Hi everyone . So I am the proud owner of a 03 R53 S. When I bought the car I had no Idea that I would soon be consumed with hooking my car up and making it better,faster,and more fun.
My 2003 mini cooper S was loaded when i bought it. Navigation,heated seats, xeon lights, aux port for my ipod, and that was about it. It had 85,000 miles when i bought it from the original owner .
Right now Im at a point where I NEED ADVICE and HELP on what to do next with my little rocket. Here is a list of what I've done so far, and hopefully you guys & girls can give me advice on the next steps.

- M7 stage 3 pack ( 16% pully, ATI 0% crank, M7 CAI, M7 180 degree Thermostat, Micro V-Drive Belt,)
- MSD Coil Pack with NGK Iridium -2 plugs, Neuology Hot-wires Wires
- Borla Touring Exhaust
- Hotchkis Competition 25.5 MM Rear sway bar
- Samco Coolant Hoses
- Power Flex Front Control Arm Bushings- Street-
- Detroit Tuned Bypass Valve
- EBC Slotted Rotors Front with Green Stuff Pads
- EBC Slotted Rotors Rear with Green Stuff Pads
- StopTech Steel Brake lines Front & Rear
- New Front & Rear brake sensors
- New Axle Sensor For Traction Control
- Tinted LED front signal lights with halo
- Tinted LED Front and Rear side Marker Lights
- M7 Strut Tower Brace

So thats where Im at. This is where I'd like some advice on what to do next. I have some ideas of what I'd like to do, but I'd like to hear some ideas and opinions on what would be the best next step.
I guess I should tell you guys what I'd like to do next and maybe you can tell me if I'm on the right track.

ALSO- Please tell me if the brand of parts im using and looking to get , are good product's for the car,and if there is a better brand part i am considering.
I read reviews but I'm still not certain im making the best move.For sure I'd rather spend more $$$$$ for the right part, from the right company, than spend less on an inferior product.
So, this is what I'd like to get next for the Beast, and this is where I NEED THE MOST HELP because i don't know the correct order to do it in. I'll do anything for my little Beast and I'm open to any ideas or suggestions.

*AIRTEC Top Mounted Intercooler
*M7 camber links
*M7 end links x4
*Airtec radiator-
*Ohilins coil overs
*Kavs +2 light weight crank-
*M7 Carbon Fiber catch can
*Forge Water- & P.S tank's
*Rear seat delete
*M7 Rear chassis brace
*RMW Shorty header w/GESI cat, gaskets, RMW Dominator cam and 380cc or 450cc injectors
*RMW Air to Air Manifold
*OS Giken GT Grand Touring Clutch
*RMW 500whp Axles ( I have to replace one faulty axle any way )
*RMW Teflon Intake Manifold Gasket


That’s what I'd like to do over the next 4 to 6 months. I'm definitely going to do all of it, but I'm totally open to changing the manufacturer as well as the parts if you guys can give me some good advice or other ideas that might be better. Please let me know your Thoughts , Ideas, or any comments or suggestions.I really NEED SOME ADVICE, IDEAS and ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ON MY PLAN

 

Impressive list of mods though it sounds as if you've dropped a ton of $$$ in it. What I don't see listed is an LSD that would allow you to take advantage of all the other performance mods.

 

Thanks for the response . Yes I have dropped a bunch of $$ on the car. I did how ever get the get the little Beast for an un-real $2,000 because the guy was moving to Cali in less than 24hr and is wife laid down the law and told him it had to go before they left LOL 😂 .
Honestly, Id never thought I would do ANY OF THIS to a car.Never, But on the drive home from purchasing it, I fell in love with it. When I started searching online and saw that a stage 3 kit from M7 was $7-800 bucks and could add 20hp to the wheel, I thought ...why not . After my first ticket within a week of owning the little guy for an overly loud exhaust , ( the previous owner had a straight pipe on it, with out telling me of course) I did some research on the different ones and Borla kept popping up, so another $8-900 bucks later I had a great sound and a few more HP. After that, the more I drove it, the more I loved it, and the more I loved it , the more I wanted to do to it.
My father used to race the old coopers back in the 60's , hooked up with Corvette engines...and went on to Race Formula 2&3 for many years. ( Hes swiss and did all this in Europe )
My Mother, whos french had 3 different mini's through out the 60's and 70's, so I looked at this like it was my turn to join this little club.

As for the LSD, thats a great question . I have looked at them alot and again I NEED advice on this.
I like the OS Giken 'Super Lock' LSD, and think it would work out well, but then I read about the The Quaife torque biasing differential ?? Whats the difference between them? The Quaife is almost $1,000 less, and it doesn’t t have all those gears. Do you think its better or worse? What does it do that is so differnt?

Please let me know as I am 100% going to ad a LSD in the future.

Thanks

 

Yes, an LSD will be needed to take advantage of your power and handling mods, no question.

​​​​​All of this seems pretty good, but a few comments...
Make sure you keep your stock coil, many aftermarket have had issues and are actually no better than the factory in any way. Most if not all big HP builds use the factory coil.
Also keep a close eye on your coolant hoses, silicone coolant hoses have been known to fail as well.

Next:
While all of these parts will work, many are track build oriented and the amount of improvement really doesn't justify the cost on a street car, so the intention and use of the car will make a big difference.

Hope this helps some

 

I went with the Quaife and a South Bend stage 3 clutch. I can’t compare it to other brands though, but they sure look the part.

 

Wow! You totally helped me out.I really appreciate your thoughts on what Im doing to the car, and the way you responded ...in red,right under the parts in question, was really awesome. I already copied it and filed it on my Mac, so i can always refer to it. Ultimately , I want to get the car to about 250-275 HP , finish the overall style,appearance of the Little guy , and then just keep it i the garage until the spring/summer for the weekends and meet-ups. I drive an 15' Audi S4 as my daily driver, and I have an old Italian sports car that I inherited from a family member who passed away.I never drive that one more than two weeks a year, and it only has 1,978 miles on it as of today.
I keep every thing in a climate controlled garage and im a little OCD about taking care of them ( cleaning, detailing waxing etc ). The mini was so fun to drive and even with all ive done so far I still get like 28mpg...sometimes more according to my in dash CPU, which I question if its truly accurate . But Im totally committed to hooking up the mini to the fullest but your right about it being a "street car". Ultimately it will just be a street car that I dont race, but I pan on joining this track near my house.

My question for you is about Adjustable Suspension Links. They say that Rod ends (aka: hiem ends, monoballs, etc) are really good for racing and are hard driving because the vibrate alot and you get alot of road noise. Plus they wear out quickly. Then , from what i read, Urethane bushings are much better than OEM rubber bushings but do not provide adequate angular movement to optimize suspension travel and grip. So I was interested in the M7 ones because they incorporate both in there Camber Links. They say there click-free, greaseable,serviceable and " made for daily driving". What are your thoughts on this?

The RMW products seem to be top notch and I would agree, more designed for racing. Everybody I see on this forum talks about a "tune from Jan" and "trust Jan". What do you think about there stuff and getting a tune from them compared to other products and companies ?

I also was looking at changing the intake manifold on the car. Someone told me that if I do that, then I would need to change another part of my engine, or port and polish another part of the engine to match the port and polished new intake manifold. Is this right? Do you have any thoughts or advice on this?

I was definitely going to stick with the ATI SUper dampener and sell the 0% and get a 2%. I should have got it when I got my first stage 3 pack because it was the same price, I was just worried about the extra heat, but then I found out that it only occurs with steady driving at high RPM's. I have a friend with a 18% pulley and a 4% crank and he has no issues what so ever. He has a RMW "Jesus Head" and is pushing me to go that route. What are your thoughts on the head change.

Thank you again, I really appreciate your answered. This is my first time posting a thread and i didnt know what to expect,but im really happy how this one went.

 

[QUOTE=jI went with the Quaife and a South Bend stage 3 clutch. I can’t compare it to other brands though, but they sure look the part.[/QUOTE]

I like the OS Giken 'Super Lock' LSD, and think it would work out well, but then I read about the The Quaife torque biasing differential ?? Whats the difference between them? The Quaife is almost $1,000 less, and it doesn’t t have all those gears. What does it do that is so different ?

Thanks jk6672, The Quaife seems like the direction I will be heading, but what is the real difference ? What made you go with the Quaife?

 

pretty much I read it was the next best thing to the OS, but I saved a few bucks. Also it’s not a dedicated track car.

 

I see you really hooked up your mini. My question is with the suspension . What made you go with Koni Yellows instead of coil overs? I am looking to drop it 1.5 in the Front and 1.2 in the rear. Im not to educated in rebound and dampening , and dont see my self getting to crazy with it. I really just want a lower ride height, better handling, but I dont want my kidney's to bruise and pee blood after a ride to the beer distributor. can you give me your thoughts on this

thanks

 

So a true LSD would completely lock the front wheels. So what happens to the traction control in the car? is it disengaged? what happens if you hit the button ?

The Quaife seems like almost "all-wheel drive" in the sense that it transfers power to the wheel thats slipping , while maintaining power and traction to the other wheel...is that right?

 

Wow! You totally helped me out.I really appreciate your thoughts on what Im doing to the car, and the way you responded ...in red,right under the parts in question, was really awesome. I already copied it and filed it on my Mac, so i can always refer to it. Ultimately , I want to get the car to about 250-275 HP , finish the overall style,appearance of the Little guy , and then just keep it i the garage until the spring/summer for the weekends and meet-ups. I drive an 15' Audi S4 as my daily driver, and I have an old Italian sports car that I inherited from a family member who passed away.I never drive that one more than two weeks a year, and it only has 1,978 miles on it as of today.
I keep every thing in a climate controlled garage and im a little OCD about taking care of them ( cleaning, detailing waxing etc ). The mini was so fun to drive and even with all ive done so far I still get like 28mpg...sometimes more according to my in dash CPU, which I question if its truly accurate . But Im totally committed to hooking up the mini to the fullest but your right about it being a "street car". Ultimately it will just be a street car that I dont race, but I pan on joining this track near my house.

My question for you is about Adjustable Suspension Links. They say that Rod ends (aka: hiem ends, monoballs, etc) are really good for racing and are hard driving because the vibrate alot and you get alot of road noise. Plus they wear out quickly. Then , from what i read, Urethane bushings are much better than OEM rubber bushings but do not provide adequate angular movement to optimize suspension travel and grip. So I was interested in the M7 ones because they incorporate both in there Camber Links. They say there click-free, greaseable,serviceable and " made for daily driving". What are your thoughts on this?

The RMW products seem to be top notch and I would agree, more designed for racing. Everybody I see on this forum talks about a "tune from Jan" and "trust Jan". What do you think about there stuff and getting a tune from them compared to other products and companies ?

I also was looking at changing the intake manifold on the car. Someone told me that if I do that, then I would need to change another part of my engine, or port and polish another part of the engine to match the port and polished new intake manifold. Is this right? Do you have any thoughts or advice on this?

I was definitely going to stick with the ATI SUper dampener and sell the 0% and get a 2%. I should have got it when I got my first stage 3 pack because it was the same price, I was just worried about the extra heat, but then I found out that it only occurs with steady driving at high RPM's. I have a friend with a 18% pulley and a 4% crank and he has no issues what so ever. He has a RMW "Jesus Head" and is pushing me to go that route. What are your thoughts on the head change.

Thank you again, I really appreciate your answered. This is my first time posting a thread and i didnt know what to expect,but im really happy how this one went.

 

Personally, anything polyurethane and serviceable is the way to go on a street car, I've had my H-Sport lowers on the car for well over 150k with no issues at all.
As far as suspension in general, polyurethane is the absolute way to go with a performance street car, I'd give up a "soft" for good suspension feedback any day.

I did the Yellows and H-Sport combo simply to save a few bucks, since I knew the car would never be tracked and wasn't concerned with having the full adjustability of a Coilover.

As for the intake manifold, simply have the OEM piece match ported when you install the BVH (Big Valve Head)
Anything else would be an unnecessary use of funds.
I'm currently running in excess of 330 WHP with a simple match ported OEM intake manifold, and a few have been in the 400+ WHP range with the same setup.

A BVH is an absolute must if you want to break the 235 WHP barrier, here's a link to an earlier thread that will give you a very basic parts -vs- HP guide:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4500764

This should give you a basic picture.

As far as RMW -vs- Thumper BVH's, it's all a matter of personal choice, wallet and goals.

 

THanks again , I was reading some of your old posts on other Threads...I really like your replies on the Thread with the german guy and his crazy tunes..and everyone complaining about HPtoCost ratio . I have your mind set that id rather have a 300+ R53 than a 400+HP mustang or in one of those guys cases a 400hp 335i

Yes, its not cheap to hook up the mini,I totally agree, but that car drives really special . I didnt want to talk to much about this but my father collects Ferrari's and has some amazing cars. Hes also not some rich guy that just buys these cars and just drives them on his way to the golf course. No. He started racing mini's with corvette engines in the 60's then drove formula 3 and 2 cars professionally . He doesn’t own a TV and he doesn’t play golf. He drives. Hes done lots of work for Porsche and Audi and they have given him some sweet rides as "Thank you's" lol.

Ive been in the swiss alps in a 73 365 GT/4 BB Boxer, which has a mid-mounted flat 12 which produces 350HP and 304lbs of torque , racing down the mountain going 170mph then slowing down to 10mph to take hair pin turns and I tell you, for some reason I have more fun and feel more connected to the road in my Mini. There is just something about the the 03 R53..I mean i can stretch my arms out and wrap my hands around the front and rear pillars of the car. Its small and low, and light. Its just fun to drive and with the Mods added it just gets more fun to drive.

So, I am not looking to hook up "A" car...Im looking to hook up "This" car!

So, BlwnAway, You really seem like you know your ****, and you can explain it really well. You saw what Ive done so far, now I'm ready to start with the next faze of my performance Upgrades.
you wrote notes under the parts I was looking to get. Now Im definitely going to get those upgrades , like the intercooler , the camber links and end links and so on. The radiator is getting changed cause i macked a porcupine going like 60mph a couple months ago and the Radiator is damaged from that indecent . The car is garaged and off the road now, I am driving my Audi S4 , especially with the snow now. Im in New York. So with this down time I wanted to get the other stuff done. Basically I want to change all the parts I listed before,with the products I listed.

can you give me some of your thoughts and opinions on the manufactures that I had chose to use for those parts.

what do you think about M7? have you looked at there camber links and end links?

I like H-sport (Hotchkis), and thats why I have there rear sway bar and i ordered the front sway bar just last week. Was that a good buy?

RMW seems to make killer parts. There not cheap, but for $2,300 I can get *RMW Shorty header w/GESI cat, gaskets, RMW Dominator cam and 380cc or 450cc injectors. I will get the lager injectors like you said. There is no additional cost they said. Is this the way I should go? Is there header that good? This package also includes the tune,but I think I need to buy that hand held thing, im not sure.
Are they really that good there? Every body takes about there tune and "Trust Jan" . What have you heard? What are my other options?

Now, I have the M7 cold air intake which I heard is very good. It looks like the DDM one that has a complete box which seals out the heat. Now it has a foam filter, is a foam filter better than a cloth filter like a K&N?
The Madness intake claims its the best and can give you 9hp gain. What do you think? what intake do you have?

The Samco hoses were also not cheap. Like $2 40 from Detroit Tuned where i get alot of my parts.

Last question today... What do you think of Ohilins coil overs? they seem really good. Should I go with the Koni yellows instead? if so, what springs should I go with if i go that route? Swift springs? Alot of people talk about them, are they good?

If you want I could give you my email if thats ok, cause i"m definitely going to get the rest of this done then focus on the carbon Fiber accents , a dark green matte wrap, then go and do the inside with some other things.

Thank you for all you insights and advice. I am grateful and appreciate it.

 

Question regarding one of the points made above: How does one 'pressure test the radiator cap?'

 

Personally I use my old expansion tank and metered shop air, but if you don't want to go through the trouble of creating a test setup, simply replace the cap as a consumable every 25-50k.

I know it's a little overboard and paranoid to do something like test a cap, but I'm in a unique situation (I sometimes forget this) and have already had to replace a custom bespoke radiator because of one, and at $600+ a pop, and a two month min. turn around, a simple test or replacement of a $10-15 cap is well worth it.

 

Sounds like your interests are going to be slightly different than mine, so I'll help where I can with the suspension aspects.
Both of these companies make quality products, best advise I can give is to remember your $ -to- reward ratio.
The Factory Mini suspension is very good in the handling department, once you upgrade the areas where the factory had to consider comfort over performance, (in most areas, rubber over urethane) any other upgrade is strictly a "how much use will I really get out of these" and "is it really worth the expense" question.
While a front sway bar upgrade is decent for "fine tuning" your suspension, the return isn't as high as the rear bar upgrade and will also take some extra effort as to learning how to utilise and adjust it properly to your needs. I'm sure you already know this, but for others reading the post that might not, just remember an incorrectly adjusted rear sway bar is much more forgiving than an incorrectly adjusted front, when I comes to cornering and the way the car reacts.

As far as the Header, the RMW shorty is a quality piece and if you want to maximise the gains from a BVH, it's one of your best current options. Just make sure you upgrade your factory upper motor mount, the factory mount allows too much movement and will prematurely wear out the flex basket on the Header.
The package is "ok", since it includes tuning, but yes, upgrade to the 550cc (or larger) injectors, it takes almost no extra effort in tuning and they won't have to be upgraded later if you add the BVH.
As far as tuning options, there are basically two, if you want someone else to do it for you.
There's RMW and ByteTronik, they both offer remote tune options, and should both be considered. Do some research and see what you think might suit you best.
I've chosen ByteTronik for my own personal reasons, and you'll have to choose yourself as well, you're trusting a lot to your tuner and it can be much more personal than most people think.

As for intakes, stick with what you have, save your money.
While the DDM is a quality piece, you're still talking about a sealed metal box, under your bonnet, it's going to retain some heat (this is one reason the factory uses plastic) IMO you're better off with a factory JCW or open filter setup. Honestly, as long as you have decent air flow under the bonnet, it's not going to matter that much. Paper -vs- Foam is honestly just a "keeping up with maintenance" issue more than anything.

There's nothing wrong with the Samco Hoses, esp if you want the look, you simply have to watch them a little closer than rubber for early wear or leaks.

As for Coilovers, I really can't comment on brand -vs- brand, but I do think they are a good investment for your type of use as opposed to mine.
And yes, the swift springs do have a very good reputation and following, but I'd still lean toward a Coilover setup with what I believe your intended use of the car to be.

If you haven't found it, and are interested, here's a link to my build thread:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...free-time.html
To give you a little more insight into my build direction.

 

Thank you for answering my questions BlwnAway. I appreciate your thoughts on my choice of brands,and I will definitely send you photos and Dyno numbers as I progress on my journey .

What are your feelings for on the AIRTEC inter-cooler ?

I"m sure you have gauges in your car,what gauges are the most important to have? Also, with so many brands out there,which ones provide quality,accurate readings of there respective field.

when you wrote "As for the intake manifold, simply have the OEM piece match ported when you install the BVH (Big Valve Head) Anything else would be an unnecessary use of funds."
Now does that mean that the intake manifolds that I see from "Sneedspeed" . "waymotorworks" would have to be match ported as well or can they just be put on and work fine? and if they would be fine..would they be better match ported?
Also WAYMOTORWORKS has ad for "PORT and POLISHED INTAKE MANIFOLD" . When I read it it says it is and OEM part that is re worked. Here is the AD --"This is an OEM set of R53 Cooper S intake manifolds. Including the main inlet manifold, supercharger outlet horn and intercooler outlet. These aluminum manifold pieces have been completely polished and smoothed to increase intake airflow. This will make LESS turbulence in the air stream allowing for more cylinder filling. Early reports showed 12% flow gain, but further testing is still needed. Great mod that won't hurt performance. Remember the engine is just an air pump& More in+More out = More power.

Now, is this the same as what you had done and suggested that I do? If so, how much should it cost me to have it done? If purchasing this part, does that mean I would not have to do anything else to my engine for it to work optimally ?

Last question Sensei, On RMW site, where they have an " AIR TO AIR MANIFOLD" is that the same as you are in the manifold that i spoke about above? It is a port and polished intake manifold,just being labled as an "Air to Air manifold" as to not be confused with there "Water to Air Manifold"

Thank you again for answering my questions.I am still reading,researching and learning about things and your answers,information and knowledge are priceless to me.

If I have further questions that I cant find answers for in previous thread's, do you mind if I ask you for some clarification ?

 

How is the south bend clutch in terms of chatter or noise ?

 

While it's the only aftermarket unit I would recommend, it's still not a needed "upgrade" on a street car.
With the speed and volume of the air traveling through the I/C under WOT, the cooling properties of an intercooler are minimum, where a good I/C shines is having one with minimal heat soak and quick recovery, all benefits for a track car that see prolonged WOT. But not necessarily worth the investment, over stock, for a street car (even a Canyon Carver) that sees much more cool down time and opportunities to recover.
If you're really interested in good charge cooling, simply go to a decent Water/Meth system, maximum cooling when you need it, and tuning benefits as well.
A much better investment on a street car.

LOL, look at my build thread and you'll know why this is funny.....

As far as gauges and my preferences, besides the standard Oil Pressure and Water Temp, my must haves are these:
Boost - Good for watching for leaks
Oil Temp - Remember, the engine isn't really at operating temp until the oil is up to temp and flowing properly.
Fuel Pressure - Also good for leaks, not only with fuel, but with vacuum, since our systems are vacuum regulated.
Intake Temp - More important on my setup than an S/C setup, but still nice to have
AFR - An absolute must for tuning and early warnings from lean conditions.

As for what brand, just choose something with a decent rep, and that you like the look of.
While accuracy is nice to have, consistency is more important than being dead on accurate, you want to be able to see changes in parameters quickly, more than be dead on accurate with those readings.
Biggest advise would be to find something that can give you an adjustable High/Low warning of some kind, it can save your motor.

Ok, first remember that these are my opinions, and on much of this there are many of those.

With that, I really don't see any benefits to any physical enlargement of the intake with the boost limitations of the S/C, it simply adds more volume for you to pressurize. Yes one of the things mentioned be Sneed-4-Speed is valid in that the intake temps in individual cylinders can be slightly uneven with the OEM manifold, but it's not out of control, and can be corrected with tuning and in other ways.
I don't feel the extra volume of the Sneed-4-Speed or RMW manifold are worth the trade off on an S/C Mini, with limited boost.
As far as the Way manifold service, yes it's what I was referring to except for the polishing, personally I don't believe in polishing an intake manifold, porting, yes, absolutely, esp with the expanded port opening on a BVH, the extra and unencumbered air flow is truly beneficial. But I feel that polishing should be left to the exhaust side of the equation for swifter air flow out, but the intake side benefits from mild turbulence to aid in the atomization of the fuel. More air in, More air out, is fine, but the air still has to aid in burning the fuel as efficiently as possible.

One thing to remember about a lot of high performance parts, there are those that, while they work, are designed to squeeze that last couple of % of HP out of your build, and quite often, if you're not racing, it's just something that you may not notice at the seat of your pants.

 

FWIW, I don't like Jan. I've had several email and phone conversations with him and he seems to be the type of guy who only cares about you if you want to spend a lot of money with him. In one of my emails, I asked if the TVS900 supercharger kit was much quieter than stock, and he said yes. So I responded that I would rather keep the stock blower and asked some other questions about a possible build using it. He responded just by saying "So you really aren't about power but about sound." Completely ignores my questions once he realizes I don't want all-out power. It just seems like he knows he basically has a monopoly so he can treat customers however he wants and they'll keep coming back anyway because there's very few people who do what he does for the R53 in the US. I'm sure there are plenty of people who have had good experiences with him, but I think it's unacceptable to look down on a possible customer just because he wants to keep the supercharger whine.

It sounds like you're a little confused on how LSDs work. ALL LSDs are meant to transfer power away from the slipping wheel to the wheel that has traction, but there is variance in HOW and HOW MUCH. The Quaife is very similar to Torsen as it is 100% gear-driven. Other LSD designs use clutch packs or viscous couplings to transfer power and the fluid/clutches degrade over time. The Quaife and Torsen-type diffs won't have this problem and the transfer of power happens immediately because all of the gears in the diff are always engaged. I have one and I like it. I've never been to a track, but on the street I've noticed it really pulls itself through corners under power. The diff feels like it helps you turn through the corner when you're on the gas. I used Ian Cull's module to disable traction control, and then used NCSExpert on my laptop to disable the traction control light. It's a dumb system that intervenes too much and for too long.