OK, I have enjoyed my 2006 BRG Cooper S very much. It is the best car I have ever owned.
So now I would like to know where I would need to start doing some modification. This is my daily driver, and will continue to be that way. I would just like a little more on the fun side to enjoy driving my Cooper S even more.
Any and all suggestion will be appreciated. Also does anyone know if the Water to Air IC is a good option for an Arizona Car?
Thank you in advance for the assistance.
Happy Motoring.

- KP

 

heres a good thread from this weekend dealing with much the same.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=146578

 

Thanks I had looked that one over, however, since I have the dreadded Automatic, I thought that I may need to ask from a new stand point. I know that I will be some what limited due to this.
Happy Motoring.

- KP

 

Umm Read. use search.
And as always use the pulley luke.

 

First thing to start modding is your budget. Because once you start, you're screwed.

 

Id start by puting in the 6 speed but really intake and exhaust is are some nice mods, and a 19mm rear sway bar will change your life.

 

Not so much. Read my blog. The big limitation is that, for practical purposes, the car won't go over 6750 RPM.... so raising the rev limiter doesn't do anything for you in the auto. If you want a track car, you have the wrong car. But an MCS auto can be great fun on the street and the twisties.

 

You at least started in the right place... figuring out and writing down what you want out of the car and what you plan to do with it.

An air intake would be a nice intro mod that would let you hear more supercharger whine. There are also a lot of suspension mods that are well worth the time and $$$... I love my TSW springs, front camber plates and lower rear control arms (plus a good, agressive alignment). New wheels and tires (or just tires) would make a huge change, as would a rear swaybar, which you can do yourself fairly easily and is fairly inexpensive as mods go. Some less-dusty, more agressive brake pads were an early mod for me as I'm a big fan of adding 'stop' before you add 'go faster'.

A bigger, better intercooler would be helpful in AZ (as it is in TX) if you plan to drive your well-modded car on the track. At this point, it probably won't do anything for you other than suck your mod funds away from a more impact-ful place.

My basic mod-plan that I did on my '06 MCS manual that is my daily driver and occasional Auto-x and DE weekend car.
1. Hawk HPS brake pads
2. Lots of cosmetic mods... painted arches, shorty antenna, leather shift boots, etc.
3. Driveability mods... window tint, Driver's right leg pad (I hate the downtube after 30 minutes of driving), Whalen shift ****, etc.
4. Rear swaybar
5. Lower front strut brace and rear shock-tower brace
6. front camber plates, TSW springs, lower rear control arms and a good alignment
7. ditch the run-flats... get some nice sticky tires
8. Big Intercooler (only because I got a great deal on a used one... noticed absolutely no improvement at that time as it was my first engine mod... it might be doing something now)
9. Air intake
10. pulley / colder plugs / spark plug wires
11. exhaust

I've done a bunch of other things as well now... Big brake kit, stainless brake lines, brass bushings on the rear brake calipers, massive air-horn, etc, but that should get you started... :D

If I were to do it all over again, I'd probably follow a similar path and order to the mods.

 

Proven fact. Experienced by many. The first mod is akin to eating that one Lays potato chip...except the impact to the bank account is a bit different.

__________________

 

You need to install a 6-speed or there is really no point in modding the drivetrain. After that mistake is fixed, a pulley will get you the most fun per dollar. Beyond that it is all downhill with regard to significant power increases for modest sums. A mere 250hp will probably run into the thousands. If you are willing to spend that there are plenty of threads to peruse on what it takes to get substantial power gains.

 

There is still plenty of fun in an auto. Personally I like the sporting feel of rowing the gears and executing a perfect heel-toe downshift, but you can tune it a bit for better handling, better braking and modest gains in power without ditching the auto or going too crazy in terms of cost.

The OP has his goal of making his daily driver a bit more fun... which is definately possible without switching to a stick. I've been on the track, being chased (and probably passed) by a nicely modded MCSa. He has less attention that he has to give to the transmission, meaning that he has more attention to give to hitting the right line and watching the corner workers ( :D - inside joke - sorry Mike! :D ).

 

I think the auto is perhaps the biggest reason TO mod the drivetrain... takes a 15% pulley to overcome the inherent inefficiencies of the automatic and make my car feel like a MINI, IMHO.

 

You really don't have to do much and every upgrade has a pro and con with the change.

Pulley for the supercharger- usually a 15% reduction pulley is the best bang per buck and a good place to start.

Next is an RMW retune of the ECU for more power.

You can add a cool looking cold air intake if you like.

Exhaust systems are more cosmetic and usually costly unless you can find a used aftermarket one, or a single sided exhaust for less weight, or you can do a one ball- cut out one of the stock mufflers and reroute the pipe to one side like a bypass- this mostly saves weight.

Driving school is always the best upgrade in my book, check out what is available in your area from car clubs.

Suspension- some MCS owners upgrade to Koni FSD shocks just to improve ride comfort and handling.

Lighter wheels and non runflat tires- better handling and better comfort but depends on your tire selection. less weight is nice vs stock wheels and tires which are very heavy.

Upgraded brake pads that dust less and rear sway bar three hole 19mm is good, find a used one.

Plan before you buy and search for any of these topics, it's all been discussed before.

 

I'm no expert, but I'm very happy with the performance mods I've done so far:

No run-flats
Pulley
Cold-air intake

Next up for me is a camshaft (already purchased), *maybe* a header, and definitely a tune from Revolution Mini Works. Then I'm done, for a while, honest...

 

KPMini - I too, have an Auto (MCS 06') This was suppose to be my daily driver (my V12 X5 is a gas guzzler) but I can tell you this much....you will SPEND$$ to get the most out of your auto mcs. My mods so far...Alta CAI, Alta Stealth exhaust, ver.2 Intercooler, 17% pulley and suspension galore (H&R coilovers, camber,...blah blah blah). And not to mention exterior upgrades.

Have I seen an improvement after the upgrades? Heck yeah....the fact that adding a new exhaust and CAI improved my gas a tiny bit and having the pulley just made the auto gear shifting so much more smoother. I'm in the talks right now with Jan about maximizing hp for an auto. Next up is a new header, and tune. thats gonna be under 2k at least. So yes my friend....you are going to spend and its worth every single penny cause this is the best....most fun car you will ever drive on the street.

 

Slightly off-topic...but you have a V12 X5??

 

Pardon me Thumper....a V8 315hp heavy tank. V12 is the 4.8i.

 

Start with the Pulley, it's the biggest bang for your Buck.

 

Notice Way didn't say "start and end with the pulley".

Hmmm.... suspicious....

 

I have one of those dreadded automatics and I love it. You asked about the W to A intercooler, I have had one on mine around 2 years and works just fine. As far as other mods, I have a few of them also, but mine not a daily driver. Just some weekends. To me it dosen't matter were you start your mods because they just keep coming anyway. It's hard to stop after you get started. Have fun and in joy it.

 

While logic screams that this shouldn't be true, experience shows that it mostly is.

 

May I just say thanks to you guys for your constructive input and not just flaming him to use search?

We're all excited about our cars and want to anticipate and approach mods in the best way possible for our tastes, needs and budget, and appreciate the input and discussion.

Thanks, too for not just bashing the fact they left the third pedal off his car. I've seen Paul drive, from immediately behind, and believe me, off track, it's not much of a hindrance!

There's one more, really cheap mod that's mandatory if you're over 6' and do stop at red lights: a lightnsight.

 

If more "go" is your game. then it's pulley, then intake/exahust. DONE.

 

In terms of Intake, do you guys know where to start looking for these items rather than going through Mini directly? They charge an arm and a leg for the JCW parts.

 

I'd say with your auto trans. to go for the 17% (maybe 19%) pulley as you'll get more low end torque (and since it's an auto you won't be spending too much time near the redline, which is good). I think you'll get a more enjoyable driving experience.
-note: i dont have an auto but with everything i've read over the years this is what i'd do if i did have one