After getting an alignment for the front camber and toe, it seems that I will need to take care of the rear. I think I read in another post that it is possible to adjust the rear, but it may be too limited.

So I will be getting the Helix adjustable rear lower control arms to put on to give me a good range of adjustability. Other choices are ALTA, H-SPORT, and Megan Racing. A good place to check is on outmotoring.

 

The brake pads that come as stock are great for the street, although they produce lots of brake dust on my wheels (which I am used to with my BMW). However, I don't really know how well they will stand up to abuse on the track. I don't see much aftermarket brake pad availability yet for the R56, but there does seem to be "special order" available from Hawk, Carbotech to name a couple. I do see that one website lists the Hawk HP Plus for the 2007 MCS, which is special order: http://www.topbrakes.com/

I'll be the guinea pig and see exactly how long it takes to fill a special order on the Hawk HP Plus. I may have to run my stock pads at Laguna Seca in January if it takes too long, but at least I will have them for another event. It may be that this will satisfy my needs rather than a big brake kit.

 

Yea, although the R56 brakes are more then sufficient for the street, I've heard many reports that they're far from optimal for the track. Problem is they have more than enough power, just don't dissipate heat fast enough to take advantage of it all.

 

In order I would try: 1) Pads 2) Fluid and 3) SS lines. If you don't get all the braking force, feel and longevity you need on the track after that... somthing is seriously wrong.

 

Today I got my Helix adjustable rear lower control arms delivered. I also checked on my brake pad order and was still on waiting status. So I called up Carbotech (Danny Puskar) and they had some XP10's sitting on the shelf in stock (lucky for me!). Apparently, they have been selling for the 2007 MINI for about the last month. So I should have a great setup for the track later this month.

http://www.ctbrakes.com

http://ctbrakes.com/pads/mini.htm

p.s. I think the front pad designation is D1204 and the rear is D1309 for the 2007 MCS.

 

The JCW engine kit comes with a cylindrical air filter, which will need to be replaced at some point. Will this air filter be ridiculously overpriced since it is JCW?

 

Yes, the stock paper filter will be around $100. There is a foam aftermarket one available for slightly less here:
http://www.minspeed.net/R56JCWITG.htm

 

YE$S

 

I'm just glad they'll be offering the big-brake kit from the Stage II ala carte.

 

so that JCW engine mod option, any idea on the install costs?

 

The recommended installation time is 2 hours. Labor costs vary by dealership. Typically $100-$120 per hour or even more.

 

I just don't see the point in the JCW engine upgrade unless you are overly worried about warranty. Otherwise it makes no sense whatsoever.

 

Well for a lot of people warranty in itself is a huge factor. Also there's the guaranteed high quality, better resale value and to some a sense of heritage. Finally, the JCW stage I is currently the only way to get an actual ECU flash for the R56.

 

"Overly worried"? Its a first model year car and there are several owners experiencing "mystery" engine and tranny problems. I can't imagine what it would cost out of pocket to sort some of these things out or swap and engine or tranny on a brand new car (it's being done ). Can you? After hearing about this experience, I personally dont want to: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...=123360&page=2

 

Drive the car for a while and see if you still feel that way...This little car with the Alta modifications runs like a scared rabbit.The JCW ECU has adapted to all the changes and my dealer has driven my car since my additions....He has no problems with the mods and to say he was impressed the way the car drove is an understatement.I am not worried about the warranty problems but it is sure nice to have the dealer there just in case and yes the JCW / BMW engineering ain't to bad either...

 

Back to this topic: the red line is with JCW Engine tuning kit. The red dashed line is overboost mode with JCW Engine tuning kit. The white line is stock MCS and the white dashed line is overboost mode with stock MCS. Torque units (values of Newton-meters rather than ft-lbs) are on the left side axis and HP units are on the right side axis. 1 newton meter = 0.737 562 147 282 pound foot

So I see a gain in torque across the board for the JCW compared to stock, and a gain in peak HP at the upper RPMs. It looks like below 4500 RPM the HP is lost compared to stock, but improvements made in the upper RPMs. I'm still confused at this stage...time for a dyno chart to look at instead. Power (hp) = Torque (ft-lb) * RPM / 5252

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=120528

I am just about broken-in on the 1200 miles and will be able to start going to 6000 rpm to see what's there this weekend! Finally!

 

I apologize for this off-topic question but how large is the shipping box that holds the JCW engine kit? Will the box fit into the back of my MCS with the rear seats folded down? Does anyone know? Since the kit contains a new exhaust, I think the box may be rather large.

The reason I ask is because I may buy this kit from Morristown MINI for cheaper ($1760 including shipping) and then have the kit installed at a dealership close to me. In that case, I would have to transport the kit box myself.

 

Why not just have it shipped to the dealer with your name as ATTN:

 

Today I tried exploring the upper RPM range on my same favorite road. Since it is a rainy N. California day, I figured it would be great test conditions to continue exploring the levels of grip and the DSC behavior, as well as how applying power affects the front end slippage. And the LSD behavior as well!

I am assuming that I was out with a motorcycle racer, as nobody I know is "hard core" enough to be out on a bike in the rain trying to touch a knee down! I was able to have some fun with lead-follow with the motorcycle. The MINI with 4 contact patches was better able to corner in the wet conditions. Obviously, not many cars were out with us and there was no need to go beyond 4th gear on this road anyway.

The MINI did an excellent job in the rain and inspired a lot of confidence. On the occasions where I broke it just a little loose into a slide, it was predictable handling. Because this was a public road I wasn't going to push it too far, my powerslides were limited to hairpin corners and uphill direction. The lead-follow with the motorcycle happened to be in the downhill direction.

Back to the upper RPMs evaluation, I wanted to see what shifting at 6000 RPM felt like on some straights, and it is a great feeling upshifting to the next gear with a strong rush of acceleration. So the sweet spot is probably between 4000 and 6000 RPM on this car. However, there is no feeling of "turbo boost" coming on above 4000 RPM, it is still very linear feeling all the way to redline almost like a normally aspirated car. In fact, I like this feel because I am already used to that with the BMW.

My stoplight test on the expressway was to row through the gears winding each one out and then look in my rear view mirror to see if the other cars starting looking like small distant objects! I let off the gas partway through 4th gear as the speeds were approaching enough to prove the point. The MINI can accelerate enough to make it fun, and should be just fine on the track with other more powerful cars given the equalizer of cornering.

I did pull the trigger on some 17" Motegi Traklites to go with my Nitto track tires. Pictures to come later in this thread.

 

Good idea, but I'd rather inspect all the parts that come in the kit first and make sure everything in the box is in good condition before the other dealership gets involved in the process.

 

the other dealer will probably give him grief about this...

think about it for a second: "hi, can I have the JCW kit that I bought at another MINI dealer shipped directly to you so that I don't have to carry it in my car?" sure, they'd like to make the money on the install, but they'll probably be bitter that you didn't buy the kit from them.

how about this one... if you are planning to drive to Morristown to pick it up, why not arrange with their service department to have it installed? That would eliminate having to worry about shipping it. And yes, the box it too big to fit inside the MINI.

 

Actually, I am not that close to Morristown MINI. I was planning on having them ship the kit to me. The shipping cost is only $80. But I think you are right, the dealership that would do the installation may not be too happy about me buying the kit from somewhere else.

 

Then Ask them to meet the price..something of something is better than nothing of nothing...my dealer worked with me when I purchased my car,what have you got to lose....

 

A few comments about the MINI DSC are in order: in comparison to my 2001 vintage DSC on the BMW, the 2007 vintage DSC on the MINI is vastly improved. The MINI allows for some wheelspin in the straight-ahead direction without intervening. The MINI didn't abruptly cut my throttle the way that the M5 version would. The M5 DSC is very intolerant of any wheelspin at all (even in the straight ahead direction). I guess these two systems are a generation apart from each other (6 years).

Since I was pushing the car in wet and slippery conditions, all I really saw was the occasional flashing light on the dash and all I really felt were probably single wheel braking inputs. There was no objectionable cutout of the throttle the way my M5 would deal with the same situation.

I'll gather some more data on this under track conditions, but my opinion right now is that MINI DSC is probably OK to leave turned on even on the track. I'll try it both ways and see.

Also, the hill assist feature is something that didn't exist on the 2001 BMW version of DSC, so it is a really nice additional feature. I think stop&go traffic on some of those steep San Francisco streets is where this really can shine.

One other commment: if I were doing a "blindfold" test as passenger on the JCW MINI, I would not know that it had a turbocharger and might think it was a normally aspirated vehicle. It is so smooth and linear that you could easily be fooled.

 

Here are the Helix rear lower control arms installed. I have -1.4 degrees camber in the front and -2.1 degrees camber in the rear now.