Okay, new to the mini but not to making a stack car faster.
I have a few questions on exhaust....
Yes I have been watching/listening to youtube trying to pick out and exhaust.
I don't want.
1- the popping
2- the drone ( I run 85-90 on hwy most of the time =3.5-4K on the tach)

questions
1- 2.5 , 2.75 , 3" I like my bottom end response but willing to give up some , looking at aftermarket exhaust manifold with Labo270 or gar etc turbo
2- some pipes sound different and pop even though the title on yourtube says same pipe...
* does removing the mid cat cause the poping or the DP ?
3- how come the Akrapovic says on 3 hp gain

I want performance with out the rice burner tone but scared to by anything cause they ALL sound different even with the same name brands. I know borla offers street race etc..

just trying to pull the trigger on something and get this party started....

I did see one guy on here posted a vid of 2 cars , 1 with borla and one with different, I thought that was a very cool idea so you could here them all the same time , same distance, same recorder. To bad we couldn't get 5-10 cars lined up like that...lololol

any input is welcomed....

 

I have a stock exhaust with an CNT (ERZ) catless DP. I have popping and gurgling here and there. Overall a very nice sound. More aggressive but not ricey. No drone at all.

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

A free flowing exhaust is nice like a 2.5" is what majority of mod people on here use. But won't add much to no more. If you want power to add then a catless DP is the way to go and I'd recommend a tune with that. Keep in mind, you'll lose a little power in the low end but increase in the higher end. Good luck.

 

Catless downpipe and a quality tune will be you easiest bang for the buck performance upgrades. The exhaust system after the dp isn't going to add power on these cars. The stock one flows more than well enough for what is needed.

 

So you want to make your car fast? Stop looking at powertrain improvements. Very little gain for the money! Most people get this wrong with the MINI. It's in your blood as a man to want more power, but if you ask experienced drivers they will tell you the same thing. If you notice anything, it's just that your car is louder. Trust me, no real gearhead gets their jollies from a 4-banger exhaust note.

Spend money on sticky summer tires and then start modifying the suspension. If you can't put the power down through the tires and suspension, trying to add power is like running in place.

 

I'm in the middle of picking out coil overs and sticky tires,,,

Trying to do research on the performance part so I'm not stuck with a pile of parts that don't work or don't work together well.
I'm with you on a gearhead not into the 4-banger exhaust, that is why I'm on here, to figure out what to do for performance as well as sound.... by no means do I want a ricer sound...
I know forced induction the exhaust dose not play a much of a role as you think but I want it right
I'm almost to the point of going 2.5" with 2nd cat delete and a flowmaster 40 series on the back.. there is a youtube video of a guy with one, doesn't sound half bad..
The other option I have been kicking around is a cut out or electric controlled muffler, but not sure how the tune would feel about the sudden change or if it would even care.
My end goal is 270HP with a flat Tq curve right into the HP curve. I have always built my cars to end up as close as possible with a 10:1 weight to HP ratio
I'm look at new manifold,turbo,cooler,pipes,tune....
I'm also looking for a junkyard hood, I want to play around with induction, I don't know why someone has not come up with a fiberglass hood with some sort of a ram air hood scoop like the WRX.... so if I can find a junkyard hood for cheap im going to play there as well.....
sorry for putting so many different items in one post ...
I enjoy reading your post, thanks

 

The Akro seems to get consistent high praise for lack of drone. Ra2fanatic has a different system that is in the same price range, look him up.

I had a Stratmosphere exhaust (2.75" with a bullet type muffler), and it was really sweet sounding above 3500/4000 rpm and at idle, but droned too much for my taste at highway speeds. I'm now running a factory JCW exhaust which is good for me.

For your power goals, I would start with an aftermarket DP, see how that sounds with your stock exhaust. If you want it louder, delete the second cat (could be smelly with a catless dp) or resonator.

There are lots of exhaust threads here.

AEM makes an intake that uses the hood scoop and some ducting to attempt ram-air type air intake. I'm not sure how the reviews are. Again, don't expect great gains in HP from intake or exhaust. The tune really wakes these cars up. Its amazing how much stronger it feels with only an additional 10-20 lb-ft in the right place of the curve.

Have fun,
Mike

 

you can run a hi-flow catted down pipe that will reduce the popping noise. I would highly suggest running that with your stock setup and go from there. Because of how the stock setup is with resonators and all you will reduce the changes of having drone issues and popping.

 

Wait you lose low end torque by getting a catless DP and a free flowing exhaust?

I know a lot of people with different exhaust systems on MCS's and I'll tell you I've NEVER heard a Borla exhaust have any pops and burgles! I also like the fact that the piping diameter is same as stock because going 3" inches or more you gain HP and lose TQ. If I'm not mistaken the stock piping diameter is 2.25" inches and not 2.5.

I notice a little more mid-range torque after installing my Borla S-Type exhaust system, I even think that the Forge diverter valve was more easily noticeable. Forge diverter valve turns your turbo into a hyperactive to throttle input/no lag. When you put those mods together it adds a little more but nothing compared with a tune and adding these mods!

 

Yes it is 2.25" - at least the pipe that I installed to replace the the 2nd cat and resonator was 2.25" and it fit perfect.

 

Yes, you will lose low end torque and notice it. I did even with a free flowing 2.5" custom exhaust. I didn't like that very much and even with the JB+, I didn't feel it was doing its justice with a free flowing exhaust. Now my buddy had a catless DP on his '08 MCS, and he took it off immediately since he hated losing the low end power and wasn't getting a tune. With a tune, a dyno tune, its best if you do that at the same time to truly feel the gains(mid-high RPM's).

 

I can second that. You will only feel the gains up top approaching redline without a tune. The ECU mapping needs to be corrected to full benefit from a catless downpipe. After that, a big intercooler, it's gains city!

 

What year is your car?

 

I'm not sure if you're asking me, but mine was an '09.

 

I know what yours was, lol. Did you sell it yet?

I was asking the OP to see what he was thinking for tuning options.

 

Oh oops! Yes, it is sold. Sold to an instructor at Motor Sport Ranch in Cresson, TX. Good home

 

I'll echo what has been said above. Aside from a tune, you're better off working on the tires and handling: I've been very disappointed with the performance of intakes and exhausts on R56ers.

 

My mini is 07 .....
I'm going to get a tune...
Sounds like I need to stick to stock until I get a nice pile of performance parts together and put them all on at once and then do dyno tune ??? due to the fact of little to no gain until tune ?

 

I do want to change turbo and down pipe, my thinking is a catless will do more poping than a catted ??

I was talking to DNA tuning trying to figure out what parts work, but it was like pulling teeth....

I look at some of the stage2,3 kits with ported , fast spool etc but I don't want to get suckered in on one of those " package " deals and end up having to change something later...

I'm about to order the helix , wagner or tynol cooler .....
hard call there but i'm getting one of them...

I have 5k-ish to drop under the hood

 

We've all been down this road. Especially me.

If you want reliable power on a R56 MCS you're looking at a catless downpipe, free-flowing exhaust, front mount intercooler, and ECU tune. Right there is ~$2650 and that will net you 35-40hp (40-50 ft-lbs) a pretty good boost. To me, the best thing about that package is the torque. I've always thought catless was the way to go on the R56, but ONLY if you can get it tuned. When tuned you'll get some low end grunt, but more gains in the mid-range all the way to the redline.

I would shy away from any turbo options unless you are going to build the bottom end of your motor and also have a custom tune lined up. Getting someone able to do this is easier said than done for the MINI. If you start getting too greedy with the boost on the stock bottom end, expect the piston ring lands to disintegrate. There are a few good stories of guys putting JCW turbos on non-JCW engines, cranking up the boost and POWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW... no compression in cylinder 4 The moral of this story is be happy with the reliable solution, because this isn't a Honda engine that will take a whopping of boost, make 400hp, and be in one piece for the long run.

For that amount of money I would spend it on suspension and tires. I'm thinking in terms of seconds shaved off lap times vs. money spent. Power upgrades are always last on the list.

To me the peace of mind of having reliable power is worth thousands of dollars. When your car is broke down from getting greedy with power YOU ARE NOT HAVING FUN

 

Helix is what I have and it's great. Price is pretty great on group buys. Also, Detroit tuned has the Forge, another good IC for $650 right now. And Wagner has good results from some members. I wouldn't even bother with TyrolSports IC, waste of money IMO.

 

Well, I've parted my MINI out twice, and each time I've gotten something new and exciting so I can say that I've been around town, lol

Honestly, even with my current setup, the only time I ever hear any pop is when I let off on the throttle in first gear around a parking lot, lol. And the only time I've ever hear a REAL pop, was letting off throttle on the track going 100 and hitting redline. It was the loudest pop and it was beautiful.

Anyways, though many are right about the MINI not being all about power and you should focus on the handling aspects, yes you should, but I've done that now, and nothing can be take away blowing by someone that least expects you to in your "measly MINI".

Yes DNA can be a pain to get a hold of, especially when you have 50 questions and he only answers 2 in one sentence, but damn his tune is amazing. I'm probably the only person on this forum willing to say that I care less about low-end as I do about top-end. I have a linear power band and it is...different, to say the least. Yes my fuel economy sucks, I'm probably getting 25-26mpg or less probably, but that's only because I love how my power deliver is smooth all the way up to redline now. Other's will say to get this and that and it'll improve the top-end, and you'll retain low-end torque as well, but honestly the S losses power after 4500rpm. A MINI S has boost cut that'll dump your power immediately when it hits it's peak after 4500. I even have the dyno graph to prove it. Cobb's tune could not even get rid of the boost cut and the place where I got it dynoed was like "you lost a considerable amount of torque here, is it suppose to dive like that?". I go back with the new DNA tune, and it just pulls and pulls and pulls!

Akrapovic, I've had this TWICE. I've done Helix. I've done Forge. I've done DDM, DOS, AEM, M7, Megans. I've done things enough times to realize what really works and what shouldn't be touched. Megans....don't do it. Adjust it to the softest setting and you'd think you spun the **** the wrong way. **** feels the same in any direction you adjust it to. Any offering from KW is nice, if you're going to do the V1's though, you might as well get the ST's because they're essentially V1's with galvanized steel over stainless steel. I run Ohlins and I cannot say how smooth the road feels. Megans were still, when I went back to stock suspension for a bit, it was stiff, when I ran Ohlins....you'd think there was a cloud under your MINI, it just absorbs the bumps on the road so nicely and when you hit the track, you will never skip a beat. If you're a track junky, you'll likely want to swap them out for Swift springs, but other than that, as a daily, they CANNOT be beat.

Mind you, other things on my MINI are expensive and many will tell me I'm stupid because they cost more than the MINI, but I love what I do and I can afford to do what I do, so YOLO.

Exhaust....Well, Akrapovic is always nice and I've convinced several individuals to buy it, and they always come back to tell me "thank you" so I know I've done something right. It definitely doesn't drone with their full catted turboback system and that's because it's not very loud/shouty either. I like to tell people, "google exhausts for the current gen M3" (07-13) and you'll see how crazy loud they can get, if you've ever heard the full Akra exhaust on an M3 the typical vocabulary words are "clean", "smooth", "subtle". It's one of the nicest sounding exhausts, but it won't leaving turning heads your way either. What is nice about that system are the exhaust tips, absolutely gorgeous dry carbon fiber tips. Very very clean. NOW though....iPE Innotech. With a click of a button, I have 2 different animals. One that pleases the fiancee on weekend getaways, and another to shout to the world "LOOK AT ME!" It is mean, and I love it. On full WOT, it is a beast and it will set alarms off, but it won't bleed your ears; it doesn't drone either. I'll leave it ON, and the fiancee won't be bothered by it too much either at times. It's a full catless (turboback) exhaust system and yes, it's really expensive, but sooooo worth it. The dual functionality is great to cruise by cops unnoticed and then when out of sight, you can unleash the beast again.

Sway bar? Tarret all the way. Instead of 3 holdes, this comes with a slider so you can adjust minutely however you want, all god damn day. I get tons of people snapping photos of it through the spokes of my wheels all the time. It's a lovely bar that you don't even have to drop the rear subframe to install. Easy peezy. It is the creme of the creme when it comes to swaybars, and it's the 25mm version, don't short yourself by getting anything smaller. Others will tell you, just get a 19mm bar and you'll notice it immediately! **** that, go big or go home!

Control arms? Many options out there, but Hsport (hotchkis) is really the way to go, good price range and if you're into looks, it looks nice under the car, lol. BUT if you have the GP2 diffuser, you won't see a thing under there

Intake....AEM. I enjoyed the DOS system, but after a while, the whistle it made was just childish and became annoying after a while. AEM utilizes the hood scoop and it's a solid system for the money.

Intercooler....Evolve makes a solid unit. I can't say how well versus the Helix, but there was a thread I read where the guy did independent testing on the Evolve vs Forge, and the IAT temps recovery was waaaaay better in the Evolve unit over the Forge. Enough to sway me!

Turbo? I would have said ALTA's billet, but they no longer make that. But it's easy to go with the obvious choices out there: GPop, JMTurbo, or FrankenTurbo. I haven't bothered to do mine, so this is solely a "do-your-own-research" find there.

I run water/meth via an Aquamist HFS-4 unit in the trunk and though I'm not going to say "I FEEL THE POWER!" I really like it for the benefit of keeping things cool in my engine. I've never heatsoaked on the track in the heat of summer at Buttonwillow, and I'm at 63k miles strong with no issues with my turbo, engine, or oil feed lines as others have had to change over leaks and cracks. Of the 63k miles, I've had the HFS-4 in for about 40k miles I'd say and I really think the MINI benefits from it for longevity reasons. Sure I can tune for meth, but I don't need to squeeze hp when I have plenty at this point.

This has probably been a long read and you'll want to have a beer or something now, so I'm sorry, but if you got through this, I hope I was able to give some good insight on things, I wouldn't want you to have to buy something and then regret it, because I've done that, several times now, and this 3rd time, well they say 3rd times the charm, so happy motoring!

pm me if you need anything else.

 

OUTSTANDING POST..!!!!
Its nice hear real world experiences with parts, very nice write up

so cat or catless DP ?

 

catless.

 

If you want an exhaust hands down we love the Akrapovic the best. Many people shy away due to the price, but the seasoned guys that have done exhaust mods before quickly realize it's worth it. As the Akrapovic always fit's perfect every time and the sound it good, not too loud and NO drone. I have one on my GP. Not to mention the Carbon tips are cooler than any other avail.

But if you want a 270hp MINI, you can't do that without it being crazy loud, as it will have to be to push that much power.