Hi, I am new to the site but have owned 2 mini coopers.
I owned a base 2004 mini cooper and now own a 2007 r56 cooper s.
I am looking for performance more than anything in this car. I currently have an FMIC and CAI. But which catback exhaust actually makes the most power? Just from my research the militek seemed the best but of course invidia looks appealing for as cheap as it is. Let me know what you think and I do not want a CEL but will soon get an Alta Acess Port... Thanks

 

From what I have read and heard, no catback increases HP.

 

None, get an Access Port and a tune. If you need more than that, you probably bought the wrong car.

 

If that is true - and I don't doubt it - a lot of people have wasted a lot of money.

 

Well none of this was helpful.
Prolly true on catback. But at least a down pipe will help

 

Exhaust, CAI & FMIC are just about THE worst bang for the buck "upgrades" (I use the term extremely loosely) that you can sink your hard-earned cash into. The mfr's claimed gains are always exaggerated, and even if you do the math on what they claim (cost divided by claimed HP increase), you'll see that you're getting soaked. My advice? Save your cash, "invest" it in something else for your car - like ditching your runflats (if you still have them) and/or a suspension upgrade. Both are tremendously rewarding upgrades - handling AND ride can be improved substantially. Good luck!

 

Hmm thanks... Well that Eliminated 50% of upgrades lol. Should just get a gt28r tubocharger then lmao!

 

I don't want to be an *** on this thread, but if you ditch the Run Flats on a 2009 R56 where does the spare go; if the exhaust comes straight down the center of the car? I am not hauling around a spare in my back seat. Run Flats are bad and they are good. Sure they make the car a little bit more bumpy, but that is because they are run flats and the side wall is stiff. Another thing that could be bad is that they can cost anywhere between $140 - $320 depending on what style, tread, and brand you buy. And of course they wear faster, but again that is because they are not flexing as much on the road itself. But if you get a flat in a regular tire you have to stop, change it if you have a spare; and if you don't you best be paying for MINI Assistance and/or AAA. Or you can always call mommy or daddy.

With Run Flats if you get a flat or loose some pressure you can run on them for 155 miles at a speed of 50mph. So you don't have to stop and change something you just keep on going. Of course you are like, "ah this sucks right now, as I have to now buy just one tire." But at this point you don't have to immediately go to the dealer or shop, you could wait 2 weeks depending on how much you drive before getting it replaced. I have also found on Tire Rack Run Flats for $175, I think that is pretty good for a run flat.

If anyone wants to comment on what I said or have a rebuttal to my case, I would like to hear it.

 

And if the side wall is damaged or you have a blow out, then what do you do?

Many MINI owners on NAM choose to go with conventional tires and keep a compressor and slime kit in the car. That is what I do.

And if I have a problem I have MINI roadside and AAA to help me out.

Runflats suck. Period. They are a bad idea and a poorly executed technology that BMW makes us live with.

I wish I did not respond now I will probably get a flat tire today .

 

im pretty sure most of the time you actually lose power from catback exhausts...

 

Any de-restriction will give you power, but were talking insignificant amounts when talking catbacks(as the restriction is the cat) 1-3 hp is smoething you will not feel and something you can get with just ambient temp drops.

The biggest culprit is the DP catalytic converter. A full turbo back will yield results up to 18 whp depending on dyno. I am just not the type to run catless anymore, but that is where you will find your exhaust gain.

 

Based on what? Also by power are you referring to torque of Hp? There has been some evidence that increasing exhaust diameter on a N/A engine can cause a loss in tq due to a reduction in exhaust velocity, but I have always heard that doesn't apply to a turbo engine due to it's inherently higher exhaust velocity.

 

here we go again.

 

To the OP, IMO save your money and Get a TUNE, I got a full tune from Jan @ RMW and I have to say it was the best $$$$ I have invested in my R56 I also did a full suspension and rear sway bar, as far as the run flats....hmmmmm I took mine off and put them away for the winter, a spare? My spare tire is called AAA 45$ a yr membership, I looked around and score an awesome deal on some rims and tires BIG DIFFRENCE!!!! Next mod? probably a FMIC that’s it....

 

Hmm well I am ordering my tune tomorrow. And Alta claims you can have 10-20 more hp with their stage 3 tune with the exhaust. It says cat back, but hopefully it wasn't actually proven with a down pipe. I completely agree you would get more gain from just getting the down pipe not the cat back. But of course I want some sound too and I agree, I'm not a non cat back person anymore either. Did it on my a4 and just want to keep this car fairly legal and safe

 

to get a stage 3 tune you actually need a turbo back exhaust and FMIC .

 

Runflats FTL!!! I can't use my back seat anyway cause I sit so far back, so I got non-runflat tires and keep a spare in the seat behind me.

 

 

mega bump for this - for a justa, obviously no power gains to be had, but what about weight savings? anyone know if the militek is significantly lighter than stock by any stretch?

 

Okay... Let me, kinda drunk, say this about my path... I decided early on (ordered car from factory) to make my Mini the best Mini it could be. I read and read and learned and then asked questions (I hope would not be too stupid). I then reviewed products. I decided to open up my Mini's breathing, up and down, and then went for the legs. When all was in order, I opened up the brain (NM stage 2 tune). Seriously, for you guys who want performance, there is no ONE thing. Expect to spend money! No one thing is going to give you what you need you to beat a Porsche. I can...

 

IIRC the stock system does not need to be improved until ~240whp. The gains from an exhaust on a 1.6L engine are minimal even with a tune. I chopped off my muffler for sound. It was cheap and it's still very quiet.

 

I care not for quiet and don't understand your ramblings... However many cars who would expect to humble a Mini have been humbled... by The Dread Pirate.

 

Quick question from a newbie to mini and gas performance. In the diesel world it's a no brainier. Turbo back, 4" and bigger, and no restrictions. We get rid of everything besides straight pipe. But how will this effect my mini? Obviously I'm not going to through a 4" pipe in there but what will happen if I open her Up a little and get rid of the cats and muffler? Throw cells? Cause o2 sensors to screw performance of engine?

 

Couple of points,

1.) In the truck world, you are talking about BIG engines that move a lot of air. You now have an engine that is 1.6l, and is small. here's no need for a huge exhaust. Alta is about the only one that thinks a 3" exhaust is a good size. Most tuners think 2.5 is plenty big.

2.) The MINI S (R56) had a primary cat in the downpipe just after the turbo, and a second in the long pipe back to the muffler. The JCW, (again R56) does not have the second cat. Removing the second cat on an R56 won't cause any problems. But you're going to want to at least place a resonator there. That's what almost all the aftermarket exhaust systems use. Otherwise, it is really boomy, way too loud, and will drone like crazy.

If you install a downpipe back system, (replace the downpipe with high flow cats or, god forbid remove them altogether), you will get a check engine light. You can buy an Akrapovic module that will turn off the check engine light, but the ECU will still have a not ready status. (you will fail plugin emissions testing...) The same with the Accessport, you can turn off the light, but the system will be not ready... Fail...

So if you have testing, you either have to remove it all, get tested, put it back or keep the primary cat. Cars with the N14 engine, and usually the ones before 2010 can probably get away with high flow cats in the downpipe, later cars and the N18 cars usually can't. (yes, the ECU is that picky)

3.) All that being said. What's the point? The MINI will never be a FAST car in a straight line. You will always get beaten by some other car... And the difference between 200ish whp and 215ish whp, isn't worth the hassle of having to love with the noise and smell of no cats, not to mention it's illegal, and screws up everybody elses air... But that's just me.

In conclusion, unless it's a race car where every bit is critical, put a cat back on it, save some weight, (not really much), and make some noise. The only aftermarket exhaust system I've heard in person that I could live with is the Akrapovic, and at $1800 for a catback, that ain't happening. I found a factory JCW exhaust for sale locally that works just fine. No drone, a little louder, looks pretty cool...

 

I have a Milltek that I modified by straightening out some of its bends and welding the pipe sections to eliminate weight and possible future exhause leaks.

I have a Helix FMIC and that combined with the 2.5" Milltek is a slightly quicker spooling time and faster response from 2500 rpm and up.

The sound is a bit of a drone around 2500rpm.

I saw no weight savings because the resonator is larger, as I recall. I Posted photos elsewhere in this Forum.

If I were to take a long road trip I would put the OEM exhaust back on for the quiet ride