Hello Namers, I would like to share my mod project plan with you. I've managed to get estimated cost for every mod. I'm going slowly like one mod every 2 months. Please let me know what do you think of my priorities:
Part Price in $
NGK BKR 7 EQUP Spark Plugs 139.0
Carbo Tech Brake Pads & JCW Calipers 819.0
Brake Rotors 590.0
RMW Cam Shaft 400.0
Mini GP Wheels 2020.0
Carbon Fiber Steering Wheel 410.0
JCW Steering Wheel 370.0
CF Down Tubes 360.0
JCW Spoiler 390.0
Scoop Grill 46.0
M7 Air Plate Diverter 149.0
GP Intercooler 517.0
M7 Aerogel EX Heat Shield 130.0
RMW Header 2000.0
RMW Tune 350.0
M7 Rear Chassis Brace 280.0
M7 25mm Rear Sway Bar 230.0
JCW Suspension 825.0
M7 Under Strut System 350.0

 

for the jcw suspension check morristown mini's website, I believe its going for $655 there

 

Ive heard excellent things about a thicker rear sway bar, my vote is for that and your pick of any brake upgrade, you have speed already with the pully and intake, nice to see your planning a well rounded car sounds great good luck man

 

THIS IS what i would do:
RMW Tune 350.0
M7 Rear Chassis Brace 280.0
M7 25mm Rear Sway Bar 230.0
JCW Suspension 825.0
M7 Under Strut System 350.0
Anything else on the list will only give bragging rights.

 

Hello elprofe. Here's what I think about your suggestion and that's why I've got them down the list in my original post:

RMW Tune My car is automatic and I wont make good numbers out of that due to the gear shifting ratios, I just can wait on it.
M7 Rear Chassis Brace A good mod but suspension come on top of it.
M7 25mm Rear Only for racing and AutoX, maybe 22mm is better.
JCW Suspension Is a good to have, but since it lowers the car I've got to have bigger wheels. This is to save me from bumps and crappy roads. That's why GP 18" wheels on top.
M7 Under Strut System Also a good thing but should only come after JCW suspension.

For me, I think the EX headers and the Aerogel are an early mods because I need the engine to BREATH out. I've got flowing intake with the CAI and pulley, I should balance that with the output with headers and exhaust. Also, another point is the wear cost. I want to wait for every existing part to wear then I'll change for a sporty kit. For example: I want to wait for my brake pads till they fade then I upgrade them. Or wait for the stock suspension to wear and get old then change it to the JCW one. It's a cost saving and better use for the buck.


I'm sure you are conviced with my priority list. Right??

 

1) not a 25mm swaybar. 19 or 22mm.
2) RMW Headers or JCW Suspension

 

If you've tried the 25mm sway bar. Why it's not good? How does it feel for a street ride? For the 2nd point, where do they go in the priority list in your opinion?

 

25mm rear sway bar is larger diameter bar that is hollow and gives less weight about 5 lbs while being as stiff as a solid 22mm bar about 10-11 lbs. The cost is almost the same for 22 vs 25mm bar and labor to install is the same. This is a very common early mod to improve handling.

For normal street driving or any straight line driving there is no difference with a stock rear sway bar vs an upgraded one. You reduce the tendency to understeer when cornering at speed.

For your best mod-
Attend a High Performance Driving School so that you know how to drive at your limit. It's likely that you'll benefit from repeating it on a regular basis.

There is more to be gained from being a skilled driver than to just install upgrades.

 

[quote=minihune;2144836]25mm rear sway bar is larger diameter bar that is hollow and gives less weight about 5 lbs while being as stiff as a solid 22mm bar about 10-11 lbs. The cost is almost the same for 22 vs 25mm bar and labor to install is the same.quote]

This is the first time someone brings up data on weight comparing sway bars. Strange that the 25mm is less weight than the 22mm. I thought it's the other way around.

 

I totally agree with you. But I'm sorry to tell that no driving schools in Saudi. I've got books that are a good start till I find my way to attend a real driving school. And I can say, reading made me know really new things about tires, weight tranfer, gears down shifting, aerodynamics and more more things!!

 

Time for you to enjoy a trip to europe or the US and attend a good high performance driving school with top instructors. Of course it's best with your own car but much can be learned as you go.

Reading is understanding but doesn't easily translate into results unless you can practice and learn. Driving skill is the connection from thinking to doing and getting where you want to be, safely and efficiently.

Even practicing on video simulation is not the same as driving.

For M7 rear swaybars-
http://www.m7tuning.com/parts/produc...products_id=32
There are many types by H-sport.
19mm solid "Sport" bar is mostly for Base Coopers and most street driven MCS
22mm is also solid with larger diameter so stiffer and is for performance driving MCS. Possible to use on street
25mm competition bar is lighter because it is hollow not solid. For MCS performance driving and can be used on street.
see http://store.webbmotorsports.com/ind...products_id=63
http://www.helix13.com/mini/products/suspension-chasis
25.4 mm race bar- not for street

Most times you don't want the rear sway bar on full stiff setting. Soft or middle setting of three holes is stiff enough but it depends on your other suspension parts and your driving style. The goal is neutral steering not to get into oversteering.

 

And which one do you recommend? The 25mm? I'll have a sway bar installed on my car for daily use, and have autox occaisionally. I mean, how to choose between 22mm and 25mm?

 

From a functional standpoint-
19, 22, or 25mm are all usable for you.

19 bar would be used with middle or perhaps stiff setting
22 with middle or soft setting.
25 with soft setting then adjust.

With similar purchase costs the lighter 25mm bar is popular but for you the shipping cost is fairly high, due to the oversized nature of the bar length.

How much do you feel you understeer right now? If you hardly notice any understeer then the 19mm bar would probably work fine.

Under normal street driving conditions I usually experience minimal to no understeer using a 22mm solid rear bar on softest setting. Under extreme cornering it is possible to reach the limit and get some understeer. One has to know where that limit is for a given corner and not exceed the speed where you start to loose traction given the radius of the turn.

 

I agree with you. Under normal street driving conditions I usually experience minimal to no understeer. But I do not know how it will be in the future when adding more power and having to turn faster and hit the breaks farther than now.
Shipping costs are not an issue for me, I've got a forwarder that does this to me for a very nice charge. I think I'll go for the 25mm if it saves weight and can be adjusted to function as a 22mm (this is the way I understood it from you).

 

I would strongly consider going with a set of fixed camber plates instead of the sway bar. Not only are they smaller and easier to ship but they are also a bit cheaper (roughly 50 dollars). The nice thing about them is that they wont increase the cars tendency to oversteer, just dial out the understeer.

http://store.nexternal.com/shared/St...t=products.asp

And, depending on how aggressively you drive they could also reduce the amount of wear your tires get on the outside edge.

 

Oh i didn't know the M7 was hollow like the H-Sport. I'd probably say the 19mm is enough. I have a whiteline 20mm, which is perfect for me.

Camber plates are the best idea, but I like the adjustables. If you ever want to go on the track, i'd say that adjustables would be the best. Id go camber plates and a rear swaybar.

 

+1. But I have M7 brace, would the strut tower bolts support camber plates+M7 plates?

 

Do not take JCW suspension also GP wheel because the roads is very bad in Jeddah you know there are holes on the roads . From where you will get the GP Intercooler ?

 

Well, if not JCW suspension, what shall consider??
For the GP IC, I have my sources that if I mention clearly here on NAM, some vendors might start firing at me.

 

It's not clear to me why lowering "requires" bigger wheels? (or do you mean more rubber, i.e. smaller rims?) While I will admit it looks best that way, both lowering and larger wheels makes the ride rougher and if you add them together it is even worse.

The RMW tune is a good idea, you will like more power even with the auto.

 

Do a Google search of "NGK BKR7EQUP", THIS is at the top of the list with the price of $8.07 per plug. There are plenty more spots to find them at a similar price.

 

clear and concise. I run the 19mm on middle setting and I find the car quite neutral. When I had run flats, i could get a point drift. Probably very similar to your 22mm on the softest set-up. I'd look for the deal on either one.

 

I believe in the case of the Ireland plates you can actually swap out the bolts if you need longer ones. That said I have never heard of people having issue with the bolts on them being to work with strut bars. A search might yeild further info.

That said the IE camber plates are beefy enough that you really dont need the reinforcement plates (this is what I have read, not what I have experianced). The IE plates are much beefier than the stock peice, which is the part that bends on the stock setup.

 

What i want to tell is don't change the suspension because the roads are very bad. From which vendor you can order it ?

 

There's currently an issue with the tunes on automatics and reprogramming shift logic IIRC. A fix is in the works .