Does anyone have an idea of how many people (Like a percentage) have done full modifications (i.e., engine, suspension & brakes) through all aftermarket parts vice purely a "badged" car (i.e., all JCW parts, all Dinan parts, etc.)?

I'm not interested in a debate over which is better, cheaper or whatever. I'm only interested in learning a real life ratio of those going the JCW route vice the aftermarket route

thank you

 

Piece by piece:

Madness CAI
Magnaflow cat-back
Helix 19% pulley
Larger injectors from Helix
MTH software
StopTech brakes
RDR adjustable rear sway bar from Helix
H-Sport rear control arms installed by Helix
B&M Short shift kit installed by Helix
Whalen shift ****
H&R RSS Coilovers
Pilo Ingnition upgrade kit

Life is good.

 

Mini-Madness CAI
Mini-Madness 19& pulley
Mini-Madness control arms
Mini-Madness water to air intercooler V.2
Mini-Madness V.1 header with high flo cat
Schrick cam
Borla sport exhaust with after cat resonator removed...yum
Dinan stage 5 software
Dinan strut bar
Iriduim spark plugs
Poly motor bushings
KW v1 coil overs
Wiechers roll bar

thats what ive got on the performance side...i think

BATES

 

Steves auto Clinic head ( SAC )
Ported intake ( SAC )
Schrick cam
TB
OBX header
B&B Exhaust ( hate it ) replacing SOON !
B&M Shifter
Pss9 coil overs
RDR camber plates
H-sport lower control arms
r-speed rear bar
h-sport front bar
SAC big brake kit
15% pulley
3% crank pulley
Bosch 380 injectors
Alta intercooler and diverter
alta intake
APEXI-AFC

Last dyno 209whp

new dyno coming soon

 

Here are some real numbers for you in a relatively limited market with few upgrade shops and a 3000 mile ocean barrier.

Since 2002, in my state there have been about 1300 MINI sales and about half are MC vs MCS. MCS owners do more upgrades both to power and suspension. Some MINIs move out of state or to outer islands. Some MINIs move to us from the west coast.

About 35 JCW kits have been installed over that time at my dealership.
90% of the state population lives on one island with one major city.
Just a handful have had Dinan upgrades of one sort or another.

I'd estimate that about 10 to 15 MINI owners have participated in autocross, track or driving school events since 2002. Only 2 are MC owners. No cabrio owners so far.

About 60 to 80+ owners have done some aftermarket mods but only about 25 to 30 have invested in moderately significant mods.

Interest in aftermarket mods is growing as the MINIs get older and out of warranty.

There are very few highly modded MINIs maybe one or two that have been made "track ready". We don't see them but they might be out there. Less than 10 are mid- modded with full upgrades to:
Suspension
wheels/tires
Pulley/ECU/intake/exhaust
Brakes

Very few with rollbar, larger intercooler, Quaife differential, lighter flywheel , racing clutch, schrick cam, or ported and polished aftermarket heads.

We don't really have any good track either- I'm sure that doesn't help.
We do have an old track running about 1.32 miles long and about to loose it's lease early next year.

Quite a few have lots of appearance mods- audio and video upgrades, interior upgrades, repainting, graphics, body kits, etc.

 

THANK YOU ... REAL NUMBERS.

The MINI to S Ratio is about right, thats the same everywhere.

35/650 ~ 5% with JCW
80/650 ~ 12 - 13% went aftermarket.

So your looking at less than 20% that do mods.

I wonder if the ratio of aftermarket to JCW is higher in CONUS. IT seems to me there are far more aftermarket cars than JCW but that is exactly why I am asking I dont know

GOOD INFO!

 

I'd guess that of the 80 upgraded MINIs out of 1300 most of them are MCS by 10:1 margin. But there ARE some MC that are modded, just less options so fewer are done. Off hand I can think of about 5 or 6 with some sort of exhaust, intake, or suspension/wheel mod.

On the west coast I would guess that the number of aftermarket modded MINIs is quite large but so are sales numbers. The early buyers were sometimes nostalgia buffs but some were out to go full out and do stuff.

I know that in the UK the insurance costs for an MCS are very high so sales are slow. The best sales comes in the MINI ONE with 5 speed and MC sales with CVT. Many of the MC get mods but more of the appearance type, or maybe exhaust and intake. If you travel in europe you just don't see very many MCS except in the bigger cities.

JCW kit modded MCS are roughly mid modded MINIs.

From a performance standpoint
Light mods ($1000-$6000 budgets):
Koni shocks or Lowering springs
Rear adjustable swaybar
15-17" aftermarket wheels and tires
Intake, catback exhaust
Short shift kit and ****
colder plugs/plug wires
MTH software/One touch or shark injector software

Mid modded (can include light mods- $7000-$14,000 budgets)
LSD only with stock flywheel/clutch
Reduction pulley
rebored throttlebody
Intake
Exhaust header and cat back exhaust
Larger Intercooler (air to air or water to air)/water sprayer
Larger fuel injectors
Stage 1 or 2 brake upgrades (keep stock calipers)
Up to 18" wheels
Full ignition upgrade

Heavy Mods ($15,000+ budgets)-
Turbo kit
Nitrous kit
Apexi APC/ tunable ECU software
Full adjustable coil overs
Front and rear adjustable swaybars, adjustable endlinks
Front camber plates and rear adjustable control arms
Quaife differential/ lightweight flywheel and racing clutch
Big brake kits front and rear
ported/polished heads with larger valves
Schrick cam
Front mounted larger intercooler
full rollbar
larger than 18" wheels
and much much more

I'd rather mod my MINI than go to Las Vegas twice a year.

 

if according to hune, im probably in the middle.. and probably gonna stop until i can find a better job (student jobs sux!)
Engine:
alta intake
alta 15%
mth
grs intercooler
denso ik22s
livewire spark plug wires
screamin demon coil pack
alta catch can
Pilo SS
Scorpion Exhaust

last dyno i got 183whp with 160lb/ft torque... torque was low... suprised me too... the a/f was about 11.3 near 6k

Exterior:
4000k H7 halogens (low and high beams)
6000k D2R Xenon bulbs (coming soon)
Stealth Bulbs all around
White parking lights
JCW tail lights
PIAA 004X fogs w/ 2500k halogens
Motegi FF6 17x7 silver wheels
Bridgestone RE750 215/45 tires
Orciari Spoiler
M7 lower grille

Interior:
Greddy SMI Gauges oil pressure/Boost
Alta gauge pod
Rspeed trilogy of chrome rings
MOMO Race air shift ****
Sparco Torino2 seats Red/Black(coming soon hopefully)
Alpine CDA9843 HU
Redlinegoods Shift boot/Ebrake boot

Suspension/Brakes
Ferodo DS2500 Front and back
Motul RBF600 brake fluid
H-Sport Competition sway bar
Eibach Prokit springs
Koni Yellow Shocks
Alta Rear control arms

I think that's about it

still loving it!

 

Can't give specific numbers, but I do lots of track events, some autocrossing, MINI rallies/get-togethers, this over 2 years, and of those that mod, I'd say that the majority go with whatever aftermarket pieces appeal to them, not with branded kits such as JCW or Dinan.

Good luck!