Hi everyone,

I recently purchased an F56 as a fun daily driver. It's a 2016 MCS manual trans with the JCW tuning package with the pro exhaust, Racechip GTS with XLR, and some 18" OZ wheels. I bought the car to replace my S2000 which I loved but gave me serious back pain if I drove more than 1 day a week. The S2000 I was able to drive for 2 years, put more than 15K miles on and sell for more than what I paid. Obviously I'm not expecting to be able to do that with a Mini but so far the car is great fun and I'm loving the comfort/seating position, relatively small size and torque. Luckily I don't think of cars as investments!

My main requirements for my new fun DD were a good drivers seat, torque and a decent manual gearbox. The car checks all of those boxes as well as being fairly fuel efficient and practical. I am a bit of a sucker for a car with a good story. Believe it or not I purchased my S2000 from a guy named "Johnny Tran" a la fast and the furious, I kid you not. My F56 MCS was a 1 owner car whose owner was a Catholic priest. I didn't know there were priests out there that were car enthusiasts. His license plate was LST RTS or "Last Rights" and he had a badge on the back that says "priest interceptor" it's also a black car with a white roof and mirrors. SO, not only was he a car enthusiast but he also had a sense of humor. Not keeping the plates but the Priest Interceptor badge will stay as it makes me laugh every time I see it. I was also surprised to see he was rocking a radar detector. I guess I always just thought that cops don't write priests speeding tickets. Much like cops are just regular people, I guess priests are too...

I probably paid a little more than I should have considering the car had 60K miles and was not actually a JCW but finding a used F56 MCS with a manual trans in a color I liked in California was not as easy as I would have thought. Plus all the mods were things I would have most likely added to the car anyway. I am hoping the F56 will hold up much better over time and miles than the last two gens. I have some very fond memories of driving a friends R53 non S Mini with a 6 speed when it first came out. Driving that car in the canyons, going full throttle everywhere was a real delight!

Getting back in an R53 years later and a little time in a R56, the lack of build quality becomes very apparent and hard to live with on a daily basis. I am coming from RWD cars, most recently the S2000, an 18' Camaro ZL1 and a Subaru BRZ. I sold the ZL1 after spending too much money on tires, brake pads and rotors going to the race track; as well as missing being in a lightweight car despite loving the torque. Instead I opted to swap an LS3 engine into my BRZ and that is now my track weapon of choice. Part of the whole reason I bought the MIni was to retire the Chevubaru from street duty and install a cage, dry sump, aero, fire suppression etc. to make it a full track car. Car makes 450 WHP, weighs 3112 LBS with a full tank of gas, interior and me in the car (I'm 190).

On my daily commute I'm lucky enough to drive pretty much exclusively beautiful canyon roads. I am much less frustrated getting stuck behind someone slow in the F56 as I find it just as pleasurable to drive slow compared to my other cars. I do find it's lacking in handling dynamics in the tight turns compared the older Minis R53/R56. It is great in long sweepers but struggles in the tighter turns. I had already told myself that I wouldn't modify this car and I am pretty happy with the power it makes with the JCW tune and Racechip GTS. However, I am finding that I would really like to improve the handling and overall tactile feel of my F56.

I am considering ordering the following parts from ECS tuning. With the goal of improving handling while reducing torque steer, as well as improving the clutch, shifter feel and adding more turbo sound.

-Wavetrac LSD
-KW V2 Coilovers
-Clutch Masters FX200
-Eventuri plastic intake
-Forge short shifter kit

I have a few questions.

1) Has anyone here ordered from ECS? I see a lot of negative experiences online.

2) Does anyone else with a JCW pro exhaust have trouble getting the valve to open sometimes? Mine refuses to open in the morning when it's cold outside but then works every time once it warms up outside. I guess I should just make it so it's always open? I will say I prefer the sound of this exhaust compared to Remus and the other aftermarket exhausts I've heard.

3) While I have no intentions of adding more power to the car in the near future, a remap at some point does sound nice. Who has gone from a tuning box to a remap? What was your experience?

4) If you have installed any of the mods above please share your experience

5) While I have zero intention of taking this car to the race track I think I would like to compete in my local autoX events. My local Porsche and Corvette club break down the classes based on tire treadwear rating. There are 3 groups 300TW and up, 200TW and up and below 200TW. I will probably start out in the 300TW category with the hopes of being competitive. What would be the the best tire for this? I'm thinking Hankook V12...

If you took the time to read all of this long post I appreciate it and any advice you're willing to offer. Although I am not new to modifying cars, I am new to this platform. I am hoping to greatly improve handling and feel without making the car underivable on the street with springs that are way too stiff or a clutch that is too aggressive. Last thing I'll add is I'm hopeful this is finally the car that is going to convince my wife to learn to drive manual as she is a big Mini fan. She did well with her first lesson, fingers crossed it won't be her last! Would probably be best if someone else was teaching her though...

 

I found this post on Car Throttle from a few years back in case anyone is doubting my story. https://www.carthrottle.com/post/al5ebpz/

 

Welcome! Great story.

Quick reply...

ECS is great. Good prices, easy to get a hold of on chat or phone, good customer service.

Consider KW Street Comfort verses the V2. Especially as it sounds like comfort is a factor to you.

Consider the Craven Speed short shifter and bushing instead of the Forge kit. It's going to be more $, but I think it's worth it.

There are good threads on all this stuff here, just gotta search =)

 

We are here for whatever you need for the MINI. Just a PM away. Been supporting the MINI community for years and I own 2 MINIs since 2004.

 

The biggest mistake they made on this chassis was not including an LSD, we got an OS Giken, you'll probably love the Wavetrac, not sure what's wrong with the factory clutch, could probably save yourself some money unless there's already lots of miles on the car which might as well replace it when the tranny comes out for the LSD. Even with the KW's a stiffer rear sway will likely be appreciated so keep that on your radar.

For a 300TW tire it's Michelin PS4S or Continental ExtremeContact Sport, I don't think anything else is as grippy, but if you're just going to burn it up and go to a 200TW eventually anyway saving a few bucks with the Hankook isn't the worst idea.

 

If you uprate the clutch you might as well get an Fx300 with a single mass flywheel. Makes a huge difference with the responsiveness of the trans. The wavetrac diff changes the characteristics of the cars cornering capability. Being able to throttle throughout a whole corner is game changing. Personally I am happy with my setup

 

Welcome to the really fun world of the MINI community!

The thing I don’t see on the list is Front Camber Plates. A part of the reason for not doing well in tight corners is the lack of front camber (factory spec is, like, zero... ). Another suspension option is the JCW Pro coilovers. Their price is reasonable, they will lower the car slightly, but the shocks are not adjustable. Or the Bilstein B16 (I hope I got that right), coilovers with the adjustable shocks. These have progressive rate springs which will give reasonable ride quality, but you will have the option to stiffen it up a bit and balance the car for understeer/oversteer using the shock adjustment. For a fun DD, I would go with the camber plates and Bilsteins coilovers.

Tires - I wouldn’t bother with the 300 TW tires... The 200 tires are a big step up all around. Bridgestone RE71Rs, for the best stickiness and wet performance, the new kid on the block - the new Yokohama that are giving the RE71Rs a run for their money, or the Hankook which will likely have the best tread wear. 225/45-17s, if you are running 17” wheels.

Do a few searches and you will find out a lot that will help with your questions.

Most of all - enjoy! Motor On!

 

Oh, Ya, I would include the LSD in the above; Wavtrack or Quaife will do you well.

 

Do any of the kits you mentioned include camber plates? Yeah, I agree the grip on RE71R's is awesome. My reasoning for going 300TW for autoX is to try and be more competitive. Even with the awesome power to weight in my Subaru with an OS Giken LSD and JRZ coilovers there's no way I can beat the sub 2000 lbs Porsches and Lotus 7 on Hoosier A7's. Was still working hard to beat the fastest Cayman drivers with my setup. 200TW class is dominated by Caymans, Golf R's and Focus RS's. I doubt the mini can beat those cars. 300TW class I might stand a chance of winning. I know it's just for fun but it's hard not to want to be competitive.

 

Thanks for the tips, I have an OS Giken on my Subaru and really like it but I'm not a fan of the price of their diff fluid. Does OS Giken even make an LSD or clutch for an F56? All I could find was R56 parts. What would be your clutch recommendation if I want something DD friendly? The car does have 60K miles that's why I figured I might as well swap the clutch too.

 

This guy autocrosses his F56 and does well with it. This is a great thread and here is the camber plates he uses (I think ECS carries them):
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4446361

From what I have seen, camber plates come separate from the coilovers I noted, not as a kit. An interesting aspect of this one is the ability to add caster, which will really help in tight turns. There is a lower control arm bushing for the R56 (Gen II MINI) that increases the caster. I seem to recall it adds something like a half degree. The person I know who used them said they were a great improvement for autocross.

Both the JCW Pro and the Bilstein coilovers have stock size springs and from what I have read is that with that size spring camber can be set to a little more than -2 deg.

Another thing about the Bilstein coilovers is they are bottom adjustable, which is important for the rears as you can’t get to the top of the shock when they are installed. With top adjustable shocks/coilovers, the only way to make adjustments is to remove them.

There are some other threads that I have been on discussing the merits of autocrossing the F56 and whether it is an underdog. It seems that it does pretty well. Part of the discuss centers around the SCCA class placement and the cars that it is up against. The consensus seems to be that the MINI “punches above it weight”.

TireRack has tested a lot of 300 TW tires. The one that has caught my eye is the Michelin PS 4S. It seems that what you loose with the 300 TW tires, beside level of traction, is their transient response; there reaction to steering inputs and crispness.

 

There are a handful of kits that have camber plates included; godspeed mono Maxx, BCRacing (I think the DS kit does but would need someone to confirm), Blistein clubsports, ST XTAs, KW Clubsports. Then there are the more race focused coilover kits that will come with them but I haven't looked at those as much as they are well outside what I want to spend on my cars suspension.

I am personally leaning to ST XTAs, they are made by KW but with coated parts instead of stainless steel. I live in florida and dont have to deal with harsh winter roads so I'm not as worried about the construction material for a weekend car. Hard to beat KWs with camber plates for ~$1.4k; when the V1s are $1.4k and you are going to drop another $500 on camber plates.

 

Welcome to the club! As for your mod list I don't have much experience with any of those other than the Eventuri which has been nothing but good to me. Although I wouldn't recommend it unless you just want to toss out a bunch of money for sounds and looks. The cost to gains on intakes is minimal on the F56 and the Eventuri's price exaggerates that massively. The Wavetrac has been on my list of mods to do for a while but it'll be a while longer before I get to that point in the build. I've heard nothing but praise for the KW V2s with the exception of them not being able to drop the car as much as I'd personally like. For that reason I'll be putting on BC Racing coilovers in a few months and then eventually air suspension. For the clutch kit I'd also recommend going with the FX300 if you're gonna go through all the trouble to begin with. Then for a short shifter I went with CravenSpeed's with their retaining clip and a **** from Raceseng.

 

The V2s have a bit of an odd drop. It is unusual to be able to drop the rear almost an inch more than the front...
From the ECS web site: “Average drop : 0.8 - 1.8" front & 1.2 - 2.6" rear.” I don’t see that my JCW is riding that much higher in the rear than the front with its stock suspension.

 

Well I'll be damned, looks like it's off their website, you could probably get in touch and get one sent over to you but it might take a few months. Ours is a bit clunky but we wanted it tuned aggressively so we made that compromise, wavetrac is probably a bit let noticeable on the road. The transmission iirc is shared with another hot hatch, focus ST I want to say so they're adapting another application. I don't see a problem with the OE clutch, Dyno claimed we were pushing near 300 ft lbs of torque at the wheels and haven't had a problem for a year or two now other than a motor mount splitting, I think that Dyno was a bit optimistic though we just have a piggyback. SCCA rules prohibit a lighter flywheel in Street Touring and our BMW club rules add points for it so we never considered it.

Also +1 to the camber, get as much as you can. In addition to plates there's an offset power flex bushing that goes into the lower control arm for some more camber, spending ~$600 on the factory camber knuckles will likely get you another half a degree, but the plates and bushing are better bang for your buck unless you want to run SCCA DS. Rear camber arms can probably wait until you Max out factory adjustment trying to keep the rear as stuck as the front as you pass -3°

Edit: Also any reputable piggyback is great bang for your buck.

 

Second the ST XTAs as a good option, especially if you had the KW v2 in mind already. As said above, same as v2, but with camber plates and cheaper.

Although, again, if comfort is a big factor for you, the KW Street Comfort will be what you want. And add your own camber plates, there are a few out there.

I have Powerflex bushings- camber adjustable LCAs and the rear lower arm bushings too. If I had to do it over again, I'd just do camber plates instead. A bit more expensive, but factor in the $100 that I paid to have the old bushings pressed out, and price is pretty similar.

 

Is there an ST XTA kit made for cars with EDC? If I got coilovers not for EDC and my car has it that means what I'll have a light on the dash?

 

Yeah, agreed the Eventuri is a lot of coin for an intake but I really like the idea of making a fake vent functional. Plus I really want some more turbo sound. What really convinced me is that they now offer a plastic version with a slightly more reasonable price.

 

Om my S, I have had an AWE and NM CAI. I went with the Eventuri this past summer. Expensive (they came out with the plastic just after I purchased it) but worth it. The filter is dry and cleanable. The others were oiled. More surface area. In my climate and altitude, it has made a difference. No official stats but it seems to accelerate a little quicker and MPG appears to have gone up. And yes, form follows function.

 

Just realized I've not seen any mention of a rear sway bar. If you're after handling mods that's a major one. Eibach has a kit that has a rear and front. I want to say the rear is a hollow 22mm and I forget what the front is. Maybe hollow 25mm or 27mm? Most people get just the NM solid 22mm rear or their hollow 25mm rear and call it a day. NM used to have a front sway bar for the F56 but it seems to have disappeared for no reason. But you might be lucky and find a used one come up for sale. Another easy one is CravenSpeed's chassis braces. For $200 they're reasonably priced and if you've got some ramps or a jack they go on in just a few minutes.

 

@El-Grunto I believe the Eibach kit rear is 23 solid. Never heard of a NM front for the F56. H&R has a kit with both, I had that and found it way overkill- rode too rough.

@SFMCS - AWE has an option for a dry filter, which is what I have, and really like it. I just vacuum it out on occasion. I checked inside the tube with a white tissue- nothing, totally clean. Agree on oiled filters, I've had them foul sensors in other cars.

 

You're right on both counts. The Eibach kit is a hollow 28mm front and solid 23mm rear. And it was H&R with the front swaybar, not NM. I was mistaken.

 

On my R56 S I have a solid 27mm front sway bar and a 25mm hollow rear sway bar (about the same as the 22mm solid). These are paired with the MINI sports suspension spring and Bilstein B8 shocks. The handling improvement was fantastic. Little body lean and neutral to a slight understeer in the corners. But the trade-off was that the ride did become much stiffer. One could call it “rough”. This is most noticeable on potholes and bad pothole patch jobs. However, on a 3 hour ride which is on back country roads and includes some of my favorite twisties, my Wife said she liked the ride and the “secure feeling” (her words) in the corners. The roughness of the ride was greatly improved with the Bilstein shocks over the MINI shocks on the R56.

There are some posts on NAM discussing the front and rear swaybar upgrade on the F56 and I seem to remember generally positive comments. However, I would expect the ride to become stiffer.

 

The no longer make the H&R front sway bar. I called them to ask why and they said it was a defective unit and was only meant for the right hand drive Minis. Something with the left hand drive cars was causing issues and since the demand was so low they decided not to make a left hand drive version.

 

Huh, that's interesting. Kinda weird, since they are in Germany, a LHD country. I can attest that there was something off about the bushings they made, but I added washers as spacers and I think it was a solid solution. Anyway, I thought it was an odd kit for other reasons... too stiff. But getting off topic =)