Hey guys, I'm an r56 owner and usually spend my time in the 2nd generation thread. The reason I'm here is because my father is selling his 2003 porsche carrera 4. He's looking to reduce his monthly payments and was initially considering a 08 corvette. After testing driving one, he liked it, but didn't really fall in love and after talking numbers with the sales man, he realized that he really wouldn't be saving too much in the end anyway. Either way, my dad has always liked and was nicely surprised in the performance of my r56 but he doesn't know much about them (the guy isn't too big of an expert on cars, he just likes to drive them) so he asked me about getting a MCS cabrio (he's a convertible type of guy) and i told them that if he got one before February 09, he'd be getting a supercharged (164hp Vs. 172) one. Finally, the reason i'm posting all this backstory on NAM is because, although i'm pretty much an r56 aftermarket expert, my knowledge is pretty limited in what you can do for the r53.
From what i understand theres the intakes, exhausts, headers and then theres the pulleys (which i know little about) and now i think alta is making a plug and play for the r53 too.
So my question to you is as follows. What are the most popular, bang for you buck, must do, performance mods for the r53. If you could post the approximate gains from each of these mods that would be extremely helpful. oh and, what is your opinion (oh i know this is going to raise a lot of conflicting or potentially bias views) but should he wait for the 09 cabrio if he can? from what i've heard it takes a moderately-heavily modded r53 to out run a r56.
i apologize for my ignorance, but i'm just looking for some info. although that 430 HP vette would be nice for me to steal on weekends, i would still definitely enjoy convincing my dad to buy all the mods for his mini that i can't afford on mine Thanks again.


PS- IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN A 2003 PORSCHE CARRERA 4 CABRIO, PM ME FOR PICS!

 

Wow. Well firstly, punctuation next time please. My brain hurts after reading that.

The R53 aftermarket is quite extensive. WAY more so than the R56. It really depends on your budget. Jan at RMW is a great resource to talk to if you want some info.

If you have a general goal with the car and a rough budget I'd be happy to offer my two cents.

P.S.
What's your dad selling the 996 for? And where is it located?

 

It doesn't take a "moderately-heavily modded" R53 to outrun an R56. While the exact parts to use are a subject of much debate/inquiry, the recipe usually goes like this...

1. Supercharger reduction pulley - these come in 11.4, 15, 16, 17, and 19% reductions. 15% seems to be the most popular, 17% is good for about 2 hp more, and 19% is perhaps a little much - reduced pulley/belt grip, heat soak, and over-spinning the supercharger are definite possibilities. A pulley alone should make about as much power as a JCW R56 (189 bhp) and costs a whopping $65-150 with an average price around $120. Colder spark plugs should probably come with the pulley. I think these should cost $8, most pay $35, and some charge as much as $50 for a set. BKR7E-11 FTW!

2. Rear sway bar - this is to your suspension as the pulley is to your engine. For about $200-250 you get a significant reduction in understeer and improved turn-in. I find the suspension to be pretty damn good with the addition of the RSB - good enough for all the street driving I do.

3. Intake/exhaust - makes some power, makes a lot more noise - the intakes tend to highlight the whine of the supercharger. The OBX header is an inexpensive route towards a few more hp, but there are so much nicer pieces that demand a premium price but deliver excellent performance. The "One-Ball" mod is an inexpensive alternative to a full exhaust - essentially this is a resonator delete which saves you about 25lbs, makes a touch more noise, and costs $80 instead of $800. Good for maybe 1 hp but a ton more smiles.

4. Custom "Jan Tune" - my next mod - good for an average of 20 hp for $350 + one hour dyno time. RMW has established themselves as the premier tuner of Minis with spectacular results from a number of custom projects from strokers to turbo kits to big valve heads. Their tunes are very highly regarded for their consistently amazing results.

5. Cam - 5-10 hp for $400-600. RMW, Ultrik, Schrick are your choices.

6. Your choice of big valve/ported heads - judging by the results people are getting from head swaps, there is some serious power left on the table by the stock head. I'd say a head is worth an average of 30 whp. Prices here range in the $1700-$2200 range but the results are phenomenal.

7.... this could go on forever. Obviously there are other mods to consider such as wheels/tires/brakes, further developement of the suspension - control arms/sway bar end links/camber plates, interior (racing seats?), intercoolers/hood scoops, etc. One thing to note is that the stock intercooler does a pretty good job as is and many of the aftermarket units provide little gain. Not a good mod as far as hp/$ goes. The sky is the limit!

Also note.... I much prefer driving the R53 over the R56 - the R53 feels like home, the R56 feels like WTF? Why'd they change THAT?

 

I have a slightly modded 05 Cabrio S that will beat my wife's R56 hands down. Now when we start modding hers I am sure the tables will turn. I am sure I can get mine down to 6 sec flat to 60 (right now I am at 6.17). I prefer the feel of my 05 to the 07 and like the interior much better as well.

 

The current cabrio design is a stiffened variation of the hardtop, whereas the 2009 cabrio was designed from the ground-up as a softtop. That alone makes it worth waiting to see the new model before deciding. Also, the strong low-end torque of the turbo should do a better job of masking the extra weight of the cabrio.

My R56 in stock form was much faster than my modded R53. My lightly modded R56 is even faster, and there's still lots of room for affordable gains. Things like build quality, interior legroom, and great gas mileage are what really sold me on the R56. I love both cars, but I love the R56 more

 

Will you have to forfeit the TV remote?

 

Quirky. The 08 cabrio is quirky. Can't see out of it. Plenty of squeaks and rattles. Steers and feels like a go cart. I love mine, but not everyone likes quirky.

 

I work at Time Warner Cable....if she steals the remote I will have several to replace it.

 

how was it lightly modded? Any performance mods? I have both of these cars and am able to drive them back to back. Again...my mildy modded Cabrio S will beat my wife's R56 hands down. Maybe I have a strong motor. Who knows?

 

Umm. The '09 will be no different than the '07-'08's... will it?

 

09's will be on the newer platform with the turbo and have the pop-up rollover bars.

 

I feel like a broken record... The R56 FEELS FASTER. Timing both cars to 60 the R56 is about .1 seconds faster stock for stock. It's the instant torque that pulls through the midrange that makes the R56 feel so fast, and it's also what kills it for anyone who enjoys doing more than running around town in their car.

Past 5k RPM's the R56 falls flat on it's face, pure and simple, don't believe me? While you're shifting into 3rd gear at 6k RPM's, I'm winding all the way out to 8000 and making power all the way there.

If your primary concern is putting around at 2500 RPM's doing your thing, buy an R56. If you like winding through gears and hearing the motor scream, buy an R53. With 6k or so invested into the engine and suspension you'll have a 230+ whp monster with an amazing suspension.

 

I own and drive both models. You don't. Your insinuation that I am not capable of understanding my vehicles or driving them at "real" speeds is incredibly rude and inappropriate.

If your idea of a good MINI is one that goes really fast in a straight line, that's great, and I can certainly see why you would opt for an engine that focuses on HP over TQ, and produces it's power late in the RPM band.

My idea of a good MINI is one that handles great, can power out of corners quickly, and excels on tight, technical tracks. I'm working toward optimizing the features that make MINIs great, not just trying to make it go faster.

My R53 was a blast to drive on the track, but the power was not building soon enough for me, and I found myself carrying more and more speed into the corners to try and make up for the lack of low end torque. I had budgeted 10-12K to mod the engine and suspension to try and make up for the shortcomings. On the advice of two very good MINI racer friends of mine, I got an R56 instead and divided the mod budget between the two cars. It was the best advice I've received in years

 

The only performance mods on my R56 are the WMW turbo-back exhaust and turbo heat shield. Way will be tuning the ECU on it soon, testing a couple of the basic intakes to see if any of them show any gains, and maybe swapping a couple of the hoses. That's all I'll be doing on it for a while, in order to keep the car legal in STX class.

Everyone with an R53 that has driven my car has commented about how fast it is. Maybe I got lucky and got a good one

 

Howdy, D. Long time, no see!

Diosdado has the RMW head that was originally ordered for my R53. I'm VERY glad it found a good home

 

I wasn't insinuating anything, nor do I feel that my comments were "Rude or inappropriate", (and certainly don't give a rats a** about driving fast in a straight line). I HAVE driven both cars, and I'm quite aware of the shortcomings of each.

The only thing having gobs of torque does on a tight technical track is spin your wheels, I've never had any issues powering out of corners on any of the tracks i've been to, and they're all pretty "Tight and technical".

Streets of Willow is one of the more technical tracks out here in SoCaL (1.8 Miles long and 12 turns). We've had no problems getting within 6-8 seconds of the track records consistantly with our R53's.

(Jan, Danny, and Sean Patrick Flannery are all in R53's)

Willow Springs Advanced Session 2

Willow Springs Advanced Session 3

Streets of Willow Springs:


PS: If you're finding that the power isn't "Building" fast enough in your R53 you're not in a low enough gear, save for the straights I'm in 2nd for almost the entire lap on Streets, usually bouncing off the rev limiter at every corner.

Like I said, if you're interests lie in usable power for every day driving or being lazy around the track and wallowing around at 3500 RPM's, the R56 is the better choice. If you like raking through gears and winding the motor out, the R53 would probably better suit you.

I can't remember the last time I came out of a turn at anything under 5k RPM's in my car on the track. Proper entrance and exit (Heel toe downshift braking) are essential if you want to be competitive on the track.

At 5k RPM's the R56 is pretty much out of steam... so much for nailing that corner exit.

 

Seems like all the Lotus guys like the R53 for overall handling and visceral feel, less body roll, more crisp/better feeling steering, better engine sound/SC whine, etc. R56 (As I've said many times over) wins for daily driving. It's more plush, the ride is more forgiving, gets better gas milage, etc. All things that have nothing to do with the car's performance.

Something tells me someone who drives a Lotus is going to be critical where it counts with handling.

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52874