Long time R53 owner, I just picked up an 2013 R56 Cooper S automatic with paddle/bump shifter.

Apologies for any major redundancy on this thread but I'm curious about what mods I should do first or what to avoid/look out for.

Also the radio seems to be suck on AM - I can find threads on euro forums about this but not on here - can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks in advance everybody!

 

where to start? Are you going to tune it? Are you doing the wrenching yourself or have a good shop? Suspension/brakes need changing? What parts have already been replaced and how long ago?

 

Lightweight wheels are in the works, it's sitting on Eibach spring but I think stock shocks. It has drilled and slotted rotor up front but stock calipers (?)

I'd like to do intake and exhaust, just some light tuning (mostly myself) to make it a bit more spirited. My R53 will remain the weekend warrior modded car, and this will be a DD.

 

wheels are a great idea, especially if you're still on runflats. if those are stock shocks they are most likely due for a change. how many miles do you have? intake and exhaust will only get you more noise without a tune (unless you're into that hehe); a drop in hi flow filter is enough. the stock exhaust, minus the main cat, is good until you start to change internals. do you have any service records? things I've changed on my 2012 S 65k miles: alternator, thermostat, water pump and water pipe (since i was in there), HPFP (you should be fine since you have a '13), koni FSD shocks (did them early but glad i did) and misc stuff (gas cap, 3rd brake light)

 

It's got 42k on it, I don't have great service record but it was fairly local to me for most of that time, I could probably get some record from the local MINI dealership, based on carfax it had been serviced there.

 

my thermostat went at 36k, did shocks at 47k, alternator at 62k. hopefully yours was made midweek motor on!

 

Tires, brakes, bigger rear sway bar, bigger intercooler, lower engine mount. Learn to drive it. Then intake, colder plugs, downpipe back exhaust and stage 2 tune. Then new tires again cause your gonna need them 😁

 

it's already been done, OP just doesn't know it yet LOL. Even a stage 1 would be worth it and not require all the supporting parts.

 

As noted above, best bang for the bucks are:
Larger rear sway bar, either 20 or 22mm, depending on how hard you drive. Not a terribly hard DIY task. The downside of the 20mm is you are likely to get used to it pretty quick, then you'll need a new "fix" and will have get the 22mm! ( I just did)
Larger Intercooler. I was surprised at the benefit from this upgrade, if you plan to tune in the future you might as well do it.
Brake pads: Consider, Red Stuff (or equivalent) if you want discs/pads to last a while. Yellow Stuff (or equivalent) if you drive hard

So you have an eight year old car! I have a 2013 too. BMW suspension rubber and other rubber/plastic bits tend to show their age at this point.

Control arm bushings, engine mounts (especially the driver's side) and water pipe are items worthy of suspicion at 8 years out. In your case mileage is slightly in your favor. If the car has been residing in the SW that is not to your benefit, heat kills rubber and plastic.

 

Thanks for the input.. I did the rear sway bar in my R53 and it was a PITA to get in and back together in my driveway.. I'll likely do poly bushes and such soon or as soon as I notice old age. As for the brakes it's interesting to me this thing has upgraded rotors (and very fresh pads) but very stock looking calipers..

I'd assume the intercooler is a service mode install, fairly involved?

 

The intercooler can be installed by removing the bumper. Service mode isn't needed.

 

If you go to the gen2 mods section there should be a how to section in there. A lot of these mods are in there in or YouTube what you mod your looking to do.

 

This video is pretty good -
Only thing I would do differently is mark the position of the rear carrier with a sharpie or the like. That will minimize your contributions to disturbing the rear alignment

Video show hex head bolts on the carrier. Both my 2013 & 2007 use torx bolts - you'll need a E14 torx socket if yours does as well.

 

Uprated pads should be all you need for a DD, even solid rotors are fine.

 

On the rear subframe there are 2 holes where the bolts go. The spare whole is what I’ve used to help guide things back into place, R50 and R55. F series didn’t have it.

 

solid rotors and EBC pads work great on the Dragon as well 😉

 

If you want a lot more sound, I suggest a muffler delete and, if you can still pass inspection, a secondary cat delete. It'll sound a lot better and the backfires will be louder and more frequent. I did a full 2.5in exhaust with nothing but an aftermarket resonator for $250 at a local muffler shop. I don't know if you can get away with that in Cali, but that's the best bang you'll get for your buck IMO.

For intakes, I'm not sure which ones are legal in Cali, but I have a K&N panel filter in my car and it is 50-state legal. The intake noise isn't as loud as what you'd get with an full intake, but I can hear the diverter valve and some turbo spool. For $50, it's a great mod to have until you find a proper intake and an intercooler that can cool the hot air that other intakes suck in.

It would be a good idea to get your intake valves cleaned if you haven't already. That carbon buildup can really hurt responsiveness, power, and fuel efficiency. If you do get them cleaned, you should get a DIY catch can to help prevent future carbon buildup.

My last recommendation if you don't do so already: drive the car in manual mode and sport mode! Sport mode keeps it a gear lower in automatic mode and it makes the car backfire on decel/downshifts, but manual mode is something that works surprisingly well in the R56. It's basically a sequential, and it's a lot faster and more engaging that letting the transmission think for itself. It also allows you to make the car backfire on command, which is cool.