My wife owned a automatic S but we had a kid so now it is my S. Its not the most kid friendly car. Anyway I am not new to boost or tinkering but to be honest this car scares me a little bit due to the high cost of parts. My main concern is the transmission. How do they handle increased power? I was going to shoot for 190-200 whp which seems pretty easy to do but its not at all worth it if these transmissions have issues. Also I have never driven another S so I dont know if its normal but on cold days the trans seems to hesitate to shift until its warm. It doesnt slip at all just the first few shifts on a cold day feel a little off and then it feels normal for the rest of the drive.

Any information would be great. Thanks in advance.

 

The R53 auto's had their share of issues but it should have no problem power wise with 200 whp.

I know of one with a head/cam/header/pulley and as far as I know it held the power just fine.

 

I think if you have an 06 you should have the better transmission. The earlier runs that had the CVT were the ones that caused a bit of trouble. But with that said if you have the 6speed automatic you do want to make sure you change your ATF every 35k or so. How many miles are on it now?

 

Correct I do not have the cvt. Really change the fluid every 35k? I know they claim its lifetime but most say to change it I didnt realize every 35k though. Mine has about 85k so its well past due. What fluid is recommended? Thanks

 

Im only going by what a few independent transmission shops said. So I change mine roughly around the 35k mileage. Plus I use synthetic ATF and I noticed the transmission shifts much smoother. Not to mention it holds up much better as well. But if your at 85k I would highly recommend in a fluid change/flush. You will be surprised at how dark your old fluid will be. Your at that mileage where imo your on borrowed time before your transmission will start to act a bit funny. harsh shifts, skipping shifts, slamming, slower shifts in cold weather, that type of thing. So when you hear the 35k change intervals that's from what ive been told as others as well. Talk to a good transmission shop. Im sure they will tell you very similar changing intervals!

 

ok thanks for the heads up.

 

inteva6184 your welcome! If you have anyother questions fire away! Just also wanted to say that changing the fluid in an automatic is a bit more tricky then a manual..I wasn't sure if you plan to change it yourself. Good luck!

 

Yes I do everything myself. I was already searching what type of fluid to use. I saw pelican offers 3 types for the s but not sure if others are a better choice. I have time to change it because I dont really drive it much. Friday was the first time in probably 2 months haha.

 

The S NEVER had a CVT...
The auto on the S was introduced in 2005....
It is an asin made unit...similar to ones used on Audi, vw and Toyota....
Only real issue is if it has not been matained....
A few cars DID have valve body issues in the tranny....but I would suspect that would be apparent by this point in its life....

 

Thanks Zippy. I wasn't sure when MINI started to use the better transmission. I just knew the CVT was a nightmare. lol

 

Pelican has some good choices. And I also think they have a step by step process on how to go about changing it. Which is also good info! Im a amsoil junky..so ive been using there products in my MINI. But that's my preference Good luck with the change!