Hey!
I have an 03 MCS and have some basic bolt on stuff done to it
-17% pulley
-CAI
-Detroit Tuned Bypass
-Short throw
-Stratmosphere Exhaust
- ASA AR3 rims & Kumho Ecsta tires.
- Brembo solid rotors & hawk pads

Stock Suspension, brakes, intercooler...all that.
What direction should I take next since I'm kinda new to the whole modding world.
All my friends have VW/Audi/BMW and im the only one with a Mini so I need some help!

Thanks!!

 

hmm how about a rear sway bar? RMW Dyno Tune it. Cams and headers, but that can be expensive

 

im trying to do small bits at a time now. i bought the car a yr ago and did a lot in a short span. so im trying spread it out now.
Ive had a few people tell me the rear sway, i was looking into the 22mm from alta.

 

Sway bar next would be my opinion.

 

thanks! i guess thats the next thing i will do. Any suggestions on brands?

 

Yea, at this point I would without a doubt start thinking suspension. I don't always suggest lowering springs as they stress out the factory shocks, but if you don't want to spend a bunch of money my suggestion would be some lowering springs (good stiff ones) and a rear bar. I'm a big fan of the H-Sport hollow bar witch equals a solid 22mm bar. The car will have a sweet stance and be that much more fun to drive.

 

You could do:
gauges (boost, water temp, oil pressure)
intake (I recommend DDM)
But I'm with the guys above - go with the sway bar first.

 

after the ride is rocking... get the exhaust note working for you. Your friends will really open their eyes with a great exhaust sound!! There are a boat load of others out there. I think there is a MINI site that has actual sounds. Cat back is all you need at this point. Make those VW/Beemer guys drool with a great aggressive sound! yes??

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

Thumper

 

Well im defiantly going to do the sway bar now!!
I didnt even think of the gauges, where would be a good place to put them. theres not a whole lot of room by the tach, unless you went up the side?

 

Sway Bar
Header
Cam

In that order, throwing in tunes as needed

 

Hsport Comp rear sway bar FTW

 

+1 to HSport 25mm rear sway bar. You'll love it!

 

I actually have a cat-back exhaust from stratmosphere! it sounds great, could be a little more aggressive tho. but not bad for what it is!

 

possible tuning recommendations?

 

I already have the Helix cold air intake. I really like their products and service. it was well worth the 5 hr drive! hah.

 

I have the HSport 25mm hollow bar as well and love it. Very solid, adjustable, and it even has Zerk fittings so you can lubricate it easily.

 

im on hotchkis website now! when i get my car back from the shop I am definatly going to be ordering the 25mm one!

 

Depending on how you're planning on using the car, the Hotchkis rear control arms are very nice for giving yourself the option of more negative camber in the rear. They're also very sturdy and have the lubrication fittings as well.

 

well it is currently a daily, but i would like it to be both a track and daily if need be. what would the negative camber effect?

 

With the stock camber (which isn't adjustable at all on an '03), taking a corner hard will cause you to ride up on the outside edges of the outside tires. You'll be able to tell because you'll hear the tires complaining, the car's front end will "plow" straight ahead (understeering) and you'll chew up the outside edges of the tires much more quickly than the rest of the tread.

By adding some extra negative camber in the rear (moving the bottoms of the tires outward and the tops of the tires inward), it will keep the tire tread flatter on the ground during cornering. This helps both with tread wear and traction.

 

would that be okay even as a daily driver? should help regardless?

 

You have to pick a happy medium. The amount of negative camber that would be optimum at the track will probably cause you to wear out the inside edges of your tires a little faster than normal on a daily-driven car.

But having even a little more negative camber than stock still makes a big difference on the street as well. The extra camber, coupled with a good swaybar and possibly some lowering springs really makes the car feel "planted" and stable.

 

thats exactly what i want. ive head a lot of good and bad about lowering springs. most of it being that it wears your stock shocks much faster and you end up replacing them sooner then later.

 

Gauges:
VEI Systems - http://www.veisystems.com/home.html

Tuning:
RMW - http://revolutionmotorworks.com

Those would be my recommendations.

 

Thanks!! with the tuning, do you ship out your ecu to their shop and they flash it??