Please anyone
I just bought my 03 mini cooper s and it it came with a stainless borla exhaust really good exhaust but gets really noisy on the highway.But sounds great in town but the drone on the highway is killing me.
Does anyone know of a exhaust system that can handle the preformance but is quiet aswell. But am i wishing for a miracle please help

Thanks Dennis

 

I had the Borla Sport/Race on my 2003 MCS so I know what you mean. It was a love/hate relationship.
When I got my 2006 MCS GP the Borla was just a little too loud for the GP with no back seat or rear insulation. The stock JCW exhaust was too quiet.
I sold the Borla and JCW exhausts and got a Milltek cat-back exhaust. The performance is similar but the Milltek is quieter with no drone on the highway. I do miss the great sound of the Borla but not the highway drone.

However, instead of the Milltek the Stratmosphere is similar and less expensive so the Stratmosphere is probably the best choice.

Here is a link to the exhaust page at Way Motor Works:
http://www.waymotorworks.com/02-06-c...mance/exhaust/

 

Hmmm... I'm lining up a Borla over the winter, and you've got me thinking here...

Is there an RPM range where the drone is particularly bad? I normally cruise @ about 3100 RPM.

Thanks,

Charlie

 

I think catchme and quik are referring to the Borla "race" exhaust. I have the Borla "street" version and there is no drone at any RPM or speed, just sweet sounds. The main difference between the two styles is the size of the mufflers. Borla "street" is just a few db's louder than JCW exhaust. I would agree Milltek or Stratmosphere as suggested are also nice "street" pipes too.

 

Correct there are two Borla exhausts:
1. Borla Performance (aka street)
2. Borla Sport (aka race)

The Borla Performance is very similar to the JCW.
The Borla Sport is louder.

I found the Borla Sport to be OK while cruising on the highway (in the 3000 range) until a little load was added to the engine such as going up a hill in 6th. In those cases I would downshift to 5th to get the RMPs up and eliminate most of the drone.

 

Thanks very much for that advice, that's exactly what I was hoping for.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

can u please tell me if the stratmosphere and mill tek will show from the rear or does it tuckaway

 

Both Milltek and Borla tuck nicely. I've not seen the stratmosphere installed, so I'm not sure. Most likely, only the stock S exhuast has the oversized mufflers that hang down like gonads. Actually, the stock S exhaust is really more like a contraption. An unbelievable network of unnecessary piping.

 

+1 on Milltek and Borla not being visible from the rear.
I also have not seen the Stratmosphere installed but I am pretty sure the mufflers are the same size as the Milltek so they should not be visible.