I see lots of you are very enthusiastic about tuning your MINIs, but I have noticed that some of you have been going down the wrong road. Instead of making a decision that you will regret later, ask questions here. There's lots of us here with experience in tuning and racing cars.

 

>>I see lots of you are very enthusiastic about tuning your MINIs, but I have noticed that some of you have been going down the wrong road. Instead of making a decision that you will regret later, ask questions here. There's lots of us here with experience in tuning and racing cars.

Yup, if anyone needs advice, it will be me. Here is one: I found a one setting colder plug (NGK) but it is not a "4 prong" type. My question is does it matter? I see those that are offered by PILO Racing and by Randy Webb are not.

 

I'm not really familiar with the 4 prong plugs, but do know that they don't work too well on older BMWs. If your car specs the 4 prong, I would stick to that. The 4 prong probably has a more even spark to provide ignition, as opposed to a spark plugs with one electrode. One thing that is very important in the new cars is the electronics/electrical system. IF you change the amount of spark going to the engine via a different plug, you may have some problems.

 

I don't think you must use 4 prong plugs for the MINI-certainly you can choose to.
I'm going to have MiniPilo comment about the use of Accel plugs vs the stock or upgraded 4 prong plugs.
We'd like to know the Pros and cons not to mention there is a big price difference.
Thanks.

 

>>I see lots of you are very enthusiastic about tuning your MINIs, but I have noticed that some of you have been going down the wrong road. Instead of making a decision that you will regret later, ask questions here. There's lots of us here with experience in tuning and racing cars.

I don't think anyone means to head down the wrong road intentionally.
Would you please site a hypothetical example or two of and MC and an MCS that are heading down two different wrong roads that would lead to regret later in each case. Thanks.

 

ok, how's about running down my check list of possible future mods...

immediate future
1) larger throttlebody
2) rear swaybar
3) h-sport springs
4) rear control arms - mainly cause i've heard you can't really even out the alignment without it after having installed the springs

later future
1) alta oil catcher thing - mainly since i plan on holding onto my mini long-term and this is supposed to prolong the life of the s/c
2) ecu - think this might add more power vs. jcw? which alot of people here seem to think is a bit conservative
3) intercooler - once the new designs are tried and tested

any opinions? i do not plan on racing at hrp or on the streets. just basically to enjoy even more my daily ride which is currently ~60 miles thru city and highway. also i do not plan to put in a contest-quality sound system. i will put in some pretty decent sounds, but will not sacrifice the whole boot to show off some customized boxes/platforms. i actually like to listen to and tune in to my mini at times.

 

Spending $$$ on colder plugs when it is unnecessary
Overdriving the sc without a software upgrade to richen to air fuel mixture
Running NOS on a road course
Strut bars, nice, but blingy
Sway bars set on full hard

Strut bars and sway bars are nice to have, but people should master their car first, before modifying the suspension. These mods could actually slow a person down instead of making them faster. Case in point was when I took my purple beast onto the track and took the off camber turn. I had just purchased the car a few days earlier. The first time I did that I spun and could not figure out why. The rear tires weren't the grippiest, but the car shoudl not have reaced that way. Later on, I put the car up on jack stands to find the car had an adjustable rear sway bar set on full hard. After I adjusted it to full soft, the car was completely different. Well, it's just my opinion on strut and sway bars....and quite a few of our instructors.

 

>>ok, how's about running down my check list of possible future mods...
Just some small comments.

>>immediate future
>>1) larger throttlebody-
small gains only a few HP for $399
>>2) rear swaybar-
perfectly fine just try the medium setting first and see how it works for you
>>3) h-sport springs-
rougher/bumpier ride but better cornering and more aggressive stance
>>4) rear control arms - mainly cause i've heard you can't really even out the alignment without it after having installed the springs-
Yes you have an easier time adjusting rear negative camber but it is not required to have adjustable rear control arms to align the MINI within factory specs.

>>
>>later future
>>1) alta oil catcher thing - mainly since i plan on holding onto my mini long-term and this is supposed to prolong the life of the s/c
Not a performance upgrade, the oil catch can may help a little but has fitment problems in the past so make sure that those issues are resolved before purchasing it. Talk to Randy Webb.
>>2) ecu - think this might add more power vs. jcw? which alot of people here seem to think is a bit conservative
The problem with any ECU upgrade for JCW is not that it will work well but that it would void the warranty of the ECU. Might be worth talking to Randy Webb about that aspect as right now the Webb/PowerChip ECU is the upgrade to beat for the MCS.
>>3) intercooler - once the new designs are tried and tested
Water to air larger intercooler is more efficient for our hotter climate and for lower street speeds-but it is more expensive to maintain and more complicated to install.
>>
>>any opinions? i do not plan on racing at hrp or on the streets. just basically to enjoy even more my daily ride whic,__u currently ~60 miles thru city and highway. also i do not plan to put in a contest-quality sound system. i will put in some pretty decent sounds, but will not sacrifice the whole boot to show off some customized boxes/platforms. i actually like to listen to and tune in to my mini at times.
>>
>>

 

I thought you already had a larger throttle body? Good for better throttle response and top end.
Sway bars - try soft and work your way to hard to see the difference
Springs - bumpy for the street, but good for handling
Rear control arms - haven't heard about the alignment probs
oil catcher - yes, by all means, also think about checking the oil in the sc
ecu - good if you want cheap hp, a must if od'ing the sc
bigger intercooler - too bad you can't mount it in the gap in the front bumper

 

3.) I inquired about NOS (nationally)

5.) My rear sway bar is set on stiffest

*Hey, 2 out of 5 ain't bad

**If it was 2 out of 3 (per Meatloaf's hit) --> now that would be bad

 

NOS - please use only in a straight line
Stiffest setting on sways - normal driving is not so bad, but my normal driving is pretty bad w/ ripping 90 degree turns

 

I'm caaalllliinnnggg BeeeeeastMaaaaster--if you're with us, give us a sign--maybe rev your engine?

I'm preparing to get a 15% pulley installed on my 02 MCS...to date only performance mod is a Rogue CAI....will I need colder plugs if I'm running the pulley and my stock ECU?

other plans: [B}oil catch can[/B] for longevity (and can you point me to a thread on how to clean my supercharger? I'd like to clean it before I install the catch can--I have 20K miles).

alta air diverter for maximum airflow to my stock supercharger (despite reported no HP gains) and to dress my engine up

22mm rear swaybar --plan to run on soft setting--hoping I won't notice this except in the turns...got a deal on a new Alta for $135 couldn't pass it up, even though I hadn't totally decided on it vs maybe a 19mm vs.the new Hsport with zerks, vs maybe none at all...don't want to stiffen my everyday ride...and plan to get some lessons on handling in a driving school...

Exhaust &/or ECU upgrade Ignition Upgrades were considered, but are on hold for now, till I see how things are with the pulley, and until Im feeling I need more power and/or need to spend more money

already switched to non runflats and bought rims I like but stayed with 16inches even though there's not nearly as much to choose from....I'm a daily driver and comfort is important (keeping my x-lites--may want to mount sticky tires and race someday--who knows!??!)

Am I overlooking something? Tossing away perfectly good greenery? (nawwww)
Look deeep into your crythtal ball...am I going where I want to get? But seriously, whatcha think?

 

i dont know much about cars and/or racing but baronious has always told me to take mods one-at-a-time so you can appreciate them and know how/what is being changed in the car. doing 10 things at once will never tell you what mod contributed to something better/worse.

it's also a great thing to bring your car to auto-x as you build your mods and it will show you what the car is capable of doing and in a CONTROLLED environment, especially for things like swaybars at the stiffest settings. it would really suck to have to learn the hard way....

my 2 cents :smile:

 

mini-t,

Your $.02 is worth $200! Very good advice.

 

"it's also a great thing to bring your car to auto-x as you build your mods and it will show you what the car is capable of doing and in a CONTROLLED environment, especially for things like swaybars at the stiffest settings. it would really suck to have to learn the hard way.... "

Definitely agree mini-t, even a swaybar at the softest setting needs to be figured out since it's a change from the handling I'm familiar with now..
do you autoX? where do you find out about these meets?

 

hey beastmaster, can i apply this $200 towards the purchase of the v-spokes?


(pardon me for being a dork)

>>mini-t,
>>
>>Your $.02 is worth $200! Very good advice.

 

>>NOS - please use only in a straight line
>>Stiffest setting on sways - normal driving is not so bad, but my normal driving is pretty bad w/ ripping 90 degree turns . My bro has a killer Miata with NOS (also has a new G35). Maybe I'll push his button

 

Jmoser,

I'm not the definitive word on the MINI. There are others around such as Keith Y, baronious, ...who's knowledge is much more up to date. FYI, I haven't touched a MINI since I got rid of mine 6 months ago.

Anything to increase longevity of your engine and sc is desireable so I would go for the catch can. 15% pulley should be fine, but check with the pulley manufacturer for ECU upgrades and what kind of effect the pulley would have on the car with and w/o it. Also ask the manufacturer about colder plugs. They'll probably suggest it would be a good idea.

Start with the sway on soft, master that and then move up. Not sure about the air diverter as I really don't know about the product.

As mini-t said, take mods one step at a time so you can see the effect on your car for better or worse.

 

no modding for me......i barely have time to do my exterior mods

and anyways.....like I told erik808....once I get started, it'll be hard to stop. I believe he told me something to the effect of...."I agree" Hmmmmm.........I wonder what happened there, erik?

 

>>I believe he told me something to the effect of...."I agree" Hmmmmm.........I wonder what happened there, erik?

 

and i almost forgot...brakes! new pads for improved braking and cutting down on the damn dust on the white wheels, slotted rotors and stainless steel brake lines. probably will look at a package brake upgrade from one of our many fine vendors. but a modest one, since i will only have 16" wheels and most of the big brake kits probably won't fit. plus, like i said earlier, i don't plan on racing.

 

kyle,

I hope you re-torqued those wheel bolts. Pads, rotors and ss lines? Not really necessary for the street. If you get cross drilled, make sure the holes are cast, not drilled. The whole shebang can be installed in @ 2 hours. Oops slotted rotors. Did you know the original intention for the slots in the ATE rotors were for use as wear indicators for the TUV?

No need for the bbk unless you're racing. $3k for front brakes for the street is not worth it.

You have white wheels? I thought they were brown just like your car.

_________________

 

well, my wheels are always ever-changing...white for the first 1/3 of the week, tan the middle 1/3, and ala wai the last 1/3.

oh yeah, ala wai is from my high school ceramic class days - a combo of all the paints mixed together. you know, black brake dust, central oahu red dirt, street sludge, and townie mud and tar.

 

Anymore good questions for the_Beastmaster?

When is the next poker run? Got to win my money back from last year.

 

Poker Run? I'm not the President anymore so itis up to him as to what type of events he would like to put on. He is also on the mainland at a CCA Congress for Pres, Treasurer and Membership Coordinator.