I've only got the money to do one of these two options but i'm not sure which i will enjoy more!! I will also not likely do the other one anytime in the near future. I have an 04 with ALTA CAI and 15% Pulley, one ball mod and 22mm Rear sway bar. I have just over 70k on the car and i would say the suspension has taken a fair beating since i used to live on a dirt road and now deal with speed bumps, but it does still pretty tight and i dont feel the car bouncing or rolling. So far I have not tracked the car but might some day, no likely in the near future. i do however enjoy driving quite spiritedly.

OPTION 1 (SPEED OPTION)
JCW injectors, Detroit tuned bypass valve, and RMW tune (Hes coming to my area)

OPTION 2 (HANDLING OPTION)
Coilovers (probably Megan, don't mind a racing style ride), and rear control arms. (thinking coilovers since my stock suspension is probably close to donezo)

 

im also looking for noticeable benefit.

 

Tune if Jan is coming to your area!!

 

injectors + tune

Only do the BPV if you're yo-yoing.

 

I love power, but I love handling more.

 

+1 on the injectors and RMW tune.

 

Yup I agree 100% TUNE TUNE TUNE!

 

Yes, handling is great, but the tune will make all your mods work together better and more efficiently.

 

Agreed MINI did a good job with the suspension stock, everyone needs more power

 

I love handling too... but I'm not sure inexpensive coilovers is an improvement. Will make the car look cooler (dropped)... but know people who have taken off their coilovers because they hurt both ride quality and handling.

If handling is really what you want, you're better off with TSW springs and either OEM struts (if you think yours are shot, I bet you can find some take-offs if you put a wanted ad in the marketplace) or Koni's.

But I know lots of folks who have TONS of miles on the stock struts with no issues.

 

any particular reason you say to only do it if im yo-yoing. Im not even sure i would know what that sounds like if i had it. and ive read its great for increasing boost/acceleration. i realized it can affect MPG but oh well

 

I sense some possible bias between forums though, which i guess is to be expected. I made the same post in both the suspension and drivetrain forums and everyone in the drivetrain forum says OPTION 1 and everyone here says OPTION 2.

 

Bump on the injectors & tune, and if since you are having Jan come anyway, go bigger than the 380's

 

dont waste your money on suspension that will not put a smile on your face. Do the tune & inj, skip the bp valve. way more smile than a shoddy chinese coilover...

 

could someone explain why i should not do the DTBPV. From everything i have read it seems to be quite a good mod, except that it can fraction lower MPG. I dont see why i wouldnt want to increase boost quicker thus increasing acceleration! are those saying dont do the ones that simply dont have them?

An explanation would be greatly appreciated.

 

Get Jan to do a tune on your car. Call him about injectors. You'll need to know what your plans are down the road. 380's if your not doing anything down the road.

 

Not necessarly said because we do/or dont have them, just know what a Bypass Valve does. It is similar in principle to a blow off valve in function on a turbo configuration. It's meant to redirect the boost when the throttle is closed abruptly as the supercharger does not stop spinning and creating positive pressure when the throttleplate is quickly shut, the pressure needs to go somewhere.

The main issue people were having with drivability was the "yo-yo" effect on moderate throttle. In theory it was pointed to the BPV fluttering open and closed between vacuum and postive pressure(boost). If you dont have this issue, then the only thing you would be doing by replacing it would be allowing the BPV to stay closed longer keeping boost in the system. You can accomplish a very similar result by unhooking the arm from the vacuum actuator to the BPV. This will keep it closed permantely. You may or may not notice a difference. If you do, then by all means replace it with the DTBPV, if not you could spend the extra loot on something else that may return more grin factor. Having Jan tune it for you will provide you will a lot of grin for the least amount of out of pocket expense.

To get to the next step of grin factor would cost you many times over.

 

Suspension-wise... just check and make sure the struts are not worn out. Also, with 70K miles, check and make sure your casters in the lower control arms in the front are not worn out.

Other than that... pulley, CAI, and tune. Yo-yo'ing refers to hesitations as you accelerate through your power band. An easy fix to this is the VGS mod. You can find the thread for it in the "How-to" section. Dyno'ing would be nice to help determine whether you need bigger injectors or not.

 

If you do, then by all means replace it with the DTBPV, if not you could spend the extra loot on something else that may return more grin factor. [/QUOTE]

What would i spend the extra money on, since its only $125?

Does it make ANY difference if i were to install the DTBPV after the tune or would should I definitely have it in before the tune if i plan on getting on?

 

I'm also with the non bpv option. The VGS mod essentially does the same thing you are looking to do by creating boost quicker. I would say it woulnd't make a difference if you do the bpv now or after the tune. But I'm not entirely positive, ask Jan about that one to be positive while asking about the injector size. If you don't track or don't plan on tracking your car, it doesn't make much sense to me to need better handling since you have a decent set-up now.

 

i think im going to end up doing the Mynes 550cc injectors as they seem to be a better choice since i dont know if i will do anything else to the car in the future, and in know Jan can scale anything up to 650.

 

Nobody likes the 4x4 ride height of a stock MINI.

Get the coilovers and slam it.

Every time you see your car you will smile, and people will compliment you on how good it looks.

(I have all of the mods you have listed, so I am saying that based on what gave me the longest/most enjoyment)

 

Forget the suspension for now---------watch for deals on that stuff--you CAN get some GREAT ones !! CALL JAN-------Tell him what you're thinkin of---------you'll be SMILIN !!

 

Do the suspension. Right now, my '02 has 104k on original suspension bushings and ball joints all around, and it feels like absolute garbage to drive even though lat summer I swapped in some hardly-used struts and springs from a friend's '06. I have a pulley too, and I'm not doing any serious go-fast bits until I sort out the ride. It doesn't bounce or roll, on the contrary, it's very stiff and jarring. But it's sloppy, the car jumps all over the place over bumps and expansion joints, and I get so much steering wheel jitter it's ridiculous. It's just too awful to live with anymore. Just remember- a fast car with a crappy ride is still going to drive like a crappy car, just like mine.

 

I agree with the general theme here... do the tune, but not the BPV, because it can cause issues.

However, if you'd said Bilstein coilovers or a header and tune, Bilsteins all the way

550cc injectors with just a pulley, intake, and one ball? Totally overkill. 380s will be more than enough.