I finally got my MCS off the ground today!! On the lift, that is...
Took a look at the exhaust!!.. Have you guys seen the plumbing?? Killer size exhaust pipe into the pass (rt) side muffler and then over to the dr (left) side muffler then exit thru the two tail pipes!! ALL good size pipe and exhaust exits! NOW, my question is: What if... I remove the pass side muffler... and only use the dr side muffler!! Ah ha.. less back pressure.. more power and also a little louder exhaust note!! I know some one has done this already!! The muffler alone being out of the exhaust loop has got to be worth a few HP!! Plus the weight reduction of removing the 15 lb muffler!! Sure would appreciate the input!! I really think that this will be a "poor mans" way for HP and a better exhaust note!!

I plan on this happening.. and will run before and after Dyno numbers!

Any body??

Just me............................

Thumper

 

I'd be interested in the outcome of that if you can get some concrete dyno #'s. I took a look at the setup myself, and thought there has to be a better way for all of this. I've been wanting to do just a muffler swap rather than an entire exhaust swap($$$). But I've been procrastinating a bit on that because I don't really want to mess with the back pressure being that it's a supercharged car. So I was kind of hoping there would be someone out there that just changed the mufflers alone, or subtracted something from the whole setup. Any additional info that you recieve or do yourself, would be appreciated Thumper.

 

Why is backpressure important in supercharged engine? I was always under the impression that it only mattered in two cycle engines and that other then having a balanced exhaust system (equal length pipes) the best thing was to get the burnt gases out.

Vincent

 

Back pressure is not as improtant on a supercharged engine!! Thus the HUGE pipes!! According to a good friend of mine ( 5.0 V8s and Turbos and Superchargers) the more out, the Better!! I have been racing and modifying V8s forever.. and the exhaust has always been the quickest HP gains!! Although the Computers of the F/I cars are some times reluctant to supply the add'l fuel needed for the better flow! Cool? NOS for example is all exhaust friendly... blah blah..

I have read where the aftermarket Exhaust (even the Supertrap Muffler) are a bolt on and go!! There fore I feel the reduction of one muffler should boost up!! Right now My MCS has a off idle consern and cold start/idle problems. The BMW dealer says there IS a problem with the soft wear(??) SOoo... I'm waiting untill I can get the latest upgrade from BMW ( if there is such a thing).. and then I'm going to the dyno for befor and after runs!! I knew I wasnt the only one on THIS page!! I'll keep ya'll informed, and you let me know if you try something also!! Dyno runs arent cheap!! I would rather some one else goes thru the expence... But I am not the one to wait and then play catch up!! LOL

 

Why do you need to tinker? Just drive it for a while, settle in, get aquainted, have faith! This aint no kit car!

 

>>Why do you need to tinker? Just drive it for a while, settle in, get aquainted, have faith! This aint no kit car!


The bigger the Boy the Bigger the MINI - More POWER- It is a guy thing i guess.

 

LOL !! There are those who drive cars, and then there are those that DRIVE cars!!

"Dont forget to pick up Buffy from the Doggie dresser............", Aint me!! Cool?? LOL

Just me..................

Thumper

 

Has anyone thought of trying one of the Mini Cooper single exhausts on the Cooper S? Why do we need dual exhaust anyway? I bet the Supersprint has enough flow that it would still make more power than the convoluted Cooper S exhaust. I could be smokin' crack, but the weight savings and simplicity seem very intuitive to me.
The only downer is that your S would look like a standard Cooper and you would have a gap in the middle. Maybe we could replace the rear spoiler with a Cooper Aero kit spoiler and call it a day.

What do you think?

 

The bigger pipes does increase HP. Higher top end speeds.

The smaller pipes increase low end torque. Which equals faster off the line and out of turns.

So, there is a trade off.

_________________
Diamond Mini

 

Thumper I am with you on this subject, I have just went over 1500 miles on my S and i am itching to do some mods. I just offed my 89 GT and have a yearning for some of that toruqe in the MINI. I drove the mini for about three weeks before getting back in the mustang and realized just how bad it handled but at the same time remembered how I love the way a V8 accelerates. I am thinking that a hedder with long tubes and a free flowing exhaust should help keep the torque up and add a few ponies. I wish there were more results out there to be seen.

 

Im thinking of doing a Custom exhaust system for my MCS. I mean, change the whole piping after the front CAT and all the way to the back. What is the best pipe size, 2.25" / 2.5"?

What about the pipe inside the muffler? 2"/2.25"/2.5"?

 

Just fyi, as I understand it the right side 'muffler' is actually the resonator. I would think that removing it would change the sound and lose some weight - not sure if it would change power at all (but exhausts in general do not improve hp all that much alone). Dunno if it would effect emissions and thus smog tests (something to consider in CA anyway).

 

Am i missing something? Isnt this the popular one-ball mod that many MCS drivers already run around with?

pic of one-ball mod...there are lots of topics on this already if you want to search for them :smile:

 

Yep, what you're missing is that the original post was done 3 years ago on 09-27-2002. :smile:

 

Yea, it has been done a long time ago using the left side muffler but has anybody tried using a new muffler/box replacing the OEM left muffler?

 

This seems to be happening a lot lately.

I think it is really fun to go back and read a 3 year old post about someone having the first bright idea for a mod like the one ball. . .

 

With the time and effort needed most probaly opted for a new aftermarket exhaust.

 

my bad, it just came back up to top in the new posts

 

I guess I didn't get the memo

 

You mean the like alta,borla and etc? I'm thinking of getting an aftermarket muffler to replace the left OEM muffler, maybe like the borla universal muffler. I dont think it's a hard job.

 

Your talking about the 1 ball exhaust.

I opted to try the 1 ball exhaust on my 03 MCS. For 125 bucks you can purchase the pipe w/ clamps to by-pass the right side resonator. A Midas type place charged 35.00 to install.

Logically it has to be a bit less restrictive - you have eliminated a resonator and a few feet of pipe so if you have modified your intake this should compliment on the exhale side. You got to gain a few ponies but have not seen a dyno exclusively on the 1-ball. Saw one dyno in which the MCS had a CAI and the 1 ball and the gain was 7hp. You also give up 20lbs or so.

sound wise - I can atest that the exhaust note is slightly louder / tad deeper but on a very little bit. It is loudest or deepest in 1st gear around 3,000-4,000 rpm, highway you really don't notice any difference from stock - again very subtle difference.

My conclusion - hard to really go wrong for $125! The alternative is atleast $500.00 plus. The downside is that you don't get a new set of sexy tips! BUT there is an upside - you look stock!

I did a CAI, 15 pulley and the 1 Ball exhaust and find the combination works very nicely together, producing a great daily driver for very little money !!

Cheapest ponies money can buy.

BahamaBart

 

I wanted to get the custom exhaust done for my MCS. I found a shop that can do a custom system that looks exactly like Magnaflow. But today I went to my regular exhaust shop and get the One Ball mod done, out of curiousity.
I started the engine and the exhaust sounds nice....slighly deeper and louder. I'll get the 'pop' sound everytime I shift gears.... Im liking it very much now. Did it for only $25....

 

I'm under the impression that NA engines and SC engines can and do benefit from some back pressure. Turbos are a bit different in that they require as much exhaust gas velocity as possible to spin the turbine. Any back pressure here reduces exhaust gas velocity. So the speed of the turbine is relative to the exhaust gas velocity which is relative to the compression produced on the compressor side of the trubine. Pretty much a straightforward cause and effect relationship.

A SC, as we know, runs off the crank pulley.

 

I agree.. on NA engine, having some back pressure helps creates low end torque. You can make more power with less back pressure, but its up high in the rpm range which is sometimes not desireable on the street.

 

Other that tuning the exhaust for specific frequencies, "backpressure" is something that varies with flow. Any (good) exhaust system is designed for the maximum flow the motor needs for it's intended operational envelope. You design it for max flow, and for any other situation than WOT at or near readline, the exhaust has excess "capacity". Flow through pipes is charecterized by thier conductance and the pressure drop accross the pipe is the conductance times the flow.

If it added power, don't you think those nasty dragsters would use something other than a couple of feet of pipe as an exhaust pipe? That's probably just to keep from cooking the tires and the ports on the heads.....

Matt

For an interesting read.... http://www.dinancars.com/whitepapersFile.asp?ID=3