I notice a lot of threads about people buying one thing and then switching to something different. Or having to take stuff off because bought something else.


So what mod's do you wish you did first to save the headache later? Maybe myself and others can learn from you're headaches.

 

I would have upgraded wheels and tires at the time of purchase. I should have had the dealer change them to 17's and non run flats. Otherwise, I'm very happy with the car. I don't plan on a lot of performance mods but I would like to try a JB+.

 

buy quality non-runflat performance tires. Makes traction much less of an issue and improves every aspect of performance. Even reduce road noise and impact harshness. The previous owner of my Clubman bought cheap POS Federal 595's and they seriously **** me off daily for a variety of reasons.

On my R53 I switched from the stock Pirelli Euroforia tires to a set of sticky Falken RT615's and it radically changed the car for the better. Immense grip and improved ride despite being a ~200 treadwear sport tire.

 

I would have gone with the JCW LOL

 

Xenon !!!!!

 

I would have never bought a MINI

 

+1
Well, after finding that the N16/18 still have some issues with the timing chain, I would not purchase another one.

 

Bought 2003 Cooper S before they came out. 11 agonizing month wait. Love it but had shake down related issues with new model. 2005 cooper S with only 12 week wait, love it and other than a defective battery no problems. Was leary of Peougot motor so waited a year and ordered 2008 Clubman S. Only had to wait 6 weeks for it to arrive. It was love at first load. 2 sets of golf culbs were no sweat. Got rid of the run flats and amazing ride improvement. Better mpg than the supercharged S's. All were manual trans of course. Wife loved mini's but not the sticks. She ordered 2009 cabriolet S with auto and paddle shifters. She won't let me drive her baby. That's ok as I don't let her drive 1959 Morris Mini minor.Love MINIS and minis.

 

I bought mine used but I have always liked the JCW aero kit just dont wanna spend the 2k+ to add it to my car after the fact. I dont really regret any of the mods Ive done to the car.... only that maybe would've done some of the maintenance earlier instead of waiting. Getting the walnut blasting done at 70k miles may be the cause of the burnt exhaust valve I believe I have right now at 80k miles. Not gonna be a cheap fix haha. The reliability of the N14 is really disappointing but i guess thats just how it goes. I also find it interesting how the turbocharged version of the car has been out since 2007? Yet no one has really heard of any kind of big horsepower builds here in the US. Just kinda weird to me with the cult like following the car has. I mean unless you wanna completely rebuild and custom make every piece of the engine to the cost of 20k hahahaha. To only net 300hp hahaha. I'm really not trying to sound like a hater or bitter or anything like that. Its just surprising to me. Even some Hondas have made in the neighborhood of 6-700 hp. We cant even get past 300 lol.

 

I would have bought a newer car! I don't mean brand new, but 2010 or newer just for simple fact I would have got a better interest rate! At the time I didn't realize if I bought a newer car my interest rate would have been lower. And if I had done that I could afford a car that cost more but still making the same payments for the same term.

With that in mind I could have purchased a JCW w/ the Aero Kit. I love my MCS don't get me wrong, but its one of those "If I knew then what I know now" senarios. This is my 2nd MINI and probably will not be the last. I'll try for that home run on my third swing.

 

In Sept my wife bought a CPO 2011 Clubman. with 26K on it in great shape. With the difference in price between this one and new 2014 I would have bought the 2014. The big issue there was finding one that she liked as they were discontinued. A dealer trade would have been necessary. Probably if i would have done a little more research I might not have let her buy one, because of all the issues but by using NAM my concerns are less and feel comfortable with it. I did get the extended service contract and may buy the extended warranty later. Fun car so far has 30K on it going in for service next week. She is going to allow me to do some upgrades appearance wise, but other than tires and wheels no performance upgrades. Like she told me been there done that.

Tom

 

Curious what those reasons are? Can't make an argument against quality tires, but, I've had 595s on a couple cars and felt they were great tires (for the money). One was an S2000 that I took to a couple track days and they held up well. Buying 595s instead of brand name tires paid for those days, and I had just as much fun

 

They have really bad grip in the wet (at limit handling and acceleration), pretty bad tread pattern induced road noise, the cheap rubber compound develops temporary flat spots after sitting overnight in cold-ish temps, and I have a horrible radial pull from one tire which is from shitty manufacturing. All in a "summer" tire that has less performance than any modern UHP all season.
I've had cheap Falkens before and didn't have these issues to the same extent.

 

My bad- tried to start a new topic accidently

 

I would have swapped out the run flats immediately.
I wouldn't have bothered with the Remus axle-back exhaust.
I would have gone with a stereo installer recommended by Integral Audio instead of finding a shop myself.

 

I did a lot of research before buying my Mini. In 2011, I ended up getting a 2 year old Clubman S with only 20k miles on it. It is well equipped - cold weather package, premium sound, leather/cloth, rear wing, 17" wheels, metallic paint, etc. I have developed a good rapport with the local dealer, who has done most of the maintenance on the car. It is a stick, and it has run flats. The original tires were pretty much done shortly after I bought it. I sprung for UHP Bridgestone RE960AS 205/45-17 tires (All Season) at all four corners. Those tires are fantastic! Unfortunately, I didn't align the car after I got those, and I wore out two of them quickly (MY fault). After about 25k miles, I put on the new Bridgestone RFs that they just brought out to help people not spend so much for the RE960 tires. The 960s ran me about $1k for four, mounted and balanced out the door. Two of the new Bridgestones ran about $380. Big difference in price, with only a slight difference in wet traction, of which I haven't really noticed, and believe me, I drive HARD! We had snow last night, and I did not notice any degradation today driving in it. Dry traction is almost identical to the track tires. There is also an improvement in ride quality. I strongly urge you to check them out at your local Firestone dealer.

 

The only regret I have is that I wish I would have purchased the Chrome Lined Interior option.

 

This is my take after owning 4 new MINI’s.

• Always buy what you want up front because it’s too costly to add options later, If you have any reservations about the performance on a Justa get the S, if you think you may want more performance later, get a JCW. You will be happier upfront and it will cost more to trade up later.
• The most enjoyable OEM options IMO are the Xeon head lights, the dual sunroofs are nice, the automatic A/C's work great, and the premium sound system is a must have.
• After the first MINI, I decided I was better off just drive directly from the dealership to the tire store and installing a premium set of non runflat tires and selling the new runflats, because the improved ride, traction, and handling is an amazing upgrade.
• The best aftermarket bang for the buck IMO on the N18 engines to increased power is the JB+ with a K&N or Alta panel Filter, and the craven speed adjustable short shifter is a must on the manual transmissions.

 

I know this is not a tire tread, but agree Bridgestone makes great tires..

I only use Bridgestone tires on our cars now and purchased them at Firestone/Bridgestone stores, because I found its very little cost difference when all is said and done vs. online. It's the only tire company that owns its own stores nationwide and if I have an issue on a road trip its a no brainer and hassle free. I'm also not aware of any other tire company that will let you buy a set of tires and within 30 days if your not "totally satisfied for any reason" let you swop them out for a different size or model at no cost (and I have). http://www.firestonetire.com/custome...ee-buy-and-try

Based on our weather conditions I run summer tires all year on our cars, the S-04's substantially improved the overall drivability of our Pacemen, and the RE-11's I just put on my new JCW Coupe transformed the cars handling so much that it feels like it defies the law of physics.