Wanted to post this here to help fellow Mini owners. I purchased the Alta headers (with cat) and exhaust and installed this weekend. The car sounds good but it is too loud for my taste.
Video links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8xe1WDwRIw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULDfscT6zNQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elPIdFAzW8w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPM-CgovpNU

Too loud? What were you hoping for?

especially if u put headers on, it'll be even louder then it suppose to be, check my vids on youtube. type in Mini Cooper Zoomer

I'd agree - too loud? I've got the JCW exhaust and I think it's too patsy. I've thought of removing the resonator. Anyone done this and does it "pop" too much? I like the tone, just want a little more vibes.

Texas Cooper

Do it.

You can add dynamat to the car or...just take the header/exhaust off

Yes I have, but I also have the Clubman.

you might be able to have a local muffler shop weld a resonator or a muffler of sorts to help keep the noise down. its good you have a cat on there too that should help.

i had that setup. there really isn't anywhere else to put another resonator to quiet it down.

change it back to the stock and you might find that the alta is still too loud. i personally like the volume and sound of the header with high flow cat but couldn't do it on a daily anymore.

this is a crappy capture but this is how mine used to sound:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...6836680&hl=en#

sounds good glnr13.. very deep

I have no cat and the stock one ball exhaust and its not loud at all. I guess Ive been spending too much time around NA S2000's...

Want to trade for a quieter Invidia exhaust?? lol

I wanted a better sound than OEM, and I got it. The problem is that I was not expecting it to be so loud. But it is growing on me, problem is that I can see cops after me if I open it up in the street.

hahah dont open it up in front of cops! hahaha what i do is just roll when i see a cop=P i had my exhaust/header for 2 yrz, never got a ticket xD

i have the obx header and obx exhuast with the stock cat in place and its perfect loud when given the beans and i can curise on the motorway at 80-90mph with no drone at all

On my 2006 MCS, I too thought the JCW exhaust was too quiet. I removed the resonator and thought the volume was OK but there was too much snap, crackle, and pop. I removed the JCW and installed a Borla Sport, the volume and tone was great but it droned on the highway too much because I do not have a back seat or rear insulation. I removed the Borla and installed a Milltek cat-back. The tone is good and it is louder than the JCW but quieter than the Borla. It does not drone on the highway. However, I would like it just a little louder but it is a good compromise.

My R55 JCW doesn't pop anymore than it did stock after I took out the resonator. The sound is pretty much exactly the same on mine, can just hear more of the good 4cyl burble to it at start up, and when the turbo kicks in. I wonder how much different that was with the R56.

The amount of snap, crackle, pop depends on the Generation and the model of Mini. The later Gen 1 MCS's were programmed to pop on deacceleration so the removal of the resonator has a larger impact on the deacceleration pop. My car being a GP with no back seat or rear insulation also made the snappy pop more noticable.

Oh ok, I wasn't thinking R53... my bad. Makes sense now.

I did. When I put in a B&M short shifter the dust cover forced the heat shield down and there was firm contact with the resonator. It sounded like a tractor pull inside the car so I had the resonator removed. On an '05 with the standard "burble" and no resonator the POP is rather pronounced. I would describe it as dropping firecrackers in a coffee can. It gets attention when you lift off of the go pedal near pedestrians.

However, when I put in a rear seat delete kit there is no longer anything to muffle the noise that comes through the vents just below the rear hatch and I'm getting tired of the pop. I love the raspiness of the JCW without the resonator, but since I can't get rid of the burble/pop I'm just about to install an aftermarket resonator.

That setup actually isn't that loud...my setup is a lot louder. If you don't like it, I'd try putting the OEM header back on. If that's still too loud...well, then just stick with the stock exhaust.

-Cody

On my old '02 S I had installed a Remus exhaust. It was perfect. I would really like to get another for the '06 but they are just so bloody expensive.

Still saving my change tho.

Maybe you should hear mine, you would probably appreciate how quiet yours really is .... Mynes stepped header/test pipe/Alta 3"-----WAAAYYYY TOO LOUD!!!

damn M!N!, u're kwazee! hahah

Post up video