I recently purchased a 2005 MCSC with a few obvious performance upgrades.

• Milltek catback exhaust - easy to spot (and hear)
• DDM Works CAI and supercharger air diverter (again, can see and hear)
• M7 strut plates and bar
• Koni shocks, can see 'em, not sure if they are the FSDs that everyone raves about.

So, given that the PO was obviously "into" the car, it makes me wonder what else it has.



In the glove box was a hint, there was a "Hotchkis Suspensions" emblem. it"s a really nice domed plastic emblem. I can't see this as a cheap decal, more like something they might include with a substantial order. Add to that the fact that the car rides more brutally than any Mini I have ever been in. The 17 inch runflats don't help, I know, but holy mother of Thor, it's a rough ride.


So, I guess my suspicion comes down to three things.

• Engine wise - with the CAI, exhaust and easy stuff done, the next logical upgrade would be the supercharger pulley, right? How can I tell?
• Suspension, in there any easy way to see if I have the FSD shocks? I mean they are clearly gold colored Koni shocks, but do they have a certain model number or serial number stamped on them?
• Hotchkis Suspensions - any way to tell if I've got uprated bars or bushings without disassembling things?

 

To look for a pulley look on the passenger side of the engine bay just below the metal tube that goes into the intercooler. It should have a percentage stamped on it. If you can jack up the car and get a wheel off you should be able to see the control arm bushings, sway bar, and shocks. Koni golds should say fsd right on them. Here is a picture http://www.madnessmotorworks.com/new...ts-shocks.aspx
Sounds like a awesome car you got though!

 

Oh and for how much work he put into this car I am shocked that he kept the runflats, i'd definitely look into getting some nice sticky non-runflats, it should improve the ride quality and road noise ( not that you can hear much road noise with a ddm intake and miltek exhaust haha)

 

Okay, cool, I checked out the pulley, and I've got an aftermarket pulley! It's one of the Way Motor Works pulleys. I can clearly see the WMW logo etched onto the face of the pulley. I don't see a marking indicate which one of the pulleys it is though. WMW sells a 15%, a 16%, and a 17% version for my year/model. Not sure which one I have.

As for the run-flats, actually that's on me.

When I bought the car, it had Yokahoma S-Drives on it, but they were worn to the wear bars. Being a little cash strapped right after buying the car, I scored a set of like new Conti run-flats on Craigslist for $120. A deal I could not pass up.

 

Koni fsd are painted GOLD.
regular koni shocks are yellow.

 

Bet the hotchiss is a rear swaybar...