ok first off i want to say that i feel a bit bad that im getting into the mini game a little late, but also feel lucky because now there are tons of you who have tried and researched all available mods for this wonderful little fun car!

what i bought this car for is of course 1st and foremost as a daily driver, but i also plan to make it look a bit more sporty and aggressive (wheels and a drop), and also i plan on taking it along for a few mountain drives, autoX practice days (not compete), and a few open track days

my question is what would be the "must have mods" for what my car is going to be used for and please keep budget in mind

thanks for all your help

 

As far as interior mods go for a daily driverI highly recommend a european parcel shelf under the steering wheel and a divider for the glove compartment. It helps with the interior storage tremendously.

 

Well the traditional path for modding started off with pulley, intake, & exhaust. I'd include an RMW tune for pulling out the most torque from the engine especially since you're in SoCal. Changing the wheels to lighter wheels or even just removing the runflats and going to ultra high performance rubber will make a huge difference too.

Well I might do the pulley and then the RMW tune then intake and exhaust if you want the sound to be improved.

I've done a fair amount of mods to my '05..engine, suspension, interior/exterior paint.

Richard

 

^wow that sounds good...other than specificaly mentioning the RMW tune, what pulley, intake and exhaust did you end up using?

i will probably keep the 16" wheel/tire sizes, but i am looking at aftermarket wheels and stickier rubbers as well

and the Helix short shift adapter sounds like a deal will it fit on my 06?

keep the suggestions coming folks!!!!

thanx again!

 

aero kit and im soon going to get CAI from ALTA performance

 

I initially had an M7 16% but now have a Helix 17%. It's in my signature.
I've got the Alta Intake and a modified Invidia Exhaust with the Magnaflow resonator.

Also I have an RMW header and will likely get his exhaust as my Invidia has been falling apart after two years.

I've got the Cravenspeed adjustable short shift kit---it's incredible. I had a standard short shift kit (Rogue Engineering) prior and the throw was shorter, but not a huge day and night difference. Being able to change on the fly from standard OEM throw to very short, stiff throws or anything in between is wonderful.

Richard

 

good tires & lighter wheels, pulley, rear sway

 

rear sway bar along with the other bits listed above

 

Honestly, i would get a cold air intake first, itll make you sound better, perform better, and then as far as exhaust goes, if you have read anything about a one ball, its so cheap, i did mine myself, and its a few extra hp, and much more aggresive sound. Next step for me is my pulley, and then wheels and tires, and then bypass valve. All to come in a few months. Definately get a cai first tho i would say.

 

I also lowered mine, did it myself, pretty easy and chip, feels a lot tighter, it is bumpy as hell, but when i ditch the runflats i think ill be good.

 

Pulley is probably the most HP gain without going nuts $$ wise. Cold air intake is probably next...about the same price as the pulley.

A one ball exhaust mod doesn't really buy you any significant HP, but it strips 25+ pounds off the car and sound awesome when you lift the throttle...and it's cheap. Any muffler shop popular with the ricers should be able to do it for $75 or less, vice a performance exhaust (Borla for example) that will cost several hundred.

For handling, +1 on the rear sway bar. I'd also consider some lowering springs. If not too agressive (1 inch or less) you shouldn't need any camber adjustments.

I'd save the tune for last, as it will be optimized for your current setup...if you then change something you'll need to do it over.

 

My list of must do mods (that I have done):

Fun & looks:

stripes
roof decal
Home Depot DYI front lip spoiler trim
Sport Exhaust tips

Interior:

glove box divider
Home depot plugs for door screws
Euro parcel shelf
Aux port for radio
LED light replacement for roof light
Winter mats

Performance (ride):

Ditching the runflats for performance tires
Strut tower braces
Rear sway bar


Performance general:

CAI (and openings in rear of box)
M7 Air diverter plate
supercharger pulley
BRISK plugs

Needed:

Tune
oil catch can

 

My List of Must Have Mods:


PIAA H7 Extreme White Plus ///Done
Black out gas cap DIY ///Done
Black out Sidemarkers DIY ///Done
Black out door handles ///Done
Black out Belt Line ///Done
Blizzaks Snow Tires ///Done
Passenger side side skirt with clips and sill ///Done
Rear EBC Green Stuff Brake Pads ///Done
Rear Brake Sensors ///Done
Rear Brake Rotors ///Done
Front EBC Green Stuff Brake Pads ///Done
Front Brake Sensors ///Done
Front Brake Rotors ///Done
17% Pulley and Belt ///Done
Alta Cold Air Intake ///Done
M7 Front Strut Tower Brace ///Done
Front Top Aero Grill Kit ///Done
Front Mid Aero Grill Kit ///Ready
Rear 25 MM Sway Bar ///Ready
Super Sprint Exhaust ///Ready
Clutch Masters Fx2oo ///Ready
Clutch Masters Flywheel ///Ready
14LGS Spark Plugs ///Ready
Kingsbourne Spark Plug Wires ///Ready
Fog Light Vinyls ///Ready
Front Tow Hook License Plate Holder ///Need to Order
Black Door Handle Covers ///Need to Order
Black Headlight Ring Covers ///Need to Order
HID Conversion Kit ///Need to Order
Rear Strut Brace ///Need to Order
Detroit Tuned Bypass Valve ///Need to Order
TSW Torque Damper ///Need to Order
Helix Short Shifter Kit ///Need to Order
Rota SVN Wheels 17x7.5 ///Need to Order
Dunlop Direzza Star Spec Z1 Tires ///Need to Order
Escort Passport 8500 x50 Radar Detector ///Need to Order
PIAA Fog Lights ///Need to Order
New leather shift boot and brake boot ///Need to Order
Voltage Hood Scoop ///Need to Order
H&R or TSW Springs ///Need to Order
M7 Front Carbon Fiber Splitter ///Need to Order
M7 Rear Spoiler/Wing ///Need to Order
RMW Street Header ///Need to Order
RMW Cam ///Need to Order
RMW Tune ///Need to Order

 

wow that is so awesome thanx for your inputs so far!!!!

after much debate i will be doing the headlight and foglight bulb upgrades

next will be wheels/tires and springs, and with extra $$$ maybe the rear sway bar as mentioned above

care to share where i can find/purchase these first few mods???

thanx again!

 

I've only owned a MINI for about 6 months but from what I've seen these shops usually have good deals.

Mini Mania (sign up for their mailing list. You'll appreciate it

Eurosport design

Helix

JSC Speed

Out Motoring

If you are looking for seats check out Motorsport Seats

Make sure you check the NAM homepage because deals pop up there from sites I haven't seen before. I didn't know about Eurosport Design until they had an exhaust sale for instance.

If you want to stay current on MINI news I would recommend checking out www.motoringfile.com

If you listen to podcasts you should check out White Roof Radio which is on the Zune marketplace and iTunes.

Hope this helps you on your way.

 

If/when you decide to do any suspension mods.......definitely get a set of camber plates. Not only will they give improved perfrormance, but they will help protect the strut towers from mushrooming. In fact you may be able to forgo the rear sway bar by getting this done.

 

wow i will def check those things out!!!

funny i was thinking about seats, since to me the front of the driver seat sits a bit too high for my short legs haha, so i wouldl ike to get a lower profile adj racing seat later down the line

any sources for deals on wheel/tires combos in 16" ?

 

My suggested mod order, based on looks, fun, and performance.
1. Shorter springs (TSW, H&R, or JCW). I currently have JCW.
For looks and a little better handling.
Will need to adjust (more positive) rear camber with stock control arm.
2. Cat-Back Exhaust.
For the sound (makes driving fun) and little better performance.
Options depend on how loud you want the exhaust.
I have used Borla Sport (great sound), JCW (too quite), and Milltek (in between).
Watch NAM marketplace for used systems.
3. Better headlight bulbs. I suggest H7 Osram Rallye 65W in low and high beam.
Checkout candlepowerinc.com and store.candlepower.com
Maybe should be first mod because so cheap
4. Adj. front camber plates (Hotchkis or TSW). I have Hotchkis.
Set to around -2.0 camber.
I would do front camber plates before a rear sway bar.
Will need alignment.
5. Non-run flat tires when tires need to be replaced.
Many good options. I currently use Toyo T1R.
6. 15% Pulley
7. CAI with hole to cowl (mainly for the sound).
I have JCW. Had Mini-Madness on previous MCS.
8. Silver bulbs for front turn signal. Just for looks.
9. Auto-Up windows circuit card.
Checkout gbmini.net/wp/auto-up_windows
10. Tune
11. Lighter wheels if you switch from stock.
12. Upgraded brakes if going to do track days.
Many options. Checkout TCEperformanceproducts.com.
13. 19 or 20mm 3-hole adj rear sway bar.
14. Front lower strut brace (Mini-Madness or TSW)
etc. etc. etc. (It never ends)

 

For wheels and tires:
edgeracing.com (except their site does not appear to be currently working)
tirerack.com

 

RIP Edge Racing. It was reported on another enthusiast website that their company is no longer is business.

As many have said, the best bang for the buck performance wise will be a pulley. And some colder plugs for the higher boost levels you'll be making. And hopefully a tune if you are around someone who can tune them.

Intakes and exhausts don't do much. A one-ball mod should be $40-$100 at your local muffler shop. They basically remove one of the stock mufflers. Not much HP to be had either way.

A K&N drop in panel filter will be cheaper, and probably not much different HP wise then a dedicated "Cold Air" package.

For me, I'd use the money saved on intake and exhaust to get a rear sway bar (instead of cold air intake) and some better tires (instead of exhaust).

I turned up the HP first (pulley, cam, header) on the stock suspension and run-flats recently and actually regret not spreading the $$$ around to balance out the car.

Stock, I found the Mini to be a very balanced all around car. But I tipped too far into the power output, and now have to spend additional $$$ getting that nice stock balance back with the new found power levels.

Either way, as long as you don't go wild with accessories from Kragen Auto, it's kind of hard to really "ruin" a Mini. Enjoy it and whatever path you take with him/her.

 

That's too bad. I didn't realize that happened. I liked them and their products.

Richard

 

Like others have suggested; i'd go with a pulley, and get rid of the run-flats.

 

thanx for all the input!
ok first set of mods have been done
H7 Piaa extreme white low beams
H11 Piaa yellow bulbs driving lights
new wiper blades
aluminum sleeve and caps for valve stems

up next will be a "one ball" and a K&N drop in

in between maybe the strut tower re-enforce plates (links?)

if there are good deals to be had new 16" wheel/tire setup - no more run flats, no more heavy OEM wheels and at the same time throw on some H&R springs :thumbup:

after that i will do pulley, tune, rear sway bar and front lower strut brace (any recommendations on these parts? other than the ones already mentioned?)

pics:


thank you!

 

Regarding springs, Texas Speed Werks is about to have the third generation spring available sometime this week.
It's going to have linear spring rates... i.e. for every inch of travel, XX lbs required to compress them.

Currently there aren't any springs that are truly linear, except for the Swift springs, and they're only available for coil-overs.
And another thing to consider... are you looking for looks or handling improvements with springs?

Going low... and getting better rates for handling are often two different things.



Good luck with the mods, I think you'll be happy with the K&N and One-ball... and the price can't be beat!

 

Skip the K&N and get a good foam filter.....much better performance.

And skip the strut tower plates and get a set of camber plates. Does a better job of protecting the towers and will give you a better handling car (and you won't need a new rear sway bar !)