Sorry I actually posted this on the 1st Gen GP Talk Hello Everyone I just wanted to introduce myself since I'm new to the MINI Community. I just traded my 2013 BMW M3 for a 2013 MINI Cooper GP #0477, I can't believe all the negative comments i got from a lot of people thinking that I made a BiG mistake. But let me tell you I enjoy driving this little car waaaaay more than the M3 that's for sure. The car is stock for now as it only has 132 miles, just placed an order today from Vince at GT Auto Concepts for the following items. - NM Engineering Cold Air Intake (Carbon Fiber) - NM Engineering Charge Pipe - NM Engineering Discharge Pipe - NM Engineering Turbo Heat Shield - iPE Valvetronic Cat-Back Exhaust System - iPE Down Pipe - Forge Motorsport Intercooler - Burger Motorsport JB And since I can't stand the stock wheels I ordered the - DuelL-AG OZ Wheels Superturismo LM23 Special Edition +35et Looking forward on making some friends here and learn more about these cars and sharing some great experiences with mods etc etc.

 

Congratulations and welcome to NAM. I think you made a good decision! I had an e36 (not am M) for 170k miles - loved the car but nowhere as much as my MINI.

Please let us know your impressions of the mods - so many good techincal people here (myself not included) you will get all the info your need.

 

Congratulations. Only people who have never driven a Mini don't know what they're missing.

 

Where's the front grill trim?

 

Ha Ha Ha good eye

What happened is that my service manager bought a 2013 JCW and he ordered the grill trim and scuttle's the same as GP's. He couldn't wait a few days and he took them of the GP not knowing I would want to buy it. But parts are back on the car and stickers came off already.

 

When do you expect to have your wheels on. I can't stand the stock wheels either and can't make up my mind on what to get. Where did you buy yours?

 

I ordered mine from GT Auto Concepts spoke to Vince. They will probably take around 6 weeks to get here. I didn't feel like paying 1,000 dollars for fast shipping.

 

Nice mod list. I had an E92 M3. Great car, great motor, not so great on weight. Enjoy your car.

 

I have been through a long list of awesome cars which are not as fun. The GP is a blast to drive. People don't get it till you let them drive it. Let's face it, its a goofy car and does not look like an aggressive M3 or RS4. But when you throw the car into a corner and hear that exhaust note its addicting.

I came from mostly BMWs and while I think my 135i was a better car in many ways, it was just not as fun even with double the power and RWD.

The other thing I have noticed over the years is BMW drivers are douche bags. If I see a MINI, they wave. I would pull up next to another E46 M3 and they would pretend to not see me. I have not seen this with MINI., People tend to be excited about the cars and the community that comes with them.

 

I understand exactly what you mean the culture of the MINI is just awesome. I actually work for a BMW MINI dealership. I'm the sales manager for the BMW Dealership, my buddy is the sales manager for the MINI cooper dealership and we were talking about that today.

I love my GP it's soooo fun to drive

 

I would seriously reconsider this mod - PE Valvetronic Cat-Back Exhaust System. There is no need for it. The exhaust on your car is the best. And while i have the Akrapovic turbo back on my car, if I had it to do over I would leave the exhaust stock.

 

He did what ?

 

This might sound like an amateur question, because it is, but what kinda gains are we talking with GP#0477's type mod package (pretty much the whole "system")? From what I can tell and what I've heard, its tough to get this thing fully on the pavement from 0-60 already with the front wheel drive's traction, but...from a stock 5.9second time to a what?? (This feels like a newbie question, ****!)

 

Can I ask how come? I'm thinking of changing the exhaust on my GP2. Would be interesting to hear your experience.

 

Thank you onefish2 - i was beginning to consider some exhaust changes but now i will rethink it.

 

In response to ThunderNeo and the OP signcarver - The car is a JCW GP2. You already have all the best stuff from the factory. Most of the posts and comments that you read here on NAM are people with a MCS that want to do upgrades. In that case it makes more sense to do those upgrades. People want a better exhaust, brakes, intake etc then what comes as original eqpt.

Now having said that after you drive the car and you determine that the coilovers on a GP2 are not to your liking and you want Ohlins or KWs or some other brand well more power to you that is a good decision in my book.

What bothers me is that people will do all these mods to their car the day they get it or a short while after because they read this or that here on NAM or had other influences. I am 100% guilty of the later. Why not drive the car for a while? See if you like it or if an upgrade is truly necessary of your time and money.

As for why I have the Akrapovic exhaust on my car... I had an exhaust shop cut out the resonator and install a used Akrapovic DP. I did not like the sound of the car and the drone and I had a problem with the used DP. I decided to just go ahead and buy a new full turbo back Akrapovic exhaust. And I already had the car for 3 years at that point.

In retrospect I should have just left the exhaust stock. It was a waste of time and money and I do not know if I even got any HP gains. My car is been tuned but not dynoed since I got the exhaust installed.

Now this may blow your mind. Look at my signature, see all those mods? In retrospect most are a waste as far as I am concerned. If I had this to do all over I would have leased the car instead of buying it and left it stock. To me the best upgrade on my car is the Integral Audio sound system. I like the DoS CAI, short shifter and the torque arm insert too.

Don't get me wrong. I love the car and this community. I just think I went a bit overboard for my needs.

If you are a car enthusiast/mechanic and/or if you track the car and you know way more than me, kindly disregard this post.

 

Thank you onefish2 - minor point, i wasn't the OP

I do appreciate your honesty here.

I have made some cosmetic mods to my GP (carbon fiber bits, headlight / taillight trim) but i have always been afraid to do anything that might void my warranty. Even the JB+ tune. I am so conservative about doing anything that diddles with the engine.

 

Thank you for your response back and for the detail you've gone into.

Sorry I really should have paid more attention to your signature as I presumed you had a GP too and was speaking from experience of changing the standard exhaust to an alternative.

I can understand where you're coming from. In the past I've owned and driven some heavily modified MINIs on the road and track, I therefore feel I have a pretty good understanding of what works and what doesn't. A lot of mods can make a vast difference on track, whilst other modifications do very little.

I plan to keep my GP2 as stock as possible as I think it's appealling to leave the GP as MINI intended. In my eyes that makes it more special.

However, having driven my GP for less than 300 miles, I don't think the exhaust is quite loud enough to give that sense of occasion I'm looking for when stepping into the car. I'm going to leave it for a while yet to wait and see if it becomes louder as it beds in with mileage. I do agree with you though on giving the current setup time too. How do you know what value a part adds if you don't give the benchmark time to sink in, in your mind first.

If I do change, I plan to retain the stock look and remove resonators by way of purchasing a second hand Factory JCW exhaust and modifying that. I plan to keep the stock GP exhaust in the garage.

 

GP#0477 - Post pictures of your modification when complete. I am anxious to see the Duell Ag edition OZ's on a GP.

My Mom had purchased a Countryman from EP MINI when I was in town about two years ago. At the time there was a white 1M in the back.....drool. With that being said, I moved from an E46 M3 and agree the MINI GP is less numb on the street. Enjoy!

 

I plan on bastardizing mine till it no longer resembles a GP at all. It's a car, that is all. I won't name my car either. I will do burnouts and autox till the suspension falls out of it. Then I will sell it and do it again to something else. The cycle continues.

 

I have a "dummy" box ready to go at a moments notice. It's a box with every single OEM part I changed out. Put it back to stock then go into dealer scratching your head.

 

I like your style

 

Yes that 1M belonged to the previous BMW Sales Manager. The wheels should be here around March 10

 

I am fortunate to have my garage occupied by our GP #0468 and our black 1M, the 5th one delivered in the US. Both will be garage mates for many years to come.

Bill

2013 GP #0468, 2010 JCW Clubman, 1964 Austin Cooper S, 2011 BMW 1M, 2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

 

What a great DUO you got there,