Hello,

I am new to this forum, but I hope this post falls under the correct location. There was only mention on the STOCK ISSUES in the pinned help thread.

I am looking to get more power and better sound from my stock 2011 Mini Cooper S R56, hardtop 2-door, N18 engine, while still being able to pass NY state inspections (emissions). I have a performance intercooler awaiting install, and I am considering either a high-flow catted downpipe or performance exhaust paired with a tune.

- Will any high-flow catted downpipe pass emissions in NY?
- Would the downpipe + tune or exhaust + tune produce more power?
- What are the best tuning options and is it possible to tune at home (with some OBDII CAN adapter)?

I would appreciate any answers to the questions, or even just advice on different upgrade paths if this does not make sense.
Sincerely, Aaron

 

I’m pretty sure Nik will hop in here eventually, he lives up in NY. If you get a catted downpipe and a tune you should pass. Do your lower engine mount as well, changed the way power was put down, was one of the bigger changes I could notice. Bigger rear sway bar totally changed the car as well.

 

Hi!

 

Ask and you shall receive, haha, I know you have Lou’s tune and your up that way.

 

You need to get in touch with @Lou@Prototype-R
I live in New York, near Rochester. I have a catless downpipe, and a tune from Lou pushing maybe 250hp? Passed NYS emissions no problems. Lou can tune your car remote with a special cable and his software loaded to a laptop. Lou is the man.

 

As @njaremka said...Lou IS THE MAN.!!!
With an intake system like AEM+Catted high flow(since you care for emissions...if not DECAT)
A JCW backbox or Scorpion Full exhaust
Recilculation or blow off valve and you are 250bhp

He is a GREAT guy too!

 

NY allows a car to pass inspection so long as there's no CEL and, at most, one monitor "not ready". It's hard to say whether a high flow catted downpipe will throw a CEL or not because honestly most of them do. So just to be safe I'll say you'll need a tune along with the downpipe to get rid of the CEL and pass inspection. There's two main ways of doing this, one is putting the O2 monitor in a permanent "testing" cycle of sorts, so it's in this limbo of never completing readiness and doesn't throw a light. The other way is to completely delete the P0420 code from fault memory so the car literally doesn't even recognize it as an error.

In my opinion, if you're tuning anyway, just go with a catless downpipe. They're a lot cheaper than catless and make noticeably more power. The only downside to them is you car smells like a gas station.

As far as tunes, as the others have said, Lou is a wizard with these cars. I myself have a Dervtech tune I can't recommend enough; and their only current US dealer, Kyle, is in the NYC area if you're in the south end of the state.

 

Thank you everyone for the advice, this was incredibly helpful! I'll get in contact with Lou (thank you for the email @njaremka) and see about getting several of the mods discussed here that I hadn't considered either, such as the lower engine mount. I'm glad I decided to finally join the forum, you guys are great!

 

I would also make sure brakes and tires are good. Got to stop all the go.

 

I had actually been thinking that, as during more spirited driving better brakes would make a world of difference. Would better gripping pads and rotors be noticeable or would the best course of action be to upgrade to JCW calipers? I recently got new tires so that safety item is checked for the time being.

 

I would say get a good solid rotor and EBC yellow stuff pads and you will be just fine.

 

Okay, I will look into that. Thanks!

 

I'll back up what others have said about Lou and Prototype-X. I bolted a Wagner intercooler and cat less downpipe on my R56 N18. The difference after loading his tune is crazy. This is a whole new car! And the best part is that he works with you to really make it perform exactly how you want. His passion for these cars shows in his attention to detail and the complete customer experience you get. Can't wait for the next track day!

 

Yes everything is true....He is tuning the car better that he does his own.
When a friend ask me how much and i said the price X, he told me that this is not cheap. Actually for that amount of work is the cheapest you can ever find..
After a lot of communication with him for tune feels like brother.
He is truly an amazing guy with TONS of knowledge.!