I bet you are really exited to get it please let me know how the car feals and how much difference it makes.

 

I'm very confused by your posts. What is your goal with the mini?....or whatever car you want? are you simply trying to get the best street light racer? what is your intended use? do you want to build something up...or out of the box top performance??
sounds as if budget is not a concern.....so I dont see why you couldnt build a killer street car.

I would also highly disagree with you thinking a 4 cylinder motor is very limited. I could give you a list of tremendously powerful and capable 4cylinder cars. i've seen plenty of 700+hp 4 bangers.



also...FYI...the Mini does not have a "V4" motor.
it has "inline" cylinder banks

 

I have all the ALTA mods (waiting on the ECU) and even without the ECU it's an impressive car to drive. With the ECU, then the soon-to-be-released turbo kit and injection system, this little car is quickly going to become the ultimate sleeper... not to mention that I'm sure ALTA isn't done and we'll just keep seeing more and more power.

 

I want to street race. I never see minis where i live that are really fixed up. so when a car pulls up by me i can beat it not just lose everytime. the car has only 600 miles so i dont want do anything major to the engine. I was told by a mecanic down here in houston that i you open the eninge up and upgrade a but o stuff you could have a very very fast car he also recomended to get rid of some stuff to make it lighter.

 

I researched that. There's not much there. The seats weigh around 40lbs. Lighter rims/tires/brakes will help given the spinning weight. Lightweight battery will help. Overall you're not going to save much weight unless you want the inside looking like a cup car.

 

Not on pump gas. (sorry, had to add fuel to the fire)

 

Nice pun.

 

Uhh...Reality check here.

If you are at a stoplight with most Evos/STIs (many of which are chipped themselves-or more!) and you think your tuned/bolt-on Mini is "better" than them-you will generally find yourself very embarassed. (plus taking these cars to road courses to test your and the cars abilities is much smarter and more fun ) (FYI stock Evo IX low to mid 13's in the 1/4, 12's easy! w/ TBE and tuning) (they also move pretty well at the track-now at a tight track the Mini's lighter weight would help some-not against truly light cars, though-Lotus Elise, etc.)

I love the enthusiasm for the car, but I would think it prudent to be mature and realistic about expectations for the customer/driver and the validity of the information within this forum. (trust me, if the Evo/STI guys saw your post, they would troll up this thread to no end )

It is a fun little car, though, and the power mods should spice it up a bit

Have fun and happy motoring

 

I totally know what ya mean....I'm not even about 0-60, I want more 30-50 or 50-70 at speed acceleration; but beyond that I'm all about handling and what will make my car good all around at a track, and I know at a race track I'll definitely be faster than Evos/STI; combine my mods with my racing experience, all I can say is "seeee ya!!!"......almost forgot, I just pulled 1.1 lateral g's just a little while ago on a short spirited run; and I could of totally pushed it even more!

 

Maybe evos can beat us but we still look good losing does cars are really ugly and dont have the class as the mini

 

Trust me the ALTA parts make a huge difference. I can destroy a stock R56 now with just a few easy to install parts. I had an E46 M3 when they first came out. I would not trade my MINI back for it. The MINI is just way more fun. Not too much slower either.

 

mikeg you have a bad *** ride I really like it!! How much did you lowered your car. and what kind of rims are they?

 

Thanks for the compliment. It is lowered on H&R's with an ALTA 19mm Sway bar. The wheels are 18" ASA AR1's

The H&R's lowered it about 1.5"

 

Not to highjack, but any rubbing or other issues with that setup? I plan on purchasing a set 18" Enkei's with 225/35 tires and will be installing a set of lowering springs as well (haven't quite decided on H&R or Mach V). I've already accepted that it's gonna be a very firm ride.
THANKS!

 

There was a slight rubbing in the beginning, but the tires wore away part of the inner fender molding that I was going to cut away anyway. Now it works perfect. The ride is not that harsh unless you hit a big bump or dip. If I were to do it again I'd still go H&R, nothing against the Mach V I just like it lower.

 

What size tires do you have i want 18 and the widest i can get in the back

 

Just to sort of reality check here... local evo IX rs ran 11.90 with a reflash, turboback, and intake. The same evos are RIDICULOUSLY fast around a roadcourse. Unless you're on slicks and they're on bald tires.. I dont know.

That being said I love my mini... and will continue enjoying it for a long time to come. It was this or an evo, and I'm still happy with my decision.

Have fun!
Josh

 

Evos are fast but they have no class plus they dont have the history of a cooper. I dont really like japanes cars but they are giving a close competition to german and italian. I just beat a 350z automatic with 1 car lengd andvantence.

 

Awesome, thanks! Yea, I'll most likely go with the H&R's as well for the lower look. Especially if rubbing won't be much of an issue. If I go 215/35/18 I'll definitely go H&R, any larger and I may give consideration to Mach V. We'll see.

225/35/18, says in his sig. For 18's that's most likely gonna be the widest you can run without rubbing. I know a couple people are running 235's, but on 17's.

 

For sure you will. 225 whp in the MINI will certainly give a quick car. Especially with the amount of torque that you'd have, 265 ft-lbs at the wheels or whatever they said it'd be.

I had an R53 MCS ('05) and I was at 204 whp, but torque was barely 180 ft-lbs. I could easily beat 350z's with it. So, with the new one and all the extra torque you should have no problem! Regardless though, it felt really quick and there is simply no other car that comes remotely close to it in terms of driving fun. I was thinking about getting a gently used M3 to replace my R53, but I decided not because nothing is more fun than the mini in my opinion, unless you're spending up into the $100k range.

Judging from your posts, money does not seem to be an issue, so just wait a few months because I'm sure there is going to be a ton of parts coming out for the R56. Wait till larger turbo kits start coming out .

Just ordered my new R56 today...getting real excited for the torque!

 

Congrats ThumperMCS. Let me know if you want a test drive with the ECU and other mods. I live in North Scottsdale.