My '05 MC 5spd is on the boat, and I'm trying to find the right mods to get power and the "fun factor" without decreasing reliability. Everyone's knowledge in the posts here on NAM has been very useful in choosing which mods are worth it for weekend carving and which mods are for serious autox-ers. I think I've narrowed a list down to just the essentials-

K&N typhoon short ram intake (red)
Helix short shifter
Magnacor 8.5mm spark plug wires (red)
MOMO race airleather/alloy shift ****
MOMO stealth wide black pedals w/ footrest
H sport springs (1" drop f&r)
R speed 22mm forged rear sway bar (set on soft)
Borla stainless catback exhaust
Power Slot slotted rotors f&r
Helix stainless brake lines
EBC greenstuff brake pads

Then here are my wheel choices-

HP Racing Evo 18x7.5 darksilver 8 hole
http://www.wheelsnext.com/product.p...=&inum=&large=1

or

Volk Racing Gram Light 57S 17x7.5 silver
http://www.forperformance.com/rays/...glights57s.html

Then after all that, if I still have any money left-

Schrick performance camshaft
Lightened aluminum flywheel
Hi-flow throttle body (58mm)
ECU remap- Jet ECU, or GIAC chip, or Evotech, not sure which to do
MCS fuel tank conversion w/ cap
Alta 4 light bar (but I might need a new bumper cover to accomodate them being mounted low, either S or Aero)
MOMO street racer GT seats, blk/gray


I've heard that the mods with the best value for the MC are suspension mods, and that you can also squeeze more power out of the engine if you want, but it's expensive and involved (unlike just bolting a pulley on an S). What should I not do from the list here, or is there any other easy bolt on mods to give a bit more "oomph"?

 

I think all of your upgrades will have ups and down. I cannot comment on most of them because I have not experienced them. But I can comment on that wheel size you want. Having 18" wheels myself I can tell you the ride can be horrible. Highway driving is nice and smooth but hit and bumps and it feels like you riding on mines. The rims and tires I have are in my sig if that matters. If i'd do it again i'd of gone 17" with a thinker tire.

 

Thanks! I was all about 18s for the look, but you're right and I'd rather enjoy driving the car than looking at it. Even though I'll be doing plenty of that, too!

There are some people that have said it is a moderate trade-off for the 18s, and there are even some who have 19s and say they love them. Taking that into consideration makes the 18s look conservative, especially on a 215/40 instead of a 215/35 or less. I know the best setup will be 17s on 215/45, but I still want "that look" of 18s rolling on a MINI. So large.

But, what can I do to juice up the 115 ponies?

 

Why didn't you order a MCS ???????

 

I'm not a personal fan of doing mods to a car. Drive it for a while and see how you like it. Do you plan on doing any Auto Cross racing with your car? If so the mods you have listed will move you out of H-Stock and put you into STS class, where the mods you have listed won't be enough. Mod for a reason, not just to mod. Tighten the nut behind the wheel and learn how to drive before you decide to change the car.

 

For daliy driving, I think you need a clear bra as your first mod.

 

Very helpful, Davester.

 

Based on what i know about road surface conditions in Maryland.. you will be spending money replacing bent parts when using 18" wheels.. you need a lot more sidewall to survive what happens to the road surfaces every year..


but that's just an opinion..

If you are looking for the most bang for the buck in a cooper.. get the MTH software.. it's relatively in expensive. and it does a lot!!!

 

ok.. 2 things... im sorry to say so but having so much good stuff on a cooper, the cost would override any advantage you'd gain... you might as well get a S and do the stuff and get even more out of a car

now.. i'd suggest a set of 16s for a cooper, tops a set of 17s... 18s is too much!

u should look into a full ported cylinder head to go with the cam

if you insist on modding a cooper and not a S... then try and find M7 to sell you their turbo, or find parts from different places and build a custom turbo kit... it'd be expensive.. but it'd certainly be one FAST cooper

 

I totally agree.......your dealer will be happy to change your order to an "S". Your going to spend a lot of time and money and never reach the performance of a stock S. IMO

 

OK, fair enough... I'm not looking to go "Fast & Furious" or anything... And my car is already in shipping- I have already weighed the advantages and disadvantages and, in my position, chose to go with the standard cooper. That way I can have a Coop, very nearly loaded, for the same price as a stripped "S". My lady had to have the sunroof.

I'm pretty sure about the 17s at this point after hearing from everyone here, so that's pretty much settled.

And the clear bra is going on, for sure!

I've been driving naturally-aspirated 4 cylinder compacts my whole driving life, so to have a car without a supercharger or turbo is cool with me. I don't mind winding out the gears now and then for that top-end power. I think I will drive her for a while with no mods to the engine just to see where I feel it needs help, if any, and try to address it.

My goal here is to have some juice for weekend driving in the mountains, and still be able to stop and go around the city with a solid, reliable car.

K&N and the borla will be the only mods for a while... but a year or two down the line maybe a cam with the polished head (on webb motorsports) and a software upgrade. Don't the dealers offer software upgrades? How is that different from having your ECU reprogrammed by evotech or GIAC? Each one still maintains drivability?

 

I have 17x7.5's and I love them. I also have the K&N Typhoon and Borla catback exhaust that you mentioned. I will tell you the combination added quite a bit of zip to the car and made it so much more fun, but you better be ready for the noise. I don't mind it much, but if you want a quite cabin you may want to stay away from the exhaust.

 

Eh, it only adds to the motoring experience! As long as there is no overly obnoxious "drone" that you can get with aftermarket systems, but from what I've read about the borla, it's loud, but not like the Magnaflow. I had a Borla on my 1988 VW GTI 16v and the thing was great. I'm not looking for a step away from straight pipes, but a sporty rumble that opoens up a bit in the higher RPMs. Does anyone know of a thread that has sound clips of the borla for an MC and not an MCS?

 

Hehe, I like your attitude
Don't get me wrong... borla is the way to go, but as with any performance exhaust you'll get increased noise. It doesn't have that raspy leaf blower sound like most of the ricers out there. I'll see if I can make a sound clip for you.

 

aftermarket ecus all they do is play with the fuel map and etc.. similar to apexei safc... basically trimming down the map to lean out the mixture... kinda hard to explain, but dealer flahes are merely updates to the current systems

 

Sweet, thanks!

I like steamed rice better anyway.

 

So I should just stay away from ECU remapping unless I get more serious than an intake and exhaust? Like, once I get them cam and head done?

I know that in some 1.8 turbo VWs an ECU upgrade can do incredible things. I wans't sure if the same can happen in a regular coop.

 

ECU mods for a 1.8T VW does incredible things because the ECU for such is detuned for economy and factor of safety. Meaning the turbo from the factory is set for a lower boost level than its maximum potential.

The equivalent of the VW 1.8T chip upgrade is the 15-17-19% reduction pulley for the MCS.

A normally aspirated engine does not have such a luxury without replacing parts. That being said, there are kits and parts to improve the performance of the MC. There are replacement cams and heads and ECU mappings for the MC. Look at the Cooper Garage Clubman kit for the MC to get ideas.

There is an old maxim in racing - "Less weight, go faster". But no one likes a stripped car for a daily driver.

Like JustGo4It said, perhaps the best performance mod to do is to try out a performance driving school.

hey,

 

I think this was from the Dragon '04 exhaust comparison meet:
http://home.comcast.net/~greatbear/BorlaCooper.mp3

 

Yep, that's what mine sounds like

 

I love it. Sounds real nice! Thanks for the post!

I think I'll have that on repeat while I sleep tonite...

 

First of all congrats on your new MC. It really bugs me how "S" owners think that just because you buy an MC that you are buying something less. The MC and MCS are very different cars that share a ton of similarities. I personally prefer the look of the MC over the MCS. I have no problems keeping up with MCS's on the canyons where horsepower makes very little difference.

Enjoy the better fuel economy and lower price on parts with your new MC. For instance, compare the price of an aftermarket intake of an MC to an MCS. Want to hear what MY 03'MC sounds like with a Moss MINI intake?? I bought this used for $75 from a member off NAM.

http://www.littlemini.us/files/03MC_MossIntake.mp3

What you are hearing is ONLY the intake. Everything else is OEM. Stock exhaust, etc.. The file was recorded with 2 microphones. One against the intake and one outside--that's why you hear the windnoise. The Intake tone is on the left and the wind is on the right channel.

I say MOD your new MC as much as you want, and forget what MCS owners think about your decisions. Fortunately for us, more people buy MCS's than Coopers these days, making us the MORE unique between the two---even in stock form.

Enjoy!

 

Thanks! Great sound clip... and mod I shall.

I already have the K&N typhoon short ram intake and I can see from photos that the two (moss MINI & K&N) are very similar in design and the filters are probably comparable as well. I have some magnacor wires, H sport springs and R speed rear sway already, too. The only other thing I'll do for the engine is the Borla for this Spring- That should give me enough smiles to last a while.

Webb motorsport's polished head with the schrick cam looks to be the best head change, and the most solid option for further power @ $1700 and change. I may look into that for a year or two down the line.

Has anyone had any experience with a lightened alum. flywheel or a larger throttle body for the MC? Worth the $ tag? or the install labor $?

 

Yep I've got Magnecors too--looks only.
http://www.littlemini.us/technical/plugwires/index.asp



Here's my Moss MINI Intake and write up on the install
http://www.littlemini.us/technical/intake/index.asp



Thanks!! I just love the sound, and from what I understand--MCS's don't easily get that kind of sound with just an intake replacement.

Have you done an ECU mod?? The MTH Cartune is inexpensive and offers a lot bang for the buck--15hp for $75. Don't need exhaust or intake either.
http://www.littlemini.us/technical/mth/index.asp

I hear an enlarged throttle body is only good for a few hp--and relative to the price--it's not very signficant.

Richard

 

Wow, that ECU mod sounds great! Great work on the technical articles section of your site, too... Very informative! It makes me want to get navigation and have a British woman tell me to get on the Motorway! :smile:

Well, right now I have a pentium 1 laptop that is ...s...l...o...w......
So once I upgrade that I can hook the chipper up. sounds like the best way to go for the ECU... I'll read the other threads on it to catch up.

Thanks for the help!