Hello all,
My name is Carl and I have been on this site and think that this is a great forum. I have a 2002 MINI Cooper S with Sport, Premium and Cold Weather Packages. 17" s-lites. Color is Dark Silver with a white top.

Upgrades so far:
-NRP Exhaust
-2003 Stainless Steel Pedals from MINI
-K&N Drop in.

Question: This afternoon, I was showing my car to a friend. I accidentally past the redline at 7k+ and the computer seemed to cut me off to protect itself from blowing up. Is there a built-in rev limiter on the MCS? Just curious.

Planned upgrades:
-Cold Air Intake (BMP, MINI-Madness, Rogue...Others)
-Front Strut Brace
-Springs and Shocks
-Lighter wheelset and tires.

Any advice on the remaining upgrades?
-Cold Air Intake: Which makes the best HP? Which will work with a strut brace?
-Front Strut Brace: Which one and do I need get an alignment when I install one? I was told that I did not. I just needed to re-torque the bolts. Does anyone know the torque specs for the strut bolts up front?
-Springs and Shocks: Which ones?
-Lighter Wheels: SSR Comps? Are they strong enough for regular driving? Which tires? Pirelli 7000's, Kumhos?

Thanks
Carl
:smile:

 

The redline ECU cutoff is 7200 RPM. No problems at all hitting it once in a while.

As far as what's best and all, it is a complicated questions. Give me a call and I'd be happy to discuss all that is involved.

Short answers:

Madness makes the most power, BMP works with the strut brace
BMP strut brace is a work of art - no alignment needed
H-Sport springs, stock struts or Koni Yellows
I like the SSR, but you may want to check out the Centerline RPM or the Team Dynamics as well - with Yokohama AVS100ES for the street

Feel free to contact me with any other questions.

Randy
720-841-1002

 

Carl, exactly how does showing your MCS to a friend involve the throttle?
yes, the engine control module has a built-in redline, no need to worry about it (unless you downshift extra gears!)

You have too many upgrades going on! Figure out what you want to do with your MINI, then we can provide realistic feedback! Agressive Street, Auto-cross, or combinations of grocery-getting and childcare-dropoffs, lol

Cheers,
Ryan

 

Thanks Randy and Rye,

Will the cold air intake void any warrantees? Does the BMP make what it claims? Are there any other intakes that will allow for a strut brace other than BMP's?

Wheels: What is the weight for the centerlines and team dynamics? I think I saw that the SSR Comps are 13lbs.

As for purpose: mostly spirited driving. I am new to racing. I am planning on doing my first time at a local racetrack in Grand Rapids, MI. The alpha club runs an event on Memorial day. Any advice on first time out on the track?

Thanks again
Carl

 

SuperC,

It would be very difficult for the dealer to prove the intake was the cause of any issues that may arise under warranty. I have not yet heard of any problems from dealers with intakes. I would just discuss it with your dealer and see how they feel. It is totally dependent on the specific dealer.

The BMP has been slightly down on the others in independent dyno testing. It is however, one of the only intakes that works with a strut brace and still provides some sort of heat shield (albeit not a complete one). The Madness can be modified to accomodate a strut brace with some minor fabrication (I have one in use with the Madness for instance).

Wheel weights:

Team Dynamics 15.4 lbs 7x17 45mm offset


Centerline RPM 13.5 lbs 7x17 42mm offset


For what you want, this is what I would do:

Brake pads and fluid for the track, wheels/tires, rear swaybar, springs, and the horsepower elements of your choice. That includes the intake - I prefer the Madness or ALTA (not yet available), but both would require modification to use a strut brace. As a side note, the strut brace doesn't do near as much for the very torsionally stiff MINI chassis as it does for say a SWB 911 or an older RX-7.

Hope that helps!

Randy
720-841-1002

 

>>As for purpose: mostly spirited driving. I am new to racing. I am planning on doing my first time at a local racetrack in Grand Rapids, MI. The alpha club runs an event on Memorial day. Any advice on first time out on the track?
>>

Get a good instructor to teach you the ropes :smile: You won't be needing anything else (power, tires, etc.) your first time out.

Oh yes, drive nice and smooth on track. Have fun!

 

RandyBMC wrote:

Nope, it's 6950 RPM. I can show you logs if you'd like.

 

I've only seen >7200 with the evo chip which redlines at 7500, not that that has provided me with any hp gains as yet, since the torque has been falling off too rapidly.