just got my first mini and im thinking about adding a bit more power. OBX headers are my first buy, but does anyone know a good upgrade for a cam? Also is a upgraded pulley a good idea if I already have jcw's pulley that they put on?

 

congrats

 

It really depends on what you're using the car for. There are many different cams that are a good upgrade, but it's application dependent.

Header really isn't a going to be a major upgrade unless you're changing the head too. I wouldn't bother with it otherwise, unless it's more noise you're after.

Pulley is application dependent as well. If it's street driven, you'll notice a big difference going to a 17, but a 15 is probably better for the track.

Be a good idea once you have your budget and goals in mind to give one of the vendors here a call--WMW, Helix, Grassroots, etc., all depending on where you live.

 

my application is just for street driving, just for fun. So you dont think the headers is a good buy? and I keep reading about RMW cams, are they good? and how much hp gain is the 17% pulley?

 

Since you already have the 12% JCW pulley you will not see to much difference going to a 15% pulley. I do not know if the difference between 12% and 17% is worth the effort. Also, I have seen many posts about people having a little difficulty getting a pulley puller for the JCW size pulley.
One option is to leave the JCW pulley and add a 2% oversize ATI Crankshaft pulley to spin the supercharger a little faster, especially since the stock crank pulley can fail.
http://www.waymotorworks.com/super-d...ulley-r53.html

I would spend money on other things first before a header.

Be cautious about a cam. I know two people that installed cams and then had valvetrain noise.

Since you have a JCW engine, maybe spend some money on the suspension first. Such as camber plates and rear sway bar.

More driving time, Auto-X or track day, is also a good way to spend money.

 

My 2 cents...

Skip the header. That money is better spent elsewhere.

Going to a 17% pulley on a daily driver, from the JCW pulley, will be a major change--you're going to get a ton more torque down low, and it will be very noticeable. If you're not planning a bunch of time in the high rpm range (I do, but my car spends time on the track), going from the JCW pulley to the 17% will be an eye opener... You'll love it. But like Quikmini said, you need someone who can pull the JCW pulley--Way, for example, at WMW, or any major MINI shop should be able to do it no problem.

Cams make a world of difference, but you also need to be thinking injectors and tune to make it worthwhile. If that isn't in the cards, then just do the 17% pulley, and consider doing something with the suspension--if you don't have the JCW suspension on (I don't think that was part of the JCW package in 2005), then consider either the JCW suspension (Which, if you can find it for the right price, is really very nice), or a good set of coilovers (although IMHO those will be overkill).

 

has anyone heard about a rotex supercharger? does anyone have a link to one?

 

Congrats on the MINI!

 

RMW sells the Rotrex kit, but he doesn't have a link to it on his sight. Frankly, Jans site sucks, and he knows it, he just doesn't have time to update it. With Jan (RMW), it's best to just call him. If he doesn't answer, leave a message, he always gets back to you.

As to the header and cam, look at my signature. That's with the RMW tune. Stock pulley & head. My base line before the tune but with the cam/header was 200/190 at the wheels. To put the power in perspective I can now pull away from an EVO-X.

 

RMW works out of cali right? well im on east coast so how would i get there tune package?

 

Jan has tuning party's all over the country. I got mine in Louisville, KY. Had to drive 4 hours. Depending on where you are on the east coast, I know he's got some tune sessions coming soon. Also, he can remote tune your car.

 

For street driving, you would probably notice more of a gain with the 17% that the 15%, since you already have the JCW pulley. As to the the RMW cam, yes, it's the best for the street!

 

Funny you should ask...

I'm doing a head/header/cam from Jan/RMW (as well as GP intercooler and 15% pulley, and AEM wideband sensor). I live in the midwest.

The way I'm doing it is Jan will send a canned tune for the mods, once they're installed, to get the car up and running. Then it's going onto the dyno for fine tuning (remotely). It's not perfect, it would be better to do it live, but it's close enough, and Jan has done it enough times that the kinks are worked out. And there may be a tune party coming to your area anyway...

Helix also isn't too far away for you, and you could have everything done in house if you're willing to make the trip.

I got lucky--I found a race shop quite by accident up the road that can do the installs, and has a dyno (they tune, but not MINIs).



Anyway, best thing to do is give Jan a call. Two phone calls, and had all this worked out. Key is to find a shop you trust for the installs.