2006 Mini Base... For the money, what are the best upgrade options? Sway bar, stereo, etc?

I know I can spend 1000s modding this beautiful machine, but looking for what people consider the greatest bang for the buck upgrades.

 

It all depends on if you cave a COOPER or a COOPER S. And what exactly you want to do with the car. Here are my first mod recomendations on both.

COOPER (non S):
19mm rear sway bar, intake system, and good tires.

COOPER S:
15-17% S/C pulley, 19mm+ rear sway bar, Good set of UHP tires, and a good tune (preferably one done on a dyno)

Theese mods are worth their weight in gold on theese cars, and will keep the smiles coming for a while until you want more.

 

It's a non-s, so I'm def going with what you recommended. I'm not a big "modder", but enough to get a better ride and increase the ride any that I can!

Can you point me in the direction for the injection system and what specific part/brand to buy for the swaybar?

Also, is changing the ECU out too much for a "beginner" like me, or is it pretty worthwhile?

 

Check out WAY MOTOR WORKS for the intake, and swaybar. You could go bigger than a 19mm but I wouldnt recomend it without a lot of driving skill.
The intake will only add a couple HP but the sound (deep throaty growl) of the motor makes this a worthwile mod. I would do the DDM if its still avalible, High quality stuff not cheap junk.

As for your ECU, there is no real reason to upgrade. You can get it tuned, but with the minimal gains it isn't a major priority.

For pricing on a tune there are only a few people to go to, WAY, MYNES, and RMW are the best at it.

Also think about light weight 15" wheels, the differance in unsprung weight can make a big improvement all around.

 

DICKS Garage pretty much nailed it. Intake, sway bar, lighter wheels/ better tires. There are some exhaust options out there too.
That's for the performance end of it.
For aesthetics there are a world of options. Stripes/graphics; lighting; interior/exterior blingy stuff. All a matter of personal preference.

 

Best "bang for buck mod" for me (which is what you ask)was the "Light-in-sight"(do a search)
$17 dollars well spent

 

The first thing I would do is to upgrade the wheels to a 17" rim and 245/45/17 tires.... That alone changes the look (and feel) of the car to a more aggressive/sporty stance.

 

245/45/17 is the wrong size.

 

That's what's on my MCS and many friend's MCS and Justacoopers.

EDIT #1:

Sorry, I should have said 245/25/17 hahahahaha

Edit #2:

Argh! darn it! today I'm really slow... I should have said 215/45-17 (had to actually go out and check my sizes!!! LOL) Sorry!

 

And I thought he had lifted his mini 3 inches and then added those monster tires... I guess it would change the look and stance! ....... if your a Redneck!
You might be a redneck if ...... you add a lift kit and big tires to your Mini cooper ..........

 

No, I'm not a redneck, but now that you mentioned it, that setup would sure help me overcome our pothole problem we have in the city! LOL

Geez! I really feel kinda slow today... I must have "a case of the Mondays" syndrome or something...

Cheers!
RayanMX

 

15's can look just as good, without the mass of unsprung weight you get with the 17's.

I would run a 15 if it wern't for the giant brakes going on my car.

 

15's can look just as good, without the mass of unsprung weight you get with the 17's.

I would run a 15 if it wern't for the giant brakes going on my car.

 

15s can look good!

With lots of measurement, I was able to run 15x7.5" wide rims with a 30mm offset on my 2003 MCS JCW with JCW brakes on it. 205/50/15 is a pretty cheap and common tire size, and looks nice on this size.

 

I'm keeping my stock 15" and changing the bicycle tires for 205/55s. May add 1/2" spacers later.
I'm running the short ram intake - I like it - nice growl and a touch extra HP.
Started cutting dead weight with the rear wiper and motor - looks better and 2.6 LB less weight. I LEFT THE MANUAL AT HOME AND IM ON A DIET

Short ram intake Question - how much will it effect the O2 sensors or CAD converter if any? She smells a little like im BLOWING it out when I get on it now.

 

I have a 2006 mini base as well. So far I have changed out the stock exhaust with a catback Magnaflow and just replaced the stock air filter with a K&A air filter. Definitely worth it - the car sounds richer and it opened it up a bit. Rough estimates are about 8 - 10% more horsepower.

 

Well any weight out is good weight. Keeping the 15's is especialy a plus on a justaCooper, but you can run a wider tire like a 215/45/15 possibly a 225/40/15 with the right setup.

As for your CAI question, no it wont mess with the O2 sensors or CAT, it will however cause the ECU to run the car a little (not much) leaner, that could be your smell.

 

DICKS Garage has given you good advise. The only thing I might add to that are front camber plates, as they will really help your turn-in a lot.

 

Yep, I was going to bring them up but, that's geting a little outside of the basic mod range. Ireland Engineering and HELIX both sell fixed plates for the beginers, and both work exceptionally well.

 

To: Dicks garage, I keep getting told the best tire size i can run is a 205/50/15 or 205/55/15 on my stock rims. (15" - 5.5) how can i make the sizes you talked about work?

Keep in mind i need some mileage not pure performance.

 

i, stick to 205/50/15 with 15x5.5 wheel anything taller or wider might tend to roll under spirited cornering.

 

+1.

With the 205/50 you will notice a big difference over the stock 15 size and it should still give good ride.