I'm entertaining an idea. I'm certainly at the "point of diminishing returns" regarding modding the Cooper. I'm leaning heavily towards getting a RMW tune in the Summer, and if I'm still looking for more, I may think about moving to the supercharged platform, possibly a cabrio. It's that or I find room for a turbocharged Miata project

I know a lot of people here have moved from R50 to R56S, but I'm not interested in going that route.

 

I thought about it a year or two ago, knowing I was on borrowed time with the CVT. After the CVT's death and the 6sp swap last year though, I'd say I'm committed to keeping my R50 for a while.

Some day in the very distant future, I think I'd like to have an R53 in addition to the R50 - a his and hers sort of thing. The R50 was my wife's car before I met her...I would have gone with an R53 had it been my choice.

Have you thought about getting a custom cylinder head and something like the Milltek header on yours? Those things combined with your current mods and a tune could make a difference.

 

Also, with those mods, you might need upgraded fuel injectors too...

 

Thanks for the reply! I have considered going that route... cam, head, headers, tune... but that's pushing $4k for a total gain of maybe 30-40HP. For $4k I could probably get into an R53 and swap over at least SOME of the stuff I've put on the R50, like the suspension upgrades.

Then I thought I would make a roadtrip to California and get a RMW tune and just a cam... somewhere in the neighbourhood of 20HP gain, I think. (I'm sure someone will jump in and correct these numbers, I'm going from hazy memory here.)

But at that point I'm still looking at a pretty big expense, considering the cost and time of the trip down there (which would be a blast, but still.) and I'm worried about resale should I ever want out of the car... coilovers and a tune can be removed pretty easily, but I think a lot of buyers might shy away from a car with engine mods. While having the fastest R50 on the block is appealing and sounds like a lot of fun, I don't think I'm comfortable with having the engine torn apart to get there.

So, I'm going to get just the remote tune, which will net me a small power bump and probably improve driveability in general. That might be enough... I really don't feel the car lacks MUCH, it just needs a bit more pull in certain situations.

If I'm wrong and I still find myself hunting for more power, then it's going to have to be a new car. Either ditch the R50 and get an R53, or hold onto the R50 and get a cheap, second car that's fast in a straight line... foxbody mustang, third gen firebird, etc.

 

dannyhavok
I am not sure how far a drive it is but Jan usually has a tune party in Rochester, NY in the spring.
Steve

 

^^Sounds like the tune is your last viable step then. I don't know too much about a "remote tune", but my guess is you're better off waiting until you can have it done on location so it truly matches your car.

I would give Way Motor Works a call too - he's worked on improving the R50's performance for some other guys and might have some thoughts on what is really possible in terms of tuning and additional mods.

With my R50, I've pretty much committed to keeping it for life if possible, so mods involving the engine being torn apart are possibilities for me...I just generally wait until something needs to be replaced and then upgrade. So, it could be a while before I get a head, header, etc.

Be sure to update on the tune or if you end up going to an R53 - since it's a path I considered, I'm curious to know its outcome.

 

The canned tune isn't ideal, but being on the west coast of Canada, I'm pretty far from all the tuners. There is a dyno here, and one in Tacoma, but they both blew me off when I said it was just a naturally aspirated Cooper. Also, Way doesn't do business with anyone outside of the USA. Jan at RMW has a good reputation and im confident that I'll get good results with his remote tune.

 

I went from a 02 R50 to an R53, but that was purely due to the Midlands being a time bomb. I liked the higher compression motor, and probably would have kept it were it not for the transmission.

 

What did you like about it more?

 

That's unfortunate they wouldn't take your business. You would think a tune is a tune...but apparently not.

Even if Way won't do business with you, he might be willing to make suggestions or tell you about what he's done on other folks' R50s and the results if you give him a call.

How does the remote tune work? Do you have the interface to flash the ECU with the tune, or will Jan send you something? Does he base it on other R50 tunes he's done with CAIs and aftermarket catbacks, etc.?

 

I don't want to bother Way seeing as I won't (can't) be a paying customer. I have exhaustively researched this here and on MA, but unfortunately there just aren't a lot of R50 owners modding for power, as it's generally more cost effective to go to the R53/R56 S. There are a few guys with R50's running tunes. I believe rjtrout2000 has a Way tune that he's very happy with. I know he had it done in person but I can't recall if they did a dyno run or any of that. There's a thread I'll try to dig up...

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...this-week.html


I think the way the remote tune works is like this:

Jan sends me a handheld device that plugs into the OBD2 port. I download my stock tune onto the device, and email it to Jan. He modifies it based on current mods and the fuel I have access to (octane rating.) I am not sure if there are any other factors that come into play (Elevation? Mileage?) or if he has a couple of tunes sitting on a shelf that work with the most common mods, but perhaps someone will educate me.

 

'Just my personal opinion, but I think modding a 50 is really not worth the trouble. You get so much more with an S and in the long run, the extra performance won't cost nearly enough. Yea, one can get attached to a car, but that soon fads as you grow attached to the new one.

And I'd go with an '05 or '06 S. JCW if you can afford it. Superchargers rule!

 

Is yours for sale? It's one of my favourite MINI colors!


I know you're right. The tune is as far as I'm going to go, and if I still want more, I'll be seriously considering an 05/06 S.

 

Interesting... I almost missed this post! I've only driven one R53, an '04, and it actually didn't feel as "punchy" and responsive as my car, but I thought it may have been due to higher mileage or poor maintenance. Perhaps the compression ratio was a factor there.

 

You peeked!

'Sorry, not for sale. She's my baby and I know she's a real rare one. But if you go to autotrader.com and search the used car ads for '06 through '08 convertibles and in the advanced search, put the word "works" and "john" in (without the quotes), you'll find that around the US, there are usually 2 or 3 JCW convertibles for sale. Sometimes more. I flew down to Southern California to buy mine. It was summer and the drive back up the coast the whole way was fantastic.

 

Well, you can't blame a guy for trying, right? I'd hang onto her, too. If I do end up car shopping and decide to stay with MINI, a first gen JCW cabrio would definitely be at the very top of the pile.