Hi all,

So I'm a year into MINI ownership, and of course I've been bitten by the bug and have begun the process of modding.

Some of you may have seen my car before in previous posts, but here are some before pictures:

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Recently, I've decided to do a couple of things to make my experience a bit more fun. First, I did some wheel spacers to give a slightly more aggressive stance.

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I also installed the Carvenspeed Big Pair chassis braces, and for the amount of money spent, I was very satisfied with the increase in rigidity in the rear half of the car.

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Once I was satisfied with the rigidity out back, I decided to install the NM Rear Sway bar, which required dropping the sub-frame and was perhaps more challenging of an install then I originally expected, but still not too bad. Took about 2 hours with a friend, but probably would have taken less if we had known our way around the underside of the car more thoroughly beforehand.

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Once all the handling stuff was sorted out to my liking, I ventured into the cosmetic. And I have plenty of pics, because I know that's what we all love

Having been inspired by the amazing paint job on the JCW Concept (and always have secretly wanted a light-colored roof...) I dared to do something a bit different:

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Yes, I went with a brushed titanium wrap! Took a little bit to grow on me, but I think the new look is much more aggressive.

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Hope you guys enjoy! I sure am! There's more to come, of course

 

That's fantastic. Really good job on the mirror caps too, those are a royal pain in the *** to wrap in vinyl

 

The color combination is awesome. Love it.

 

Very nice sir!!!

 

Wow! Really love that wrap. Have you thought about possibly doing the whole car at some point in that color? Otherwise, the color combination looks great!

 

I definitely thought about it... but quite a bit pricier to do the whole car (~$2000) and the 3M brushed vinyl is only rated for/guaranteed not to damage your clear coat for 3 years. Actually less than 3 years in the Florida sun, and on horizontal surfaces. That's a lot of money every three years.

 

Ya, that would not be very cost effect in the long run. Unless you just kept it wrapped forever. Either way, it's such a cool looking wrap and looks really good on the roof and mirrors. Good choice.

 

Thanks!

 

Awesome job! What else are you planning?

 

-Either NM springs or JCW Pro coil overs.

-BMS Stage 1 for the B38.

-Some sort of clear protection for the front bumber and hood.

 

Looking good so far. In for coilovers, wheels w/sticky tires, and a sexy exhaust to set that 3-cylinder music free.

 

I don't know what the jcw coils run but I'd bet they're way overpriced for what you get

 

ECS has 'em for about $1500. They're only height adjustable, but most people who've tried them say the spring rates/damping are superb. Thoughts?

 

The JCW Pro coilovers are built by KW and are essentially the V1's but with red springs and a MINI-backed warranty. As such, they're appropriately priced.

 

I like that, something different.


I always wondered what black with a nice subtle gold would look, a bit like the Bond St Clubmans.


How about some bonnet stripes in the same vinyl now?

 

Yep , right here: Good pics in this thread.


https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-prices-9.html

 

How about the headlight & taillight rings in brushed titanium?

 

In that case, yeah that's not too bad, especially since you get to keep your warranty. I expected them to be like $2,400

 

The Craven Speed Big Pair looks cool. I may try that to improve my leased car. Looks like something I can easily install, then remove at lease end.

 

I've thought about it. Still deciding.

 

Are they similar to the V1s in terms of spring stiffness and damping, or only in terms of design and structure?

 

Would like to see that also.

 

Looks great, I wanted to do something different to mine too. Plastidipped the whole car, in front of the shop that did the work.

 

Looking good, James! Bet you get attention everywhere you go. I'm digging the way color-matched wheel arches look on the F56.

 

That information I don't have, nor will be it easy to get. We'd have to dyno the dampers to compare them. Given KW's propensity for OEM-ish spring rates, I'd wager the rates are and damper curves are pretty much identical.