what are people doing to get more power out of the MC ? what are some simple mods I can do to boost the HP ?

thanks

 

They order an MCS sorry couldn't resist.

 

Hey your comment made me feel like I was back in grade school

 

I'm afraid it's true...Cooper are/have been much tougher to get significant hp gains out of unless you want to spend a ton of money. That's why folks get MCSs (not that much more money). Couple that with the fact that tuners seem to be focussed on R56 MCS tuning and less on R56 Cooper mods.

 

One thing you can do to make the MC quicker is to get some lightweight wheels (something like the holies or the BBS RG-F's) and then put on some 205/50 R15 tires (or similar diameter). The 205/50 R15 tire size is a little smaller than stock and results in a gearing advantage which makes the car accelerate a little better. The downside is the engine revs a little higher at speed and your speedometer is a little off.

 

IMHO if you already decided to go with a MC over a MCS you should focus on handling. It would take more than the cost difference between a MC/MCS to catch up with the MCS in hp. Put your money into a nice set of coilovers, upgraded brakes, lighter wheels, better tires, and thicker sway bars. The fun factor of your car will increase much more than if you were to put on an an exhaust, intake, and other basic "hp" mods.

 

Aftermarket exhaust and intake might increase a few hp

 

Add up all the cost of all these change's and mufflethis response may not be so silly.I wonder if you could a factory built turbo put on MC?

 

Not to mention that all those changes would result in "modest" (being generous) improvements.

 

There were plenty of aftermarket mods available for the Cooper as well as the S with the R50/R53 generation. Since both came out at the same time with the R56, it seems like the aftermarket is really focusing on the S right now, but I'm sure that mods for the R56 Cooper will come out soon. I expect to see quick and easy mods like exhaust and intake this year.

 

I agree...including lightweight wheels as dave has said. BTW, anybody know the weights of R56 OEM wheels??

 

If I can get 10 more HP outta it I will be happy

 

Heh, believe it or not but that's a fairly tall order for a small, naturally aspirated engine, especially since they are becoming more and more well-optimized from the factory. Hopefully, an intake and cat-back exhaust will get you there but, like many much more intelligent people before me said, if you just get smaller and lighter wheels, the decreased rotating mass and increased torque multiplication will feel like a hp boost while also aiding in handling.

 

With my 2002 MINI Cooper, I did almost everything below, coil-overs, a wing, intake, exhaust, etc. It made the car a little faster, more fun, and unique. However, I spent more than the price of a Cooper S, and still couldn't keep up till they braked in corners! (Through corners my car was faster because you could just keep your foot to the floor and forget the brakes)

With the new MINI, I decided on the S because the new turbo engine looked very interesting. So far I am pleased with my decision. I think programming the ECU on the Cooper engine may give some more torque and power, at the expense of course, of fuel economy.

Good luck whatever you decide. No matter which MINI you drive, they are all good fun!
Mike

 

The R56 MC has the same engine and the same transmission so I think you can just bolt on a factory turbo, but you gotta move some stuff away.

 

I am not into racing just want to get over the grapevine in other than the slow lane. Thanks everyone for posting.

 

Go for the suspension work and pass them on the turns .

Even in a MC that has an extra 20 hp on it, my girlfriend's V6 grocery getting' camry would leave it in the dust on any kind of straight road. I'm a firm believer in building on the car's strengths and just accepting that the MC will feel/drive a lot quicker with suspension/tires/wheels/brakes/bars than it ever will with exhaust/intake (and even cams). On every car I've owned the suspension and tires have been my first mods and have always been huge smile generating mods. I tried building a N/A motor on my corrado and got frustrated very quickly after pouring thousands into the motor only to be neck-neck with the highschool kid's 1.8T and just an upgraded chip.

 

JMO, but you need to drop down into 4th or 3rd to do that. It is totally do able though.

 

^^^Excellent points, iDriveS!!! Cooper owners have always had to master the art of rowing the gears to make their cars go...that's just how it's done in a Cooper. For diehard Cooper owners, that's a huge part of the attraction. That and, if driven sensibly, it can still return some impressive fuel economy numbers.

Damon007 does ask an interesting question, though...who knows what the R56 Cooper is capable of at this point? I recall the automotic Cooper test cars surprising some folks during the U.S. launch!!!

 

My wife has a MC CVT and we never have any problems doing 80 over the grapevine. Like others have said maybe you need to down shift.

 

The R56 MC Auto(with 16" wheels and the wider stock 16" tires) was faster than the R56 MC 6-speed (with 15" wheels and narrower 15" tires) in the autocross. I won the press lauch autocross in a 6-speed manual MC, but later in the day, I was actually 1.5 seconds faster with the automatic R56 MC. I'll be the first to say that I was shocked that the difference was that great.

Personally, I think most of that 1.5 seconds was due to better wheels/tires and that the 15" tires were under inflated. HOWEVER, it shows that the R56 MC automatic should not be taken for granted. Far from it. The R56 MC automatic can definitely hang (and then some if properly tired) with the 6-speed MC.

 

What's "the grapevine"? Something like the Tail of the Dragon?

 

Unfortunately not. It is a long freeway grade heading north out of Los Angeles. I forget whether it is four lane or six, but it is a major artery. It probably was a windy mountain road many many years ago. It is one of the few places in Southern California that can beome impassible due to ice or snow.

 

I've never seen any grapes there hmmm.I have seen alot of cars with blown engines on the side of the road !

 

Just a guess, but perhaps when it was named, it was as twisty as a grape vine.