hey guys im looking for a first few mods for my car. one of the things i was looking at was an alta gen2 boost tube kit. i want some more airflow going through.. is this a good first mod and should i buy anything else to go along with the tube kit?? (i dont want to go exhaust route, at least not right now) never modded a car before, ive been riding street bikes since 17 when i got my license.

 

You could also get a CAI (Cold Air Intake) with the boost tubes.

 

Don't bother...

For a first mod I'd recommend a downpipe+exhaust, or one of the two. Although you said you didn't want to go that route...so I dunno what to tell ya

 

I just ordered a DP

 

I believe your 1st mod should be a CAI. It’s cheap and really adds to the fun (minis make great intake sounds and a CAI allows you to hear them better).The next step would be to work on the rest of the parts getting air into and out of your engine as money allows. Welcome to the forums and minis, and good luck. Be sure and check out the marketplace here on NAM. Occasionally there are some great deals on CAI’s and other parts.

 

hot side tube, DP, exhaust, IC, tune...

 

Do you want to increase power? Handling? Grip?

CAI without anything else, is mainly a noise maker. Might get a few more horsies, but it'll have a larger perceptual change than real power because of the engine sounds you are now able to hear.

That being siad, I installed Alta's CAI almost 2 years ago and I absolutely love the sound it reveals.

I've been very pleased with TSW's X-Brace as well. It substantially improved a lot of issues that make the mini a jittery vehicle. For an inexpensive part, you'll feel an immediate increase in responsiveness.

Those are the only two modifications I've made so far to my 07.

 

save your money and get an IC and a tune from RMW. you'll get the most gains for the money.

 

+1

 

If I had to mod my car all over again I would have bought my H&R lowering springs first. The wheel gap on a stock R56 is pretty bad! It's a cheap mod relatively speaking ($200), it makes your R56's stance look a lot better, and it will improve handling. They aren't hard to install yourself either, just be sure to check your wheel alignment after.

A free mod you can do to your car if you lower it is remove the locating pin on the front strut hats and give yourself more negative camber.

The Joey Mod is another dirt cheap mod that makes a lot of Mini's look great. Search on NAM and you'll see many pictures of this.

If you want to improve air flow, you're better off getting Exhaust Depot's hardpipes. Whether or not you got a BOV with them is up to you and basically makes no difference in performance. When you get an ECU tune in the future and run more boost you'll be thankful you got them! I have the Alta boost tube/turbo inlet tubes and they do make a difference in performance and it's especially noticeable torque-wise. However, I'm gradually shifting over to hard tubes since I know an ECU tune is on my list of things to do in the long run.

 

well if he's going for the stealthy look then he can get boost tubes, stealth intercooler and (if he wants) a retrofitted K&N Typhoon intake... all that wouldn't change the sound of the car too much but would make a very notable difference in the pull and power of the car...

 

Cheap and easy go for blacking everything out. My advice would to start out easy and slow and see where it goes. It took me almost 10 months to do my first mods. Combination of time and money. Know I can't decide what i want to do next.

 

thanks. i think im going to save money. go with a CAI and DP / exhaust just gonna save up and buy them slowly and install them at once

 

Does not really matter on what the car is, but I have always felt that suspension should come first.

Get some coils.

 

'd go with a stiffer rear sway bar. Best bang for the buck IMHO.

 

You'll likely hear this over and over again...
Handling: Lowering of some kind + rear sway
Power: IC, DP (+axelback), hotside tube.

 

Its so funny, the first mods I did to my car when I got it was my Alta intake ( I sold it) and my Alta Unichip (also sold it). So I just sold them recently to a guy whos car was stock. I raced him and just as I thought his car with only those 2 mods was just as fast as mine with all the stuff I have done. If I had had a tune from Jan I would have beet him

He actually beat me in the race because my car is lowered and the tires spun at take off, but once I hooked up we stayed even.

 

i think the boost tubes shouldn't be your 1st mod, for the price you won't see much of a gain. I think the boost tubes compliment other mod's, yet alone won't give you a good return on your money.

my recommendation is to go w/ a CAI if your looking for best bang for the buck as a 1st mod. You can certainly get better returns in HP/performance from FMIC and ECU upgrades, etc... yet they'll cost a heck of a lot more.

 

^what he said

 

Yep - Suspension would be my first mod - Sway bar - springs - strut/shocks.