Hey Everyone! I just sold my Cooper (loved it!!!!) and got a Cooper S!

I'm looking to do some work on my performance but I need a few tips on planning it out. The first upgrades I wanted to do were from M7 with their DDM Cold Air Intake, 16% Red Pulley, and 2% Crank Pulley. I plan to buy them seperately (I'm only 21 ) then get them installed all at once to save labor costs. Is this an effective plan? Should I avoid or choice other parts first?

Thanks for listening!

 

ey there, i just recently sold my R50 and got myself a R53

we basically have the same plan in modding, but if you check out my thread about my first mods, best NOT to order the crank pulley as there are a lot of horror stories about them

but with a CAI & pulley, you're on the right track

 

CAI is a good first mod, but do the install yourself, not to difficult. On the money you save on install, get a M7 STB for the front shock towers, helps to keep them from mushrooming and helps on stiffness. The 2% crank pulley is a debatable thing, I think i'm going to finally install one, people say they are safe as long as you dont bring your rev's over 7,000, which you can't unless you flash your ECU. Plus there are thousands of them out there with no problems. The 16% is problably the most bang for the buck by far that we can do for our cars. I would look at an exhaust system after that, my .02 .

 

CAI, GOOD FIRST MOD. 16% PULLY GOOD CHOICE. I WOULD HOLD OFF ON THE CRANK PULLY. FOLLOW JIMINNI'S ADVICE AND GET THE MY STRUT TOWER BRACE. I WOULD ALSO LOOK INTO THERE UNDER STRUT SYSTEM. THE COMBINATION OF THESE 2 ITEMS REALLY TIGHTENS THINGS UP CHECK WITH CUSTOM MINI SHOP THEY WILL GIVE YOU GREAT PRICING
559-320-0004

 

thanks everyone! Are special tools or skills needed to install the strut brace?

 

STB requires a ratchet and 13mm socket. The rest of the tools come with the brace. 10 min install, and that included looking for the socket.

 

As long as your towers are not already mushroomed. then you will need a BIG hammer and a piece of wood .

 

Plus a torque wrench .

 

Sounds great! I wanted to add a strut brace to my Cooper for a long time but never got around to it. Any suggestions on the where to get the brace from? I've read that the JCW is great and they're not that expensive since Mini put them up on sale.

 

I'm in the same situation, just got myself an r53, now thinking of what will get my Mini better for the least amount of money right now.

So I read about the strut towers and started to freak out a little.....
How would I know if one of my strut towers is mushroomed? Can I see it visually? My mini is pulling a little to the left on the freeway, even after alignement (although it may not have been aligned quite right, i'll be going back to the shop that did the alignement to have it checked out again)... If one of the towers has mushroomed, is there anything that can be done?

Hopefully though it's just misaligned, then should I think of strut reinforcement plates or s.r. brace? or do I need both?

Performance wise, I was thinking of a pulley upgrade as the first thing too.
However, here in Nor-Cal we don't have any gas better then 91 ... Would it be smarter for me to opt for 15% pulley? Or will I still be okay with 16%?

Secondly, we do have some high temperatures in the summertime... do you think a new thermostat would be a good idea? Like this one http://www.m7tuning.com/parts/produc...&products_id=7?


Thanks for your input!

 

Stick with the M7 STB, it comes with the plates and the strut bar. It is the only brace that offers the anti-mushrooming features . As for knowing if they are already mushroomed, once you put the plate down on the tower you will see that they will not lay flat, then all you need to do is literally beat the towers down. Use a peice of wood and a big hammer. The 16% pulley is what i'm using with absolutly no problems . It is a good compromise from getting the 18-19% that some people are using. I just had a Alta header installed today, sounds pretty wild . You can buy all the parts mentioned here at: "The Custom Mini Shop" here in Fresno, (559) 320-0004, ask for Brad, they also ship anywhere .

 

man i want a r53 so bad :(

 

but I wouldn't do the little things like the thermostat. It helps a bit but if you get cold at night the car can throw codes.

But after doing all the stuff I've done, here's what I'd do if I were to do it all over again.

Pulley. Then save tons of money.
Head. OMFG! I can drive up hills in 5th that used to need third!
Intake is nice, relatively cheap (leep an eye out in the marketplace to save some $)
If you really want some power, then a header and exhaust.

But if you look at all the little things you can do, they all seem realively easy and cheap. But they do add up! Save the $ for the head.

Matt

 

lol i am in 2nd sometimes with my MC on 17

 

I got when I did the cam. Heck, there are times that I drive around at about 1700 RPMS!

Matt

 

I sound like a total novice when i ask this but where do Head, Cam and Header differ?

Excuse me. lol
I clearly don't DIY any of my installs.

 

The head is the key to better breathing on our cars. The cam a bit more but not as much as the head. The header helps to get all those hot gasses out.

And they tend to differ on price point as well!

Matt