I am new to mini. Give me a truck and i know what to do. But for the mini i am not sure what is the best thing for performance and what order should i do it in. I see alot of Alta performance, is that the mopar for dodge/roush for ford? Any help with what is the best thing for the 1st upgrade and or what not to get. I have the 08 mini s hatch
thanks
james

 

Well Mopar and Roush both have affiliations with the manufacturer, Alta doesn't. JCW is really more similar. It's like the M division is for BMW or AMG is for Mercedes or SRT for Dodge.

 

My recommendation: Your first mod should be a....

MOD PLAN.

Read EVERYTHING YOU CAN on this forum about mods. Ask yourself the question, "What do I want my MINI to be when it grows up?"

Daily Driver? Track Rat? Autocross car? Canyon carver? Weekend cruiser? Show car?

What tradeoffs are you willing to make? Give up comfort for raw performance? Give up raw performance for comfort on long drives?

What road conditions do you drive in? Smooth roads? Potholes? Expansion joints? Gravel/dirt roads?

What do you want it to LOOK like? Do you care? Do you hate the wheel gap, or haven't you even noticed?

MUCH money and frustration can be saved by answering these and many other questions first... then understanding the impact all mods have on your preferences... then building a rational plan that gets you the perfect MINI for you.

Or you can just go buy an exhaust or some coilovers.

Good luck!

 

What BlimeyCabrio said is perfect!

Answer those questions for yourself, then do your research. Just because you see a lot of a certain tuner does not make them the best. Do research and don't just buy things on a whim because they sound like they work or everyone else has them...too many people here do that. They blindly buy products because they hear about them or because they are from a big tuner that advertises a lot...so "they must be good".

Welcome to the MINI world though! You'll love it!

 

I'm looking for a street / strip car. the exhaust are pretty much the same except with a different sound.. i don't see much difference in power gain. do u know if 19's will fit being stock height

 

At stock height I think you can fit tractor wheels!

 

You could probably fit them but they would noticeably diminish your performance. Acceleration will be hurt by the weight and handling will be hurt by the tire size.

 

Great point... wheel weight means a LOT on these cars....

Are you willing to have a slower, less responsive car so the wheels can look bigger?

 

First Mod....tint it and a K&N drop in.