Hey ya'll,

I'm looking to purchase a new mini in the next few days, and i'm checking out some mods for it.

Right now here is what I have in mind:

1. Cold air intake
2. 15% pulley reduction

Are there any other ones that I should take a look at, i'd love to be able to do them myself, but i'm not too sure that I can do it.

Also, are there any names that i should stick with, or away from?

Thanks

 

Def put sway bar on the list... before CAI...

 

Actually, I think that the 15% pulley is first on my list (unless you guys suggest otherwise).

How should I go about looking for someone that can do this?

I'm in the southeastern CT area.

 

I assume you are talking about a new to you R53, as a pulley will not do much on an R56.

I would add 'one-ball' as cheep and easy.

 

I just meant the bar before CAI... Get a new foam filter, its more of a noise maker than a performance upgrade, just me though...

 

Is the one ball something I can do on my own?

 

Yes and no. You can but I would recommend taking it to a shop.
It is a method of cutting out the resonator (left side) and rerouting the pipe to the remaining muffler (one ball). It cuts the back pressure some and gives a nice growl.
I had it done at a local shop for $50.

 

Definetly start with the pulley and swaybar they are the biggest bang for the buck mods you can do. We offer a PULLEY KIT that includes a belt,plugs,and tensioner stop to do it right.
And we use the Hsport swaybars that are the best.
As for the one ball have an exhaust shop weld it if your going to do that. It's cheap mod that will take some weight off the car and make a little noise, but don't count on getting any power from it.

 

I'm assuming by your asking about the pulley that you're purchasing a used (new to you) R53 Cooper S. If you're planning on an R56 (brandy new), the pulley won't do any good and you'd need a "tune" to grab more power.

Rule number 1: Don't do dumb stuff:

a) Maintenance and safety items first. Period. Check tires, brakes, air filter, alignment, and other maintenance/safety items. Do nothing until these are taken care of.

b) Don't add power without adding the ability to handle it. Fortunately the Mini's got decent brakes and handling, so getting the pulley first is OK - as long as you've got good brakes, tires, shocks, and the car's set up correctly (braking, handling, alignment).

c) Personally, I'd hit a driving school (or at least beginner's autocross) first. You may find, as I have, that stock power is more than adequate on tight autoX courses - and you'll learn a LOT about the car and your capabilities. Some of the best / fastest Mini drivers I know drive JustaCoopers. No lie. And they easily have as much fun as we S drivers do.

d) Standard list of bolt-on mods, kind of in order AFTER the driver's school and maintenance, and not including "bling" items like wheels - plenty of VERY good drivers are smoother and faster than you and me, and on stock wheels.

1. Rear sway bar: ONLY after you master the car on the AutoX (or comparable "closed course").

2. TSW engine brace: A must before adding power, especially on the '05-'06 cars with the liquid filled engine mount.

3. Intake: Makes it sound better, gives a few more HP on the ol' butt dyno

4. Exhaust / Pulley: Makes sense to improve both, if I were to do it in order I'd do the exhaust first, because a better flowing exhaust makes the pulley work better.

5. Pulley (a tough job to do yourself). When we have Club garage days that's 3-4 hours of experienced labor. Oh - get a new shorter belt and a tensioner stop cable, and ignore anyone who tells you the stock belt's fine. It's not.

Plenty of good manufacturers around, check your geographic area for Mini folks who have good experiences - it's best to find someone who trusts a particular vendor in your area than internet-ordering all this crap then having trouble putting it on yourself. The Mini is all about community anyway!

The above IMHO, YMMV, but seems to make sense to me.

 

+1
Thats all you need. Later on when u got more cash to burn get this: http://www.waymotorworks.com/product...cat=271&page=1

Also, check out Aug 7th, 10th and Oct 16th, 23-24th, and the 31st. To really make your MINI fast: http://www.limerock.com/files/pdf/20...lub_Events.pdf

 

Hey another CT MINI. A lot of us our on our own little site: www.nemini.org, You might be able to find somebody to help you with the pulley there.

My opinion after a year and half of AutoX is that I can still extract more speed from my MINI is terms of driving the corners well. However I would love to have the extra boost from a pulley for when I am cruising on the highway or driving around town. I would have done it by now if it didnt bump me into Street Mod with the tricked out Evo's and STI's.

Dont do the one ball yourself, exhaust work can be a huge pain in the *** and generally isnt worth wasting your time on if you can pay 100 for sombody to do something like that for you. Or maybe I have just been scarred from working on an 04 Nissan and dont know what I am talking about... It is very likely...

 

I took my car to Swift Motorsports in Norwich CT for my pulley and exhaust install. They did a great job with it. here is their website: http://swiftmotorsports.com

And definetly check out http://nemini.org we do a lot of get togethers and runs throughout the state and surrounding areas.

 

yo I was gonna send nemini link but Its not working??

Try:http://nemini.org

 

nemini is back up now