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Just curious regarding the brand new part you got...
...do they still say Made in France?
Or perhaps after all these years they've changed suppliers --- curious to know if that newer-made part has a country of origin stamp on it.
< snip >
I'm one who abhors leaving stickers on, so those were promptly removed with Goo Gone before polishing and subsequent burnish graining to de-gloss the polished shine. Didn't notice more than the usual BMW P/Ns...
the very first response to this thread was @AngryScotsman inquiring if I still had the stock JCW system, and yes I did, but in an embarrassingly honest admission, for whatever reason, I did not consider using it with the new header, but that would have been the smart logical thing to do, because, with the added amplification from the header, the JCW exhaust would have likely satisfied my desires.
So,
realistically it was an extremely stupid financial decision on my part to blow wads o' cash on different systems.
Yet,
I'm happy I'm here and went through with it all, it was a learning experience for sure. The non-res Milltek had its charms no doubt and gave me good hooligan feels, but the loud tone drowning out the whine was disappoint. The Scorpion though is just cool in my book, both look and sound, and I'm extremely giddily delighted with it right now.
I have decided to try and sell the Milltek and it'll pop up in the Marketplace some time in the next couple of days.
OK, home now, so just went out and checked. Yes, same source, slightly different stamped markings (noting non-JCW fitment):
Originally Posted by Oldboy Speedwell
Addendum:
the very first response to this thread was @AngryScotsman inquiring if I still had the stock JCW system, and yes I did, but in an embarrassingly honest admission, for whatever reason, I did not consider using it with the new header, but that would have been the smart logical thing to do, because, with the added amplification from the header, the JCW exhaust would have likely satisfied my desires.
So,
realistically it was an extremely stupid financial decision on my part to blow wads o' cash on different systems.
Yet,
I'm happy I'm here and went through with it all, it was a learning experience for sure. The non-res Milltek had its charms no doubt and gave me good hooligan feels, but the loud tone drowning out the whine was disappoint. The Scorpion though is just cool in my book, both look and sound, and I'm extremely giddily delighted with it right now.
I have decided to try and sell the Milltek and it'll pop up in the Marketplace some time in the next couple of days.
Interesting epilogue to this journey. Likely having kept the original Milltek box and packing materials, easily sold here at fair barely used resale value. No need now to go down the path of s-charger sound tube! Time will tell whether you swap back to the OEM JCW system...
Original box & packing materials were thrown away, will be a local offer only, or meet-up within a 400 mile radius of my zipcode.
Will most likely stick with the Scorpion!
The epilogue yeah, slight pangs of regret for being so dumb financially, but that's my theme song LOL although ultimately satisfied from the overall experience and investment, and final result.
Typical "if not that, then this" which in my case would be Aquamist as I've always wanted that set-up.
Just now looking for a good informative link,
found a yootoob viddie instead,
you may be interested to watch because the person has a chargecooler similar to yours, his is a Madness variant.
Also,
seeing your note about non-JCW part made me realize that I had actually cut up my original air-duct LOL had replaced it with the junkyard part because my original was fairly dented up haha honestly don't think that there's a lick of difference between them besides a different part number, but I haven't closely inspected enough to be 100% sure.
Congratulations getting the Scorpion system ironed out. Very glad that you're happy with it. Sound is so important.
In 2014 I bought a BMW 3 series -- Estoril Blue, M-Sport package, M-Sport brakes. Beautiful car. The first thing I did was put an M-Performance exhaust on it. Sounded great. The first time my parents visited after I got the car, my mother said, "You paid for your car to sound like this?" As a matter of fact I did and I was very happy about it.
What header are your running?
And you should definitely still do the sound tube -- I want to hear yours before I do mine!
Congratulations getting the Scorpion system ironed out. Very glad that you're happy with it. Sound is so important.
In 2014 I bought a BMW 3 series -- Estoril Blue, M-Sport package, M-Sport brakes. Beautiful car. The first thing I did was put an M-Performance exhaust on it. Sounded great. The first time my parents visited after I got the car, my mother said, "You paid for your car to sound like this?" As a matter of fact I did and I was very happy about it.
What header are your running?
And you should definitely still do the sound tube -- I want to hear yours before I do mine!
100% agreed about the importance of sound
Running a Scorpion header, so it's nice to have a complete system from them,
found it on ebay:
Adding another data point to the discussion from a few days ago. Today, I finally got around to preparing to install the rear air vent (or whatever it is that Mini calls this thing). When removing it for cleaning in January, one of the studs broke off. If not for this thread, I wouldn't have paid attention to the stamping. Interesting that it says "Germany" rather than "France."
2002 production Made in Germany, although the same manufacturer.
Interestingly, Lydall is a US-based company (I've never heard of them before)
info snippet:
Company History:
Lydall, Inc. designs and produces specialty engineered products that withstand heat, reduce noise, and act as filters for a variety of industrial applications. The bulk of Lydall's business is derived from the automotive industry, for which the company makes heat shields, thermal and acoustical barriers, and insulation products. The company's two largest customers are automobile manufacturers DaimlerChrysler AG and Ford Motor Company. Lydall's products also are used in other industrial applications, such as in furnaces and kilns, and as filtration devices in industrial settings. More than one-third of the company's annual revenue is derived from overseas sales. Lydall operates three manufacturing facilities in Europe and maintains sales offices in Asia. Domestically, the company owns production plants in New Hampshire, New York, Connecticut, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, and Pennsylvania. Through Lydall Transport Ltd., the company provides trucking and logistics services throughout the United States and Canada.
While we're on the topic of the rear air duct, it's not too far of a stray to bring up rear diffusers.
I've contemplated getting one, but ultimately have decided that I prefer the clean stock look.
There are a few different options out there, but if I was into it, I'd probably go with the Leap Tau,
although looks like I'd have to modify it to fit with Scorpion exhaust.
Do these rear diffusers serve a purpose, other than aesthetics? In general, I'm not a fan of non-functional versions of things that were originally designed to serve a function. (And yes, I know that MINI included several such elements in our cars.) That's just for me. I don't judge others' enjoyment of them.
While we're on the topic of the rear air duct, it's not too far of a stray to bring up rear diffusers.
I've contemplated getting one, but ultimately have decided that I prefer the clean stock look.
There are a few different options out there, but if I was into it, I'd probably go with the Leap Tau,
although looks like I'd have to modify it to fit with Scorpion exhaust.
Thanks for sharing my video. In terms of the fit of the product, I was really happy with the Leap Tau, no complaints, as seen in the video. I will be very honest in terms of functionality, I fitted it very much because I liked the look of it, I will let the experts determine if it does anything to assist airflow.
A properly designed diffuser, when part of a full underbody panel system, will help suck the air flow from under the car. This can reduce drag and increase down pressure. The GP2 diffuser will probably be more effective than the Leap product. There is a specific mathematical design to make diffusers effective.
Very often I feel like I'm absolutely crazy for spending so much money on this damn car, but it's been the most fun sort of insanity I've ever had!
Ordered it complete with all the entire fittings.
L panel
51757182687
R panel
51757182688
rear L bracket
51752753165
rear R bracket
51752753166
various fasteners
07119904164 x 2
07119915034 x 6
51711934930 x 18
07146981767 x 2
07129905411 x 4
07130702966 x 8
Amazingly those undertrays were actually in stock at the US warehouse which I didn't expect, so they should get here quickly, but I'm in no rush to install and will wait until I finally get to the exterior pretty-up portion of my project which will include adding the aero side skirts + front bumper, amongst other stuff.
I wanted the R53 GP undertrays because they fit right up, but if you're interested in them yet constrained by budgetary concern, then you can fit up the R56 undertrays with minor modification and they'll essentially be the same thing, if you can find them used then it'll be even a lower price point.
A good post here on NAM relating to using the R56 panels for R53:
""Crude as it looks, it serves essentially the same purpose as the complex flaps on an aircraft wing. It increases lift on aircraft or, in racing car case, downforce. Wind tunnel test showed 30 percent downforce increase with a very small drag penalty in some extreme cases. These results could not be reproduced in all cases, and in fact, in some conditions the G-flap does give rise to a drag penalty.
Birth of the gurney flap, in Dan Gurney's own words, was a classic example of necessity being the mother of invention. It happened in 1971 while his AAR (All American Racing) team was testing its new USAC car at Phoenix, prior to the season's first race there. The car was too slow and everyone knew it. Towards the end of the third and last day of testing, driver Bobby Unser challenged 'the boss' to come up with a solution, and Gurney suggested the flap. Dr. Bob Liebeck of McDonnell Douglas was participating in this test. You may have seen his name in many aerodynamic textbooks, since he is a leading, renowned person in the aerodynamic field. He told Gurney that he thought flap would not work at that time. Gurney has seen the success Richie Ginther had had experimenting with spoilers on Ferrari sport scars and wondered what would happen if a small spoiler was fitted along a wing's trailing edge.
In 45 minutes or so, the first Gurney Flap was fabricated and attached to the car's rear wing, and Unser went out again. Within a couple of laps it was clear he was circulating no faster than before and everyone in the pit assumed the flap was a failure. But when Unser came in he called Gurney over and quietly asked him whether anyone was around to spy on what they were doing. Once Gurney had confirmed they were alone, Unser told him the rear was now so well planted that the car was understeering badly, and that was the reason for poor lap times. All they needed to do was restore the aerodynamic balance by adding more front-end downforce and the car would be transformed...
...Gurney, meanwhile, got access to a McDonnell Douglas old wind tunnel in which he can test it. Measurements on the test wing showed that fitting the Gurney Flap affected pressure across the wing's entire upper and lower surface, increasing lift (or downforce) and reducing flow separation on the wing's suction side. Gurney placed the patenting of the device in the hands of McDonnell Douglas and, for some years after, AAR cars used to carry 'Pat Pend' scripts on their wings.
This shape is very contradictory because it runs in opposite direction to most aerodynamic devices which are smoothly shaped and sharply ended. Especially for wing profiles, it seems to destroy all carefully calculated sensitive shapes.
The device basically operates by increasing pressure on the pressure side of the wing, decreasing pressure on the suction side, and helping the boundary layer flow stay attached all the way to the trailing edge on the suction side of the airfoil. At the same time, a long wake downstream of the flap containing a pair of counter-rotating vortices can delay or eliminate the flow separation near the trailing edge on the upper surface (aircraft wing) or lower surface (racing car wing). Correspondingly, the total suction on the airfoil is increased."
They were only offered in USA if the Seven option was chosen, and in many cases the owner would spec for chrome-line so that would supersede the anthracite.
As a result, it's quite difficult to find them.
All I wanted was the trim ring and buying a whole brand new tach just for that would be insane, so I kept an eye out and eventually got lucky.
I have 2 of them, and both came from England.
I've only seen 1 on offer from a USA seller:
But it had a pretty big blemish, although hard to detect in their lousy pix,
upon lightening it was more clearly visible:
I tossed them a lowball offer which they did not accept and I didn't buy it.
I really like the prices on the sheet you posted above. $1100 for a set of 17" web spoke wheels? First new car I bought was a 1986 VW Jetta. I wanted the alloy wheels but decided I'd wait and add them later. I didn't realize that the price for the wheels when buying the car is much lower than buying them at the parts counter later. Of course, this was pre-internet so options were limited. Lesson learned.
Speaking of the chrome line interior, I just picked up a used set of chrome trim rings on the marketplace. It's 8 pieces in all and in great condition. Will install them after I detail the interior.
I really like the prices on the sheet you posted above. $1100 for a set of 17" web spoke wheels? First new car I bought was a 1986 VW Jetta. I wanted the alloy wheels but decided I'd wait and add them later. I didn't realize that the price for the wheels when buying the car is much lower than buying them at the parts counter later. Of course, this was pre-internet so options were limited. Lesson learned.
Speaking of the chrome line interior, I just picked up a used set of chrome trim rings on the marketplace. It's 8 pieces in all and in great condition. Will install them after I detail the interior.
I love how the chrome trim rings dramatically changed the look of my interior. The hardest one to find is the tach ring. I ordered that piece from the guy on ebay in Croatia. Took awhile to get, but i got it. I think these cars look the way they should with chrome. It just looks 'right'.
OBS - that's good to know on the pricing. With their BMW pricing, the last interior trim panel I am looking for isn't too awful. It's bad for sure, but I might be able to stomach it. Maybe.
Last night I ordered the parts for completing the front strut install (steering knuckle, wheel hubs, bolts and nuts) from bmwpartsworldwide. Saved $102 vs the vendor I had planned to use and they are much closer so transit shouldn't take long once they ship.
Agreed on the chrome -- it's a classic look that fits the car.
GP underbody panel order was cancelled by bmwpartsworldwide due to them no longer being an official MINI dealer.
Placed order with minipartsdirect which is Flow MINI in NC, but on intergalactic backorder apparently because it's been over a month now.
Right side GP panel is still available, but sadly the left side part has been superseded to the R56 spec,
will work but requires slight modification.
RE:
heat from naked shiftbox
not too terribly excessive, but enough so that with the recent heat wave in southeast that I deffo noticed it and didn't like it either, plus I think it'll cause an early death to my leather shift boot 25-11-0-393-568 by drying it out, so will be addressing that by either making a "soft bottom" with DEI Reflect-A-Cool stuff or modifying shield for fitment of the NM Engineering box.
Next big project upcoming will be adding meth - again driving in the recent extreme heat did the trick to convince, was getting some horrific IAT's when stuck in Atlanta traffic while doing a local job down there. Planning on going somewhat simple with the Aquamist HFS2 which is the same as HFS3 minus the dash gauge and flow sensor.
Saw this place that had it but unsure if they're still active, no option for basket to buy, will inquire and find out if they're still around.
As feared though, UK postage rates are insane and actually cost more than the part itself!
:
At 2.6" wide and 13" by 13", think it'll be slim enough to fit behind the Orranje GP panel on the passenger side, which would be really cool and I hope it works out, will of course require fettling for fitment including some cutaway for fill access, but I think it'd be rad to the max if I can get it to work.
Ordered those this morning too, not too bad at £150.
Here's an old NAM classified that gives good reference to what thy look like and how they fit:
Was planning on using the headlamp washer res because it's easy and convenient and after I retrofitted halogens it ain't even in use anymore, but it has a somewhat small capacity so figured a pukka tank might be better as far as extending refill times.
Oh,
and one more thing, finally got rid of the cheapie M14x1.25 to M12x1.5 conversion studs which looked lousy like this:
And installed straight M14's which I was iffy on as to having ordered correct length, was paranoid they might be too long, was super glad to see they fit just right!
1.25mm pitch sux tho because fancy cool lugnuts are impossible to find, but I'm satisfied with the oldschool acorns even if they ain't theft-proof
All I can say is wow!!😀. One of the most entertaining posts I have read in a long time! But, you really need to add an addendum to your first post (if you can) that for warns all readers that this post has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with a sound tube mod😀😀😀. Totally funny in so many ways! Reminds me of the "Shaving a Yak" build thread. Start off changing a spark plug and rebuilds whole car or whatever he started off doing??? By the time you get to the end you have completely forgot what it is you first came here for!!! LOL
As a matter of fact I did and I was very happy about it.
