Over the past 30 years I've only driven mom-mobiles and 4X4's that were really driven off road, so I haven't thought about performance mods before. (If you are impatient with folks like me, please stop reading now!) I have an '05 MC and am discovering an entire new world of driving...and the thought of coaxing a little more power out of my car is pretty exciting. I have some concerns though:
Here in Tucson, our streets become little rivers when we get a serious rain. I hear stories of engine problems when the MINI and water get too close to each other. Some threads claim only the MC has problems; some say only the MCS. If I put a CAI on the car, is it going to make it more likely that I will suck water up into the engine? When I originally test drove the MINIs, the story I got was a) any air filter mods would break the warranty and b) only people who had air filter mods had reported problems with seized up engines and the like. The CAI seems like the easiest mod to start with, but I'm worried about both the warranty and water issues. I read the legal posting about warranty under the section on exhaust...the argument isn't quite the same for the CAI though, is it? And what about the odds of water related problems? When the entire street is covered with 2" of water, you can't avoid driving through water and you are pretty much guaranteed that the tsunami produced by an SUV is going to hit you.
Advice?

 

as far as CAI is concerned as a generalization, you need to actually have the filter submerged in water for any sort of waterlock to happen. water splashing onto the filter shouldnt do anything, i have the M7 AGS intake installed on my car and the filter sits right in front of the motor about a foot and a half above the ground and had huge rainstorms the last few days and there are no issues. dont worry about the water unless you plan on fording a river in your new mini. good luck with it also, congratulations

 

They just want to scare you! There's no issue like this. I have the Hot Air Intake, and in very heavy rain there is no issue. Anyway, some of the standard early "mods"

Cold Air Intage (or HAI for us cheap basta*ds)
Pully (pretty cheap, but a pain to install)
Exhaust (I did the One-Ball, see cheap Basta*d comment above)
MTH Cartune (low cost ECU mod)
Reworked bypass valve. Many don't close completly, leaking boost. See the Yo-Yo cronicals for more details.

A non power adder is metal caliper bushings, keeps the pad in better alignement with the rotors.

Anyway, enjoy your car!

 

Go Tucson! Being a Phoenix resident with the rain storms we get, I have never had ANY issue on ANY car that I have owned. Like it was stated above, you only run the risk of hydrolocking your motor if the water level is high enough to submerge your intake filter.

Coming from a Honda background, the only time(s) I heard of a hydrolock dealt with an AEM cold air intake that ran the intake into the wheel-well so the filter sat near the bottom of the bumper (to draw in cold(er) air). To add to the excitement, the car was dropped almost to the ground. Mind you, this is a story I heard, car I saw, and I did not know the driver. The idiot drove through a mini-river, submerged the filter, sucked water up into the intake manifold and onto the engine, POOF, that is all she wrote.

With this said, you will literally have to submerge your bonnet in a river to hydrolock your engine. But, if you see a river that high and still decide to go through with it, then you are on your own! But if you are like every other normal driver, no worries mate!

Also remember, it takes a decent amount of water sucked up into the engine to kill it, a drop here and there will not be bad!

Hope this helps!

 

you can go to this link
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=45298
and see all the stuff I've gotten into!

Matt

 

his cooper wont be leaking any boost

 

I go to school out in Tucson and I can relate to the mini rivers that occur during monsoon season. I had never thought about the monsoons being a problem for my mini, but I am worried about the effects that the nasty road conditions (potholes, rocks, lack of paving in some areas, etc) will have on my suspension. Still got a few more months until the rain kicks up, so we'll see.

Another problem, if for any reason something happened...nearest Mini dealership is 2 hours away in Scottsdale. D'OH!!!!

 

It is really closer to 3 hours because I'm out on Catalina Highway! Those are the folks who told me that any change in air filter/CAI would void the warranty AND that CAIs would result in sucking water into the engine. I haven't driven in rain yet, but I dread being caught on Alvernon like the plague. I think Noah would have trouble! Anyway, I'm nervous about making modifications for both reasons, but the thought of getting a little more power is so very tempting!

 

Sorry about all the S mod suggestions, should have looked closer.

Don't worry about the water. If you put the filter under, the water would be at the top of the doors! And for warrantee issues, you can do mods that revert easily. So, the CAI goes on, problem with car, put back stock, go to shop. Also, it is hard for a dealer to REALLY PROVE a mod caused a problem. It's a standard position to say "voided warrantee" as a test to see if the consumer knows his or her rights. If you get huffy, they back down.
One way to make cars perform better isn't about adding power, it's about dropping weight. So a lightweight battery is a possibility. This will start bumping into your warrantee fears, but light weight crank pullies (don't know if there's one for the MC) and flywheels will give you better response. As will lighter wheels and tires (also get better handling > faster through turns). Lighter brakes help too.

But before you really start spending money on your car, you have to ask yourself what you want it to be really good at, and how you want to use it. These two answers will then point you in the direction of what to do to what to keep the smile on your face as you drive on down the road!

Matt

ps, the "just a little more" desise is dangerous! That got me into tens of thousands of dollars into my last project! Having the goal before the start is a good protection.....

 

Whether a specific modification is going to affect warranty coverage is always going to get a debate going. If you are concerned about warranty coverage, then your universe of modifications gets limited to those available from either MINI or JCW. If memory serves, the JCW air box can be installed on the Cooper without voiding the warranty (if the MINI dealer does the installation). Another idea would be Mini Mania - if you purchase performance upgrade kits from them, they have a separate warranty that kicks in if the factory warranty gets voided.

As a general rule, if you don't try to cause the car to hydroplane through the puddles, you probably won't get to experience hydrolocking of the engine.

Congratulations on joining the MINI community.

 

I've been spending a lot of time searching and reading old posts, and two comments really caught my eye. Eval suggested someone get instructions from a seasoned MINI driver and Octaneguy mentioned rpm ranges that work well for him. The rpm issue turned my concept of driving upside down! SO...my current plan is to spend some quality bonding time with the car...maybe taking some autocross lessons...so I have more driving skill on the stock vehicle. It makes good sense for me to learn how to use what came standard on the MINI before I do any serious tinkering with it. I am also going to be watching this site for reviews on CAIs that made a difference. Some of you folks have the Cobalt, K&N, and Pipercross...and I'd like to know which did the most in terms of power gain. (low end gain sure would be swell!)

Thanks for all your advice! You folks are helping me through uncharted waters here and I sure appreciate it!

 

Lareina,
Aloha and welcome to NAM. Driving a MINI is very different than driving your "other" cars.

So far, your best idea is to attend a driving school with your MINI- could be car control clinic, autocross school or track day with instruction. All are good in different ways. Your MC has a rather large performance envelope in stock form. You can expand it quite a bit with:
Cold air intake-
Cat-back exhaust
ECU software- MTH
Suspension upgrades- Rear adjustable 19mm sway bar
Light weight rims and non runflat tires

You can do some studying and visiting with other MC owners that mod in your area or local MINI club. No rush to add stuff, yet.

Of concern is your budget for upgrades- it can get expensive so plan accordingly. Sometimes a yearly budget and overall final budget is good. By setting limits things don't get out of control. It's very common to spend $2000-$5000- even $10000 on any MINI, you don't need an MCS to go nuts.
And we are talking only performance upgrades- appearance upgrades add more to the costs.

A note on some upgrades-
For the MC there are limited power gains to be made. Lightness helps the MC the most so keep the weight down. You can even save some weight by replacing the stock battery with a racing battery (optima or Braille). Don't expect an intake to do much- maybe 3 or 4 real HP- most offer about the same level of performance (appearances and prices will vary).

Cat-back exhausts are fine (Remus- cut and clamp, Rspeed and Milltek for the MC are all OK unless you want loud). MTH for the ECU is only $75 and popular.

Suspension- lowering springs are rougher riding and lower your car (closer to the water)- for a minimal drop and good handling check out Alta springs.
The rear swaybar helps to reduce understeer when cornering fast- it won't help for normal street driving. 19mm is stiff enough for an MC- choose the middle or softest setting. Do you have sport suspension plus from the factory?

Light rims- really helps because less energy is needed to accelerate and slow down light wheels. Smaller is good- less cost, less weight, 15x7 or 16x7. Non runflats in about 205/55-15 or similar size work well. What are your current wheels?

A note on warranty-
When you upgrade you void the warranty only on the part you upgraded. Generally you will be fine. If it is a bolt on part like an intake then it can be returned back to stock if needed for troubleshooting purposes.

A note on water-
stay clear of standing water of 12 inches or more. If you must you can pass through it safely by driving very very slowly. I have a lowered MINI only 2 inches off the ground so my MCS is water phobic.