Intake
Exhaust
Guages
V1
Parcel tray
Rotors
Intercooler
Short Shifter
Pilo Ignition Kit
Rear Sway Bar
Upper Strut Brace
Plasma Booster

In what order would you put the above.. I'm going to do 1 or 2 a month for the next while... I'm opting to do the pulley last - as I'd prefer to keep away from that major mod.

To answer that question, I should state that my #1 priority is to increase the "fun factor" of the car, via torque/HP and neat looking stuff.

i recognize the pulley would be the best, but I'm pretty scared of the warranty ramifications.

And yes, I'm totally **** and insane about organizing things and having a plan...

 

I'd say rear sway bar and short shifter first. They're not too tough, plus they're relatively inexpensive. The parcel shelf is also pretty inexpensive, and makes great use of otherwise unused space (a commodity indeed). THAT's an easy mod.

Marty

 

- SOONER -

Intake
Guages
V1
Short Shifter
Rear Sway Bar

- LATER -

Intercooler
Exhaust
Parcel tray
Rotors

- NEVER -

Pilo Ignition Kit
Upper Strut Brace
Plasma Booster

 

I drive hard, but I don't autox - so I'm concered I'd never get use our of th sway bar..

of course, I could be totally off. As for short shifter, I had one on my MC - and that is definitely something I'd put closer to the top

 

I like the never part... saving me money is the best wallet mod I can do

 

Upper strut brace and plasma I udnerstand, and really dont want - i just put them in the list for completeness.

But is there no proven benefit for an ignition upgrade?

Also, is my pulley attitude justified? Or should that really be #1?

 

The pulley was my first mod, and I'm completely happy that I did it that way.

Try to get some real-world customer dynos for any of the mods you do. I haven't seen evidence to suggest the ignition upgrades do much of anything.

 

some persons say that ignition upgrades increase throttle response. I'm no expert - but is that a "dyno-able" thing? Or is that just a perceptive thing that would not change a dyno result.

Either way, it is no where near the top of my list, and most likely at the bottom.

I think the alta intake will be #1 - based on price and results that people talk about.

Although I'm concerned with the Pulley.. I want it very badly. Esp. after the "bang for your buck" thread.

 

Drive a mini with a sway bar and it should convince you to do it. No lean, vast improvement in cornering.

I've autocrossed several times and what struck me was how the mini does NOT grip very well. I have the xspoke with Dunlop runflats. I'm convinced that better tires (Falken Azenis?) would also vastly improve grip at the limit. I'm with Andy that the best first mod is the pulley. $200 for bar, $400 for pulley, are best $600 you can spend on the car.

 

I have 205/45/17 parada spec-2's on order (to replace my 205/40/17's) so tires are taken care of. Again, I don't autoex, so although they are not the best autox tire, they have a crazzzzy grip and look astonishingly neat.

Oh yeah.. and can you say "HYDROPLANE"?

 

sdanaher, are you planning to attend the Dragon Run? If so, there will be every imagineable mod part among all the attendees. Talk to the people who have the things you were considering, ask them how they like, and maybe even catch a few rides to see the difference the mods make.

I am now about to begin installing my Promini gauge set that came in not 20 minutes ago.

 

>>I drive hard, but I don't autox - so I'm concered I'd never get use our of th sway bar..

You don't have to autox to make use of the bar. When you say drive hard you mean just accelerate strong in straight lines often? Otherwise if you mean you like to corner and take backroads, the sway bar would probably be the first thing I would have done, before you go broke you know.

 

Unfortunatly, I cannot attend - I can't get off for work on the Friday that I need to. So I would not be there until about 2am friday night/sat morning...

Otherwise that would be perfect!

 

Unless I add the pulley to this list (which I'm waiting to be convinced of, i suppose)

My list is: (with the help of above posts)

Intake (alta, unless someone tells me pilo is ok for the difference in price)
Guages (autometer boost mechanical and oil temp - OEM MINI piece)
Short Shift (helix - had on my MC and loved)
Rear Sway (....?...?)
Exhaust (milltek or borla sport... need to hear them both
Parcel tray
Rotors (the slotted/dimpled ones from Outmotoring)
Intercooler (too far away to care)

removed from list of mods:
plasma booster
upper strut brace

still waiting for an arguement:
ignition upgrades

and possibly... just not sure if I need it (based on where i live/drive/and local police laws)
Valentine 1


It is thrilling that actually doing these mods will be 10x as fun as planning them.

any more help is appreciated

 

I would look inot the RDR intake that helix sells.

Stay away from the ignition upgrades. Not heard any concrete data on gains

i may be selling my JCW exuast soon too.

 

I'm waiting to see results from the RDR intake dyno.. if they are promising - i would get that one. The alta one doesn't fit my taste for looks very well...

 

The pulley should definately be on the list. IMO :smile:


His, Chile RED over, Madness intake, Magnaflow exhaust, Helix 15% Pulley & RDR Swaybar
Hers, Electric Blue / Union Jack on top and BONE Stock

 

>>- SOONER -
>>
>>Intake
>>Guages
>>V1
>>Short Shifter
>>Rear Sway Bar
>>
>>- LATER -
>>
>>Intercooler
>>Exhaust
>>Parcel tray
>>Rotors
>>
>>- NEVER -
>>
>>Pilo Ignition Kit
>>Upper Strut Brace
>>Plasma Booster


I second Ryan

 

who are you talking about Sid?

Here's my version of reality:

Now:
Brake Pads - no more brake dust!
ALTA w/tube - sound & power
H-Sport Comp bar - handling
H-Sport springs - looks & handling

Soon:
Euro Shelf - storage
Randy's Igniton Kit: for quicker throttle response
Short Shifter - human interface

After Pulley:
Exhaust (Milltek or Magnaflow or Borla Race, the Borla Street is wimpy sounding)
Intercooler - cool that IAT = more power

Not needed, but nice:
V1 - don't need it if you don't speed
Rotors - wait 'til factory's wear out
Guages - nice distraction

_________________

 

V1
Exhaust
Intake
Rear Sway Bar
Short Shifter
Parcel tray
Rotors
Guages
Intercooler
Pilo Ignition Kit
Plasma Booster
Upper Strut Brace

 

Your Order:
>>Intake
>>Exhaust
>>Guages
>>V1
>>Parcel tray
>>Rotors
>>Intercooler
>>Short Shifter
>>Pilo Ignition Kit
>>Rear Sway Bar
>>Upper Strut Brace
>>Plasma Booster

My order:
Zero Miles:
V1 (already had and an ABSOLUTE if you drive 10-15 over)

25k Miles (all done at the same time):
Pulley
Intake (alta.. get ready for loud)
UUC Exhaust
Webb/Powerchips ECU
Springs/Rear Sway bar
Adj. Rear Camber Links (to adjust the toe, a must if you lower and don't auto-x)
Yoko AV ES100's (205/45/16 on stock x-lites)

30k Miles:
Parcel tray

35k Miles:
Aero Front Bumper (thanks to an 18 wheeler tire carcass)

40k Miles:
Kingsbourne Blue Plug wires (only because they match the Alta intake)

Next up:
Fedoro DS2500 Brake Pads

On the list:
Short Shift
Intercooler
Falken Azeni (SP?)
Front Camber plates
Total brake upgrade (UUC most likely)

Not in a million years (or only if I hit the Lottery):
Guages
Plasma Booster/Ignition upgrade
Strut Brace

I did nothing until about 25k miles... then my MCS became a whole new car... the pulley is simply amazing, no other way to put it. BTW, I did all the mechanical work myself and spent less than $4k.

My car has been at my dealer for several warranty items since the mods, never a word about the mods even when the trans cables broke.

I hope this helps... PM if you have detailed questions...

 

Everything you can afford at once, then borrow more money to get the rest.

Otherwise, sway bar and pulley, the rest is just polishing the diamond.

 

>>Unless I add the pulley to this list (which I'm waiting to be convinced of, i suppose)
>>
>>My list is: (with the help of above posts)
>>
>>Intake (alta, unless someone tells me pilo is ok for the difference in price)
The choice on intake is Alta with hose for the most power but for a reasonable price the Pilo is not bad and RDR is also not bad. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them because the lower price offsets some of disadvantages.
You can also select them by appearance or loudness (alta is loudest).

>>Guages (autometer boost mechanical and oil temp - OEM MINI piece)
Looks good but that would be very low on my list for the cost. Doesn't really help me much. Your choice.

>>Short Shift (helix - had on my MC and loved)
Definitely very good. Helix SS is excellent. Whalen shift **** or something nice would also be good.

>>Rear Sway (....?...?)
Definitely very good. At least a 22mm rear bar with 3 holes. Use the middle hole. They vary on color mostly. The standard H-sport bar is good enough. If you corner hard then the rear bar is helpful to keep control of the car and minimize understeer.

>>Exhaust (milltek or borla sport... need to hear them both
Milltek is good but not loud. It has good power. Borla Race or Sport is louder than Milltek and has some HP gains but is reported to have less torque gains. Either one is OK, just the difference in sound and tailpipes.

>>Parcel tray
Very good for extra storage space but it isn't enclosed so things can slip off the shelf unless they are heavy or wedge in well. Easy to install and does have resale value if you don't like it.

>>Rotors (the slotted/dimpled ones from Outmotoring)
Good but you can wait. Powerslot Rotors would be worth a look. Add the labor cost and it starts to get expensive.
>>Intercooler (too far away to care)
Good for power but very high cost and useful at higher speeds.

>>removed from list of mods:
>>plasma booster
>>upper strut brace
I have both. Sounds reasonable to me.

>>still waiting for an arguement:
>>ignition upgrades
Dyno tests will reveal no measurable gains in power from any of the ignition upgrades. Smoother throttle response cannot be measured with a dyno. It is more subjective than anything else. Put ignition upgrades on the low priority list for now and revisit it later if needed.
>>
>>and possibly... just not sure if I need it (based on where i live/drive/and local police laws)
>>Valentine 1
I don't have one. It's more a gadget but if you do cross country driving it could be helpful.
No tickets for me.

>>It is thrilling that actually doing these mods will be 10x as fun as planning them.
>>
>>any more help is appreciated
Yes there is more.
Lightweight wheels and non runflat tires. Makes a big difference in smoothness and traction over the runflats.
centerconsole and glove box organizers for more space
tinted windows to keep the car cooler
invisiheild clear bra for the front of the MINI to protect your front
mud guards for the fronts (not available for the rears in MCS)
tinted tail lights- looks cool
brake light mod- gives more red light when you brake-good for safety
short antenna- less wind resistance
Wide 210mm flat broadway rear view mirror- more viewing, better for safety

Pulley and ECU upgrades can be done last because they are best done late and they void warranty in a bigger way.
True that performance benefit is greatest with the pulley even done alone.

Hope this helps, you're on the right track.

 

Ut oh... my wallet hates this thread...

 

Oh, as for wheels/tires

I have 17" Anthracite Konig Holes and Parada Spec-2's :smile:

So I already have that off hte list! These ideas are fantastic/