Drivetrain (Cooper S) MINI Cooper S (R53) intakes, exhausts, pulleys, headers, throttle bodies, and any other modifications to the Cooper S drivetrain.

Drivetrain Link/List of mods for S to increase HP?

Old Jul 21, 2008 | 07:08 PM
  #76  
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From: Somewhere just left of off center
Originally Posted by AeroCooper
As for flywheel...sure while your in there I would even suggest an LSD but many don't want to spend the extra 1000
Agreed. But, when you're to the stage 3 part...hell, might as well spend it!
 
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Old Jul 21, 2008 | 07:08 PM
  #77  
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From: Somewhere just left of off center
Originally Posted by MSFITOY
New Mad Modder Thread High Jack!!!

I love that thread...crybabies and all
 
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Old Jul 21, 2008 | 07:20 PM
  #78  
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From: philaburbia
Originally Posted by HighLife4136
Agreed on the CAI, hence the comment about it being cool for new users...comments from the rest of the gallery?
i may speak for a minority of this minority by saying: if i knew then what i know now i would't have spent the money on the cai. i purchased the cai thinking i was getting some hp gain. if i thought it was just a cool sound making thingy i would have spent the money elsewhere....though i do admit, it's harmonic interplay with the milltek is pleasing!
 
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Old Jul 21, 2008 | 07:30 PM
  #79  
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From: Somewhere just left of off center
Originally Posted by oxtox
i may speak for a minority of this minority by saying: if i knew then what i know now i would't have spent the money on the cai. i purchased the cai thinking i was getting some hp gain. if i thought it was just a cool sound making thingy i would have spent the money elsewhere....though i do admit, it's harmonic interplay with the milltek is pleasing!
100% agreed...I did buy my Alta used though
 
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Old Jul 21, 2008 | 10:44 PM
  #80  
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Originally Posted by big howe
Here's the way in which I see it. I come from the old school(it's all relative) of modding. In the old days, one of the standards we used for mods was the cost limit of $100 per horsepower. If it was over this, blah. Under, you were in good shape. Now I know the rule gets broken for parts that work as a system, yada, yada, but it's a good gauge. So here we go. (install costs are not usually included, as everyone has different aptitudes)

Pulley - Approx 15hp about $115. So $7.60 per HP. Great.

Cam - Lately seen at 10hp About $400 $40 per hp. Good.

You get to CAI's you're at 2-3hp at $200-$300. At the limit.

Header - Probably 10hp+ depending on brand. $200-$1000. Could be great to good.

Injectors - needed to make power, no payback.

Head - 15-30+ depending on brand. Could be $66/good to crap.

So you see where I'm going. I could fine tune a list like this if everyone agrees what mods make what power etc. It's hard to make the list accurate when someone claims 25ft.lbs. for an intake.
Good list, thanks.

So I can get a pulley that makes a pretty good gain and NOT have to get software?

Is there a quick link to the different pulleys?

I already have the CAI and I am not going to replace the exhaust
 
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Old Jul 21, 2008 | 11:43 PM
  #81  
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From: CT
I can list off just about all of the pulleys I think:
11%
Forge

15%:
Webb
Helix
Craven Speed
Mini Mania
Palo Uber
KMT
Mini Madness
Alta
Palo Uber
Dinan (although that is general sold with a system)

16%
M7

17%
Helix
Craven Speed
Alta

19%
Mini Madness
Helix
Alta

I think that is all of them. Just Google the different makes or look them up in the vendor directory. And know, there really isn't a best pulley, they are all clamp on style. Some of them use as few as three bolts and some use as many as 6 bolts. The Alta v2 clamps on with a collar first and then the pulley attaches to the collar. Others use a hub which is held to the shaft by the same bolts that hold the pulley to the hub. Neither one of these designs are "better" just different ways of accomplish the same thing.
 

Last edited by Some Guy; Jul 22, 2008 at 09:36 PM.
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Old Jul 21, 2008 | 11:50 PM
  #82  
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Originally Posted by Some Guy
I can list off just about all of the pulleys I think:

15%:
Webb
Helix
Craven Speed
Mini Mania
Palo Uber
KMT
Mini Madness
Alta
Palo Uber
Dinan (although that is general sold with a system)

16%
M7

17%
Helix
Craven Speed
Alta

19%
Mini Madness
Helix
Alta

I think that is all of them. Just google the different makes or look them up in the vendor directory.
Forge do a 11% or 11.5%
 
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Old Jul 22, 2008 | 04:27 PM
  #83  
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Originally Posted by rodH
Good list, thanks.

So I can get a pulley that makes a pretty good gain and NOT have to get software?

Is there a quick link to the different pulleys?

I already have the CAI and I am not going to replace the exhaust
Yes, putting the pulley on is arguably the easiest and best bang for the buck. See above, seems everyone makes a pulley. No, you don't need software, but if you can get a custom tune(on the dyno) that's another good power adder. The JCW pulley is about 11%, if you are going to go through the trouble of changing it, I'd probably do the 15%. If you are not going to go crazy with mods, the cam is probably the next best bet. It won't change the idle and will give good gains across the board. It seems you don't want a software change, but a tune would really pull it together.
The pulley, cam, tune could yield 30-40hp and increased TQ across the whole rev range.
 
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Old Jul 22, 2008 | 09:35 PM
  #84  
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+1 on the above. Well said.

List updated BTW.
 
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Old Jul 23, 2008 | 08:50 PM
  #85  
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OK, so I already have a CAI on the car when I bought it.

It sounds like the best mods are

1. 15 or 17% pulley
2. One ball exhaust mod
3. Cold spark plugs (what does this do, and is a specific model better than others?)
4. Cams
5. ECU tune

Not sure if I will end up doing #4, 5, ECU might be a bit too much money and I am not sure I want to crack the engine to do cams (unless there is some super easy way to do it). Do the spark plugs really do anything?
 
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Old Jul 23, 2008 | 08:55 PM
  #86  
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Originally Posted by rodH
OK, so I already have a CAI on the car when I bought it.

It sounds like the best mods are

1. 15 or 17% pulley
2. One ball exhaust mod
3. Cold spark plugs (what does this do, and is a specific model better than others?)
4. Cams
5. ECU tune

Not sure if I will end up doing #4, 5, ECU might be a bit too much money and I am not sure I want to crack the engine to do cams (unless there is some super easy way to do it). Do the spark plugs really do anything?
outside the pulley, the tune and cam are the biggest gainers for the money spent

not much cracking to do, it's an overhead cam

we picked up 4 ft. lbs of torque just with plugs the other day
 
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Old Jul 23, 2008 | 09:18 PM
  #87  
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Originally Posted by Revolution Mini Works
outside the pulley, the tune and cam are the biggest gainers for the money spent

not much cracking to do, it's an overhead cam

we picked up 4 ft. lbs of torque just with plugs the other day
What am I looking at as far as price on Cams and a Tune?

Which specific plugs and why do they work?
 
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Old Jul 23, 2008 | 09:22 PM
  #88  
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Jan, will stock exhaust manifold with after-market cat-back work with your cam? Is re-tune mandatory?
 
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Old Jul 23, 2008 | 09:28 PM
  #89  
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Originally Posted by rodH
What am I looking at as far as price on Cams and a Tune?

Which specific plugs and why do they work?
cam $400
tune $350
Plugs $40

We have different ones for different sets of mods. These seem to work even better than the NGKs
 
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Old Jul 23, 2008 | 09:29 PM
  #90  
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Originally Posted by ED955S
Jan, will stock exhaust manifold with after-market cat-back work with your cam? Is re-tune mandatory?

yes it will work

will it be optimised? NO

I did ride in Colin's car today which was tuned before he dropped in the cam/header combo and it was running really well. We still plan to put it on the dyno here soon
 
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Old Jul 24, 2008 | 04:32 PM
  #91  
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hi,
great info nitro, thanks
a Dinan may be in my future, i have heard it will pass CARB etc,
does anyone in this thread know if the M7 strut bar clears the Dinan CAI top?
thanks in advance.
boxcars
 
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Old Jul 24, 2008 | 07:01 PM
  #92  
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From: Somewhere just left of off center
Originally Posted by Boxcars
hi,
great info nitro, thanks
a Dinan may be in my future, i have heard it will pass CARB etc,
does anyone in this thread know if the M7 strut bar clears the Dinan CAI top?
thanks in advance.
boxcars
I think the M7 bar clears the Dinan intake, but it also clears most of our hoods
 
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Old Jul 24, 2008 | 07:14 PM
  #93  
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Originally Posted by Boxcars
hi,
great info nitro, thanks
a Dinan may be in my future, i have heard it will pass CARB etc,
does anyone in this thread know if the M7 strut bar clears the Dinan CAI top?
thanks in advance.
boxcars
Yeah, do some double checking on that strut bar. On the 05, I had to remove the hood insulation to get the hood to close. Then the the hood and bar rubbed together putting rust on the bar and removing the paint from the hood. Needless to say, it's not on the car now, and waiting to be traded for something else.
 
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Old Jul 24, 2008 | 08:04 PM
  #94  
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Well this isn't the best thread for the M7 FSB...but since its already started I may as well add that I have this bar as well and on an 05' I did have a gap problem when I first put it on the car. But, after doing the water trick and weighting the hood shut with water softener salt bags and a week of heat cycling with normal driving it now looks normal, the insulation molded it self too the bar. No more gap, I still have my underhood insulation, and it looks great. Does the bar itself do much? I doubt it, but I like it anyway, and it doesn't hurt anything...at least not on my car. All I bought it for was the anti-shrooms and a little extra bling.

Also it clears my JCW intake by 10mm or so.
 
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Old Aug 21, 2008 | 07:08 PM
  #95  
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From: philaburbia
Originally Posted by Revolution Mini Works
yes it will work

will it be optimised? NO

I did ride in Colin's car today which was tuned before he dropped in the cam/header combo and it was running really well. We still plan to put it on the dyno here soon
numbers yet? (looks like where i'm headed)

how to optimise?
 
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Old Nov 3, 2008 | 12:04 PM
  #96  
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Originally Posted by Some Guy
I can list off just about all of the pulleys I think:
11%
Forge

15%:
Webb
Helix
Craven Speed
Mini Mania
Palo Uber
KMT
Mini Madness
Alta
Palo Uber
Dinan (although that is general sold with a system)

16%
M7

17%
Helix
Craven Speed
Alta

19%
Mini Madness
Helix
Alta

I think that is all of them. Just Google the different makes or look them up in the vendor directory. And know, there really isn't a best pulley, they are all clamp on style. Some of them use as few as three bolts and some use as many as 6 bolts. The Alta v2 clamps on with a collar first and then the pulley attaches to the collar. Others use a hub which is held to the shaft by the same bolts that hold the pulley to the hub. Neither one of these designs are "better" just different ways of accomplish the same thing.

11%
Forge

JCW size:
KMT


15%:
Webb
Helix
Craven Speed
Mini Mania
Palo Uber
KMT
Mini Madness
Alta
Palo Uber
Dinan (although that is general sold with a system)

16%
M7

17%
Helix
Craven Speed
Alta
KMT

19%
Mini Madness
Helix
Alta
KMT

I repair your list as my knowledge about the pulley market.
 
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Old Nov 3, 2008 | 09:48 PM
  #97  
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From: Nashvegas
If you have not yet done the pulley upgrade, 15% is the best upgrade according to many on this board. Anything above that seems to put too much stress on the engine and may shorten engine life. Anything lower, and you are not maximizing the potential gain from going to the trouble of jacking the friggin' engine out of the car to get to the pulley.

One ball vs After market exhaust
Here is a quick (not) guide to some of the R53 exhausts out there:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=23789
 
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Old Nov 6, 2008 | 09:12 AM
  #98  
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This thread delivers. I'm brand new here, actually my first post. This listed everything I wanted to know about basic upgrades. A lot of good stuff in here, along with general discussion about parts.
Thanks
 
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Old Nov 6, 2008 | 11:07 AM
  #99  
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Originally Posted by Van Meets
This thread delivers. I'm brand new here, actually my first post. This listed everything I wanted to know about basic upgrades. A lot of good stuff in here, along with general discussion about parts.
Thanks
One of NAM's strengths is the vast amount of historical discussions on different mods.
 
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