yes yes ! !

i flip-flop constantly with regards to aesthetics versus lightweighting as i also have a keen eye for design & sometimes the look is more worth than the shaving

i once came very close to grabbing some Goocars Hemi wheels which are quite heavy but i love the way they look, almost like a classic Torq-Thrust




and sometimes the pursuit of lightness has its own set of sacrifices,
like strength . . .

. . . SSR Type-C for instance is one of the lightest wheels that you can find & they are incredibly lightweight, but the daily real world ain't care about your expensive competition-spec wheels & may make you pay with breakage, here's a NAM'r who hit a pretty gnarly bump at 35MPH and altho harshly angular i suspect other wheels might not have been bent

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-look-for.html

 

Yup those are it. Here's a link to the site that the guy used to purchase them.
At 18x8.5 sized, they are pretty meaty and what a difference 225/40R18 make.

RH Maxi Light Super Concave Wheels

 

Today, Gollum had his 33rd oil change.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

I don't think ANY wheel would handle that at 35mph. He's actually lucky it only busted the wheel.

 

💯 poor wheel took one for the team....

 

SSR Type-C is notorious for being easily bent since wayback photobucket days

hitting a pothole can kablammo them in some cases

there was even a meme:
SSR = Super Soft Rims

 

“PRE”-ventive maintenance replaced the stock coils with Dinan, and stock Champion Spark Plugs with NGK Laser Iridium gapped to .030” or for those of you that I’ve on the other side of the pond, .762mm 🤪







Just waiting for UPS to deliver the upgraded lower cover and fasteners from Mini Parts Direct.

 

put a 3D printed badge

 

I just washed it.

30 minutes later it rained.

 

Washed and detailed the Mini this morning, then took her in for a transmission service. I learned a few new things today, the DCTs do not have filters - I thought all automatics had filters. But the master service tech explained that the DCTs are different, simply put - their manuals that you do not have to shift yourself, to me that sounds like an automatic but whatever. Then I learned the magic German transmission juice they put in them is $80 a quart, it must be a blend of unicorn blood, alien power cell flakes and powdered blue diamond dust. I just hope it's worth the $650 price tag that came with it and the transmission lasts longer than everything else on the car.

 

Today I started putting together my Direct Water Meth Port Kit with a 5th Nozzle and then went out of town to snap some really nice shots of my R60. I plan on also putting in a Dynotune Nitrous kit in the near future, I just need a few more hoses and I should be set. Also, has anyone bought a JMTC Aluminum Intake and then added meth fittings to it? I was contemplating it but the PCV hose looks like it may be in the way, maybe Ill get a CNC Innovations Intake if that wouldnt work out.

Let me know what you guys think!

 

The car looks great! I might have missed it, but what wheels are those?

The JMTC aluminum intake manifold will only work on N14 engines, not your N18.

 

Appreciate it!
Well that sucks, it said on their site it fits the R60, I didnt think the R60/R61 got the N14. I guess CNC Innovations is my option then.
The rims are VORS TR5 19x8.5 +35, I really wanted a machined 5 spoke set and when I saw those I knew it would set the car off. I the future I plan on getting some Litespeed C5M Rims, which will drop about 6-7lbs per corner at the same size and they look identical.

I wish I had $25-30k laying around...I might be able to finish the car the way I want it...

 

It doesn't look like the rain bothered my washed Mini that much. Makes Santa Monica bay look nice though.

 

After jacking up the car today I noticed oil under the AC compressor, it wasnt dripping but it looked like it would after a bit. I tried finding where the leak was coming from but couldnt nail it down. I had a leak a few months ago from this same area and it turned out to be a tensioner bolt under the engine mount.
I thought I cleaned the entire area but maybe not, so I cleaned it all and will keep an eye on it to see if more oil shows up or not.

I also just noticed how little room I have between my valve cover and my intake, Im not sure if Im going to be able to do my direct port injection with what I have...I may have to go with thinner nozzle holders for it to work out...

 

I generally prefer the Clubman over the Countryman but your rig looks like a pretty sweet setup.

 

Thank you!
I like the clubman too but I already have a R56 and wanted AWD. The Torque steer on my R56 scares me..

 

Adjusted the height of my coil overs because I was scrapping on every dip and driveway. Previous owner had them set to the lowest setting.
While doing that noticed I had a huge nail in the left rear, so I dropped that off for a flat repair. While waiting for the flat fix, peeked onto ECS Tuning website to see if anything was on sale, and darn it, something was! So I ordered a JCW Tuning Kit, original price was $2400 and their letting them go for $1039. I'm already tuned, so all I really need is the JCW exhaust setup. So only 1 grand for a JCW Pro valved exhaust, I couldn't pass that up plus FREE SHIPPING.

So I'll be selling the tuning portion of this kit after the install. Ohhhh yeah, and registered for the Cali portion of MTTS 2026.

 

@bluonyx
How much was gas per gallon in CA?

 

Around the corner from me, it’s $6.79 for 91.
I usually go to Costco, it’s $5.85 there.

 

Didn't do a darn thing to my Mini today.
Not to divert from the subject but...
'always curious as to what premium gas prices are going for around the country.

Here in the wastelands of ABQ and Santa Fe - 91 is currently @ $4.89/gal (average).
Better deals can be had in and around the Pueblo/reservations at Phillips 66 for 91 @ $4.19/gal.

I personally avoid city/in town driving (19 - 22mpg) on these ridiculously rough roads and always prefer to take the long way on the interstate any chance I can (33mpg).

 

Depending on the station around here (Central, VT) its around $4.85 to $5.20 for 94...thats all I use. I get between 14-20mpg myself but when I did try to get as good as I could mileage, it was closer to 30mpg

 

Yeah - I don't get it...When I'd lived in the South all I ran in my Mini R53 was Chevron/Texaco 93 octane since brand new. Now that I'm out here in the South West = 'oil producing desert', the highest grade is 91...What gives???

 

A search says “only 91 is needed because at higher altitudes the thinner air produces lower combustion pressures and nothing higher is needed”. Hmmmm???? Is that true for supercharged and turbo engines???

 

91 is adequate until my modded R53 MCS was tuned by Revolution Mini Works @ 93 octane.