We are starting a R56 Super Cooper Jr build. We will be doing it over about 8 months and documenting each mods effect on lap time and power as we go. The car is an 07 S hatch with about 75,000 miles on it.
Mod list at this time include:
K&N intake
Carbotech brake pads
Stainless brake lines
Sneed brake cooler kit
Enkei RPF1 wheels 17x7
Hankook V12 Evo2 205/45/17 tires
Eibach rear swaybar
KW V2 coil overs
Downpipe and Exhaust system
Larger hybrid turbo
Sneed oil cooler kit
Sneed aero kit
Sparco Evo 2 seats
Sneed 4 point roll bar
6 point harnesses

 

subscribed!

 

Awesome! Any chance you'll be making a big head for this build that might be available for purchase in the future?

 

We'll probably do a big head for it

Update - took the car to VIR last Monday. Got a base time of 2.38.64 in all stock trim but we weren't able to get a time with the Carbotechs or wheels and tires because we cracked a brake rotor and didn't bring a spare :/ total fail on my part.
But it was fun having the car out on track in stock form, can't remember the last time I drove a full stock car on track. Forgot how bad the stock brake pads suck. Took less than 1 lap to fade the pads to almost no brakes, which made turn 1 exciting on lap 2.
Headed back to the track in mid July. I'll update the tread then. Happy tracking till then!

 

UPDATE!!

Went to the track last Friday. Had great weather and low track traffic. We picked up 8 SECONDS!! using the Carbotechs http://www.sneed4speed.com/products/...carbotech.html over the stock pads. We just changed the brake pads, nothing else. That means all the time gained was in the brake zones!

After the brake pad test we bolted on the RPF1s and Hankook Evo2s. I'm sad to report no lap time reduction. I think its because of the new tires higher grip causing a handling understeer issue. Even adjusting the air pressure several times we couldnt get the understeer to go away. I think when we add the rear sway bar the Evo2s will be faster than the stock Kumhos but right now they arent.

I melted the valve cover and ended my test day though, so we'll be creating a product to fix that issue, along with adding a oil cooler http://www.sneed4speed.com/mini-coop...y-sneed4speed/ because if the turbo is hot enough to melt the valve cover through the heat shield then its frying the oil going through it as well. The turbo cooler product will be some type of force air cooler and not any turbo blanketing because that just holds heat in the turbo and destroys it. Of course I'll test it before it goes up for sell.

 

stupid plastic engine pieces... enough with that sh*t already (all car manufacturers)!

 

wow.... just wow

 

Give me reservations about what'll happen if I track the car down here in Texas....

 

OUCH! Damn valve covers. That's a lot of heat. I'll be anxiously waiting to see what you fabricate to help the heat there. Maybe something like the MINI Challenge scoop?

 

Headed to the track Monday for more testing. We have had to adjust from our original plan because of the valve cover melting. The car now has our ETR installed to prevent valve cover melting, our down pipe and cat back exhaust system and the Eibach swaybar we planned to test to begin with. I'll post lap times and results Tuesday.

 

Ahhhh I see you made your own scoop system. Cool! Now the exhaust, is that the Borla you offer? Or is it your own fab. thats not on the site yet?

 

That's our own exhaust not the Borla. It'll be up on the site next week some time.

 

Cool

 

Hopefully so will that scoop system along with more details on how it works :-)

 

I JUST had my valve cover replaced at the dealership under warranty due to "cracking." The valve cover gasket, as well as a metal o-ring on the back of the block all had to be replaced. That melted valve cover is UN-REAL. I CANNOT believe that. I hate to even say this, but man if these things are such common problems, it really makes me think differently about this car. I bought it used, but end of the day, my JCW is $45k+ MSRP (options, yeah..) and is the highest performance model. To melt a valve cover on a car that comes with factory 4-piston Brembos, bigger turbo, etc etc and all the other bits just seems ludicrous. I know it's a different car, but all the hardware we're talking about would be the same between an S and a JCW, no?

 

Do you have an aftermarket heat shield over the exhaust/turbo? Rfantastic melted a valve cover do to an aftermarket heat shield. I had the very same heatshield installed on my MCS for 5 months, no melt.

 

So far the only melted covers are from the vehicles that are tracked. That being said, I cannot remember if ra2fanatic's melted during the track day, or just while driving. And I'm too lazy to check right now.

 

The AEM heat shield that came with the AEM induction system caused his valve cover to melt the coil wire cover that attaches to the valve cover.

 

I'm well aware of the story. I have had the AEM intake for over a year now. No problems. I also do NOT track my car. I do not fully think the AEM intake at full fault here. There is also the problem of poor heat dispersal from the original design by MINI. This thread proves just that. Sneed did not use a heat shield, yet the valve cover melted any way. I don't know what kind of driving ra2fanatic was doing when it happened, but as I said already I have yet to have an issue.

 

Great News!! Everything worked but it was wet so no lap times to report. It wasn't raining just damp all day. The ETR kit http://www.sneed4speed.com/mini-coop...m-air-etr-kit/ fixed the valve cover melting. Even the electrical tape on the wiring does NOT melt now. The rear swaybar helps the car rotate and I'm looking forward to some dry track time with it.

 

UPDATE! We have installed the KW V2 coilovers along with our new aero kit. Can't wait for the weather to clear and get back to the track for testing!

 

 

 

Are there any install instructions for the side splitters? How do they affect the use of the jacking blocks?

 

The jack blocks are unaffected by the side splitters. The side splitters mount to the factory MINI side skirt. Installation is very easy as the side splitters are pre drilled for mounting. Hold the side splitter up to the under side of the car's side skirt, mark holes to drill through factory side skirt, drill holes, install bolts through side splitter and skirt and tighten nuts on top side of skirt. You pull the skirt down under the car to get to the inside of it. Should take about than 1 hour to install.