Sorry for the crappy title. Couldn't think of a better one at the time.

I saw in a thread somewhere that someone wanted to know how each mod (cai, exhaust, etc) felt on it's own. I can't find the thread in order to reply, so I thought I'd make a thread to answer it for anyone who may be wondering if a certain mod is worth it.

I don't have any dyno numbers to post, just a seat of the pants feel.

This past Saturday my car left my home completely stock with the exception of some leather door pulls.

On Saturday I took it to my parents' home to install a Magnaflow cat-back I purchased as part of a kit from outmotoring.com (Love that place btw) The cost of the kit is determined based on what options you choose. Cost for mine was like 1130 give or take. Fantastic price. Like buying an exhaust and getting the rest for free. It comprised of the cat-back exhaust, CAI, Kingsborne Firebraid wires, lower temp plugs, pulley, and you can add a belt.

Install was simple and straightforward. First start up impressions were good. Very nice deep, throaty sound. This answered a concern I had about the sound because some of the video clips had it sounding raspy. It isn't.

Performance felt a lot better and the sound is fantastic.

Today I took it back to my parents' home to install a cai and a 15% pulley.

The pulley came first. It was also part of the kit and is made by Alta. Install was a cinch. Very easy to do and didn't take long. I had it done in just a hair over 2 hours.

I then took the car for a drive for lunch to test it before installing the intake.

Performance gain was phenomenal in addition to the exhaust. We all know this though. That's why it is number one on the mod to-do list.

I then installed the Alta CAI without the silicon hose. Install was very easy and straightforward. Took about an hour of screwing around because an old buddy came by since he was on leave from the Marine Corps.

The test drive came next. Performance gains on the intake are minimal. I'm not sure there really were any. However, the sound is fantastic. IMO it is worth every penny. Haven't stopped smiling since I installed it. It seems a nice compliment to the pulley and exhaust.

Hope this helps some people decide what, if any, mods they want to do to their car.

 

As a new Mini S JCW owner, this stuff is great to see.. All of it basically common sense, but still a question in my mind all together... Thanks much for sharing your experience!

 

You're welcome. That is exactly why I posted this.

 

Couldn't agree more. Though the Alta intake may be a placebo mod, the enhanced supercharger whine combined with the pulley and a throatier exhaust creates the most wonderful, symphonic duet. It is a sound that is hard to find in any other car.

It isn't for everybody though. Some people hate the supercharger whine, and since adding the Alta CAI will most certainly enhance and amplify that sound, I don't recommend it for those people.

Glad you're enjoying your MINI! Keep us updated on future mods.

 

I had a GIAC flash done today to help tie everything together.

I know it isn't the best tune, but it works for what i wanted and my budget.

Simply put I don't have time or funds to spend for a dyno tune. Since I just wanted to improving driveability the canned tune is fine with me.

First impressions are that it does help make a bit more power, especially combined with my other mods. Throttle response is a bit quicker as well.

The shop told me to expected it to improving a little bit over the next day or two once it has fully adjusted. Well see. I'm happy with it and I would definitely choose to do it again over the Sprint booster.

I'll update when Ive had it a little while.

 

Haven't had any real time behind the wheel other than the ride to the hospital the other night, but that was nice and quick (the drive, not the hospital).

My mom drove it in its stock form and again last night to take it home for me and she said she likes it a lot more. In fact she tried to get me to let her use it since I won't be needing it for awhile.