So my wife's 03 MCS is about to be all mine soon. I will be buying her a new one so I will finally be able to do anything I want to the r53. I already have suspension mods done to it. In the next month or so I will start on power mods. I have a 121k miles on the current motor. Is it worth adding power mods to this motor or should I go with the built motors I have found online? In the long run I would like to this car to produce 250+ hp. Anyone recommend a good site for built motors? Any other advice is welcome.

 

There are a few guys out there that could build you a 250hp+ motor (Jan?).....but you are probably talking $10,000+ for a complete motor(I'm sure there are guys that will chine in with better numbers....I'm just guessing).

What are you wanting to do with your car? Track car? Daily Driver?

If it was me, I would sell my mini and buy an older LS1 Camaro or GTO that can make 500+hp pretty easily before I would dump that kind of money into a $7,000 mini R53....but that's just me

 

Well I have already had the camaro's and got a little burnt out from them. After my wife bought the mini I fell in love with it. The mini won't be my daily driver. I would like the car to eventually be a track car/weekend warrior.

 

And as for the value, that doesn't matter to me. I'm not looking to sell the car later for a profit or anything. I'm doing this for the pure enjoyment I get from driving my mini.

 

You are probably better off to do the "standard" mods like cai, pulley, exhaust, maybe a cam, injectors, and custom tune....that will get you 200hp pretty easy......anything more than that is going to be pretty pricey.

Take the rest of your money and do suspension and brake upgrades. Coilover shocks, sway bar, big brake kit.....I think that would be more "fun" and useful on the track vs. spending that extra money on getting 50hp more from the motor.

As far as making your mini a "weekend warrior" ....with all of the twin-turbo LS cars cruising around on the streets making 800+ hp on pump gas, its not worth it. Minis are made to handle awesome....not be hp monsters.

 

For built motors, you just want a whole engine with all mods done ?

Otherwise, intake, exhaust, cam.. etc would be the first step. Then suspension to make it handle even better. Rear sway bar, coilovers , PF or superpro bushing all around.

 

I'm basically looking for a built long block. Forged internals.

 

ECS, I just noticed your right down the street from me. I'm gonna have to stop in and check out the store.

 

Cool, currently we don't have a showroom or in store pickup. But are parking lot is full or euro cars.