Looking for the best bang for the buck suggestions to upgrade my 2012 JCW hardtop/sunroof. Thinking about pursuing some track time in the future and would like to be competitive out there. Still going to stay my daily driver so not looking to go overboard. Would appreciate the input.

 

JB tuner & Sprintbooster. $500 or thereabouts and 15 minute reversible installation.
More fun per dollar than any other mods you can make.
ISAMIN

 

Downpipe
Tune (look up Mario Palza Manic Tune)
FMIC
CAI (debatable)

 

Rear swaybar

 

1) 22mm rear swaybar
2) brakepads, SS brakelines, and flush with Motul RBF600 brake fluid
3) upgrade tires - Michelin Pilot Super Sport or similar
4) coilovers, camber plates, and adjustable rear control arms
5) FMIC plus Manic tune

Prioritize handling and braking. A track prepped 1990 Miata with 120HP and a competent driver will embarrass you until you get rid of the inherent understeer and learn to drive it. Then add power. How do I know this? From track days.

Turning your daily driver into a gross polluter by getting rid of the catalytic converter for a few more HP = fail.

 

A tune, FMIC, and DP is not a "few" HP by any means. It's the absolute bang for the buck and will greatly improve the daily drive (and not hurt on the track) where the OP will spend most of the time. If that concerned about the environment there are alway catted DP options. I do however agree on your suspension suggestions.

 

With age, sometimes wisdom is obtained. If you look at my signature I have had a few sport cars. I sold my 0-60 in 4.3 second Corvette and kept my Mini. Yes I did mod my JCW to get another 30 HP out of it, but, as a kid I also know without a doubt that my bike went faster when I had the baseball card, you can bet is was not a good player, pinned to my strut via a clothespin so it would hit the spokes.

It comes down to what you want in a car; 2 HP or 20 HP? Then if you do mod, what do you do with all that raw power that you added? There are some roads around my house with some decent 90 degree turns. Those turns were at one time what made my day but after doing a mountain tour and taking a whole lotta of switchbacks, the local roads just do not do it anymore.

On a Mini, some good tires along with a heavier sway bar and on the Gen2 a Manic type tune should do the trick. BUT, then a good loud muffler may also do just what those baseball cards did for me, make you think you are driving soooooooo fast.

 

I was referring to the downpipe only, not the tune and FMIC. You can still get great gains with a the tune and FMIC while keeping the cat. If it was going to be a track only car that would only see a few hundred miles a month then do whatever. The OP said it was still his daily driver, so keep it clean and legal. The catalytic converter cleans up over 90% of the emissions, I just can't understand why anyone would take it off just for the incremental HP.

 

track you say? do HP last IMO

rear swaybar
brake pads & fluid
tires, I like hankook R-S4's now for track use, most street tires suck on the track they get hot and greasy and will chunk rubber destroying them. Especially if you are new at HPDE and not as smooth.
camber

do some autocross to learn limits

 

Bigger and adjustable RSB, decent non-runflat tires first. Start with your RSB in the "lowest" position, drive it hard, then see if you want more oversteer. I prefer oversteer to understeer, so went with the middle setting on mine after trying the softest setting. Then brakes. I went with cheap-o eBay drilled and slotted, with the included ceramic pads. Stop-Tech was the brand, IIRC. They seem to work fine. While you are in the brake department, definitely flush out your old brake fluid (don't forget the clutch bleed and flush, as they share the same fluid) and use a better fluid, with a higher boiling point. I use Torque RT700. THEN, add power. I am running a JB+, and it adds a good chunk of grunt. A "true" tune would be better, of course. If you have a manual trans, I would highly recommend a BMS clutch-stop, and a short-shifter kit. A torque arm insert is also nice, but I found the black one to transfer too much vibration, so went with the yellow. The list is long! And much dependent upon your tolerance for noise vibration and harshness. I like a loud exhaust, with a deep tone. No tinny-sounding buzz-bomb fart-cans for me. Delete the exhaust resonator, leave everything else stock, see what you think. I really like my Remus Powersound cat-back. If you want more turbo noise, delete the hot-side muffler with a straight pipe. If you like a blowoff "whoosh", replace the stock (weak) internal diverter valve with a true vent-to-atmosphere blowoff valve. I have a Forge BOV, and love the noise it makes. It sets no codes.

Well, that was a longer rant than I had intended. LOL. I would suggest that you do mods one at a time, so that you can evaluate each one as you go along. I have been guilty of throwing everything at it in one fell swoop with my other rides. With my MINI, I try to keep the mods one at a time. You are building a daily driver/occasional track car. I don't track mine, but I do drive on my twisty Mountain roads as if they were a track every now and then. Have fun, and Motor On!

 

+1, best answer imho. If OP meant track as autox, then do not even touch mods yet as it will put you in a whole new class. I would start with basic maintenance prep and some decent track tires for whichever style your entering. maybe even a set of lightweight wheels if you can swing it. Mini's do not need much, if anything, to dominate in autox