OK, I have a non-S and non-alota-money. I have installed a CAI, but are there any other reasonably priced power upgrades? ...And I doubt that CAI did much of anything except add a pretty cool growl at 3500-4000 RPM. Bavauto quoted 9 horse, but I seriously doubt it. Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect turbo results.

 

Hey Poor Boy in the Twin Cities,

You have done most of what you can. If you don't have a TSW Damper think about getting one, it will help get the power you do have to the street faster. You will find them at http://www.autoxcooper.com/tsw_engine_damper.html

Few things you can do to run better with our "S" friends is add a sway bar, I like the IE, better tires and go to a driving school all of that will help you run with the better "S" drivers in your club events without the need to add more power.

 

Exhaust system?

Without some serious money for a head, new internals, and computer retune, you aren't going to get much out of a MC.

Someone on the forum has a custom built motor for their MC with something like a 9k or more redline.

 

Thanks! I had not heard of the damper system before!

 

chances are that if you want a faster cooper, save up 2 grand and sell your mini. then youll be hanging with the s crowd!

seriously though, if you dont want to spend the money, you need to recognize your cooper for what it is: a fabulously fun driver car that very few others can even come close to in terms of driving fun. The straight line speed satisfies a different fancy, but both the mc and mcs are really made to go around corners, which it does extremely well. have fun with it!

 

I would to go the pet store and get stronger, younger hamsters..

 

Bwahahaha!

Honestly mate, it's a Just-a-cooper. I've got one too. They're not full of power. But ya know what they've got? Crazy mad cornering potential. Start with your suspension and some driving courses, then you'll be able to take corners faster and maintain your speed out of them, thus reducing the odds of an S beating you. I've out run an S before. It's all about driver skill...

 

just to add to the chorus... mod the driver. find if the local chapter of the BMWCCA has a car control clinic or autoX event. Same goes for NASA, SCCA, etc.

After some steering wheel time, tire choice and suspension sorting are next. fixed camber plates and rear bar are the lowest cost mods that will give the most. Springs are cheap, but will require a sport strut like Koni Yellows or Bilstein SPs; not to mention adjustable lower rear arms.

Motor on!

 

When I first started out on superbikes I was eventually depressed about the lack of power and inability to keep up with the 1000 CC bikes.

My solution was to sell my little F4i and get an R1. There were ways to improve the little F4i's performance, but the cheaper route was to simply buy the more powerful bike.

Roundabout way of saying that if you want more power, sell the Non-S and buy the S.

I have the non-S and if someday I want the S power, I will sell my non-S. No way I want to sink money into modding my little non-S to get more power. It can be done, but then the car would lose its non-S character.

I know an S can blow me away on the roads and stoplights [they do all the time] but I am fine with the power my non-S provides.

More power would just cause me trouble anyway. 1) I would speed and get tickets [it's hard enough to not go 80 MPH in my car]; and 2) in San Francisco, where we have the worst roads in the Nation, I dare not go faster than the non-S can. I would not be able to avoid potholes or other hazards. So "putt putting" along on SF streets is fine for me.

Just sayin.

 

Man I hope you get your MINI back soon and add the mods that are laying around the living room, you really need time in your MINI.

 

Dude your telling me!!

I will probably call you a few more times for install info.

 

For a non-S, the most cost effective power gain is to get a custom ECU tune from Jan at RMW (Revolution Mini Works), which would run about $500 including dyno time. Do a search on RMW for more info. Intake and exhaust do very little for the non-S, but ECU tuning makes a real difference.

However, as others have said, you can also go faster by improving the handling.

 

Power mods are a losing battle on a Cooper.

Handling mods and driver training are where it's at...

Click on the "Watch in high quality" link under the video so you can actually read the titles...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqo5DYquSsY

I don't have footage of me passing a few different R53 Supercharged Cooper S out on the track, but that happened too.

Granted, my car is now far from stock - camber plates, front control arm bushings offset for more caster, JCW suspension, big rear bar, lots of weight reduction, Toyo RA1 tires, clutch, flywheel, etc, etc. But, for power, all that's done is a Borla exhaust and a foam intake filter off the throttle body. And that didn't add much power, just noise.

 

Snid (hi BM!) is dead right. If there's one guy that you've just gotta listen to, it's him. Power is not gonna increase that much in a Cooper. You can reduce the weight of the car (lose the spare, delete the rear seats) thus improving your Hp/ Weight ratio; you can add a new exhaust and CAI, gaining maybe 20hp (and that's generous), or remap the ECU. But power is overrated. The real important thing in Mini's is handling. They're built as large go-karts, and we all know, go-karts are not straight line vehicles! So improve your suspension, it'll be way more worth it than the power. Once you've done that, then go for the power mods. At that point, you'll actually be able to see a difference entering and exiting a corner...

 

Way too generous! I think you'd be lucky to get even 5 hp, probably less. However, they do add to enjoyment of the car (sound) and make you feel like you're going faster .

 

Dude, we all know from the ricer groups that that is the most important thing! Who needs actual speed when you sound and look fast!?

 

That's why I was hesitant to do the intake on my Cooper along with the Borla. The Borla sounds great with the stock airbox. Throw an intake on there, and it sounds faster than it is.

I honestly think the Spec stage 3 clutch and UUC flywheel have made my car quicker out of the corners than before. I'm definitely getting wheelspin in places I didn't used to.

There's some debate as to wether the stock clutch we took out had been in the car all 120,000 miles or not. It looked really, really good. Too good for it to have been in there 120,000 miles. The transmission had been replaced a few times, so perhaps the dealership replaced the clutch during one of the jobs without telling me? In any case, I do think the clutch and flywheel have made a difference. It is also easier to heel / toe shift now.

But, I wouldn't recommend them as an upgrade for "cheap power".

 

I have a cold air intake (MiniMania aka Ultrik), a Milltek cat-back exhaust, and
a Bluefin remap on my MC - I probably get about 10 hp from all three put together.

 

I've raced that track (NHIS) in an ITB Golf - you've got a nice line. Makes me want to get back on the track right now!

 

put a lil nitrous in it fairly cheap and safe as long as you dont go to big and crazy with it.

 

We have a 2003MC & we love it just the way it is. We cruise at 70+ on freeway & get very good MPG (34-36).We bought it new & have no regrets.
It has been & still is a GREAT Car.