I was looking forward to getting this baby and now it's on! I've been eyeing Alta's FMIC for a while now but never pulled the trigger because I was waiting for the stealth one. When the stealth version became available, I didn't have any more excuses so we went ahead and got it!

I LOVE it and can't wait to get my ECU so that I can fully take advantage of it along with my other performance mods! In the meantime, I'm really enjoying the new look. We did the install ourselves and it took about 3 to 3 1/2 hours. We decided to cut the grill and reattach the two side pieces so you can't see any of the metal around the IC.

I didn't want to put the whole grill back on because then I wouldn't be able to see anything.

Anyways, let me know what you guys think...

Thanks,
Celia

 

Looks great . I'm not big on the R56 looks but your looks great. Nice job.

Longboard

 

LOL...THANKS! I actually have heard that several times from R53 owners! It's very flattering Thank you!

 

DAMN GIRL! That looks SWEET! nice job! Still loving your car! Thanks again for the business!

 

wow, thats hot! id just be extra careful of any large debris that may damage the intercooler!

 

I like it. Let me know how you get on with the ECU.

 

Wish my girl was that into cars.. She makes fun of me (being 6'7) and driving a Mini.
"Look babe! I painted my side markers" "Oh.. thats nice dear"

 

I love your car- my concern, as expressed above, would be road debris, rocks, glass, etc., hitting the IC and then having to replace it.
I would look for some kind of a nylon/plastic screen in black to go in front of it - plastic/nylon so it does not rust over time. I am pretty sure the IC is kind of $$$$, so I would hate to see you have to replace it down the road.

 

Stop making me jealous! Your car keeps getting faster and better looking every time I see it. I like your subtle smooth clean style!

 

The nice thing with our FMIC is that it is made from a bar and plate core. More efficient per Sq. in. as well as it is more resistant to damage. So while wetceal has made some addl. risk, the look is WELL worth it!

 

Me too! Closest we got to real interest was her 06 MCS Vert. That only lasted a few months! CRAP!

 

Just toooooooooooooo good lookin!

 

That is one of the hottest r56's I've seen to date. Very tasteful.

 

Does it still use the other inner cooler? Or is it replaced?

 

The OEM core is removed. Thanks for asking!

 

Yes - this is an R56 that I really like to look at. Kudos to you Celia!

mb

 

Looks awesome. I love the blacked out pieces on your car too. Very slick.

 

Beautiful car. Exactly the way I would have modded had I gotten a black roof Laser Blue. :0)

 

Thanks for all the comments everyone!!


I'll keep you posted! It should be here sometime this week!


LOL guys. My significant other has the exact OPPOSITE problem! He's always like "That's enough mods! No more mods!" LOL...I think it may have to do with the fact that he's my installer I tell him, "Well, you shouldn't have let on that you know how to do so much stuff!" I help him with all the installs though because I love learning all this stuff!


Thanks for the suggestions and concerns guys. Like Adam mentioned, this is a much tougher, damage resistant IC, especially if you compare it to the stock one. That was clearly evident when we removed the stock IC. In fact, I believe the stock one was so fragile it bent a little when we were removing it. Also, I've seen several others that have been running Alta's FMIC open for a while now (the non stealth versions) and haven't heard of anyone having any problems with road debris (yet). So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed, hopefully I won't have any problems either!

Thanks,
Celia

 

Wow! That is one mean R56! I must admit to not being a huge fan of the R56, but your car has definitely shed some light on its potential!
Nice Job!

 

sounds good! it looks great with no grille!!

 

You definitely have the baddest Mini in St. Tammany Parish now and probably our 1/3 of the state. Your only competition that I know of is monstermini in BR.

 

Looks great, I worry a little about the black coming off from rock chips and showing shiny aluminum but I could certainly be wrong. I also would like to see matching grill with the stock grill work, but that's the fun of customization is that we all do things a little different!

 

Yeah...I thought about that too but I figured, what the heck! I'm not sure what the coating is though. Maybe Adam can shed some light on that..? Powder-coating?

I just got my ECU in so I hope to install it today/tonight! I'll let everyone know how it goes!

Thanks,
Celia

 

Great car. Where did you get the headlight surrounds, and front Mini Badge from? Or did you colour the badge yourself?