first and not get reverse by mistake. It also takes a little extra effort to get 5th and 6th, but nothing uncomfortable. 1st-4th are just plain nicer than stock, and seem more crisp without all that lever to move around.

It may be a little more reach, but I have long arms (but the seat all the way back), so it works perfect for me.

I think the products they sell for a bunch of $$$ don't actually shorten your shifter, but the amount of throw between gears. I wanted something that got me closer to my old Miata shifter which was like playing Atari (oops. showing my age again).

Hope this helps...

 

Interesting. How do you attach the shift ****? What **** are you using?

 

Pressure fit. Just like stock. I'm using the stock **** (with a Harley emblem covering the ugly shift map. I think I can remember where the gears are). Maybe one day I'll buy one of those fancy Casady wood ones.

 

Thanks for the how-to! Gonna have to try this out.

 

Here's what it looks like. Kinda messy because I used window putty to put it on. So I have to clean it off and use silicone. The curve of the emblem is slightly different so I need something to fill the gap.

 

Suspension, Turbo Back exhaust, Intake, and massive intercooler........and ecu once I get it.

 

My Mini is stock, except for the hardwired V1. (done first dry weekend, following the most excellent write-up on the site.)

I've done dozens of DEs in my 944, and still do.

Oh, I have new Goodyear F1 GT-D3s to mount, and winter tires are about to go on.

On my R53, I may go slightly larger on the rear swaybar, and then will eventually do a CAI... (better mileage, more sound, and maybe a few extra ponies).

 

What's a V1? What's a DE? I feel acronymically challenged.

How much mileage improvement do you think a CAI will give (on an R56 S)? I'm looking for any mods that will give me more power, but not screw with gas economy. Except maybe a different exhaust, 'cause they sound so good.

 

V1- radar detector.
DE- Driving Education aka Track day.
I would like shorter throw but I am not sure if my arm is long enough...probably. But too afraid to do it.

 

Thanks for the definitions. The hardest part about shortening the shifter was getting the **** off without cracking a tooth (or sunroof). I sat in the car before I did any cutting and grabbed the shaft about where it would be and ran through the gears with the engine off. It'll give you an idea of reach and leverage decrease. And it's so nice to think you just saved $150 and a lot of work.

And it was just too easy to go into reverse with the stock shaft. The worst thing that could happen is you'd have to buy a new shaft if you didn't like it. Or get one of the aftermarket ones to just reduce the throw...