My scenario: bone stock 2005 S manual tranny.
My mission: upgrade a few easy things to her run even better!

From Outmotoring I plan on getting their Stage 3 ignition kit: Screamin' Demon coil, Beru standard plugs and I think Kingston wires for $165.00.
I have a stumble/stutter upon initial acceleration only, not while she's making good power. Pedal lift will cause the stutter too. So I'm thinking 80K miles is enough on certain ignition parts. Right?

So will this cause me to see better performance right off the bat?

Mission#2: will a cold air intake "really" make much difference in performance? I know what the manufacturers say, but what do the real world Mini owners say?

Thanks all.

 

Ignition upgrade is not something I would spend my money first, unless it's faulty. Stock coil packs are usually pretty reliable and will do the job, even with big mods. The wires might not be a bad idea tho for a higher mileage car. Usually, the stuttering is caused by the bypass valve, quick fix: Detroit Tuned BPV, it will be noticeable as well. You won't get much power from a Cold air intake, at least not enough to feel it with the butt dyno, but it add more s/c whine, which is not a bad thing, unless you're weird and don't like it :P

If you want more power, I suggest doing: S/C pulley (15%), colder plugs, CAI and the bypass valve (to get rid of the yoyo'ing). The pulley alone will make a good difference, but you may end up being tired of smiling.

 

Never get tired of smiling when driving Twiggy. So where does one get a Detroit Tuned BPV? Hard to install? I'd love to do the pulley but it looks very complicated. Plugs, wires, coils, brakes and oil changes I can do. Most time things never go quite right for me when working on my Mini. Thanks for the good information. The Detroit thing sounds like maybe the ticket for me.

 

Isn't this for turbo charged cars? Mine is supercharged so there's no boost per se. Right?

 

Before you get the bpv I have one on my 04 mini and it was IMO harder that the pulley and I broke that damn little tab off that everyone talkes about ... But for the stuttering I had that and to check your coil pack pull off number three wire and it will probably be corroded I replaced mine the the screaming daemon and the bigger wires and the stuttering went away and this was done after the bpv so it wasn't causing it

 

(BOV) = A blowoff valve or dump valve is a pressure release system present in most turbocharged engines.


(BPV) = The Detroit Tuned Bypass Valve is a re-worked brand new OEM valve that is modified to eliminate the "Yo-Yo" in early year ('02-'04) Cooper S's, but is available for all year Cooper S's. This BPV uses a stiffer return spring, resulting in quicker boost generation, and thus quicker throttle response and transitions. The butterfly assembly is also adjusted to close fully, allowing for maximum boost. Perfect for the aggressive driver or racer. Expect a very minor loss in fuel economy, and a great improvement in throttle resolution and smoothness. *quoted from

And yes supercharged cars have Boost!

 

Brody: ok about boost and the difference between turbo/supercharged. I think I'll just go the ignition route for now and see how that works. Several forum posts on here suggest the coil/wires/plugs is the most common solution.

I'll report back with how it all works--or not.