I am a new member on the site and have been reading tons of good information. However there are still a few questions i have about the mini. Im sure some of these questions would be common knowledge have i had my car with me but i am stationed in NC with the Marine Corps and the car is in NE. The car is a Dark silver/black top 2003 Mini Cooper S with 30,000 miles. The questions i have are more for clarification before i start ordering parts and sending them home.

1. In regards to the 3 vs 5 piece dash is it true that the older model pre- 2004 used the 5 piece before mini moved onto using the 3-piece?

2. I Have read about upgrading the front brakes with the r56 rotor and
calipers do the just bolt right up or is there additional hardware or
brake lines/ sensors needed? Is pedal pressure stay close to the same?

3. Is there anything like the alta access port for the R53 where you can
download new maps and reset the maps without burning new chips into
ECU?

4. Also it seems like alot of people install a reduction pulley as there first mod. Does anyone know how this effects engine temps? Would it be wise to upgrade the intercooler first?

 

Answering #4 - 15% pulley has no effect on engine temps. I've read that the stock intercooler does a good job until you get into some really big projects.

 

Welcome.

The 2002-2004 cars had the 5 piece dash and you can not change over to a 3 piece.

 

1-older cars do have a 5 piece dash...and sometimes a few more rattles...build quality varies quite a bit...so you want to see the car and inspect it before spending any $$. Get a MINI experienced mechanic to look at it...an average mechanic can miss THOUSANDS of dollars of needed fixes....
2. Not 100% sure, but i think the brake lines must be changed...the ends are custom, but several mini vendors sell them. if you do that swap, you should upgrade to stainless steel lines anyway. since the r53 has less hp, and is lighter, it is best to stick to gen1 jcw pads or aftermarket...many high performace r56 pads will take too long to get hot in daily driving IMO.
3 NO. the ecu is programmable. you never need to burn a chip...but it does need special tools to do so. rmw does sell a flash tool that lets you upload/down load the software...but you must still pay $$ to have the tunes professionally done...they are heavily encrypted. As of now, there is not ant consumer level box to tune it yourself for the r53.
4. Stock IC is fine...a pulley will make more heat, but if you run 93 octane, the intake temps will be ok to prevent detonation/pinging in most cases. all air to air IC's have the same weakness...heat-soak...the oem one is light, so it does get heat-soaked fast...but it also cools fast once moving...,most aftermarket coolers are heavier....and are usually not as efficient. The "GP" oem IC is slightly bigger, but not really needed, but a nice add if you have $600 burning a hole in your pocket...I would out a CAI, exhaust, tune, etc before the IC. Most mini's have no issues with cooling, even with a pulley...the system MUST be working properly, and full...if not, then ANY MINI will have issues.
MANY 2nd hand cars will already have a pulley on...this mod cannot be undone (unless you replace the SC or get a custom OEM sized pulley made), so even if an owner tries to return a car to stock...the pulley must stay on.

 

Thank you everyone for your help Unless i find a great deal on a 5 peice dash kit i will save untell i have the car and can further look at it.

 

Thanks for your service!

Yes the R56 MCS brakes can be installed on your R53. I've read somewhere that they are the same as JCW brakes for the R53. The brake-lines are not the same, but available from vendors.

I have 75K on my 15% pulley without any issues. You will love it.

Welcome to NAM.

 

Nice thing is the dash kits are removable, so they can be custom finished (carbon fiber decal overlays, paint, vinyl, etc.).

Heard someone is coming out wiht an ECU flash tool with downloadable software... soon... if not already out...

I still need to get me a pulley. :-(