My question is this, I am looking for more acceleration then anything, and I heard that headers in some case rob you of this. Headers give you more MPH?? But this is what I was hearing on the WRX'S, and this is a diffrent car, and a diffrent motor all together.

I was thinking about getting the
(minimania)
http://www.minimania.com/web/Item/NME1004/InvDetail.cfm

OR...

(quicksilver)
http://www.mini-madness.com/product....1=219&3=28


$750 vs. $1000.00

any feed back at all you can give me would be a very warm "THANK YOU"

 

mobygjc,
Aloha and welcome to MCO,
There are many ways to get the feeling of greater acceleration.
One way is to increase HP and another to increase torque, still another way is to decrease weight- especially rotating weight such as the wheels.
Then some of these modifications are expensive and some are less expensive- some add to noise (exhausts) and some don't.

So lets break things down.
The header is the piece of exhaust pipes that come directely out of the engine and before the muffler pipes. A good place to separate the exhaust system into two parts is the Catalytic converter. Many exhausts are sold as Cat-back that is, the parts after the Cat converter. So these are bolted on not welded after the Cat converter (required for legal emissions).

You will be more HP and torque from upgrading your exhaust with a Cat back system whether in the MC or MCS but it might be a bit louder- some are less loud like the Borla and some are very loud like the Magnaflow for the MCS but most are in between.

The Header adds to more HP and torque in the mid to higher ranges of rpm- like 4500-6500 so if you never drive at that high rpms then the header might not be a good choice for you. Also the cost is high. Headers can be used for either the MC or MCS. Some may give slightly louder exhaust note.

A better way to add HP in the lower rpm range up through the higher range is to add:
A 15% reduction pulley and or modified or flashed ECU (the car's computer chip) for the MCS (about $1100) and maybe a ECU for the MC.

Other slight additions to HP might be to add a cold air intake to either MC or MCS.

Every car can be quicker with lighter weight performance wheels. Light alloy rims of about 16" and non runflat tires that are sticky or grippy.

Suspension- most times the car will feel more responsive if the cornering is sharper or more tight- a beefier rear swaybar or sport springs might help but only if you don't mind the expense and the harsher ride. The rear swaybar won't affect daily driving or harshness- only helps on hard turns- keeps the rear suspension more leveled.

Hope this helps.

Have fun.

 

Headers:
-May require periodic tightening: needs to be looked at from time to time post install
-May create ECU fault codes troubles: Must be tested(Driven) to be sure.
-May create emissions problems:depending on several things, you don't want a system that will not pass state inspection
-May "rob low-end torque" Very much depending on the design.

Have you considered Supersprint. This Italian company has produced some of the best headers & exhaust system since 1950. Ask Pro-mini for their Supersprint commentary. I personaly think this is the best bet (may cost a bit more.)
Important: Drive a Mini w/ headers before you buy. Don't try to be the "First" & don't become someones "Test Car".

 

As far as the "low-end torque" issue is concerned...

Here are a couple of articles that suport the idea that reduction of backpressure is always a good thing.

http://www.magnaflow.com/05news/magazine/05sportc.htm
http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/html_pr...torquemyth.htm

From the standpoint of basic physics (I admit to having no expertise in the science of fluid flow) this makes sense to me. I think that a high-flow header/exhaust system that mainatains high-exhaust velocity would a) increase HP and torque b) increase mileage c) possibly increase noise (ideally no energy would be lost to sound but thats probably too much to ask) and d) depending upon the quality of the CAT, increase emissions.

From what I've read here on MCO, it seems that the london stainless and miltek headers use top-notch cats so emissions should not be a problem. Personally I am interested in what Caddman is working on as he is using a ceramic coating to keep the heat in.

just my 2 pennies,

Chuck

 

Here is the Milltek to consider. Platinum-coated stainless steel cat. A customer is fitting one to a John Cooper upgrade kit next week. -Pete, Stratmosphere

 

The mania header, no gains
milltek, london, quicksilver some gains
im in the final phases of getting my header in production, showing real gains, hopefully will be available in the next week or two

 

Hey Stratmosphere

Could you do me a favor and keep a eye on your customer that is fitting the Milltek??? I would like to know the gain he got on that? and the noise lvl? even if that means just riding in the car and giving your best estimate on +hp +torque, is good enough for me. But a Dyno stat would be nicer any info would be great on these headers. Don't want to blow $1000.00+ for nothing, and just make my JWC Mini slower and louder