Hey all,

So I got my JCW above the 1000 mile mark a few weeks ago so I decided to take it to the track. Needless to say I am hooked. I want to go faster, turn tighter, and brake harder. I have a 2012 JCW clubman (pics will follow) and I have about 3-4k to spend on performance upgrades. I want a bit of everything when it comes to types of upgrades, but I might be convinced to spend it all on a single MAJOR upgrade.

Some of the things I have looked at are the obvious choices:

Downpipe - looking at akropovic or however you spell it

FMIC - Looking at the forge

Suspension - (I originally wanted coil-overs but waylan from WMW
convinced me that his suspension set (springs, sway bar, and controller arms) would be fine for now. Any arguments for or against this?

Sprint Booster or D1 throttle controller - The D1 is significantly cheaper, buy waylan has presented a solid point in my mind. Its not certified. I have questions as to why not and how are they making it at nearly half the cost of the competitor if they arent cutting corners.

Torque Arm - Already ordered the BSH arm

SPORT setting saver - Must have, so tired of having to hit that buttong every time I start my car.

CIA - I have heard differing opinions here. Some say it gives power, some say it doesnt. I like it for the noise effect alone. Dont know if its worth the price tag though.

Tune - Should I go with a canned solution or drive it to a tuner? If I take it to a tuner, can I save his mapping to my alta (assuming I get one) and then switch them as I please?

Wheels and tires - I want a track set and a road set. I like the run flats for daily driver use, I want ultra light wheels and track tires for track days.

Scan gauge - Worth it or not? Why?


Some other questions I have are about parts that I am dubious about. Not sure if they are placebo or necessary. I saw an oil cooler over at M7. Real results or ********? I have also been told that as long as I drive my car with some gusto regularly (I do) that carbon build up wont be an issue and that an OCC or Meth is unnecessary. Thoughts?


Also, what am I missing from this list? This is my daily driver, but it will see a *LOT* of track time. Multiple times per month, budget willing. Tell me about upgrades I haven't listed and therefore don't know about.


Thanks for reading my wall of text guys and I look forward to your comments!

 

Downpipe - looking at akropovic or however you spell it I would go with WMW's catless DP cheaper and just as effective

FMIC - Looking at the forge Personally I would go with Helix, just seems to be the best design available and they all cost the same

Suspension - (I originally wanted coil-overs but waylan from WMW
convinced me that his suspension set (springs, sway bar, and controller arms) would be fine for now. Any arguments for or against this? If you can afford coilovers I would get them now. Chances are you will just switch later

Wheels and tires - I want a track set and a road set. I like the run flats for daily driver use, I want ultra light wheels and track tires for track days. IMO the runflats are unnecessary, but whatever you are comfortable with

Torque Arm - Already ordered the BSH arm

CIA - I have heard differing opinions here. Some say it gives power, some say it doesnt. I like it for the noise effect alone. Dont know if its worth the price tag though. The JCW intake makes good power compared to most aftermarket offerings, I would use the money towards the afore mentioned coilovers

Sprint Booster or D1 throttle controller - The D1 is significantly cheaper, buy waylan has presented a solid point in my mind. Its not certified. I have questions as to why not and how are they making it at nearly half the cost of the competitor if they arent cutting corners.

SPORT setting saver - Must have, so tired of having to hit that buttong every time I start my car.

Tune - Should I go with a canned solution or drive it to a tuner? If I take it to a tuner, can I save his mapping to my alta (assuming I get one) and then switch them as I please?

Scan gauge - Worth it or not? Why?

All of the last four items can be handled with the alta accessaport

 

The Accessport will fix the throttle response issue but will not affect the steering feel that the sport button also does. You would still need the SPORT setting saver for that. But trust me after a year of pressing the buttons first thing. you don't think about it anymore.
Besides it only a matter of time before you are turning the traction control down a notch too. So consider it the startup sequence like a plane :-)

What kind of track action do you see? If you do coilovers you should also do camber plates. Way's setup is great for 95% of the Mini's out there. If you autocross I think his package also keeps you in DS class.

If you get a down pipe you will need the AP to stop the CELs. Yeah, yeah some don't get the CEL, but if you do and don't have the AP you will be pissed.

FMIC if you get an AP to make use of it.

Dumping the run flats and getting the AP will make the biggest differences. Just my 2 pennies worth.

 

I checked with Alta just now and they do NOT support the sport button settings or the sprint booster capability. Just wanted to let you know.

 

What do you guys think about the ALTA performance package?

http://www.altaperformance.com/clubm...s-power-pack-3

 

Well, I went ahead and bought a set of wheels and tires. I went with 7x7 O.Z. Alleggerita HLT x4 and 215/45ZR-17 Michelin Pilot Super Sport XL x4. My wallet screamed abit at that one. He was quickly beaten into submission.

 

I just put in my order for a forge FMIC, akropovic downpipe, NM engineering catback, WMW exhaust manifold, and NM discharge pipe. Excited!

After this I need to get a CAI, figure out my tuning options, get coilovers (gonna go with PSS10's), better brake pads, and a sway bar and I should be set for some awesome track time!

Will get pics and what not up. Gonna try and document myself putting on the parts as this is the first car I've ever really worked on.

 

Good thing you beat the wallet into submission already cuz thats a health order of parts right there. Curious to the WMW manifold...what made you pull the trigger on that versus other items?

 

I spoke to waylan for quite awhile and I really feel like he knows what hes talking about. He told me that this was a part that he could really feel with the butt dyno. I will admit to a bit of brand loyalty as waylan has been SUPER helpful, always taking time to answer my questions and even telling me when a part is better than what he sells. I respect that. Another reason is that I didnt know that anyone else made an aftermarket manifold.

 

As long as I can spend YOUR money...

With all that you are doing to the suspension, tune and all, you will want to get a set of these to keep you in the seat (one for you and one for an instructor):

Schroth Rallye 4 Quick Fit Harness Belts

http://www.hmsmotorsport.com/store/s...quick-fit-mini

Either that or get a pair of CG-locks

 

OOOooooOOo, nice find, ordered.

 

Boy, do I LOVE spending other people's money

BTW - I have them in my car along with CG locks. I have the CG locks because I have heard that some instructors don't believe a 4 point harness is safe. Most HPDEs require that the instructors to have the same level of seating/restraint as the driver - only fair. So I carry both and don't argue about the use of the 4 point harness. So with those instructors I will use the stock 3 point with the CG locks. The Quick fit takes 5 min to install or take out - no problem. I leave the CG locks in place all of the time and drive with them on the street.

Wait, that means the CG locks are another thing for me to spend your money on

 

Your going to have a busy weekend as we have parts flying out the door to you.
Can't wait to see your thoughts after this first round of mods.

 

You should check the Forge FMIC, I had someone check with them and it seems because MINI added a lower front bumper brace the Forge will not fit, spoke with Helix and they have successfully installed their unit on a 2012 MCS. I received my last week and will install this weekend.

 

KW V3 coilovers, K&N filter, stainless steel brake lines, and motul 600 brake fluid ordered.

Probably gonna go ahead and order my accessport today as well. Also need to research camber plates.

 

I spoke with way and he assured me that the forge will fit. Thanks for the heads up though!

 

What about brake pad? If you want to stop better on the track get a set of Carbotech XP10 track pads.

 

Just ordered the accessport. Dont mind my wallet as it whimpers in the corner, crying itself to sleep. I try not to think about how I have turned my 42k car into a 51k car thats actually worth about 25k. fml....

Just need to get a helmet now and I am done for a good while.

 

I am just gonna ride out the factory pads. Once those go out, I will get aftermarket pads.

 

The Accesport is totally worth it - this car is fun!

The driving experience is improved immensely

 

I am also purchasing a go pro HD 2 so that I can document everything including building the car up, and then tracking it.

 

So I gather that you didn’t experience any brake fade when you went out. But I would think that you were driving much less aggressively than what you will be as you gain a little experience and with the modification that you are making. Just be wary. If the brakes start to take more effort or start to feel spongy, that is brake fade and you will need to get better pads.

I am also going to get on my soapbox for a minute; say my piece and go away.

I have 12 track days under my belt. Not a lot and certainly not enough to know everything. But I have seen and experienced a lot in that short time. Last year I saw a MINI stuffed into a guard rail at 80 mph and another spin on a 90 mph corner into the tire barrier for $10k worth of damage. This year I saw a one-of-a-kind (#1 of 2000) TransAm Firebird that slid 200 feet off the track backwards into a stand of trees and hit so hard that the front bumper was damaged. And a friend rolled his MINI. All of these people are expert, solo drivers. The track is a very unforgiving place.

I appreciate your enthusiasm (I was there not too long ago), but I would also not like to hear of you having a problem.

Many of the changes that you are making, in particular the rear sway bar, are intended to take some of the understeer out of your car. However, that is also taking away some stability that is designed into the car. That means that the car will be more prone to wanting to swap ends. What this can translate into is a rear wheel slide that you can’t correct with any steering input. When the tires do hook up you will likely be pointed at a guard rail. Yes this can happen in an understeering prone front wheel drive car like a MINI. Take real care in setting up the shocks to achieve a good front to rear balance. My advice is to not take much of the understeer out at first and progress to a more neutral car as you gain experience.

My mentor once told me to never take a car onto the track that you can’t afford to lose either monetarily or emotionally. The guy who lost his TransAm was in tears and many people felt bad for him. As for monetarily, you should buy track insurance. If you belong to BMWCCA you can get discounted track insurance for their events and as a bonus, they also run less expensive track days than many groups. Listen to your instructor and drive smoothly and conservatively. There is plenty of time to go faster. Your main objectives of a track day is to have fun, learn about your car and yourself and drive your car home; not go home in the cab of a flatbed.

Thanks for indulging my rambling. This is just one person’s experience.

 

The way I always look at HPDE days is that they are a fun, controlled way to explore the limits of the car and do the most important thing, teach the person behind the wheel to really learn to drive at their best. To me, even a justa can be very fast on the track once you're up to speed and taking the proper racing line, so the most important thing is being able to stop. I would look to upgrade the brake fluid (which costs all of $30) and get stainless steel brake lines. This will really help get the most from the already good brembo system on the JCW. The rubber hoses can eventually start to bulge and stretch after repeated track use. The stainless steel lines won't have those issues and help resist fade better.

Congrats on the car and the mods. Glad you are enjoying your MINI!

 

be glad to help ... i will pm you my paypal or snailmail if you would rather send me a check

scott

 

+1 on everything Eddie07S said

after i bought my first front wheel drive car, a 1976 VW Rabbit, and exited a couple corners backwards and on the inside, i figured i needed some instruction on how to drive the then new concept of FWD

i took lessons on road rally driving, the only place FWD was raced at the time, in a Saab with an instructor on board

since then, over the years i have many track days, but in about 1986, i started to do track days on my motorcycle

eveything gets much more serious on a motorcycle because if you crash YOU are directly involved, no cage to protect you

i have seen more equipment carnage than i can even begin to list here, but 100s of thousands of $$$ and many scrapes and broken bones

now i trailer the track vehicle to ensure i have a way home and try to have someone else along to drive in case i am injured, and track days are much more fun with friends

all that said, i may track the CMS All4 once (or twice ... maybe three times ), but i will be staying with motorcycles for track days ... faster .... cheaper .... lots more fun, right up to the point of impact

scott