Hey all,

I finally got the R53 Mini Cooper S project up and driving. It's been doing great for the month I've had it going, and I'm almost dailying it at this point. It's a blast! This forum has been extremely helpful in troubleshooting, and as inspiration to do more with the project.

Current Mods list:
-17% SC Pulley
-Megan header and cat delete
-AC delete - regretting not having AC on hot days
-MonoSS Godspeed coilovers - not the best but good on a budget
-10mm Wheel Spacers on front wheels - inner tires were rubbing on coilovers
-Corbeau buckets w/ 5-point harnesses - not comfortable at all and a pain to buckle up, but makes cornering a lot easier
-Half roll cage behind seats - definitely helps corner handling and adds rigidity, need to figure out how to make it less creaky though

Now that I've had a month of fun with her, I have some ideas on future upgrades:
-Catback exhaust - thinking Milian Performance Catback (budget friendly and sounds better than stock)
-Bigger brake setup - I can probably wait on this until I'm ready to add power
-Short short shifter - I have no idea what shifter to go with, but anything has to be better than the stock shifter in this thing
-Race clutch/flywheel - need a new clutch soon, so planning to go ahead and upgrade everything while I'm down there
-Steering wheel - dear god the stock steering wheel is chunky in these
-380cc Injectors - hoping I won't need a tune with these, I've read the stock ECU will adjust to this size injectors
-Lightweight +2% crank pulley - getting some crank pulley wobble now, so may as well upgrade while it's off
-CAI - I know this doesn't matter too much for performance, more for look and sound
-LSD - at some point, probably when I'm doing the clutch/flywheel job

Looking forward to sharing more as I keep upgrading. Does anyone have any advice on which upgrades would be more beneficial to do first? I'm thinking I'll start with the crank pulley, short shifter, and exhaust just to improve driving experience and make it feel less like a shitbox and more like a project street/track car.

 

Can't tell what color that car is - is that purple? Or one of the blues? Looks nice!

Love seeing the older cars get some love and be brought back into good shape. Having a big heavy 'dual' exhaust, and being weight conscious (according to my spreadsheet, my car should weigh 2525 or so), were I to do the exhaust over, I would do a custom exhaust - stainless pipe from the header back, a single Borla muffler, and a rear stainless piece with nice tips. Save some weight and get better sound.

I am sure you probably have already, but if you've not - supercharger oil service next time you're 'in there'.

 

^^^ As you clearly already know, quest for "better sound" isn't a free lunch. Other than my prior R56 on which I installed a new OEM JCW cat-back (cut and clamp on), my only experiences are with my R53 as-purchased with cobbed-up exhaust and subsequently with Milltek (both resonated / non-resonated) and more recently with my buddy's 2006 factory JCW. As shown and outlined in my own topic, I have an unknown brand circa 2006 quality built 4-1 header with hi-flo cat in combo with Milltek non-resonated system. I can't use the Milltek res-pipe originally purchased due to the B&M SSK extended enclosed shifter box, thus installed a Vibrant 4"x18" bullet resonator inline ahead of Milltek's dual silencer cans which helps. I bought another of same Vibrant resonator with plans to install where the OEM resonator would go which might fit but haven't yet committed to more cutting. I will say that driving / riding in my buddy's JCW is more pleasant on the highway - especially on hilly mountain grades as we have surrounding our town. My setup as-is sounds and looks great but be careful to avoid too much of a good thing...

 

Congratulations and best condolences.

Not mods, but a few suggested must-have reliability items to keep the good times rolling, if not already addressed:

Metallic / non plastic coolant expansion tank. "If the tank's turned brown, don't leave town." New cap too.
Crank pulley is a must do, sooner than later. Wobbling or not you're already on borrowed time. Since it is wobbling, would not leave driveway until it's done. ATI / SFI-PRW crank pulley. The ATI comes in Standard or available 2% oversize diameter, not sure about the other. Replaced mine with an ATI, no issues in 22K and counting...
SC service + water pump + primary hoses + aluminum upper bleed pipe + crank position sensor O-ring. SC is another day ruiner if you let it go long enough. Optional "while you're in there": pan, gasket, Fumoto drain plug, thermostat + aluminum housing. The fan resistor will be toast if you haven't already replaced it.

Assuming you've already gone to the colder plugs with the 17% blower pulley but if not, then likely those.
Would do it the other way around if you're doing any tracking at all, or regardless. At least the poor man's JCW (294 rotors + R56 calipers conversion) on the way to that sweet $3K Brembo setup but maybe that's just me. Consider resetting the clock on wheel hubs and go to the 14mm wheel bolts while you're at it.
Also
You know what you have to do...

 

Do the injectors and tune, you are likely lean already. If doing the 2% underdrive you will definitely need them
change the SC oil
better intercooler
You should protect the engine/sc from detonation before adding more power.