Hi NAM,

I recently acquired an 06 R53 slicktop with factory LSD and bone stock with 55k miles on the clock. Unlike my tracked 05 r53, I don’t wan’t to go all out with power mods for reliability and value retention, but spend more on brakes tires and suspension for track days. For power, I’m thinking drop in filter intake, 15 pulley, 380cc, colder plugs and adrian tune. I kinda want to Leave the two ***** in place.

Question - am I loosing much power by going with the stock exhaust and not getting an intake? At most, one ball but not sure I want to go with that unless you guys think one ball really adds/makes power.

thanks

 

You shouldn’t be losing too much HP with the stock exhaust and airbox. A lot of people upgrade the exhaust and cold air intake more for sound and supercharger whine than the small increase in HP. Since you already have a track car, have you thought about a 17% pulley for more lower end on this one? If you have 93 octane in your area it might be something to consider.

That’s looks like a great find... low miles, factory LSD, slicktop, good paint, clear head and tail lights, complete factory aero grille, a lot of people missed out on a good one.

The interior is really clean looking too, and it has the rare MINI Seven dash trim and door panel option. If you want to clean up the down tubes, the cup holder base is only held on with some mounting tape and the down tube screws.

 

A very nice looking 06 R53, MINImally factory optioned (much like my own with just chrono & LSD). Also like mine, those appear to be Team Dynamics 12-spoke wheels. As to the "quiet" aspect and as outlined in various posts in my thread topic, I replaced the cobbed-up "performance" cat-back with full Milltek resonated system (which I liked) but subsequently swapped the res-pipe for Milltek's non-res-pipe to avoid metal-on-metal rattles at certain rpms and load (which it did) but now will be reverting to the Milltek res-pipe due to (for me) excessive dbA and droning on mountain highway grades.

 

If I read your post correctly, you will be tracking the car ocassionally. I would suggest a high-quality header with cat-back exhaust, cold air box, 15% pulley, high-quality rotors, track pads and a good tune. I see no need in the 380cc injectors unless you go with cams. If you can find one and want to spring for it, a GP intercooler will help. You'll definitely need camber plates and springs with shocks and struts or coil-overs.

 

Thanks, I drove three hours and “overpaid” just to grab this one. Came the place at 11, another guy was gonna come at 12. I was in such a hurry to get there didn’t plan how to pick it up that I had to leave my truck to drive the mini home. Oh, i don’t have my other r53 anymore and I don’t plan to go to the track as much anymore either.

 

Thanks, and yes, minimally optioned. Although i wish it didnt have fog lamps (i’ll delete for brake duct) and the fancy hvac control. Or i wish it had the lighter halogen instead of xenons but this option i can live with. The bug thing for me is the slicktop. The others can be deleted easier.

hmm i guess i’ll stay away from catbacks for quietness. Thanks,

 

i’m still thinking about whether or not to get catcams. I don’t wanna have to do meth anymore. I’m in cali where gas sucks and smogs can be strict. Yes, i sold my 05 dominator cammed, meth injected, quiafe, gutted r53 thre months ago and regretted it. But when this one popped up, I grabbed it.

I will track this, but I kinda want to go mellow on power mods, keep it looking clean and stockish. Kinda like a jcw or gp performance. Nothing hardcore power wise, but be mkre aggressive with the suspension setup this time.

if i were going for jcw or gp power numbers, would a stealth dave f intake, 15%, 380cc, one ball mod cut it? 200-220 crank hp?

as for braking, i had r56 brakes carbotech xp10 on my red mini. Do you think just xp10 on r53 smaller rotors /calipers be good enough?

i wanna go 380cc as i had pinging on on 15% pulley. Or was that because i was not tuned then?

 

Thanks, I drove three hours and “overpaid” just to grab this one. Came the place at 11, another guy was gonna come at 12. I was in such a hurry to get there didn’t plan how to pick it up that I had to leave my truck to drive the mini home. Oh, i don’t have my other r53 anymore and I don’t plan to go to the track as much anymore either.

can only get 91 here in cali. 17 might make my intake air temps too hot. I even think 15 is too much. I wish there was 11% that’s aftermarket.

 

I don’t think i can pay for a gp intercooler for how much they are going for.

i had swift springs in bilstein b6 in my previous r53. With 22mm alta rsb, fixed camber plates, it rotated perfectly on the track. Now, this new one has h-sport 25mm.

For the same price as springs shocks and plates, i can go bc or megan coils. I loved the spring rates of the swift spec rs though. Or go with bc 7k front 8k rear. What are your thoughts?

 

Oh and the car came with some blue h-sport springs on the oem delphi shocks. Does anybody know anything about these springs such as spring rates?

 

They are most likely the older version of these:
https://www.detroittuned.com/h-r-sport-springs-g1/

Does the car have the adjustable lower control arms? If not then it's not the springs I listed, or someone didn't do the job correctly.

If they are the lowered H-Sport's, the factory shocks won't last long at all, the travel on the OEM units isn't right.
Most people with the H-Sport's used the Koni Yellow adjustable rate shocks, for the lowering springs.

 

it doesnt have adjustable control arms. It is the same part number as these. https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...g-springs.html But can’t find if they any info on whether to keep them or not - if they are good for the track. Shocks are definitely blown. Just want to know if these springs are worth keeping. Like if they were swift spec r, i know i would keep em.

stupid me, the rates are in the fs post. I feel so embarrassed.

 

^^^ Without intent to pimp, the Eibach Pro springs I removed from my R53 (replaced by OEM JCW Sport "reds") remain available in forum classifieds. I have no direct comparison with other aftermarket brands for this application, other than favorable experience on other vehicles with Eibach products. My R53 objectives were to achieve tamer road manners in my area with plenty of potholed roads and no tracking, thus the taller (10mm claimed drop) springs chosen. BTW, I believe a limited number of same P/Ns remain in BMW Germany warehouses if you're interested in more info on those.

 

KAVS in the UK lists several 2 piece pulley sizes, from 11.5%, 13% all the way through 20% in 1% increments. They also list a few interference/press on pullies to give a factory un-modded appearance in 11%, 15%, 17% and 19%.

 

Oh yeah, thanks, I forgot about KAVS.

Although I would not get the interference fit again. I had bad experience with those, my error though. I didn't heat the pulley enough, it got stuck midway that I had to angle grinder it to remove. Never again. I'll look at their other pulley sizes.

 

I would look for a JCW intake as it is a cone and retains stock looks. I bought r56 calipers for my r53 and decided that if I'm gonna pay $500 for an r56 brake upgrade, I might as well just go with a Wilwood or a used JCW big brake kit. I believe it looks way better and will disperse heat better and limit brake fade. It is an option to consider.

 

I see the license says California..!? If you do live in CA, pick and choose your engine/smog related parts VERY carefully.

I almost got handed a "bad boy" card from the smog guys a month or two back.
All I did was install a boost/pressure gauge. The guy asked if "that was part of the JCW package" ? I was honest and said, "no". While he didn't write me up and send me off with a Gross Polluter tag, he did tell me to "fix" the "problem", and go to a different station.

I removed the gauge stuff, about five minutes, then went to another station, and went through with flying colors. Went home and reinstalled the gauge and line. another five minutes.

So, take this for what it may be worth, the CA. smog guys are really checking cars and trucks carefully for, non-legal parts, and removed parts.

Mike

 

Thanks for the insight especially regarding the price difference.

I had r56 brakes with Carbotech XP10 on my previous R53 with the dust shield removed and some diy duct. I was still changing pads every 2-3 trackdays and was they would fade after 10-15 minutes of hot laps. For some reason, when looking for R56 calipers, they are not as cheap anymore compared to a few years ago for some reason. Wilwoods are beginning to be very tempting. I just don't know enough about how well they last as a track brake setup compared to R56 with blank Brembos and XP10 pads with RBF600 on ss lines.

 

Thanks for the tips. Yeah, sometimes CA laws suck.

Wow! that smog guy is an a**, he even shood you away telling you to go somewhere else. Lucky for me, my smog guy is cool. My red R53 had a visible meth injection, AFR gauge, running dominator cams, precat delete. stealth intake. the car was gutted too and only had two Sparco seats. My smog guy, the same guy i always go to, didn't say a word.

But nonetheless, you are right. i have to be careful with what parts go in and out.

 

The mods you are proposing look good.
Unless you are planning on a BVH, a header will add maybe 5HP max, though the lack of a good header will limit the results from a better head. So, little benefit to a header at this point.
Since you are going for the "sleeper" look, the JCW airbox is worth considering (and it doesn't heat the intake air like some of the metal intakes). A 16% or 17% pulley works well on the street, and the KAVS ones that were mentioned look stock to the un-initiated (no stainless with engraved racer-parts name)

Way-back, I had similar mods to what you are proposing (16%, 380's, JCW intake, stock header w/1-ball). Adding a dyno-tune really brought it together, and I picked-up a lot of mid-range torque plus 13HP to get to 190 in less than an hour. Some get to 200 with that combo, and of course a poorly calibrated dyno may be very generous.

Have fun. I enjoy the plausibly-stock look (to the uninitiated) when I lift the hood on my car.

FYI: Carbotech pads are available for Wilwood calipers, since you have experience with them. I run 1521 daily, and XP8 up front for an occasional track day.

Just my 2¢

 

I was planning on doing a stealth intake, like the dave F or like this one :https://www.etsy.com/listing/9605617..._click=1&cns=1

I did something similar to my previous R53, but probably want to do something cleaner/better done and use K&N RU-3190 this time. I kinda like the stock look. no JCW stickers or flaps to remove.

So question: if I went with just a 15% pulley, 550cc, colder plugs, and Adrian tune, DIY intake as above, stock headers with precat, stock head, stock dual ball exhaust, will I not see much power gains? I guess I'm trying to find out if one-ball mod or catbacks do much except for sound. I really like the stock dual tip and stock exhaust sound. Am I sacrificing too much power with not doing the one-ball mod? I also understand the weight savings of one-ball, but I'll be using braille battery on the track, and deleting the rear wiper anyway.

BTW, thanks for clarifying that without a BVH, there's not much point in doing cams and headers. I was contemplating keeping dual-ball, but eventually getting catcams and some headers and maybe a hidden meth setup, but it seems like without a big valve head, I'll be gaining little.

 

r53racer, that Etsy faux JCW airbox you found is a clever mod, it looks plausibly stock, and the price is right!
I believe the K&N filter you are thinking of is the RU-3130 that's used in the JCW box, I'm not seeing a RU-3190 in K&N's online catalog.

You will see significant & worthwhile power gains with the first set of mods you suggested:. . . though the 550's are overkill. The 385cc injectors were standard on the GP, and can get you over 225HP if you keep near the stock redline, PLUS the car will run normally before you get that tune. That's not true with the 550's, the engine will run poorly (extreme rich) until the injectors are scaled as part of a tune. Seems to me I recall almost 250-300HP (with much more mods) being achieved with 440cc injectors for a number of years, though Adrian can probably make the 550's work, and the 440's are more expensive. FYI: There is a thread somewhere on NAM on low-cost sources (different cars) that use 385's, with only an O-ring change to have them seal properly on the Mini's fuel rail. (Anything over 385cc demands a tune to run.)

Regarding the one-ball, I think it provided a small gain (butt dyno), but I did not measure. The real limit on gaining HP is the ports, and particularly the stock exhaust port on our supercharged engines is a "choke point", and what you can gain with either a header or a one-ball is limited. (Remember that the only difference on a JCW head over std R53 is very mild opening of the JCW exhaust port to help it flow more.) That said, a one-ball is very low cost to try.
On my own car, I wanted a relatively quiet exhaust for a daily driver, and some say the JCW cat-back is a bit too quiet, but Jan @ RMW had measured and said it was as low-restriction as any street catback he had tested, so on my 285HP car, with a header (they always make cars louder), the combination of the header and JCW exhaust is quiet at freeway cruise, with no-drone, but with a sharper note that begins under full power at around 4000RPM.

While headers provide limited benefit with a stock head, I don't want to discourage you from considering a mild cam. Why mild?. . . the stock head. You want more valve lift, and preferably faster ramps on the cam lobes, but the max lift of the exhaust cam lobes is limited on a MINI, before the lobes scrape the spark-plug tubes. Since you are talking CatCams, the max valve lift with the popular 469 cam is not much more than stock. You want a good match between head & cam. The 469 cam is strong from 4000 to 7500 (due to longer duration @ 1mm), the stock head is strong from 3000 to 6500, and it's wheezing by 7000 no matter what cam.
If you want to do a cam with your stock head, consider their 461 cam to complement the head you have, and the intended street use. The duration is just a bit more than stock, but with significantly more intake lift, and almost as much lift as the 469 cam on the exhaust valves, you should see a significant increase in mid-range torque (and HP), and it will charge harder toward redline.

Just my 2¢

 

Thank you so much for the clarification. And since I probably won’t gain much from a cam and headers without a bvh, I guess I.’ll stick to just the intake, pulley,plugs, injectors and tune. I’m also trying to avoid the rabbit hold of mods with this car. I’ll also stick to R56 brakes and swift/bilstein b6/IE plates and splurge on powerflex items, pads and tires for a sleeper looking car that handles well.

Again, thank you for your 2cents. I feel more at ease that I’m not leaving too much power on the table by not getting a catback, headers and cam. I’m trying to be more strategic with my build this time learning from my previous r53. More mods require more other mods and sometimes other problems. I’m avoiding having to go e85 or meth kit. I don’t plan to get a cage, fixed back, etc. I’m just hoping for the most reliable but track-able and street friendly setup.

 

Couple thoughts from a *** that has a lot of the same goals as you.
1) The R56 F brakes are great. I did a couple track days on the OEM front brakes and got some definitive fade... almost floated through a few turns. The R56 calipers with Carbotech pads are awesome! I have pushed the Mini way harder and never felt like the pedal got soft from the fronts getting cooked.
2) I have the intake, 15%, 380cc injectors, 1 colder plugs, and a tune by Adrian - same as your plan but I also have the Milltek cat back resonated exhaust. In my notes I was pretty impressed with the change of exhaust, I think there are some gains in the mid range torque from better flow and some significant weight loss. I wouldn't say it's louder either. It's a different sound but not louder. I think they are on sale right now with ECS and WAY.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4571186

 

^^^ Agreed, the OP might well enjoy the looks and sound of Milltek resonated cat-back vs OEM S-spec. Now that I've gone from Milltek resonated to non-resonated and back to resonated, I'm pleased and satisfied. Mine would likely be quieter if not equipped with 4-1 headers but it sounds great to my old ears while not being obnoxious.