Picking up another MINI later this week. I currently have a Clubman Justa. Mostly all cosmetics done. Anyway its an R56 07 S. I have $2,000 budget for upgrades and I was looking for some recommendations.

I've already got all the cosmetics figured out. I also have an extra set of big reds from my 996TT that I will retrofit. Already have a set of wheels for it as well.

I wanted to get a little more performance out of the car and wasn't sure where to start. I was looking at the Milltek exhaust as a good place to start. Its just going to be a fun street car.

I would greatly appreciate any help since I'm not familiar with the S at all. Thanks in advance.

 

Grats, just got my 09MCS 2 weeks ago. Coming from a 03 GTI 1.8T; another great engine.

From what I've learned and done these are gonna prolly be mentioned:
- Alta AccessPort for on the fly ECU tuning (pricey but worth it)
- Rear Sway Bar (rear end actually feels like it's part of the car now along with coilovers)
- Coilovers or shock/spring setup (along with rear sway bar driving fun jumps way up from stock)
- NM Engineering Torque Arm Insert (engine torque mount bushing)


Intake and Exhaust are going to be debatable. I did get them both cuz that's how I fly, but you'll get more performance from the above items that may come out to a little over $2k.

 

Assuming you do all the work all of those parts posted above would fit your $2k budget. The AP will eat up almost half your budget unless you get used. Which interesting enough I am going to sell mine if you are interested. Most of that work is pretty simple. I am waiting on my How to on the rear sway bar to be approved and that will help you in your install. If you do it in conjuction with your sway bar you could be in and out of there in a day. Even with the torque arm insert which will only take about 10 minutes.


But for $2k just buy a bag of blow and call it a day.....nah j/k.

 

Why are you selling the AP?

 

Thanks for the specific recommendations Ipswitch. I got the NME TAI for my Clubbie and I can only imagine how much more noticeable it will be on the S, definitely going with that. I'm gonna try to squeeze in a few more bucks into the budget but paying cash for the car will probably get in the way.

Porthos, I will definitely be doing the installs either myself or my pop's shop so luckily I can stretch the budget more than most . I remember doing the TAI, so simple it took longer to get the car in the air. Sways and coilovers seem like the best initial investment now that I think about it. Will read up on the AP and PM you soon enough

 

I just want a more custom tune so that I can get a little more power out of it. Plus I plan on running water/meth soon so a personilized tune would be better.

 

save your money and keep your ap.

 

If you're sold on coilovers you may want to look for ones with the camber plates attached at the top. Just my personal preference. For adjusting the rear camber I bought the Megan rear camber links for $187 shipped at jmautoracing.com, cheapest I could find. They do clank a little at their point of contacts as opposed to the H&R links but isn't bothering me in the least.

 

not to get off target (but this is relevant to the OP) , but we offer custom tunes for the accessport that I'm sure would meet your needs. what about your AP don't you like?

 

Has the 2007 MCS had the timing chain repair? You might want to save for that.

 

$2k? Catless downpipe, intercooler, tune, done.

 

Isn't that a service bulletin? But yea, I'd make sure that clutch is good...depending on mileage and driver skill before you, the clutch could be on it's last legs. I didn't know mine was UNTIL I tuned with the AP...the extra power surpassed the clutch's holding ability during highway pulls in 5th & 6th gear. I had 42K on the car, got it pre-owned certified at 35K. I had to shell out $900 for HALF of the 14 hour labor job. Mini covered the parts to encourage brand loyalty.

Just something to think about.

 

Not sure but thanks for mentioning that. I'm going to the dealer to have the history (what they have) printed out for me. Had the car turned on when I picked it up and left it on for 30 mins, it sounded fine. Will definitely look more into this.
That sounds pretty nice . I'm tempted to stretch my budget and get nuts but its not the best idea.
Thanks Doc. The clutch felt pretty good but I wanted to upgrade it a little down the road. Seems like it will last for some time. Luckily most of the labor will either be done by me or taken to my father's shop so I can't deny that's a big plus. I will definitely be doing a full service to the entire car to make sure its running like new... then comes the rain

 

Good deal...then otherwise enjoy makin' it rain!

 

^

 

Give us a call and we'll build a package that will fit your needs and budget. $2k leaves alot of options

 

Now that you have driven the car for a bit, you can figure out what you like about it, and what you want to improve. It was tough for me to shell out over $800 for the accessport, but the difference is impressive. You get more torque and midrange power, not just peak HP.

You said you had the cosmetics figured out and wheels, did you get a good set of tires for it? That may give you an improvement as big, or bigger than all the suspension improvements listed above.

Do you like the way the car sits, or want it lower? Lets face it, aesthetics are important. If you want the car lower, that could eat up the rest of the budget.

Best part: These cars are fun, and they can be improved in stages.

Have fun,
Mike

 

Originally Posted by Porthos
I just want a more custom tune so that I can get a little more power out of it. Plus I plan on running water/meth soon so a personilized tune would be better.