Well, as you already know, I got a neighbor...

Anyways, Im in my garage playing with my MCS, and he peers over the fence and starts asking questions...
Im on vacation from school at my folks place, they just moved out to CA, and it so happens they get a house next to a guy who has an 05 MC (non-s) Automatic Cabrio. not sure of how to abreviate that...MCca? Anyways, he informs me that he wants to get rid of it because it doesnt have enough power... , meanwhile Im swapping pulleys for more power... I made a quick call to Alta, see if they had a CAI for him, and lo and behold, they make one for a manual, or they make it for an S automatic....oh well.

So how and with what to I respond to this guy? I dont want to see him give up the mini...would love the local driving buddy on the twisites, but hes more about his S500 until he gets more power under that hood...

neighbor needs a little help...

 

the MINI isn't for everyone. don't sweat it. someone who likes it will buy it.

 

Tell him to trade it in for an S!

 

Haha, that was my first reply...go get an S

Anyways, are any mods for HP? Does DDM make a CAI? Any other mods?

 

Despite the terrific handling, the lack of power can make the MINI hard to enjoy. A pulley change might be the best bang for the buck, but the result is still around an unimpressive 200 HP, usually less.

 

Pulley change? Is there a Crank pulley? Its a non-S, so...

 

Yep. Check this thread.

 

I would not bother with a cold-air intake on a non-S car, if you're trying to address the car's lack of power. You might get one or two horsepower, but it's not going to make a big difference in how the car feels. I'd suggest the non-S owner trade for an S, which has 50% more power at the wheels.

Here's a dyno graph from eariler this year. The top lines are R53, R53 JCW, and R53 GP. The bottom is R50. All were stock. Same dyno, same day.



--Dan
Mach V

 

I have an MCC but with 5-speed manual instead of the CVT automatic. It performs well but I can work the gears which your neighbor can't do effectively with a CVT. Intake and exhaust are possible upgrades, but they yield very small performance gain on a non-S Cooper engine. The best bet for more power is a custom tune like this (which I am planning to get).

The CVT is a serious limitation though. It is already not a durable transmission and adding power would put more stress on it. Also when you add more power to the engine, an auto transmission's software should be updated to optimize the engine's performance characteristics, but aftermarket tuners don't seem to offer that.

So I can't offer much encouragement for getting more raw power from an MCCa. However there are lots of suspension upgrades possible and he can make it handle better and take corners faster.