Recently ,with the help of M7Speed, I completed a stage 2 performance upgrade on my 2010 Clubman.
I got what I expected and a lot more. The car was fast before but now it easily hits the rev limiter. I was having a problem with my clutch stinking even after a new install. The power comes on higher in the rpms. The results put less stress on the clutch. Before the conversion when driving in the sport mode the clutch felt like a electric switch and there was no feathering at all. Now it feels like any other clutch even in the sport mode. We now do not have the stinky clutch problem.
One thing I did not like was the poping. My car came with one in line resonator. The twin mufflers are there for looks and had nothing to suppress the sound. At this time in my life I do not want to attract attention. We had super loud pops and discovered a exhaust leak at my left muffler. After fixing the leak it slightly improved. We removed the resonator and replaced it with a baffled muffler. This allowed me to remove 95% of the poping while in the regular mode. Put it in the sport mode and it pops with the best of them. I love the results.

Most of the time I could fry a egg on the hood. It was hard to open the hood if it had been driven for a good while. I installed a large Wagner inter cooler and I assume that it is the reason the car is a lot cooler.

Who knew all these advantages would come from adding performance parts?

 

Stage 2 tune usually lowers the engine temp by at least 20 degrees.

 

Nice results! contemplating going Stage 2 with my R55 JCW as well.

Not sure if I want to change the exhaust system, but for future reference, what muffler did you install?

 

The muffler guy used a unit that came off a hot rod. We have no idea where it came from or what brand it was. It was about the same size as my resonator. It looked like a glass pack but instead of fiberglass it has metal baffles inside.
On a rare occasion it still pops in the normal mode but is a lot more quiet.
Your local muffler guy can help. My muffler guy only charges me for labor since the parts he used are cut out of a different car. That is great because we changed out the system four or five times.

 

Great write up!

I too am considering a tune to improve daily drivability. Lower temps and the increased performance would be awesome bonuses!

 

One thing I failed to mention about the install on my JCW Clubman was how perfect every thing fit. I have been a autocross racer from about 1976 until about 8 years ago.
I have done all sorts of mods to the many Hondas I competed in. This was my first turbo car. There is no way you can get the kind of results I got with the stage 2 for even twice the price on a normaly aspirated car. I know, I have been there and done that. I had a 1974 Civic that I raced in DP. This bad boy was radical and even had a tube chassis. I had gotten rid of the distributor and gone with a crank fire unit. We had flowed the head and altered the gears and installed lsd. There was no stone left unturned. This car would burn the ten inch wide slicks off the rims if you did not lift in second gear. Keep in mind this car started with 52 hps.
Here is the thing, every part I ever bought that was referred to as Bolt On bolted on after hours of modifications.
When you put your hard earned money down on a stage 2 kit, every part fits like oem and maybe a little better. You will spend more time taking the front off just to get to the intercooler than every thing else combined. The ECU swap was easy. The down pipe was easier to install than removing the stock pipe with a cat.
I am sitting here telling you about the advantages of doing this but do not forget that your car runs a lot cooler, moves a lot faster and makes a assortment of the coolest sounds. I love the whoosh. My wife drove it the other day and she was absolutely impressed by the sounds.
Now that I have driven this for a few months I can say that every thing about this mod improved my car. I could not be more pleased with it or M7 Speed.

That is my 2 cents.

 

Just installed a Helix IC, Mariokart catless downpipe and NGK Plugs yesterday. ECU going to Mario tomorrow for tuning.

Im in love with the way my R55 JCW sounds now, I cant wait for the ECU to get back so I can really push it!

 

O.k. I started this thread in April. Now we are well in to July. Here is the deal. I no longer use my radio. I had looked into getting a real nice stereo about a year ago. I saved a boat load of money because the stereo was a lot more expensive than the turbo upgrades.
No artist makes music as sexy as the symphony from each of the 1600ccs lurking under the hood. I guess it is obvious that I am a hopeless gear head.

One great thing about the Mini is that it keeps me from climbing the wall waiting for my S2000 to come back from the body shop. I bought it in 2001 and never put a dent in it until some stacked up tool chests fell over on me pinning me to the floor. One of the chests fell on the fender narrowly missing the head light. It did not have a panal that did not need some tlc so I used this as a excuse to put a slick new paint job on her.

For those that have never taken a look at my Mini please check out the photos on my Maylene Mini gallery. Let me know what you think.

Thanks guys,
Skip

 

Skip- Love that color combination! Nice work on the mirrors and roof...not to mention the wheels!