I picked up my still warm,fresh off the fabricating bench "shorty" header from Jan's shop this last Friday.The next day,I headed to Danny's for an install.Pads ,rotors and header swap "DONE" in the time most would take to do an oil change!!(MINI CORSA rocks,as many already know)It replaced my OBX/OEM cat set-up,so there was some muffler shop stuff to do before unification of catback to header was complete.I had some rattle and vibe issues to trouble shoot when I got back to Vegas.BEST PERFORMANCE in downtown Vegas removed my Milltek resonator at my request,and replaced it with a Magnaflow.They also stiffened the rear hangers and did some heat shield "massaging"(infamous Milltek side/side swing gone!!).
I just have a slight resonance/vibe at 2500ish RPM,otherwise pretty golden.The sound is nothing short of "angry and raw".The burble and pop is even more pronounced(spits and farts more than a baby! .I got my 1st Jan tune back in February,so the addition of the header has made the throttle response even quicker(so torquey!).There is no way it sounds like a 4 cylinder anymore!I was coveting the sound of an R32 VW a few weeeks ago....not any longer Hope to hook up for a retune and cam in next few weeks!!!
Right now though,It's just pure smiles
Thanks Jan and Danny!
It's snowing in Vegas today,but I'm still drivin'!!
I look forward to posting some video soon!

 

Let's here it!

 

Yep they are loud!

 

audio soon....the weather is crap now

 

that car doesn't have resonators and only has 2 of the small hushpowers on the back

 

My car did get pretty loud after I added on the header paired with the JCW exhaust. Prior to getting a head and a tune, it sounded just like this Mini right here.

It still sounds very similar with the JCW and RMW header I got now. I freaking LOVE it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6wCwSC5Wms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufMKRsIxPC0

 

mine is louder! haha

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=2i23KaT-K4s

 

thats awesome

 

I bet your neighbors love you

wow... that's loud with the Alta exhaust... is that a single sided exhaust?

 

Yep... Alta is single-sided...



I'm thinking about it... or having a similar custom exhaust built... but I might have to buy the wife more diamonds to compensate.

 

Hope you are compensating for the car and not something else.....

 

Hey Blimey, can you say Ireland Engineering? With an IE exhaust, you'll be able to afford LOTS of diamonds for your wife. Plus, they are getting ready to release the IE with a new an improved tip.

 

Hey Platform, I'm digging your setup and was wondering something. With all the current mods, how much HP are you getting and how quick is the car with no free flowing head? Just curious, because right now, an upgraded head is out of my budget.

 

I have lots to compensate for. Just ask my wife.

New, improved IE sounds interesting - hadn't heard about that. I'm not a big fan of the original version.

 

Thanks Father!
The car is extremely quick!
When Jan tuned in Feb, the tune yielded an increase of 20 ponies & torque.There were some issues with a few things like tired plugs,air filter and the usual "automatic related follies" that occur when trying to dyno.The numbers settled at 182 hp/173 tq.I dont think that this is accurate of how quick the car is now,all things considered.I don't think it's just seat o' pants that I'm feeling with the addition of the header.As it sits,its an extremely fun car(to understate it!).I think the retune could place me right where I wanna be,especially with the cam added!
But ya know?At this point it's all gravy,cuz the car is so well sorted out suspension/handling/power wise.....a head would be cool,but as you know thats a big price jump.I say tune and header...no regrets.

 

platform... you and I have very similar setups... and I suspect very similar numbers. Yeah... header and cam have made huge impact on my car, since the tune... Like you, I think a re-tune and it's cake.

 

That sounds like fun times Platform. I'm overseas right now and won't be back until Feb, but when I return, I'm getting most of those mods. Thanks for those numbers. One question, does Jan still do tuning clinics, or do you have to go to him? As much as I would love a new head, it will have to wait......for a while. Thanks again, and have fun.

 

I'm pretty sure Jan is still tuning - just takes someone organizing the events with enough people (12-26) to make it worth his while. We did one here in NC a few months back. I'm counting on him doing something sometime before too long - I'll travel anywhere DC (maybe Phillly) to Atlanta to have it done.

He's also getting very close on having his remote tuning setup ready - so he can send you a device, you can go to a dyno locally and have it tuned by him without him leaving California...

 

Yup,I agree Blimey.

Its just so much fun to get in the car right now!
I didnt think that the classic "need to drive now" Mini phenomenon could get any more intense.

 

In terms of exhaust, would it be better to install a header before the catback or vice versa? Or does it matter?

 

Well.... the header will make a MUCH bigger performance difference than the exhaust... and will make a noticeable difference whether you're on OEM or an aftermarket (or one-ball) exhaust. The header is really the primary restriction in the OEM exhaust system...



If you only have the cash to do one - do the header.

Oh yeah... and once the header is on, you may decide you like the way your OEM exhaust sounds...

 

I think most of the time a catback is purely a novelty by itself.It really is mostly about the sound.When you put a free flow header/cat on,you are really freeing up nice flow!Having said that,a catback plays the role of uniting the system for best results.Alas,Blimey is running his with a one ball mod,and seeing nice stuff!Youll get to it all eventually!It's a sickness.

 

Terminal Illness in my case.

 

Yeah, I've been doing some research and it seemed to me more logical to free up the air flow closer to the engine than opening up the latter part of the exhaust. Do you think a header install would be as hard or harder than a cat back install for a DIY project? Or would it be better to just let the shop do it?

 

Any hints on how they stiffened the exhaust hangers? I've got a whole lot of swing (melted the rear bumper valance at my last track day) on my Alta 2.5" single-sided exhaust (see the shiny picture in the posts above) that I'd like to dial out.

I've contemplated casting and pouring my own custom urethane MINI exhaust brackets, but that seems like a fairly extreme solution... someone must have already solved this much more simply...