Hey guy so I have a few questions that I was wondering if you could help me with.

I currently own a Black 04 JCW and wanted to make some modifications to the car, but was wondering in which order I should do them and what the best products are.

So far I've decided that I want to replace the JCW CAI with the ALTA CAI.

Not sure what else I should do pertaining to engine upgrades??? I was thinking about getting a chip but they don't make any for the JCW that I could find which means I would have to get one custom made for the car. And what would you guys recommend pertaining to the supercharger pulley?

I also want to do something with the suspension, but not sure what. I currently have the JCW Sport Suspension on their and don't think its been replaced since the car was manufactured, or at least since its been in my possession. I like how the car handles, but hate how when I hit a bump or even the smallest pothole the entire car shakes and I cringe that the car is going break in half. I was looking around and have heard a lot of good things about the KONI FSD's and was thinking about getting those. But if I do can I still gets springs to lower the car about an inch and if so which springs would you guys recommend. Additionally, will I need new sway bars and control arms and again if so which would you guys recommend.

Pertaining to the brakes I currently have the JCW Brakes on the car, they still work well, but eventually I want to get better brakes. The rotors are rusted on the part that connects to the rims and they look like crap which really pisses me off because with the wheels I have on the car its extremely visible.

Which brings me to another point. I want a set of brushed aluminum wheels for the car to replace the black enkei's that I currently have on the car (unsure of the model because they came with the car when I purchased it and haven't been able to find out which they are). They don't look bad with the car, but a really want the wheels to stand out. So if you guys know any wheels that are nice brushed aluminum that aren't outrageously expensive that you could recommend that would be great. Also was wondering what the biggest fitment I could fit on the car was? I hate how the wheels are positioned in the wheel arch they don't fill them out enough.

One last thing. I also have the JCW Exhaust on my car right now and its a really nice exhaust, but I want something a little louder. I'm not sure if putting on the ALTA CAI will help make it sound a little better, but ultimately I would like to replace the exhaust to get more of the popping and burbling then I currently do. So if you guys know any better exhausts that would sound better than the JCW Exhaust or if you think I should keep it, thatd be great.

Thanks

 

We need pics

" JCW Sport Suspension " will have the JCW logo on the struts and Red springs.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2004-Cooper-R53-S-Coupe-L4_1.6L_W11B16A/Suspension/Springs/



" JCW Brakes " If you dont like the rust , you can get rotor that have a geomet or coating. You will want the JCW rotors for the front. If you have the JCW brakes they will have the red front caliper with the JCW logo and take a 11.57" front rotor. The ECS Geomet will look great and hold up the best on rust.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2004-Cooper-R53-S-Coupe-L4_1.6L_W11B16A/Braking/Rotors/




On pads you can go with the ECS reds , also match the calipers for grip of the Hawk HPS. Good middle road pad with great bite and wont dust near as bad as OEM pads.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2004-Cooper-R53-S-Coupe-L4_1.6L_W11B16A/Braking/Pads/




Wheels , MINI does not have a brushed aluminum wheels factory . We have something really close to that.

They are anthracite and have polished lip, factory BBS two piece wheels by MINI . Plus on sale 59% off. Fits the those JCW brakes , just not the bigger four pot Gen 2 JCW brakes without spacers.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/36116768580/ES220534/



Exhaust ... Milltek non resonated is louder then the JCW one and has a great tone, no drone either:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-east-bay.html




Good luck and I hope that helps.

 

Remus is a great exhaust choices if you're wanting a bit more sound out of your MINI.

I always liked the look of 3SDM wheels on MINI's. They have a good assortment of unique looking wheels. Can check them out here.



I, personally, enjoy HAWK racing pads. If you're wanting something that is a bit quieter and for street application, I'd stick with the ceramic performance brake pad. Those pads with a good slotted rotor set up will be perfect for your MINI. Doing stainless steel brake lines and an aggressive break fluid will set this set up off! I personally use the ATE type 200 (super gold) fluid. It's really terrific stuff.

Coil overs will be a much stiffer ride, so if you're wanting more comfort I would do the Bilstein's along with a spring set up like VOGTLAND or H&R, so you have that little bit of a drop that you're wanting. We have a lot of good stuff in the suspension section here that you can take a look at in regards for sway bars and other suspension upgrades. As for the engine, the pulley is a great option to invest in for power.

If you plan on DIY'ing any of this stuff we have great tech articles here that can help you out. If you have any questions feel free to ask!

-Luccia

 

why are your ecs brand rotors more expensive? and are the brembo rotors coated/ would they work with the jcw brakes?

 

They are cross drilled and cross drilled / slotted , plus Geomet coated : Direct fit for MINI.

Brembos we carry are not coated, just stock. And Yes we have JCW fitment see the " For John Cooper Works . The rear Cooper S , Cooper , and JCW brake cars share the same rears. Genuine MINI ones are lightly coated on the hat and veins but don't hold up and rust down the road pretty quick.

Some other brands have a light coating. Here is a video.

 

I'd stick with the JCS CAI unless you're really set on the appearance.

The KONI FSDs for MINIs are designed for stock height springs only.
You may do ok with your JCW springs as they only lower about 1/2"
compared to stock height, but officially, even that isn't recommended
by KONI. The KONI yellow (sport) struts aren't as comfortable as the
FSDs, but they have adjustable rebound and are probably a little more
comfortable than the JCW struts, especially if set to full soft. They'll work
fine with stock height springs, your slightly lower JCW springs, or even
lower springs, but I'd suggest using them with your JCW springs as a good
compromise between comfort and good suspension travel and good geometry
and handling of the stock ride height vs. worse comfort/travel/geometry/handling
for the sake of appearance with lower springs.

The H-Sport Competition hollow 25.5 mm rear bar set on the softest setting should
be a good choice if you're looking to really negate understeer. You can set it stiffer
if you really want the rear to come around on an autocross course.
If you're a little wary about that, the 19 mm solid H-Sport rear bar on the middle or
stiffer setting would be good as well. Don't change the front bar.

 

I have an 04 JCW also. I put the Alta CAI on mine and you can here the supercharger whine really well now. I love it. Performance wise you do not gain a lot because ithe air is force fed already.
I have the JCW exhaust and for $40 I had the exhaust shop take out my resonator. I like the sound of it also, and no droning. I plan on getting a little louder exhaust later on, but for $40 it was well worth removing the resonator.
I put a brand new super charger on my car for peace of mind and had a 17% pulley put on at the same time. I did not get the type of power that I expected to get, sit you back in your seat type. Instead I got smooth power that you don't feel like you achieved anything. For example, when I first got the car back I jumped on the freeway, got on it and when I looked down at the speedo I was expecting to be doing about 70 MPH and I was actually already doing 90.
I just put the Koni FSDs on my car about one month ago. I had the same experience that you did prior to the installation, bone jarring, afraid it's going to break, cringing every time I hit a small bump. Now I still hear the bump bit do not think twice about going over them, it's like a normal suspension should be. I am running stock S springs on mine. I was told by numerous people to not even run the JCW springs with the FSDs. I'm happy with my choice but have no plans on lowering the car.
I have the Hotchkiss Sport rear sway bar on order, it should be here next week and installed on Friday.
I have the polisher wheels on my car and looking for black wheels, maybe we should work a trade.
I also put a D1 Spec Throttle Controller on my car and absolutely love it. It has probably given me the most enjoyment of any up grade I've done so far. It is similar to the Sprint Booster but has way more control over the throttle response of the car.
Good luck with your decisions.

 

For the intake go with the DDMworks intake it fits better, made of stainless to it won't rust, comes inclosed, and has choice of filters.

We do offer ECU Tuning that can be done to the JCW.

The Koni FSDs are nice and ride well, but you can't use lowering springs on them. If you want new shocks and plan to lower the car later look at the Koni Yellows or the Koni Orange, both can be used with lowering.

For the rotors you don't need anything fancy. If you want Drilled and Slotted we have our WMW JCW style rotors which are coated and affordable. To save more you can go with our WMW plain face rotors.

For the exhaust you could just consider doing a header/manifold and keeping the JCW exhaust. The header will give you more sound and better flow, and not require you to throw away the expensive JCW exhaust.