Car is a July 2010 JCW 3 door. Have owned it for about 2 weeks and 300 miles. Have come out of a Porsche Boxster S and love the mini.

Seem to be a range of potential mods - anyone want to recommend the best starting point / bang for buck???

Car is mainly used in the city (live in London, UK) and not planning to track it / go too crazy.

The following sound interesting:

Swap out run flats
Rear sway bar (does 19mm work best on a JCW on non sport suspension?)
NM engine mount
Induction kit
Bov
Geo / camber (what's best)
Anything else??

 

I would not bother with the BOV... ditch the run-flats and the NM mounts are on my list too.

IMO in terms of looks, a shorty antennae is a must and swap out the city lights under the fogs with something that matches the xenon headlights.

 

Any recommendations?

 

I went with AZNOptics LED City & License Plate Lights. They are high quality and a pretty close match (not yellow at all, maybe tiny bit bluer than xenons, but no where near as blue as the PIAA bulbs). They are designed not to trigger warning lights... 4 months and so far no issues.



This is for the license plates:
"AZNOptics LED Festoon 6411/ 6413/ 6418/ C6W LED 36mm (5000K)"

And the city lights:
"AZNOptics LED Wedge 168/W5W LED (5000K) Bulbs"

 

Ditch the run flats even if it means saving up for the new rubber and not doing ANY OTHER MODIFICATION till those are done. AMAZING difference. I never thought I could love my JCW any more than I already do.

 

Yes agreed - and remember not everyone hates run-flats so you could maybe sell those brand new tires to pay for mods (or even the new tires like I did)

 

Thanks for the suggestion.

Both came in today (Only City Lights you can see)

Compare:


Both:



Better Night Pic:



And plate lights:

 

Just ordered the bulbs.

 

In no particular order.....


NM engr’ing springs
sway bar
tune
non runflats

Other than that, don’t waste your money.


Mark

 

off topic sorry but how does the mini compare to the boxster??

i agree with post above for mods too.

 

Cheers guys - out of interest, when you say NM Eng Springs - do you mean actual suspension springs or the engine mount?? (answer seems obvious, but most NME talk seems to be about the engine mount, so just checking)

Boxster S v Mini JCW? I have had the Porsche for 5 yrs and frankly found it pretty hard to part with - other supposed replacements have come and gone whilst it has stayed with me. It is a thoroughbred sportscar, with a great engine, fantastic handling / steering and very well considered control weights. It is undoubtedly a quality item. Forget the blinkered macho BS from 911 owners - I have driven 911 n/a and turbo models and the Boxster stands up as a great car.

My key motivation for switching is now that I need some back seats and also the fact that I live in central London - the Porker lets you live out your Le Mans fantasies on twisty back roads, but after a while, the novelty of driving it across town in stop start traffic on potholed roads can wear off - steering, clutch, gear shift and optional sport suspension on my car are all pretty beefy. Looked at a few different options and went mini after having a Cooper S rental for a weekend some time ago and finding it hilarious across town.

Have slightly mixed feelings about selling the Boxster - it is a great car and I wouldnt rule out getting back into a Porsche in future. And when I drove out of the Mini dealer on picking up the JCW, I wasnt sure how long the affair would last. How long could I live without power oversteer? But as of now, no doubts about my strategy - the mini is more fun more of the time for the driving that I do. Cliche, but it is a Mini adventure. I have a good spec (Lounge leather, nav, HK, roof) which I feel helps lift the interior quality enough, even if it isnt in the same league. Have standard (non-sport) suspension that I think was the right way to go (for me and my driving). Low down torque and flicky handling mean its good fun without trying hard. Even my Mrs, who hates manual gearboxes seems to be permanently trying to take the keys to my JCW rather than her BMW 335d Coupe - even if she doesnt know exactly why :-) . That tells me quite a lot...

A few friends with more macho hardware are still a bit puzzled by the mini and cant get their heads around it. I'm not the kind of person that is at all bothered by this.

 

Suspension springs... not engine mounts.

The springs lower the car perfectly (IMO), ride fantastic but yet still will allow you have the handling characteristics for a hard cornering car.

Mark

 

thanks OP.

 

Whats everyones reason for ditching the run flats? I went back to OEM runflats on my 2003 for the last set of tires before I sold it and it was more fun to drive. Back to the go-kart feel. I pretty much only use my car for pleasure driving as I live .5 miles from my office so I could care less about it being to firm. Thats what its suppose to be like. My JCW is on order and hopefully I will get it in a month or so, but I know I won't be changing tires before they are worn out just to get away from run flats.

I really feel that if Mini and BMW truely felt that there was a significant difference between runflats and non-runflats that they would not put htem on the cars.

 

For myself, it was for better grip, better wear properties, and more selection of tires.
Opting for a non-runflat opens the doors to tire compounds that spirited drivers yearn for.

As you noted, with the runflat tires the snap-in turn-in sensation is there due to the stiff sidewalls of the tire...
But those stiff sidewalls create a "skipping" phenomenon when cornering on a rough surface, which isn't something I like at all!

- Erik

 

k_h_d
If you look at the specs for the new GP II you will find that MINI has done exactly that and eliminated the runflats. I think someone also stated the BMW "M" series cars also do not come with runflats.
Steve



I really feel that if Mini and BMW truely felt that there was a significant difference between runflats and non-runflats that they would not put htem on the cars.[/QUOTE]

 

+1 what THE ITCH said! It's my opinion that runflats do one thing well. Run flat. Other than that the trade off is a compromise. The handling during spirited driving is no comparison but if your just using the car as a daily driver where the speed limit is rarely breached then RF tires are fine. It's not that they are bad they just cant' compare where handling is concerned.

 

I would keep the Boxster...and the Mini....I sold my Box for a MCS....and now I want both!

 

Strange as it is the 335d is a car in my radar, another BMW fun car with fuel efficiency that rivals the JCW and returns enjoyment with loads of torque and Rwd, how do you enjoy having the two to choose from, I would add it to the stable and surely keep my Mini too.

@ OP as long as you do some searching within these forums I'm convinced you will find many more Mods that you will end up with that you had no idea you wanted cause they just work and function well, enjoy.

My must hav's;
-- Engine mount bushing or NM complete mount
-- if S model exhaust to free up some sound and back pressure
-- Non-run flat tires
--- better ride quality
--- more grip with warning at limits
--- better selection
--- keep tire plugs handy just in case
-- Tune of some sort, AccessPort or Tuned by Jan
-- FMIC choice is up to you with pipe change too NM is a good choice
-- Turbo Heat Shield

Mini bank account
-- New brake pads
-- Upgraded Clutch
-- Tires if you drive spirited!! A lot
-- misc crap that happens

Most of all enjoy whatever you choose to mod or not, the Mini is great fun as delivered!!!!

 

Cat less DP. Tune.

 

I pretty much agree with all the mods listed. NM springs for sure! Catless DP for sure! Non RF tires for sure! Other than a tune or an AP the rest is just added fun but the above is what I consider a must but then again MINI's are fun without all that. Their just more fun with.

 

How was the installation of those bulbs? I have xenon on my JCW also and I think its a must-have! Looks Nice!

 

The city lights were easy to install and have been great. The license plate lights have been a bust. I've gone through two sets. They blow out after two to three months. I went back to normal bulbs.

 

According to MotoringWerks - the Mini Xenons are 4200K, so trying the AZNOptics 4500K version of the LED (rather than the 5000k) may get you even closer in color match.

 

Tried a Catless DP and hated the Noise, just too darn loud when using the Go pedal, for myself I'd rather hear the turbo than Ricer can loudness, too obnoxious, not bad cruising but terrible when on the throttle. A decade or two ago I'd be ok with it, not nowadays. Perfect with factory JCW sound.
It's worth the time to meetup with someone who has a DP to hear for yourself, it's not a bad job to install yet to remove it just cause you may not enjoy it, becomes a rather PITA. But this is only my opinion.