exhaust question?
 

Hello,

I have a Mini Cooper S 2006, mostly stock in tunning. The only thing that I have is a K&N Filter, but not the whole intake. I wanted to put pipes on it, but im scared that It will replace the beautiful sound of the supercharger at high RPMS. I did not want to put a full exhaust but only the canister. Does anyone have a suggestion on what kind I should put? I don't want it to be loud on low RPMS, but also not to quiet. My point I want to be heard when i floor it, but I don't want my baby to sound like a 105 hp honda with a pipe that sounds like the engine is about to jump out at 3,000 RPMS.

Thanks!

You'll find that opinions are all over the place on this subject...I have the Miltek catback and am really pleased with the balance of exhaust / SC whine. A little more aggressive than stock (quite throaty when stomped on), but no drone at highway cruising like some of the other brands.

All that, plus the fit and finish are really nice. An easy one person install.:thumbsup:

This tread moved from Modifications: Interior/Exterior
to Drivetrain (Cooper S) which includes-
"MINI Cooper S (R53) intakes, exhausts, pulleys, headers, throttle bodies, and any other modifications to the Cooper S drivetrain."

For exhaust your best bet is to consider a full cat back exhaust system.
For moderate sound and widely available check out the Borla Street.
For slightly louder than that consider Milltek dual exhaust for the MCS.

To check the exhaust note yourself go to a local MINI event and check out the exhausts. Even the Borla Race/Sport exhaust is nice. JCW exhaust is also nice as far as exhaust note goes.

Adding your own smaller upgrades to the exhaust system is possible but I'm not so sure about the sound of it with the stock mufflers or to replace the stock mufflers. You also could consider the single sided MCS exhausts as well. Check out the thread in this forum on exhausts for the MCS.

I have an 06 S w/ (Green) cotton panel filter and did the one-ball and really enjoy it - the one ball is a bit louder & seems to be a tiny bit peppier but doesn't drown out the supercharger at all.

Just so you know..... I've yet to hear any exhaust systems overtake the sound of the supercharger. Don't even worry about that!:thumbsup:
I have a Borla race system on my MCS btw and even though it gets loud, the scream of the SC is right there with it.

I think the Milltek has a nice "sportscar note" balances very well with my DDM intake.... but there are lots of opinions

Number one!:thumbsup:

Thanks!!!

Had the milltek and was disappointed with the fitment. It slid around everywhere. The mechanics told me this was normal. I was like ?????? everytime i stepped out of my car the pipes were all the way against one of the sides of the valence. My bumper started melting and what a headache. Plus the tips are flush when the car is cold. Something I didn't care for. The jcw tips stick out when cold which I like. Based on what you mentioned I think you'd like the borla street. The JCW frankly is a bit quiet, note is nice though.

try one of those big maxwellhouse cans the ricers use .

we refer to them as "fart cans" down south!

seriously if you're gonna get an exhaust ; get some power too . so go full exhaust . there are some reasonably priced systems to choose from . just look at the thread that was set up to address this issue . it's up top .

Sorry, but whoever installed your Milltek screwed up. I installed my own and had NONE of the problems you listed. My quess is that if you check the rubber hangers, they are torn (removing them from old system) and not holding your exhaust correctly...:sly:

minimarks, you're probably right. Too late now to really know, since I don't have that car anymore. either way, i learned a lot from my dip into aftermarket modding,
some good: it's really fun and your car looks, drives, feels, sounds better
some bad: it gets really expensive quick, warranty becomes a crap-shoot (my dealer specifically told me that if I mod my warranty goes bye-bye), and you lose some peace of mind in general.

What I learned most importantly is that you need to learn and know your car and do your mods yourself. It really is the best way. For my exhaust I went to a reputable place that many had recommended, only to have a newbie mechanic install my exhaust, who initially installed it upside-down and in the wrong order. Every step he didn't know what to do next so he'd stop and yell at the next guy to tell him what he needed to do next. The whole time the instructions were right next to him and he wasn't bothering with them. In the end I picked up the instructions and told him that it's on wrong. He didn't believe me but when someone else came by and actually saw it, he told him it's on wrong. In the end they redid it, bent the hangers with a crowbar instead of getting some washers like I asked, and let the thing slide and rattle all around the bumper. All this was extremely unsettling and really, it tainted my image of my beloved MINI. I no longer drove it around with care and pride, but started driving it like it was a rental car, just mashing the pedal and abusing it. In the end, I couldn't believe how this little experience psychologically affected me so negatively. I really know now why the bmw service center makes you wait in the room so you can't see the technicians working on your car. It's so this specific thing doesn't happen to you.

I have a new 06 MCS now and will eventually be modding again (I recently got the bigger exhaust tips which I like). Good advice on modding is to go slow. Enjoy each little mod to the fullest, and then do another.

See, it's cool that you finally came out and explained the whole story...but if you weren't called on it, you would have disparaged the Miltek brand unfairly.

It's not the exhaust's fault that some noobie Fubar'd your car and you didn't like the outcome. In this case; don't hate the game, hate the player.

That's why I tend to do my own mods, after researching (seemingly endlessly) various alternatives and methods to get the job done - before I start to turn the first wrench. Take your time, don't get into a situation where you're rushed (i.e. you need to get it back together in the next 30minutes, so you can get to work, etc). I understand that some folks are simply mechanically inept, but this is a nice (fairly easy) job to start with - with fairly few things to screw up that can't be rectified.

I want to get an exhaust that will not cause any problems. I was also wondering how does the warrenty work with exhausts. I know dealers can be a pain with mods...

What kind of exhaust tips did you get and where???

I just don't know about flaming something, when you know and have already found out that your statements are unjustified...This helps no one trying to make an informed decision..:sly:

http://www.trademotion.com/sfimages/...Image35409.jpg

The tips are I got are the bigger oem ones from MINI, Part # 82 12 0 410 150
The cheapest place to get them is Morristown MINI @ http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...catalogid=3751 They're $80. Your BMW/MINI parts counter should have them too.

I personally really like the bigger tips. They stick out a little and look much more agressive than the beer cans. The exhaust note and volume is still the same as before.

From what you've mentioned it sounds like the bigger oem tips or the JCW exhaust will be right for you. Both are quiet, will fit perfectly, look great, and will have no affect on that bullet-proof BMW warranty. The JCW has a nice refined sound that may be more appealing to you, whereas the stock can get raspy at WOT.

My personal experience with the Milltek was okay but I was ultimately disappointed. Despite what everyone says here on NAM the Milltek droned on the highway. I noticed it always droned when cruising at 3000 rpms and above and when you're doing 80 mph your tach will read 3000 if not a hair more. From a performance standpoint the amount of drone from the Milltek was so minimal that it didn't matter but it was still audible with the stereo off or on low volume. The Milltek definitely has fitment issues. You will need to get new longer hangers or use washers to bring the hangers down, or do what happened to me and physically bend the hangers down (which really made me unhappy). Otherwise the exhaust sits right on the bumper and rattles and eventually melts the plastic. Also the milltek has some QC issues. My first one had the logo stamps misaligned by a cm which made looking at the tips from the boot awkward. All this was a huge headache and probably downgraded my overall experience with the product. I will agree with everyone here on NAM though that the exhaust note is one of the best I've heard besides possibly the supersprint, or UUC.

no issues with the alta other than rear hangers . but once i realised they can be stiffened by cranking them to their extremes all is well . but quite loud .
I LIKE !!! >>>> KING IN THE CASTLE >>>

I put milltek on my 06 and I love it. have had no problems at all. love the way it looks from the back also

Changing the subject, I scratched my right exterior mirror cover, it's black does anyone know how to change those and where to get a replacement???

is this from resonated or non resonated?

Milltek is my vote, we have them here in resonated ( quieter ) and NON resonated (louder). And for a limited time free shipping :) . All in stock.

R53 MINI Cooper S Milltek:

http://www.ecstuning.com/News/MINI_R53_Copper_S_JCW_Milltek_Performance_Exhaust_ Systems_2002_2003_2004_2005_2006/

http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/692008_x600.jpg

the unresonated millitek vs the resonated how much louder are you talking?