Drivetrain 81k mile performance boost - header and more
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6th Gear
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 3,359
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From: New Jersey
81k mile performance boost - header and more
My Cat went. And the header. They basically broke at 81k miles. The weld broke and they were no longer connected. For the same cost as replacing it at the dealer, I made the pilgrimage to Helix and got a MIlltek header and had Eric cut out almost the whole peice behind my madness intake (the thing that Alta and several other intake manufacturers make you remove).
Results:
1 - THe Sound - Finally at 81k miles, the sound of my MINI is absolutely perfect!
I love my UUC exhaust, but ever since I had it installed, I can hardly hear the supercharger whine which was my favorite thing about this car originally. Now even with the new header, I can hear the supercharger everytime my boost gauge goes positive. It's really awesome. The exhaust sounds even better now. THe Milltek header - UUC cat-back is THE perfect combination. It doesn't really seem any louder now, just much "cooler". Around town and with light to mild throttle, the exhaust sounds great. At higher throttle inputs, the supercharger out whines the exhaust yet they both sound like they're in perfect harmony.
2 - The Performance - I'll be honest, since it sounds so fast now, that may be influencing me. Up to this point, I didn't think a header on a MINI without ported exhaust valves on the head was worth a darn. And honestly, if my original header wasn't broken, I don't think I would spend $1000 on a header. I definitely wouldn't at 81k miles. HOWEVER, the performance seems huge. 3/4 throttle seems unbelievable and with passengers, I like to stop there for a sec so they think that's max acceleration. THen I floor it and everyone's like "holy ----!" I love it. It really, really flies!
3 - Looks - The Milltek header is really a thing of beauty. It's a gorgeous platinum peice that would look great on any living room wall. Eric was nice enough to leave a heat shield off so I can see my beautiful header under the bonnet.
Thanks again to Eric and Helix for another great job!
Results:
1 - THe Sound - Finally at 81k miles, the sound of my MINI is absolutely perfect!
I love my UUC exhaust, but ever since I had it installed, I can hardly hear the supercharger whine which was my favorite thing about this car originally. Now even with the new header, I can hear the supercharger everytime my boost gauge goes positive. It's really awesome. The exhaust sounds even better now. THe Milltek header - UUC cat-back is THE perfect combination. It doesn't really seem any louder now, just much "cooler". Around town and with light to mild throttle, the exhaust sounds great. At higher throttle inputs, the supercharger out whines the exhaust yet they both sound like they're in perfect harmony.2 - The Performance - I'll be honest, since it sounds so fast now, that may be influencing me. Up to this point, I didn't think a header on a MINI without ported exhaust valves on the head was worth a darn. And honestly, if my original header wasn't broken, I don't think I would spend $1000 on a header. I definitely wouldn't at 81k miles. HOWEVER, the performance seems huge. 3/4 throttle seems unbelievable and with passengers, I like to stop there for a sec so they think that's max acceleration. THen I floor it and everyone's like "holy ----!" I love it. It really, really flies!
3 - Looks - The Milltek header is really a thing of beauty. It's a gorgeous platinum peice that would look great on any living room wall. Eric was nice enough to leave a heat shield off so I can see my beautiful header under the bonnet.
Thanks again to Eric and Helix for another great job!
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