Hello, I am posting for the first time, and this site is pretty helpfull, the only things I have noticed are a lot of the same topics keep showing up, and i went through the first 25 pages and didnt see anything that is exactly like this topic, and if there is one (because I didnt use the search function) my appologies.

Anywhoo, I just got my MiniS I traded my 02 WRX in, which had a lot of stuff done to it, and I am wondering if there is any possibility of getting the HP on the S as high up as my Wrx was.

Stock the WRX is 227, so about 180 or so at the wheels, but after the mods I had I think I was more like 220 at the wheels. I had full turbo back exhaust, up pipe, and Accessport Engine Management, which were the main upgrades.

My Mini has a OBX exhaust, and a somewhat generic CAI with K&N, (generic but looks no different than a twice as expensive option). What I basicly want to know is this.

1. How much more HP and the overall feeling of BOOST will I get with a 15% pulley install, and is anything more that 15% dangerous?

2. Is there a engine management system like the COBB Access Port that plugs into the OBDII port, flashes the ECU for the first time, and then switches maps on the fly depending on what you are looking for. That in my opinion was the best thing for my WRX.

3. Which other mods short of any internal engine work do you reccomend?


Thanks for reading this long thread, but I am looking for somewhere close to my WRX in terms of speed, and HP.

 

Well, just a quick tidbit on the pllies....

Ive been running a 19% sc and a 3% crank pulley now for almost 8k miles.

I see ~21 lbs of boost at least once a day. No problems whatsoever.

Now I plan on twincharging the car very soon. In the end, I think 400 horses for me wont be too out of reach.

 

The general concensus is that a 15% reduced supercharger pulley is going to provide you with somewhere between 15 and 20 horsepower over stock. Obviously, the smaller you go, (16, 17 and even 19% smaller), you produce more boost, and therefore more horsepower, but there are trade-offs. Some very reputable tuners, (like Randy Webb of Webb Motorsports), has a very good argument against going with anything smaller than 15%.

For instance, with a 19% pulley, you'll definitely need a different belt, and larger injectors, but more importantly, you'll be creating more heat, which counteracts all the great boost you're creating. (Remember, you want cold, dense air, not heated dense air). Also, that smaller pulley can make your supercharger spin faster than its' own red line, or safe operating range when you get up near the engines' red line. This is especially dangerous when you've got an ECU chip upgrade that extends your engine's red line. So if you track your car, and typically touch the red line a lot, you'll be well advised to NOT use a 19% pulley or even 17%...

This issue about supercharger pulleys is probably the most debated topic on these forums. You should continue to research this before deciding what to do.

I think you'll be disappointed if you try to match the horsepower potential you had in your WRX engine. To start off, it is a 2.0 liter, versus our 1.6 liter. Secondly, the WRX engine is turbocharged, which typically yields more horsepower, more easily. But the good part is, the MINI is probably lighter (I think), and arguably handles better, so you can stay competitive in the twisties!

 

19% doesn't need bigger injectors, it just helps if you have them.

 

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minis also have taller gears, which will help it at higher speeds...

all valid arguments, i've been running 15% + 2 % crank pulley on my MCS and i track it all the time, i only redline on the autocross though, i have a big intercooler, ECU, header, and exhaust... i am gonna try to get a dyno early october for power, but last time i checked the car before the 2%, and the header, i yielded about 183 at the wheels...

truly, to get 200whp before headwork is very difficult. I'd say beyond those, you need likely a cam, tb, basically all bolt ons before a new head.

and truly, 15% to 19%, a comparo between our local club guys shows that a 19% will see about 2-3whp more, and a bit more torque. but there's a slight difference in when the peak torque comes, and seeing the hp gains drop dramatically for the 19% above 6.5k... so it depends really what you do with the car. I'd say my combo is as good as it gets

 

I know that displacement is a really big difference when trying to get this car to be as fast as my WRX, and anyone who thinks that .4 litres is not a big deal, lol they dont need to be doing any tuning.

I am not new to this stuff, (tuning cars in general, I have done a lot of reading when I got my WRX and actually me and my buddy did the work) but things on supercharged engines are so different than turbo charged engines, it is basicly like learning everything all over again lol.

And as far as handling goes, I kind of have to disagree with you a little bit, this car handles great, but nothing in my opinion will out handle a AWD car. I saw vipers, cobras, and even in some cases Corvette Z06's (not the supercharged ones of today) get on a road course with Evo's, STi's, (in both cases the big V8's will eventually pull away in a long straight away) not be able to keep up. And in the same way I have seen Evo's keep up with Lamborghini Diablos in turns, and beleive me, I dont think a Mini would ever be able to do that. Dont get me wrong it handles awesome, like a big go kart.

Aside from that, I wish there was room for a front mount IC, and a CAI that actually plumbs into another part of the engine compartment, because I have not seen an efective CAI for the MINI yet, as they are not true CAI's they are not pulling any cold outside air in, unless I have missed something, they all route to the same place...where the stock air filter box is located. Am I wrong on this?

Also the only other dissapointments I have with this car is in the DVD Navi system, I really wish it would place DVD movies, that would be awesome. And the dash cluster, not showing temperature (instead having a dummy light) was a bad move on BMW's part, just makes the customer have to spend more money on temp guage, and other such basic things they should have included in the first place.

That is pretty much it, and hey anyone need to know how to get the new 2007.1 DVD (or the 2007.2) to work, if you have downloaded it? It is tricky, but hey I spent 20,000 on this car, and ill be danged if I am gonna get jipped on new software because its so expensive.

Thanks for the time again, and look forward to replies!

 

You said a mouthfull in that post. I will let the guys who know engine best answer those questions, as for the Navi..

You can mod the Nav screen to show DVDs, TV and such. But the drive will open play the Nav DVDs.
You can buy the new 2007.1 map DVD from your dealer or PM me for a deal on one. As for the software updates check my blog. I don't like to download the map updates but believe in a good DVD since it is supposed to get you from point A to point B.

 

only CAI really for the mini is this:

M7's AGS can be considered a true CAI as it draws the air from the hole, eliminating all plumbing, and even relocates the tb

as for FMIC, you really are out of luck, Randy webb used to make one, but i dont think randy ever sold many of those, the next best thing i've seen is the M7 DFIC, which sits vertically, (btw, i am not a firm believer in either, i just have seen DFIC on a friend's car and it really did felt it worked better than the bigger than stock TMICs like the GRS i got

as for handling, i still stand by my regard that the mini will outhandle a WRX... no matter how many track days I go to, the amount of people that are suprised by how fast the mini is never ever ceases to amazes me. I am not talkin about a STI... to truly transform a mini's handling, all you need is a 200 dollar rear sway bar on stiffest setting... and you will be suprised, but then again, alot of things on the track depends on the driver too!

 

Hey Kyriian, can you give me a link to M7's page, or where I can get their parts? And where do you think is the best online store for strictly mini parts? I am not buying anything engine wise from Ebay any more, but they are still decent for things like guages and stuff like that... So yeah, I need help finding the best places to shop online.

Thanks .... Have yourself a good night.

 

This LINK will give you all the mini online stores.

m7's Page.

Helix Minisports is one of my favorite's.

Enjoy your modding! -- Johan

 

I know AWD cars like the WRX and the EVO are legendary handlers, due to their copious amounts of grip thanks to AWD. But respectfully, please don't discount the MINI, because it is truly a David among Goliaths as far as handling. We've read time and time again, in review after review, how people are always astonished how fast a MINI can take a turn versus a Vette or Viper. People simply don't understand how this box-on-wheels can possibly corner like it does, even in stock form! They often underestimate it, and then learn about its' superior handling the hard way--when they're being passed on a long sweeper! But on a road coarse that caters to high horsepower cars with long straightaways, the MINI's superpowers are diminished. That is when you must turn to either JCW or the aftermarket to get the engine tweaked, (and brakes, consequently).

Yes, we're all very much biased here on NAM, so of course we're going to tell you that the MINI handles amazingly, but if you look at objective reviews outside of these pages, you'll see that we're not making this stuff up. Those that have driven know. If you join the MINI nation, you will experience the glory that is MINI, and you must therefore go forth and spread the good word, my friend!

 

To get the performance you desire, consider Fireballing your car. The Fireballed Team racing twincharge kit will give you performance beyond that of your WRX, and even beyond that of the STi. www.fireballed.com

 

Sorry but that isn't even close to being a CAI.
CAI = Cold Air Induction.
That ain't cold air where the AGS sets.

 

its 'closer' than most of the intakes on the market... with the trick CF shield, isn't it closest to the CAI, along with the webb intake?

 

I guess this it OT, but I have to disagree with your disagreement. Here's a blanket statement for ya - put in the hands of a more competent driver, any car can outhandle an AWD car. Example - the evo that couldn't keep up with me this weekend at LRP. Counter example - the WRX that I couldn't keep up with at LRP this weekend. All things being equal, does the wrx handle better than an mcs? Who's got the slalom numbers, or the lateral G numbers? I guess that's the way to tell.

Take a look around this site for fun videos (mostly of our resident racer, onasled) of MINIs "outhandling" supposedly better handling cars.

mb

 

Not really.
It doesn't seal out the heat very well. Much like the HAI it does improve flow by implementing a better path but doesn't do that good a job of isolating temp from the intake charge.
I'm not saying it's a bad product, it isn't.

I have Webb's HDI. It does a decent job of temp isolation. Better than some? Yes.

A true CAI? It's close.

A real one would be sealed to the hood and as short and straight as possible.

 

Semipro, if your looking for 220+ at the wheels, you really need to consider looking at a twincharge kit (or the M62 kit). One of our members, SpiderX, had a discussion a while back on how he had done almost everything possible on the stock supercharger and was still only in the 210-220whp range. A TC kit can get you there on an otherwise stock car (and probably for cheaper). The addition of a turbo also allows more tuning in the future. The other option is the M62 kit that's currently entering production where you replace the M45 supercharger with an M62. It won't give as much top end as the TC kit but it puts down some torque.

 

hey i thought wrx's put down like 275?

 

Stock Sti does 276

Stock WRX is 227.

 

As you described. track days mean nothing. Different levels of driving skills ... poor driver in a Ferrari getting lapped by an excellent driver in a MINI means nothing.

Road and Track has the numbers
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....&page_number=2

WRX STI .92G Slalom 68.2 MPH

http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/d...data_panel.pdf

06 MCS JCW .86G Skidpad 66.2 MPH Slalom

WRX wins easily ...

 

There is nothing that shows the skid pad and slalom were the same for both tests.
The MINI test states 200ft skid pad, 700ft slalom with 100ft spacing.
Nothing on the WRX/Evo comparo.

Sooo, still nothing for sure.

 

I could have sworn that back in '02 when the MINI first came out, they tested it in the 68 or 69 mph range in the slalom.

Also, remember that these times are with runflats. Anyone doing performance driving in a MINI will probably be running normal tires.

 

Sorry but I also need to disagree with this, the M7 AGS brings the filter right up next to the engine where a lot of heat is radiating from. Besides the HDI the best way to get cooler air is to get any intake that uses the stock location and take out the little wall behind it so it can get more air from the hood cowl. The theory behind the AGS is the increased flow feeding more air, not cooler air (correct me if I am wrong but that is my understanding of it).

BEATNUT

 

Yes. The driver always makes the biggest difference! If you put me in a Lotus Exige, and Michael Schumaker in a Yugo, guess who'd win?

(It ain't me!!!)

;-)

 

Haha, would be some fun though.

BEATNUT