Hello fellow mini lovers and drivers. Has anyone out there installed and currently driving there 2011 mini non S with the Sprint booster? I've had my mini for a couple of months and I really like it but must say that it is a little under powered. I have read pretty much all there is to read about the SB, pros & cons and yes I know that the SB does not increase power. I would really appreciate some feedback as I am close to deciding on buying a Sprint Booster. OK.... here's what I've done so far/mods;
Eibach pro spring kit 1.2" lower,
H&R 15 mm spacers on all 4's although, gonna have them removed, I just ordered a set of 16x7 matte BLK Konig Feathers fitted with Falkens 205/55-16s
I'd like to keep the spacers intact but afraid I may have clearance/rubbing issues, "any help on this is appreciated".
MINI Stubby antenna,
K&N drop in air filter,
H&R 19 mm dual setting rear sway bar which I haven't had installed yet because I was told by 2 local shops in my area that install time would take over 4 hours, that translates into about $400.00 in labor! and the sway bar only cost me $127.00 shipped! All feedback and comments are welcomed.... Thanks much... MY cooper color is White Silver.

I have an 06 Justa but I'll throw my two cents in anyway.

I have the SB and I think it's a great addition. No it does not add power but it adds the illusion of more power which is just as enjoyable. It helps get the revs up a LOT faster, more than you can by just pushing the gas harder, so effectively I am able to rev match quicker, and accelerate out of corners faster.

I have also added Konig Rush wheels, Yoko S.Drives 205/50/16, 19MM Alta Rear Sway Bar, and an aFe Cold Air Intake. I must say the car feels much quicker than it did when I bought it and is much more fun to drive. You will love the sway bar once it's installed, and anyone who says four hours is full of ****, it can be done in an hour or so.

Thanks for the comments... I think I'm going to by the SB... as far as the rear sway bar, I really want to have it installed asap. I use to own a Golf GTI VR6 and had a rear sway bar on it... loved it!! I'm going to post a question for help finding a shop in California east bay area who won't over charge me to install sway bar. So far I was told that 2011 mini suspension, brake lines, spare tire compartment etc. is such that it takes several hours for install? I'm a little skeptical of that to say the least...
enjoy...

I think you'll be happy with the Sprint Booster. If you're not, I think there is still a 30 day money back guarantee, so you really can't lose. The install takes about 5-10 minutes.

Good luck getting your sway bar installed! I have an 06 so maybe the 2nd gen is more complicated, but four hours sounds bogus to me. Hopefully someone will chime in here with a recommendation.

I have a 2010 Justa with a SB installed. I bought it to facillitate heel and toe downshifting which is impossible to do pleasantly unless you are over 3000 rpm in my car. It works really well for that. Also, it allows you to drive without the "Sport" button engaged, which avoids the artificially stiff steering that you are stuck with, with it engaged, to improve the throttle response.

As stated by others, no increase in power.

DOC

Thanks for the info on the Sprint Booster... it seems to really work well for the "non S" cooper. I'm a newbie to this great site and hope to get more feedback from others as well. After I get everything sorted out I'll post pictures...
Cheers

OK, I'll add my $.02. I tried the SB in my 2010 justa and ultimately returned it within the trial period (be sure you keep all the original packing). I found it was initially very entertaining but found after experimenting with the SB on and off that I could almost duplicate the SB with a much more aggressive right foot. I also found the "race" setting to be a little too touchy in stop and go traffic. In my opinion it's sort of a neat gadget but horribly overpriced. For $300 you can almost buy a cheap laptop. At $50-$75 it would be a nice toy but at $300+ your money would be better spent elsewhere. The free trial is a good deal but read your retailer's return policy carefully. For my retailer the 30 days started when he shipped and ended when he received it back from me.

I like your WIPAC driving lights... did you do the install?

Yep, I installed the Wipacs. I had previously done a DIY install of Hella 500s but I decided they were a little too large for my tastes. The Wipacs are only 5" in diameter but still 55w. I couldn't find a US vendor selling the polished stainless Wipacs so I bought them off eBayUK for about a $100 delivered. They don't put out quite as much light as the Hellas but I still prefer the smaller size.

That's cool... you did the install. I'm considering getting a pair sometime in the future. By the way, I am not so sure I'll be buying the sprint booster, the price of the it does seem excessive. At this point I'm more interested in getting my rear sway bar installed and a air intake... a company called VIP custom parts makes them specifically for the R56 non S... They're located in Arizona, pretty cool website you may already know about.

The SB is certainly not cheap, I agonized over it for months. Eurosport Design had a good price on a group buy recently, low enough to get me to bite the bullet. I think you'll be happy with the Cold Air Intake, it will help with throttle response too. I love the sound of my aFe

Good info cool...

Danny,

How much louder is the afe than stock? How is it cruising at 3000 rpm on the highway for long periods?

Thanks,

DOC

4 hours of labor for a rear sway bar? Um... no. Do these guys know what they're doing?

It took my boyfriend and I and a little help from my mechanic dad 4 hours to do my sway bar and that is ONLY because we broke a bolt and spent 3 hours remedying the issue (had to go to the store AND we ate dinner). It would have taken us an hour or less if it wasn't for the bolt mishap.

And I was told 4 to 6 hours, I got quotes from 3 different shops here in California "east bay" however one shop did look at my car and finally said after checking it out that the 2011 minis suspension is different, spare tire compartment needed removal, back half of the chassis partially dismantled because of the metal brake lines and such... Not fun at all...

I got your message while I was pulled off for a break out doing some back country cruising, so I made a point of paying close attention at varying RPM ranges.

You really only hear it roar when you get above 3800RPM. It does give out a short growl when I stomp the gas at around 2200RPM until it gets up to 3k and then it's silent. Cruising on the highway ~3000RPM I can't hear anything, it seems to really come to life in the 3800-5500RPM range, where it gives off a very satisfying growl.

Basically you only hear it when you are aggressive on the throttle or keeping it at high revs, but for moderate cruising or puttering around town it's very quiet. Hope that helps!

I got my aFe here:

http://store.vacmotorsports.com/afe-...ini-p2563.aspx

and dealt with Steve in sales who was really helpful, answered all of my questions. You have a choice of two filters: Pro Dry S or Pro 5 R. The Pro 5 R is oiled, where the Pro Dry S is not. I went with the Pro 5 R because I don't have a lot of dust in my area so it won't need to be cleaned/oiled very often. I'm sure they can advise you on which filter would suit you best

I have the "sport" button as well.
Do you feel the "sport" button is doing the same job as the SB (except for the SW stiffness)?

Not even close. However, with the exception of heel and toe downshifting, the throttle response relative to pedal travel does not matter. You just move the pedal farther to get the resonse you are looking for.

Can't even come close to the SB for downshifting with the "Sport" button.

DOC

So Doc... it's your experience that the Sprint Booster gives the non S much better throttle improvement than the sport button. I'm really interested in buying one and to me a fast throttle response would be great for a non S "2011" which I have. Care to shed a little more thought the the Sprint Booster? I am close to making a decision, just trying to extract a bit more info in terms of Pros....vs Cons...

The only reason, in my opinion, to buy a SB is if you care about being able to heel and toe downshift, particularly at low revs. I would guess that the SB does not work quite as well in this regard on an "S" because of the lower compression, but the difference could be very small.

I do not see any other benefit.

DOC

Good food for thought...

My car is Tiptronic (Automatic) and I can say that the sport button makes a huge difference, especially in the first pedal response, but not just that.

If you LOVE the improved throttle response when the "Sport" button is engaged and HATE the increased steering effort that goes along with it, the SB may be for you. (The "green" setting on the SB is the closest to the "Sport" button, but no increased steering effort.)

DOC

I actually don't mind the sort of assist power steering effect of the sport button. I had a 06 350z and it took just a slight bit of effort to turn that car but "boy" I got used to it fast... so if there is not much difference between the sport button vs sprint booster in terms of acceleration, I may look into buy ing another fun bolt on... of course the SB is plug n play...