Greetings, my wife and I have just ordered a Black 05 MC CVT so I have been spending alot of time on NAM as well as Mini2. Suprisingly enough I have suddenly gotten the urge to start planning a few mods. Has anyone worked with an 05 yet? Are there any changes that would rule out any of the current products available? I have noticed that most manufacturers don't include 2005 as a choice when selecting year.

Any advice on where to start is welcomed.

 

I have an '04 MC and my wife just ordered an '05 CVT. The changes to the car for the '05 MY are very minor. I can't imagine any of the common mods that would not be exactly the same.

I have done some modifications to my MC and the most important, in my opinion has been the rear sway bar. If your car has standard suspension, stiffening the rear sway bar will be absolutely mandatory. If you ordered the sport suspension, stiffening the rear sway bar will still be worthwhile.

By stiffening the rear sway bar the right amount, you will achieve the REAL go kart handling that MINI brags about.

Enjoy,

 

Yeah i was thinking of going with a 19mm rear. Don't want it to be too stiff cus this will be my wifes daily driver but also my weekend warrior.

 

u can try a stock S rear bar.. no adjustment but it defenitely makes a big difference... im sure alot of people have one lying around

 

My MCS now has an Alta bar and I would entertain any offers for the stock swaybar w/bushings.

 

I think i will go for the H-Sport 19mm maybe the TVS system. Anyone tried the TVS?

 

I have the H Sport Sport (19MM) rear bar on my standard suspension MC set on the middle setting and it is absolutely PERFECT.

Someone here on NAM gave me a 17MM S bar for no charge. I just paid shipping. That is what I will try first on my wifes CVT which was ordered with standard suspension. Since the 19MM H-Sport is hollow, it is only slightly stiffer than the S bar. I am also going to drill holes about a 1/2" closer to the axis of the bar to stiffen it up just a little more.

I'm sure you can find an S bar for nearly nothing and try that first, before laying out a few hundred for an aftermarket bar. This is assuming that you ordered standard suspension. If you ordered sport suspension, you will already have a 17MM bar.

Good luck,

 

SlikMINI,

You're gonna love your CVT MC. I had the same thing when I first got my 04 CVT MC, where 04 was not listed yet in vendor sites, but just give it a few months and you will see 05 show up. :smile:

 

Jaz,

How is the fit on the Madness CAI

 

Hey Slik,

It seems ok, I haven't had any problems with it. MINI of Sterling recommended it, and put it on along with the MINI Madness cat-back exhaust (also recommended), before I took delivery. The combo gives a good deep throaty sound, but not really noticeable until you go over 3k rpm's. Not too loud. I really like them both. Plus, I read on the Madness website that the exhaust is 11 lbs lighter than stock. A good thing! :smile: