I am looking for some good first performance modifications for my girlfriends Mini. We have been looking around and have gotten familiar with some names, but are unsure about how to proceed. We are looking for some modifcations that can be installed in good time and will make a difference in power.

-Intake
-Boost Tube
-Exhaust

Any other items would be much appreciated.

However I do have some questions or concerns with the engine modifications on the MINI's:

1. Do the Intakes or Boost tubes do anything to void the cars warranty?

2. Does the intake fully require a tuner device to reprogram the ECU? How are these devices? I'm familiar with the SCT x3 Device if that helps explain.

Any further information would be incredibly appreciated! Thanks.

 

Skip the boost tubes...waste of money.

If you want performance, in the form of horsepower...get a tune and intercooler, and then an exhaust.

 

i say this but instead of exhaust get a defenders of speed intake exhausts for mini are mostly for sound

 

Not true at all, "cat-backs" are mostly for sound, the real power gains are seen with a full "turbo-back" system.

Also DOS intake system is a lot of money for what it is.... Intakes do help a little bit but they aren't massive power providers... I don't by that the K&N Typhoon one for the R56 makes the extra power they say it does for instance, maybe 1 or 2hp more but not 12.

But what the first guy said, I'd go larger front mount, turbo-back, and a tune. That'll net you like 60whp..

 

For stater mods the very first mod should be the torque arm bushing, it's cheap and you'll notice the difference immediately.
Intakes and Exh, are NOT big Hp gainers at all, if any. You'll see alot more gain from a front mount intercooler, and tuning. And suspension is always good

 

Thanks for the insight.

Does the Intercooler affect the dealership warranty if anything goes wrong with MINI? I'm thinking that this may be something we will do during the summer.

We are going to probably purchase the Borla R56 S-Trim Exhaust. This sounds like a great system for the money, sound and performance.

The intake may be the first thing we purchase in the next week because it is a simple install, compared to the exhaust (I'll put the car on my lift when I get time). The DoS intake it really nice, but I am not too keen on the idea of cutting holes in bulkhead, or having to purchase and replace the bulkhead with a pre-fabricated one.

What is the best tuner to get for these cars, is there any places that sell tuners with intakes. luv em combo deals.

 

there are barely ant gains with ANY exhaust system

*the gains only come from the down pipe

 

You will want to check out the AccessPort from Alta for tuning. A quick search on the site will address any questions you might have regarding it. At this point, it is hands down the biggest bang for your buck.

 

I noticed a difference with a 3" catback (straight pipe) more low end, little more top end and quicker turbo spool along with awesome exhaust note.

 

Tune (Revolution Mini Works or Alta AccessPORT)
Front mount intercooler (Forge or Helix)
Exhaust (cat-back for cool sound, turbo back to include downpipe for some power gain)
NM Torque arm inserts (a cheap and awesome mod)
Larger rear sway bar by Hotchkis (or a full suspension if you have the $$$)
Ditch the horrible run-flats and get some good tires.

Those are the most common upgrades on the R56.

 

what about spark plugs ?any gains

 

No, the OEM iridium units are the top of the line currently compared to other pugs on the market.

- Erik

 

Op, if you are worried about mods voiding your warranty, I suggest you go talk to the service manager at the dealership.

ANYTHING you do could be cause to void the warranty on the affected system. Providing they can prove the mod caused the problem. Adding an intercooler can't void the warranty on a suspension component, or any other part of the car not related to the intercooler.

If you are that worried about it, don't mod the car until the warranty expires. Pretty simple.

 

Look closely at the end tank and core designs of both our Stepped Core Intercooler and the knock-off. Our intercooler was CAD designed to maximize laminar flow through the core, with cast end-tanks. We also have innovated bull-nosed charge bars both on the face of the core and inside the tanks for efficiency and minimal pressure drop. If you look around you can find a wealth of independent test data showing the performance of the Stepped Core Intercooler. Here's the Helix SCI:



and here's the knock-off:

 

I've been waffling back and forth on intercoolers myself for sometime. I've always thought that the Helix looked better than the Forge unit and it's also the original, but i've always been leery of going the Helix route given the fact that there isnt a mounting bracket.

I just watched the installation video on Helix's site and I gotta say that after watching and seeing how everything fits together, I'll be picking up a Helix IC when my next round of mods comes around later this year.

That is the way to put together a instructional install video!

-J

 

i was freaking out about getting my alta because its got no brackets but the price was too good to refuse. now a year later ive had no probs and its wedged in so tight there is no way it will budge. my point is don't worry about no brackets haha

 

If you want power, go with the tune, fmic, dp, intake

If you are worried about warranty, like me, consider doing some stealth mods : NM torque arm inserts, WMW diverter valve, JCW intake/hard pipe.

The JCW parts won't void your warranty, and the dealership will have a very hard time noticing the torque arm inserts and the diverter valve.

 

What kind of difference did you notice after installing the JCW Intake pipe?

 

i did all the other pipes and noticed nothing at all power wise. i did notice a bit more hissing from the turbo. i wouldn't waste the money, plus if your search the forum lots of people are having probs with the JCW intake pipe falling off after a while anyway.

anyone underneath the car servicing it will notice the torque arm inserts since they are a dif colour to the stock black ones, so you would need to some how change the colour, possibly spray paint them. i would say that bush is a must do mod.

 

Not true, my NM bushings are black.

As far as the jcw pipe, you need to buy a tbolt clamp from DoS and you should be good. The part is more for sound than noticable gain. Maybe with more mods it would be beneficial in some way.

 

thats sweet. did you request black? when i ordered mine i could only get purple.
lol @ helix too

 

We have done a couple modifications, such as the intakes and other suspension components already and when it comes to the dealerships they are pretty chill with it. So far the car's engine has been returned to stock because we were parting it out, but she may decide to go another route. The warranty will be going out this month so she is deciding what to do about it.

The car has been a technological pain in the *** but everything has already been replaced that has been noted as problematic so it may be over... not sure though.

We have gotten a better understanding of the whole thing over the past year and I've pretty much began to perform a lot of the manual labor on her car to cut down stupid expensive costs for maintenance/repairs.

 

Read the above post about the selling car situation - but if we do keep the car (will be decided this week), it will be going through a major change in the next few months. The warranty will probably be out of the picture, so a tune will accompany a new intercooler and probably other items, such as coilovers, wheels, spacers, occ, boost tap, sway bar, and other ****.

We had NM torque arm inserts installed by Way last Fall and we did have a DoS installed but it didn't do anything for us and the way it sat pushed the tube in an awkward way which caused a lot of heat to burn through the intake tube. We will most likely not be getting another intake.

The car is great fun to mod with her, but the quality is sub par compared to my usual domestic counterparts. It appears a great car, but we are constantly driving it mostly to the dealership to get fixed. It's just the problem child of the clan

 

Do you have any pictures documenting this? I installed a DoS CAI on my 2011 MCS almost a year ago and haven't had any issues that I'm aware of but I am curious to learn more about the issue you are having and see if this may be something that I could be suffering from and now know about

 

Forgive the, (what I'm sure sounds like a) stupid question. I am interested in the Torque Arm Bushing mod and wanted to know how many I need. Just one? Thanks!