I am about to take ownership of a one owner gently used 2009 R55 Clubman S. I'm interested in doing some basic mods over the coming months/years and have some newbie questions for you all. I'm no stranger to modding, must minis. I was big into 4th gen f-bodies for years. Owned a 96 Z28 with a 383 LT1, a supercharged 95 TA, a 2002 WS6 TA, and a cammed/stalled 2000 Firehawk TA.

Now to the questions. I'm interested in best bang for the buck type mods. I love DIY mods, simple things as well as semi-complicated. I'm big on preventative maintenance and I prefer to build a car to handle power before actually adding said power to the car. Are there any "must do" mods that I'd enjoy most for the least effort/money? Short shifter is high on the list, but what brand/style is best?

I would like to know what the general opinion is, or good and bad parts, of things such as exhaust. Probably start with a cat back, but with this being my first turbo car, I know I'll have to replace the up and down pipes eventually, as well. Again, cat back is the plan for now. What are some good options? I want best performing for my dollar. Doesn't have to be the prettiest, just good build quality, non-annoying sound, etc.

Wheels. How big can I go? Thinking 17's at most so I cn have more tire, but they have to clear big brakes so I may end up going 18's. I plan on doing big brakes and coilovers or springs/shocks in the future so they'll need to be able to fit on a dropped car. I live in Okahoma where our roads are horrible, so I'll probably only lower an inch to inch and a half.

Intake. I could give two ***** about JCW parts unless they are the best for their purpose. I found the aftermarket to be flooded with goodies for these cars. I love it. What is a good intake for the money? Again, best bang for the buck.

Eventual plans for the car are intake, full exhaust, fuel system, more boost, tune, suspension, wheels and tires. Also probably a decent stereo as well.

In short... HAAAAALP!!!! Point me in the right direction on what to spend my money on so I don't find out the hard way I should have gone a different route.

Thanks in advance, and HELLO! from a new Mini owner/addict. I actually was looking for a WRX and drove the Clubman S for poo's and chuckles... mistake! Now I want it instead of the WRX. I'd mod the WRX to the point of blowing it up too often, anyway. The mini I'm more interested in handling and just a little more HP. 181 stock, I figure 250ish in a 2800 pound car should be a hoot to drive.

 

Well all your questions have been answered many many times here. And there is search before you post requirement here.

yes the search function here is not all that great and google is better.

Basically for most mod info go to the Modifications section where you will find different categories depending on what you are looking to modify. I.E. interior/exterior, drive train etc.

 

I browsed through the mods section but really didn't find it to be too helpfull. Not a lot of comparisons between similar products to see which is superior for what reason. I found zero info on shifters, nothing really helpful on exhaust, and no good "staged modding" guidelines as in "it's important to do this before this" or "be prepared to do this before that" type things.

Granted it was very very late when I was browsing... still, though. Maybe a little helpful boot in the right direction? I was thinking of starting with an intake and tuner first. I figure I'll need to tune for pretty much every mod that changes intake, exhaust, or fueling, so probably a good idea to have the tuner ready to do its thing. Or can I get "X" mods done before really requiring a tuner?

Also, are there more Mini Enthusiast forums? Been searching for a more local one (NE Oklahoma) with no luck. Didn't even see a regional one on here for my hood.

 

Yes it can be a bit daunting to try and get thru all the info in the mods section and figure a comparison. But it takes time. I don't think to many people have down and actually done a direct comparison of specific items such as exhuasts, intakes etc.

As for what to do first we feel that is up to you and dont really say "You have to do this first" as everyone has a different opinion and pocketbook. We do say hey this worked for me and leave it at that many times.

As for a club in OK - there used to be one listed for OK City (okmini.com) but it seems to have disappeared. Maybe you should start a new club up.

 

As for brakes, I think the BBK from Brembo (not that you are looking specifically at them) will fit with the 17's. We just put them on an '04 R53 at MoDSM and they cleared by like a quarter of an inch. The 18's you might have and issue with in the wheel well especially if you are planning on lowering the ride (if you are).

 

I do plan to lower it. Currently sits on stock 205/45/17's so I'm sure I could fit a few sizes wider with the correct spacing and offset.

Really just looking for advice on a good turbo back exhaust, shifter, and if the Alta AP is all it's crackex up to be. I know COBB makes a great similar product for WRXs. I'm assuming it's along the same lines? Should be picking up the car tomorrow (today technically) and will be the proud new owner of a totaly unmolested 26k mile Chilipepper Red Clubman S with everything but power seats and the upgraded stereo. I'd replace the stereo anyway so no loss there.

What's a good place to start on suspension? Sway bars and endlinks? Lowering springs and shocks or go all out on coilovers? This will be a daily driver that sees some roadcourse lapping days and SCCA solo II racing.

 

Not even an available option

Make sure you read up very carefully about the stereo replacement. It is rather difficult in the 2nd Gen cars. most people end up leaving the OEM head unit and adding good speakers and an amp. The head unit really is not that bad. Yes there are better out there but the hassle of the change is great. For instance all the speedometer display is generated in the head unit and as such it really needs to stay in the car.

And congrats on picking up your new to you car.

 

Where to begin...

Alta AP - Yes, it's worth it. Although if you plan to get a custom tune save your pennies and wait for it.

Suspension - Springs vs. coil overs, it's personal preference. You'll find the MINI is very capable in stock form on the track already. As for clearance, I run coil overs at full height (1.25" drop) and run both 17" winter and 18" summer tires (215 width for both but I could do more). How wide will depend on your drop, offset, and rim width. I personally recommend the sway bar and end links.

Stereo - Heed schatzy62's advice and do lots of reading. The integrated head unit is a PITA. Personally I'll never do it. I tend to keep the stereo off and listen to the exhaust.

CAI - Mixed reviews honestly. Lots of places claim horsepower, I find it hard to believe personally (especially in a hot climate). That's not to say some, like the DoS system, don't pull cold air. There certainly is some acoustical joy in getting one. Me, I swapped my stock box for the JCW kit conical intake.

Other cheap options - Torque arm insert. Cheap and helps minimize engine torque. The car seems to shift better as well.

My best advice, come up with a plan before you start spending. Drive the car a few weeks and figure out what you'd want to change. You'll find the MINI isn't as much about all out HP, it's more about sustained speed in the corners IMO. Hell, I have the AP on a JCW and the car has a hard enough time getting traction on some days already.

*All the above is opinion and open to conflicting opinion, ridicule, and web trolls.

Todd

 

Definitely planning to leave the stock head unit. I used to sell car audio so I took one look and knew it would be a nightmare working in an aftermarket head unit of any kind.

Thanks for the congrats. Just got home from picking to car up. Had a Bright Orange Challenger play with me on the highway. He just did a fly by, but, it's nice to have a fun car again that people like to toy with. Been on bikes the last 7 years.

First things I'm doing to the car are a shifter, ASAP! I popped the stock **** and boot off in my hand on the way home doing a hard shift. I need something with a threaded ****, or something. Going to tint the windows this coming week, also.

I am searching for some sort of skid plate for under the front end. Seems to me there should be something there, but there isn't. Noticed when I had it on a friend's lift looking it over before I bought it. Looks like there are some holes for fasteners on the lower cross member, too. Can someone point me in the right direction of a factory replacement, or even aftermarket if there is a justifiably superior option?

Aside from that I'm probably sticking to a few visual mods like HID's, mirror covers, and some smaller things like that to add a personal touch. It's going to stay fairly stock performance wise until the warranty expires. May add a JCW intake and Access Port, but I'll have to un-tune it before going to the dealership, I assume.

 

Thanks for the tips, for sure. I had already kinda figured the car wouldn't be capable of being a horsepower beast without MAJOR money being spent, but I do love me some twisties so I'm definitely in the right car. I'm coming back into the car scene after 7 years of riding sport bikes on the street and track. Those pesky things keep trying to kill me (actually other drivers not seeing me seemed to be the trend) so I decided to get out of bikes till I can afford to exclusively ride track days and race. At anywhere from $350-$1,000 per track day I'd only be able to do it a couple times a year. Wouldn't be worth having a bike for that little of quality time.

I'm excited to start with the modding on the Mini. The aftermarket seems very supportive and so far I think the community is going to fit right in with me. (I realize that sounds backwards, lol)

 

The stock air intake is already a cold air intake. I put a free flowing foam drop in air filter element in the stock box on my MINI. People like the Defenders of Speed cold air intake, but they say it makes the intake much louder and I want to keep my car relatively quiet.

An oversized Front Mounted Intercooler is a good idea, especially if you live in a hot climate and/or have a tuned ECU.

The dual exhaust on the R55 Clubman Flows a bit better than the stock exhaust on the R56. I plan on keeping the stock cat back exhaust and install a catless down pipe, again to help keep things quiet.

Do a search for HID headlights here and you will find that changing the halogens for HIDs is not an easy task, it requires the computer to be reprogrammed, among other things. Look into some of the high performance lamps, like PIAAs, for cheaper bright headlights.

Look into putting an oil catch can on your MINI, the direct injection engine has a problem with carbon build up in the intake ports, because oil from the PCV system is not being washed away from the ports by port fuel injectors. Do a search for oil catch can or OCC and you will find a lot of good information.

Dave

 

Nate - Congrats on the Clubman - I bought the same car 2009 Clubman S the same weekend 4/21 and loving it. It is a CPO Mini Next with 100K / 6 years warranty.

Does anyone know if the mods such as spings, shocks, swaybar, intake, etc. void the warranty. Or will the dealer honor such things.

 

It will not void the entire warranty but you can't expect the dealer to fix aftermarket parts for free.