I detailed an 05 Jet Black MINI Cooper Convertible. After I was done, the owner told me he loves his MINI, but is looking for a way to get a little more power out of it. He said that when he is driving sometimes on steep hills, the car can not even make it up to the top with the AC on.


Since I own a Cooper S, I do not know much about upgrade parts available for the Cooper. Would the JCW Cooper Package be the best bet for him?


Or would a simple Exhaust + Intake do the trick? If you could point me in the right direction, that'd be great!

 

The JCW Soundkit for the MC gives about 3 hp to it but the sounds are great...as far as a significant increase I would think it would take exhaust and an intake change...I have done neither to mine so far and I have no problems in the hills and mountains around Oregon and Washington

 

I'm assuming you already gave the answer of "turn off the AC".

Unfortunately, there aren't a whole lot of good options. At least without spending stupid amounts of money.

No A/C and downshift sounds like the simplest answer to me.

 

The problem could be in the transmission...

If manual, just downshift...
If auto... I think you just gotta hope it doesn't quit... (I have no experience with mini's auto, so....???)

A cam is probably his best bet though.

 

Milltek exhaust manifold and Milltek exhaust, ITG flat panel air filter and MTH software tuner file :-)

 

How steep are we talking about? I have an 06 Cooper convertible, and I go up steep hills in San Francisco (some steep enough that the sidewalks have stairs). I have manual transmission and as long as I downshift, I have no problem even with the A/C on.

 

I think altitude also has something to do with it. I, too, have no realy problems with hills in my Cooper, but I'm talking about elevations from sea level to maybe 3,000 feet. In Colorado, it might be a different story.

 

I have a K&N 57i intake, and a Megan Racing cat-back exhaust, and it has added considerable pep to my Cooper. I like mods that are easily reversible, and not internal to the engine, but that's me.

Zip

 

Never had a problem here, even in the mountains....near 10,000 ft, with the AC on.

I have an aFe intake, Milltek exhaust, Nology, IK22, and that is about it performance wise....but even stock, I had no problems.

 

header, exhaust, ecu should help him. and the obvious.. turn off the ac haha. I cant say Ive ever had that problem but I usually cary speed up hills

 

My cooper has an intake a Borla exaust and MTH tuner file,all three work in harmony to make it a totally different car to drive with lots more power,but i would say the MTH chip made the most difference in creating more driveability and low end power,it just simply converts this engine to what it should have been in the first place.I have no idea what it would be like without the intake and exaust as i had it installed last,but yep this engine is playing a different tune for shure.

 

Don't remember what it was called, but last September when I was at the MINI dealer they upgraded my ECU with the latest version........no charge, and it made a very noticeable improve in performance.

 

If the Cooper is an '05 manual, then I'm surprised as that was the first year for the Getrag tranny, and the gearing is such that it should still pull, even if 5th gear, unless you're talking steep hill or high altitude, in which case you just gear down. That said, when I was shopping prior to purchasing my '06 Cooper, I test drove a convertible with the large, S-lite 17" wheels and tires, which is about as heavy a Cooper as there is, and it did not feel as quick as the standard Mini. Remember that the convertible carries a weight penalty, and Coopers are weight sensitive with only 115 hp to work with. On my '06 Cooper, I've gone with a MyMini (now "Minspeed thanks to BMW attys) touring exhaust, ITG filter, and very light BBS 15 inch rims, and it feels pretty strong. I've read very good things about either the MTH or GIAC software in this forum as well. Hope this helps.

 

Did the ratios change on the getrag 5sp vs. Midlands? I know the MCS 6spd came with closer ratios over the previous model, but not the Cooper.... let alone a closer 5th... Anyone?

 

I'm sure someone has the exact ratios, but my understanding was that 5th gear at least turns a bit higher rpm at speed - about 4Krpm @ 80MPH in my car.

 

Easy, three things.

ECU, Exhaust, and Intake.

ECU upgrade will do best seeing as how it is the car's computer. Alter the maps and you will alter the performance the car is capable of.

Exhaust will be the most noticeable because of the soundnote. I like the MINI to have a low growl, so a 2.5" Miltek would work well.

Lastly, Intake. I've heard a lot about K&N's Typhoon as well as the BMP Intake.

Now if you want some real power, upgrade the engine to an "S" engine and put a front mount IC with jet spray into the mix. Therefore you can have power without the hoodscoop. Perfect sleeper.

 

well.. all I know is my 5th is deadly close to my 4th... but 4th still pulls harder.. id say 500 rpm difference between the two im hitting 3500 at 70

 

oo0o

nice 50 shot would do it too ;]

 

I added a CAI and a Helix13 catback to my Cooper. It gave a little more power and a nice sound to it, but adding the UniChip added more HP and torque. Now, it has a lot more oomph than and OEM Cooper, and while it isnt an "S", it's still good...well, good enough for me without getting into really big money outlay.

If you wanted to get more power and more money invested, get a Schrick cam and a header.

 

+1

 

I find the same in my 2006 Cooper S.

 

How big is the guy diving the Cooper?
Maybe some weight reduction might help
I have never had any problems on any hills, I've been from Colorado all through the western US and Canada with a loaded down car.
Maybe there is some sort of ECU problem.