Hi guys,

I'm sure theres already a few threads on here regarding upping the power on the R53 but when i was looking for some specifics I wasn't coming up with much. So I decided to start my own thread.

As the title states, I was wondering whats most efficent way to getting a stock R53 to the over 200 BHP mark.

We purchased the car and it already had the MSD ignition coil pack on it. We've set the car in order in terms of common issues with the Mini and since I'm planing to swap change the plugs soon and start hacking away at the engine I figured I'd try to do some power upgrades.

I seen some sites (Mini Mania for example) have their stage 2 package which puts you over the 200hp mark, but almost all of them come with exhausts. My first question is can you get decent power upgrade without swapping out the exhaust? It's my gf's daily driver and I've had exhausts on previous cars and I don't like the way they sound for every day commutes. In regards to intake, we both WANT more of that SC whine, I'm not the biggest fan of the open filters, because in all my past experience, OEM paper filters work better (at the job they're supposed to do) over the cone/cotton filters. Haven't had too much experience with the foam ones, so I don't know how well they work, but with the K&N style I always seem to find particles get by the filter and sit in the intake. Would the JCW be the best route to go, or do the Alta's do a good job of performance and still filter just as good?

Secondly, the 15% 17% and 19% pulley's. Which is the best one to get? From the info i picked up the safest bet is the 15% as it provides the most power safely. Whichever I decide to go with, will there be any tuning required to make the car run more efficently? Also, how bad is the fuel consumption after the puley upgrade?

Now, in terms of tuning. Are there any tunes that are similar to the Cobb accessports or shark injectors that chip your car bassed on mods? Any recomendations? Because cams are so cheap for these cars (when compared of the cost of my BMW's cams) I would like to leave that option open for myself if I decide to upgrade that later, but would like the idea of being able to have a tune that can accomodate those cams. I saw the post about RMW's tune, but i'm still unclear how that one works.


Lastly, with the spark plugs, several people have suggested me to run the NGK one step colder plugs with boosted cars. But is it better to run COPPER plugs or PLATINUM one step colders (if they're even availble for both materials)? How often do the copper ones have to be replaced?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

I don't know, but this thread (about 10 down from yours as I looked) seems to answer most of your questions:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-of-power.html

I realize it's a pain for someone with 15 posts to join NAM and look for the answers to one of the most basic questions of an R53 owner, but the answers are actually here on NAM.
If people don't use the search function, and dedicate some time and energy to searching the archives, then there's no need for archives and the site managers could save a bunch of money by just keeping the last 24 hours of posts on the servers.

I'm not trying to be a ****, either. I have been on NAM for many years, and a-hole status is not one of my acquired characteristics. I'm simply saying that there is a tremendous amount of information that answers your question, including a recent thread just a little scroll down from your post. You will actually learn more if you search, rather than begin yet another thread with a high probability of turning into a pissing match between tuners...

 

+1

 

I realize this. Forums are not a new thing for me. As I mentioned in my original post I wasn't finding all the information I've been trying to search for and I've read that thread already and all it informs me is what can be purchased for $2000 USD.

I'm trying to get answers on the specific mods that most of you guys are running. I don't want to start any debate over which companies are better to use I'm just trying to figure out what would best suit my needs in having that kind of power without sacrificing reliability.

 

Do you have a budget? Are you modding at once, or incrementally?

Do you really want a consensus specification? I don't think one exists. You say "most of us are running" yet I have never seen another R53 with the same set of mods as I have. Not even close these days.
What do you mean by reliability? Your g-f doesn't get stranded on the way to work, or you need to take it in to the dealer because of problems caused by the mods you made? Are you going to do the mods yourself, or sub-contract them out? I have seen many less reliable stock Minis than my very heavily modified car, so I don't think mods, per se, imply reliability problems.

Also your goal of 200bhp (do you mean whp?) depends on any factors beyond your control. I've seen Wednesday cars with a pulley get close, whereas I've never officially pulled 200whp with tens of thousands of dollars of mods (I think my car was a Saturday build, when the factory was actually closed...) Given my 1/4mile times I'm pretty sure I'm putting out well over 200, but no dyno graph to prove it.

Good luck with your search for 200.

 

I would do some research on the forum, I really am not trying to fllame, but I had a similar goal, and I found all the info I needed without a thread like this. Jan of RPM tuning put together an incremental tuning order in a thread that was very helpful. 200+ is also capable on simply one-ball + 17% + intake mod + aggressive tune, but thats not right for everyone...

really the questions isnt over 200, it's what you want from the car. unless it's to be a dyno queen but 200 is not really a dyno queen.

I'll probably even get flamed for this, but whatever, it's my 2c

 

I really didn't think it'd be this hard to get some basic answers to questions. Links to some of these threads being mentioned would be just as helpful since the words I'm using for my searches are yeilding the answers I'm looking for.

By the mods that you guys are running (perhaps I shouldn't have said specifically) but I generally see the same bolt on parts (pulley, exhaust/intake/headers, injectors) and just wanted to get some info if all those are needed to acheive something like 200 BHP (not WHP). I know it's only 40hp over stock, if I can get more, but I don't see how just a pulley can get me that kind of power when they claim to give less than that, which is why i was wondering what else would I need to get me past that 200 number.

In terms of reliabilty I obviously don't want the car stranded on the side of the road I'm not worried about the dealers as I do all my own repairs/swaps in the comfort of my garage.

 

well if thats the case then the basics will work...intake/pulley/exhaust(you can do the one ball mod)...once u get to a level of modding u like then bring it all together with a tune and 200+hp is easily attainable...the biggest tuner here is Jan from RMW but there are numerous other tuners and companies...plus take a look at the marketplace section...there are people selling things like intakes and the such all the time...u could get a steal on some of the stuff u want...but the biggest thing when it comes to modding is mantaining ur mini...but with some careful planning and a clear idea on what u want to do 200+hp(bhp or whp) is more than attainable

 

I've had similar preferences as yourself such as:
1) Not wanting an exhaust that's loud and intrusive
2) Not being a big fan of open filters.

My preferences were mostly from the standpoint of "bang for the buck". I couldn't see spending $800+ for and exhaust and $200ish for an intake where there were much cheaper options that realized most of the power increases for a lot less money.

As for the intake, I ended up modifying my stock airbox by opening up the back panel to get more of the SC whine and exchanged the stock paper filter with an AFE dry panel filter. It's not foam or gauze. It gives a little better better airflow, no need to oil (just vacuum, or occasionally wash with soap and water) and a whole lot cheaper (about $40) than a full fledged intake. It doesn't look like any additional dirt particles are getting past it either.

To address #2 above, I ended up going the "one ball" route with the exhaust where the resonator is removed and the exhaust is rerouted thru just the muffler. I slapped some polished stainless tips (replacing the standard beer can tips) and for no more than $175 you get an exhaust that saves weight, gives a few extra HP and can be mistaken for custom. It's got a nice mellow sound - someone here said it makes the stock exhaust sound "angrier". There are numerous threads here on NAM about it. Most people seem satisfied.

As for the pulley, I went with the 15% from the standpoint of reliability. No tune is "necessary" but I recommend a custom tune to optomize your mods. A custom tune from RMW is the one to hold out for and is about the same or a little more than piggyback chip tunes.

 

Pulley, Intake, Exhaust, tune, that's the short answer. As far as which brands to pick. Start you research engine ! LOL !

 

Three letters: R M W
Also: J A N

F T W!!

 

Thanks a lot for the painless answers. I tried searching all these little questions but couldn't come up with answers so I figured I'd throw it all in one thread rather than a seperate thread for every need.

The brands aren't my main concern but I'm always open to peoples recomendations which is why I asked about the spark plugs. I've done my research on the piggyback systems and it's something I would like to stay away from.

The reason behind my questions as simple as they might be to you guys, is because the whole force induced world is new to me, and I've only recently gotten into modding Turbo/SC cars since i've dealy with NA BMW engines for most of my driving life.

What I'm trying to understand with the pulley is that tons have people have said that with the pulley upgrade nothing else is needed but I don't understand how you can up the boost but not need to run a tune, or injectors to make up for the extra fuel needed. How much power is required before bigger (JCW) injetors are needed, and if they are installed, shouldn't a tune be a MUST otherwise the injectors will use the same as the OE MCS injetors?

Again, I appreciate all the answers so far and I think this ONE BALL mod is going to be the route I'll take for the exhaust because I also can't justify spending so much for the exhaust which yeilds such little power and makes noise that i'm not looking for!

 

If you search recent posts by a user called 002, you will read that the ECU will adapt. It will adapt to more air from the SC due to smaller pulley. Unfortunately more boost means higher temperatures, so the ECU will adapt to that also. The ECU uses temperature and pressure to determine air mass, that is then processed to create the A/F ratio. Stock injectors are 330cc, JCW are 380cc and people with cams and heads are running 440 and 550cc injectors. These have to be tuned for.

btw, if you come from the BMW world, then why do you need more power? The secret of the Mini is not power--but handling. Are you still running the OEM runflats? Stock wheels? These are very nasty. There's lots of information on NAM about handling upgrades that significantly improve the enjoyment of the stock powered car.

 

I went a similar route as earlrabbit as I've been bitten badly in the past by modding my VW 1.8T with parts that everyone else had done. So with my MCS I did more research and am happy with my results.

I too cut open the lower part of the stock airbox to draw air from the cowl area. I kept the OEM paper filter however. I also kept my stock cat-back. With the addition of an RMW street header, cam, tune, injectors, plugs and 15% pulley, I'm putting down good numbers while keeping it to a reasonable cost/performance ratio.

Good luck!

 

It will help if you tell us where you are located.

Since you have the MSD coil, get MSD wires, not that anything will be accomplished from a performance standpoint, but without knowing the mileage, OE wires have about a 30k mile (some less some more) service life; avoid mystery starting issues start with new plug wires and the MSD coil plays well with MSD wires, otherwise return to the OE coil and wires.

If your OE plugs are older than 50k miles, replace; there is nothing wrong with the OE plug and heat range if the plugs are not showing signs of excessive heat, if you go to a colder range, a four prong Platinum BKR7-EQUP, will be long lived (40-50 k mile), Iridium single ground BKR7-EIX 20k mile, an inexpensive copper plug should be changed at each oil change interval. Copper is the best conductor, no shame there.

My recommendation for the size of the pulley reduction has a lot to do with intended use, you’ll get plenty of fun out of a 15% reduction pulley, but for flexibility later down the road if you get serious about performance, an 11.45% reduction pulley is small enough.

The OE header and exhaust is ok, but can be improved upon without causing too much noise in the process. Remove the OE pre-cat (not the main cat) on the header and replace with a section of tubing. All aftermarket headers are loud. Remove the OE resonator, replace with reroute tube, and add a straight through resonator/muffler with aftermarket 2.25 two-hole flange behind the cat.

I recommend keeping the OE air box.

A custom Crower re-grind of the OE camshaft (NitroStick) is a great value.

Replace stock size injectors with 380cc Siemens/JCWs and have the car tuned. A dyno tune by John Behe, Emil, Mynes Performance, RMW, or Way, should put you near your goal.

Mileage has more to do with your foot at this stage of modifications.

If you want to feel like you have 200hp & 200 lb-ft torque, get the Sprint Booster.

 

Thanks for all the responses.

Dr. Phil thanks for the advice, I knew the ECU's were adaptable, but I had no idea to what extent.

I came from the BMW world, and for the longest time the cars were a perfect balance of handling and power, and were amazing on the track/auto-x. Fast forward to today, and it's tough keeping up with all the Japanese cars that handle just as nice, but have much more power/tuning capabilities (for a much more reasonable price). It hurts outhandling a car like a Mazdaspeed 3 on the track only to have him blow by me everytime I come to a straight.

Besides, the Mini is the GF's car, which I occasionally drive. We both love the whine of the charger, and would like to get some more power. The nice thing with these cars is that good power can be acheived for a decent price compared to the NA BMW world. Although the car may see the occasional track day if it's lucky enough, ultimately it'll be a highway cruiser.

Most of the work on the car so far has just been regular maintance, and the stock suspension is more than enough for day to day use. The car has ditched the run-flats, but has gotten a weight gain by going to the bigger, heavier R90 wheels with the MM strut plates installed.

k-huevo, thanks for all the info. Some great details in there. I'm in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area and the car is driven year round with our lovely 4 months summer/8 months winter conditions. Although we have some Mini guys around here, theres nowhere near as many options that you US folks have access to without getting screwed on the shipping fee's/custom duties.

The car does have MSD wires already, but I have no idea how many miles are on them as the car was purchased with those. Again, when we purchased the car it had the inspection 2 done recently, which SHOULD HAVE included the plugs. We've come across some hard start issues, and an occasional bouncy idle, so I was planing on replacing the plugs anyhow.

Would it be a better idea to go with platinum plugs or OE plugs if I'm adding things like 15% pulley and injectors?

I would like to keep the OE airbox, and filter since I feel they give the best performance in terms of protection. However, I'd love to get some more whine out of the engine, does doing the cowl mod give a noticeble increase in the charger?

Thanks again

 

if youre adding a pulley, go with one step colder plugs, there are a couple model numbers to choose from. (i believe I went with NGK Iridium BKR7EIX.)

you should not be concerned about protection when it comes to aftermarket intakes. they all located around the factory location. I assume you are referring to protection from water. Buying a silicone intake tube, like one from alta will see some benefit as it is much smoother than the rigid factory tube. but honestly, go with a full setup, you will love the added whine, and many are safely enclosed in their little boxes at the back of the engine compartment. The only way you can soak up water is if you drive in to water 4 feet deep....then youll have other things to worry bout.

 

Yes, there is a noticeable increase in supercharger whine.

 

what is cowl mod? only thing ive done to increase whine has been the cai, and pulley.

 

The cowl mod, is basically cutting a hole in the bottom of the factory intake box which would not insulate the noise as much as the sealed OE unit does. I would imagine that an open CAI setup would have a much louder noise, but it takes away from the stock look.

Also, the protection I'm refering to is dirt and dust particles. I can even count how many aftermarket intakes i've taken off with K&N (and other big name cone filters) and noticed that dirt and dust build up have gotten past the filter and buildup usually in the elbow or bend of the intake tube, so I could only imagine how much of the dirt actually makes to the engine. Never had that problem with OE paper filters, but as I mentioned earlier, I've never tried the Foam filters, so I'm not sure how well they work at actually doing what they're supposed to do.

searocko, thanks for the info, I think the cowl mod is on my list of things to do.

 

Even leaving the intake alone adding the pulley will up the whine. It is the logical byproduct of spinning the SC faster.

15% or 17% would both be good, neither will cause problems. 19% can be annoying mainly because the small size tends to wear the belt out kinda quick, outside of that though that isnt going to cause problems either unless you are almost always running at high RPM. My take is go with the 15% if you want a bit less heat and like staying up at high rpm. Go with the 17% if you want a little more low end grunt and drive in a somewhat "normal" fashion.

At the risk of starting a flame war, I think the only company doing incremental tunes (or planning to) is Mynes. They have a remote tune package where a set price will get you three tunes, so you arent locked into a set of mods.

 

Yes to all.. the air box mod will help more air.. wont be a hugh power gain..
It will have to be a HEAD or a TUNE to bring up 200 HP at the wheels!! The 15% pulley/ the 380's/ the 1-ball exhaust ( adds a bit of power and keeps the sound really mellow)will put close to the 180 mark.. camshaft ( easy mod ) can get you to the 190-195... then the TUNE or a Head change to bump you over the 200 mark!! ( most Tunes net out 20-25 WHP - and most heads with out a tune net out 25-35 WHP, with a tune.. 50-55 WHP) {conservative numbers}

Copper plugs wont last much past 10K do to the lean and ign system. Go Plat.. just cause they will last a lot longer!! Bumping the pulley.. bump 1 step colder!

Just a few thoughts....
Thumper

 

Short answer:

- 15-17% pulley (with shorter belt)
- Colder range plugs
- Ext manifold
- One ball catback (cheap!!!)
- w/m injection system
- Tune it for meth....

 

I had no idea that tuner recomendations we so touchy on this forum. I was just hoping people would mention a bunch of different companies so I could look into all of them myself and see which one would be best for me. Also, I like the opinions of people who PURCHASE a tuner's products rather than emailing and asking the sales rep questions.

Appreciate the info, and I'll look into that. Looks like the 15% pulley would be best for me. As for the heads, that's not something I would want to get into just yet, mainly cause of the cost.

Now in terms of the w/m injection, thats a whole new thing for me. Is that a good recomendation for a year round, winter driven, dd car? Oh, and the intercooler, is that a good recomendation for a DD car?

 

for sound factor (i think its a must) id get a cai. i love mine form alta, but for looks and similar or better performance for the same price, if i were to do it again, i think id go with a VOLTAGE intake and either an alta or a samco air intake hose (silicone instead of that black ribbed oem plastic junck)
http://www.voltageproductsonline.com/home.html
hoses can be found at altaminiperformance.com as well as the 15% v2 alta pully (one of the cheapest and best imho, jsut use one of there promo codes on the main page, or pm one of the guys here on nam thats with alta)
the biggest bang for your buck will be the pully.
even though the exhaust will sound nice, the main restrictions in the stock mini is the header, intake manifold and the head itself. and since your not going too crazy, you should go for the header. mynes and rmw both make excellent headers, and their fairly eavenly priced.
a one ball mod might cost you $50 if you really want a lil more noise and an extra 2-4 whp.
than ll you need is a good reliable tune.

another option, possibly similar in price, or maybe more is to just get a cold air intake, a 15% pully, but some 550cc injectors and have either RMW (Jan) or Mike from Mynes tune your car to run on e85 ethanol.

a cam is also always a great addition to your car, and there are several grinds out depending on your driving style, mods on your car, and your future upgrade plans.

hope some of this helps