R50/53 First Mods
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Joined: Aug 2017
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First Mods
Hey! I am new to the forum! I have a 2004 Mini Cooper S ( supercharged) and i need a couple questions answered. i am new to mini coopers and would love to start modding it. So first question is straight pipe. right now i am running a one ball exhaust, but i would love to have some pops. any thoughts ?
Okayyyy...
First of all, welcome to the Mini Cooper S, and to this board. You've done two things right already!
Different people have different definitions (and desires) about "modding," "improvements," "upgrades," etc. A lot of that depends on a person's budget. A "straight pipe" won't do much for you in the way of improvements (your local laws notwithstanding), and would likely reduce performance and fuel mileage. Further, that mod might make the car drone ridiculously at speed on the highway.
If you want some increase in noise (again, without any notable performance gains) look into a CAI (cold-air intake).
Overall, before you spend money on the Mini, do a LOT of reading on these boards to get a feel of what others have tried, and their outcomes. You'll be enlightened!
First of all, welcome to the Mini Cooper S, and to this board. You've done two things right already!
Different people have different definitions (and desires) about "modding," "improvements," "upgrades," etc. A lot of that depends on a person's budget. A "straight pipe" won't do much for you in the way of improvements (your local laws notwithstanding), and would likely reduce performance and fuel mileage. Further, that mod might make the car drone ridiculously at speed on the highway.
If you want some increase in noise (again, without any notable performance gains) look into a CAI (cold-air intake).
Overall, before you spend money on the Mini, do a LOT of reading on these boards to get a feel of what others have tried, and their outcomes. You'll be enlightened!
OVERDRIVE
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 5,489
Likes: 629
From: Fuquay Varina, NC
Welcome to NAM. There is an immense amount of information here between the threads, the members and the vendors.
What type of budget you have? Can you do your own work or you going to have shop perform? How many miles on the car?
With my JCW the first things I did were all maintenance items; belt, belt tensioner, water pump, crank sensor o-ring, t-stat, power steering hoses and changing all the fluids. Some good inexpensive mods are a supercharger pulley, a CAI (and you can make your own if you are handy) and a rear sway bar. The pulley change will require a different belt and plugs.
IMO an Owner of a MINI should understand that if 0-60 is important, then the car might not be right. If having a nimble curve cutter (go-kart type handling) is important, the car is definitely right. I was on a recent mountain tour with just about every type of MINI and can tell you that even the Justa was amazing on the twisties.
With your Gen1, I agree with a post several months back where discussions between the Gen3 and Gen1 were taking place. A Gen3 owner said that when they were going 90 it felt like 70. A Gen1 member pointed out that when they were going 70 they wanted to feel like they were going really fast. The Gen1 is the latter.
It is more fun to drive a slow car fast then a fast car slow.
What type of budget you have? Can you do your own work or you going to have shop perform? How many miles on the car?
With my JCW the first things I did were all maintenance items; belt, belt tensioner, water pump, crank sensor o-ring, t-stat, power steering hoses and changing all the fluids. Some good inexpensive mods are a supercharger pulley, a CAI (and you can make your own if you are handy) and a rear sway bar. The pulley change will require a different belt and plugs.
IMO an Owner of a MINI should understand that if 0-60 is important, then the car might not be right. If having a nimble curve cutter (go-kart type handling) is important, the car is definitely right. I was on a recent mountain tour with just about every type of MINI and can tell you that even the Justa was amazing on the twisties.
With your Gen1, I agree with a post several months back where discussions between the Gen3 and Gen1 were taking place. A Gen3 owner said that when they were going 90 it felt like 70. A Gen1 member pointed out that when they were going 70 they wanted to feel like they were going really fast. The Gen1 is the latter.
It is more fun to drive a slow car fast then a fast car slow.
Last edited by Whine not Walnuts; Aug 8, 2017 at 05:12 AM.