currently have a 2010 MCSa
2 main questions.

I've noticed at a recent MINI ride, that some of the coopers have RED brakes. When the time comes for me to change the brakes, can I ask the dealer to install the red brakes instead of the normal ones for a surcharge? Since it'll still be under the maintenance period. Will I be able to tell that the sportier brakes, stop the car a lot faster?

Another thing I noticed were the nicer/louder exhausts. Do they actually do anything else besides sound nice? I've heard that it comes with the JCW tuning kit. I don't do any racing, most of my miles are on the highway. Would I notice any significant improvement in driving?

Thanks.

 

First, welcome to the madness.

Second, when you say red brakes, are you talking about calipers? If so, that's about a 1600 upgrade. (just for parts I believe) They are standard on JCW's and the pads that come with them are SUPER grippy... IMO, definitely worth the money.

Last, the exhaust for the most part is about sound. Unless you're going to get other mods like CAI or tune to work in conjunction with the exhaust, it's not really going to make any kind of noticeable difference.. seat of your pants or on a dyno.

However, the right exhaust does sound great.

Even after I spent 1300 for a full exhaust (downpipe back), I still bought a JCW Stage I exhaust off a fellow member.

To me, they simply sound the best without resonance at highway speeds.

Plus, they have really cool tips...

HTH's,

Mark

 

how much does the stage 1 jcw exhaust usually go for?
are you referring to the tuning kit on the accessories site for roughly 2100-2300$?

 

Take your wheels off and paint your calipers red, you don't really need any more braking then the oem provide.

Custom exhaust system, maybe better sounds (at least louder), power increase, minimal.

 

The only way to buy the Stage I exhaust is if you buy that tuning kit. (which last year on my '08 I paid 1435 bucks...2100 is ridiculous)

Having said that, you can buy them on the forum from people that have upgraded their Stage I kit with something else.

I bought my Stage I exhaust off a fellow friend/member for 300 brand new in the box. I'd say that is the going rate... 300-400 bucks for a new one. You'll just have to keep your eyes open on the market section.

HTH's,

Mark


PS. Ben is right... unless you are tracking your car, the stock brakes will work great just the way they are out of the box. Take your wheels off, clean the calipers (I personally would remove the pads since it only takes 5 minutes) and get yourself some red caliper paint. It'll look great.

 

how are the service departments about installing parts that I got somewhere else? I do not think I have the equipment nor the expertise to install an exhaust system. And will this ruin the warranty if I get the parts elsewhere (non-dealer).

when I take my car in for service, and they rotate my tires, can I ask them to paint the calipers, or will they think I'm too vain?

I love motoring.

Thanks.

 

The dealer probably won't install any other parts unless they are OEM... I simply can't see my local dealer installing a DDM CAI...lol.

I highly doubt they will do it and to be honest, even if they agreed, I'd be damned if I'd let the dealer do something like that anyways.

If you can't do it, find an import shop that you trust and have them do it. I'd imagine you'll pay between 50-100 bucks getting the exhaust installed and at least 100-175 getting the calipers painted.

Mark

I love motoring.

Thanks.[/QUOTE]

 

will it void the warranty if another shop installs the exhaust/paint the calipers?

 

The most dramatic single change after any of my mods was the Alta Accessport tune. In addition to the tune, the Accessport is also a fun toy with the ability to log data and monitor all kinds of engine parameters. I wish I'd had it from the beginning so I could have logged data after each mod to track their effects. There's also no warranty implications since you can switch back to your factory tune in minutes if you have to take the car to a dealer. I might put a larger intercooler #2 on the list. Just my 2cents.

Enjoy.

 

Check out post#34

In my thread
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...clubman-s.html



You can see the resulting calipers here


Note that on the first gen MINI's that the red JCW calipers were an option, and became standard on our 2nd gen MINIs.

 

NO... not unless you have a problem caused directly from the exhaust or painted calipers. (which is ridiculous... shy of painting the calipers in a stuck position... I can't see anything that could go wrong)

Mark

 

i love the look of red calipers myself