I believe I need a new flex coupling on my 2006 JCW convertible and I just found out that it's an all-in-one unit and the best price I can find one for is from my local shop at $1008.00. Owch!


Does anyone know of an aftermarket replacement for the factory unit? I'd want to retain all sensors, maybe gain a few HP, and not have it much louder than stock.


Thanks!

 

Of course any pre-cat exhaust change is illegal in CA but I have never had an issue with installing an aftermarket manifold/header on a CA registered car as long as it still had a good cat converter and passed the non-visual portion of the smog test (now they do not even do a sniff test but instead just test at the OBD port).
If you go with a good header/cat combo such as the Flashpoint ($800) or Milltek ($1300) you should be OK. I have never had a smog inspector look that close that he could tell that the header had been changed. Especially on the Mini where it is under a heat shield.

 

get it welded, its a common breaking point.

Nik

 

For sure someone has a stock R53 header laying around they can sell you for super cheap. Do a WTB in the classifieds and/or call a few MINI tuners that would very likely have some.

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-manifold.html




Or the stock one.

https://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2006-Cooper-R53-S-Coupe-L4_1.6L_W11B16A/OE/

 

Hmmmm......if mine is like the one in the photo above, that certainly seems weldable. But.....can it be done with the pipe in the car? Is there enough room between the top of the pipe and the bottom of the heat shield to get in there and weld? And how risky is welding it in the car? Will some bozo with a torch destroy my heat shield or something else?


And given that I've got nearly 100,000 miles on the car, am I better off replacing the whole unit entirely and know that I'll not have more problems in 5000, 10,000 miles?


Also, has anyone in California ever installed an aftermarket header/coupling/CAT and then passed smog? I'm still tempted to go that route and have been looking at the offerings from Quicksilver which seems to be very well made.


http://www.quicksilverexhausts.com/M...ctbulletin.htm


Also, how difficult is it to install one's self? I have a lot of experience working on cars, rebuilding engines, transmissions, brakes, etc. However, I don't have a lift and all I would have is some ramps and/or jack stands to put the car up on. And does the engine need to be moved to do this job? If the engine doesn't have to be moved, can one get a torque wrench on the manifold nuts from the top? If the engine has to be moved/removed, then I don't want to tackle it and will have BR Racing do the job. I may just have them do the job anyway.


Oh, and I can get the OEM manifold/CAT assy for 1008 dollars, so I'm wondering if the additional cost of an aftermarket unit is worth the extra 10 or so HP or the potential of flunking the smog test.


Finally, between Quicksilver and Milltek, who makes the better header and CAT?

 

After talking the my shop (BR Racing in Los Gatos) they tell me that unless I'm making a lot of mods to my engine, an aftermarket header doesn't really buy me anything and that the stock header flows more than well enough for my JCW. So, I'll be sticking with stock and I'll have them do the install as well as I've seen some youtube videos on how it's done, and I really don't have a way to get the car up high enough to work on it. Besides, BR can do it much faster than I and they have plenty of experience with stock Minis as well as building Minis for racing.