Hi,

my girlfriend is a proud owner of a mini cooper and is interested in slightly modifying it. she doesn't have the resources or the desire to make it terribly fast, so is mainly looking at intake and possibly a catback exhaust in order to make it sound a little prettier and maybe pull a little harder.

i drive an 03 subaru impreza wrx, so i dont know how certain mods affect sound and performance in minis.

how will getting only an aftermarket intake affect sound (considering intake more than exhaust because it's the cheaper of the two)?

what would be the best product as far as a nice, noticeable sound, reliable product, and fitment go (no rubbing)? and what should she be expecting to pay?

any suggestions for good places on the internet to get any parts you suggest?

she goes to brecht mini in escondido, any experience with aftermarket parts and service there?

also, are there any websites that have installation instructions (subarus have Scooby Mods). would installing an intake be terribly difficult for people with no experience with the mini engine?

thanks for your input, it's nice to read a board full of enthusiasts. you mini-ers are respected on the subaru forums.

-patrick

 

Patrick,

I have a few How-tos over on the website. Did you guys have an S or a Cooper? I'd be happy to help you out with some suggestions on both the exhaust and intake.

If you have a Cooper, there isn't much to be gained, but you can improve the looks and sound, and get a few horsepower. I recommend the Helix or RSpeed cat-back exhaust. There are advantages to both. For the intake, the BMP/PROMINI or Moss work OK. There isn't a great system out there for the Cooper that looks trick and fits well. The Mini Mania system gives some of the best gains, but it doesn't look like all that if you pop the bonnet.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. There are certainly a lot of options, and figuring out what you may want from the car would help narrow down some of the choices I'd recommend to you.

Hope that helps!

Randy
http://www.webbmotorsports.com
720-841-1002

 

It's just the Mini Cooper, not the S.

Sound, fitment, and reliability are the most important issues.

Looking pretty and performance gains come second, as she doesn't look under the hood all that much and isn't expecting to gain a lot of power out of the car.

 

Patrick's Girlfriend,

WELCOME to NAM

Earl

 

One more thing...

are any aftermarket intakes CARB certified? We're in California and it'd be a lot easier on her if she didn't have to switch out the intake everytime she had to get a smog check.

 

I'd recommend the Helix exhaust then. The Mania intake system would be the recommendation for intakes, and it looks relatively stock. I'm not sure if it is CARB certified (I doubt it), but being that it looks stock you could probably get away with it. Take a look at it here..

Here's the exhaust:





Hope that helps!

Randy

 

It looks like the only CARB exempt intake kit is the AEM one.

I know AEM is a good company, but has anybody used their intakes in their Minis? How's the fit?

Any experience with these online stores?

eautoworks

Import Performance Warehouse

Thanks,
Patrick

 

Sorry we don't know about those vendors nor much about the AEM intake. While the price is not that bad the performance we know nothing about. None of the MINI tuners or shops on NAM have mentioned AEM. You might call Helix13 or Webbmotorsports directed and ask. It's hard to comment on the design because you cannot assume that the picture shown is anything like the MINI product but it is not far from the standard K&N design or Moss MINI intake design which have been around for a long time. Neither is a true cold air intake- they get some fresh air mixed with hot engine bay air.

We know nothing about the fitment or quality. If you are not careful (C.A.R.B. or not) you may loose power by installing it. Buyer beware. But that goes for every upgrade product.

 

I have and recommend RSPEED Very nice sound, very good pull.
Chris