Hi guys,

I am new to the Mini community and have ordered a 2013 Mini Cooper S Countryman All4 that is set to hit US shores any day now. It is all standard with the addition of the Sports Suspension and some bonnet stripes.

I am looking at doing a resonator and 2nd cat delete to open up the exhaust some. This is the only modification I plan on doing until the warranty runs out. Has anyone done this to their Countryman? Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Shane

 

i installed a milltek downpipe back exhaust that eliminates the 2nd cat and resonator

love it

scott

 

Has anyone just done the 2nd cat delete? I'm trying to avoid drone and being too obnoxious.

 

I have a catless downpipe on my MCS and I did a 2nd cat and resonator delete on the stock mid section, it doesn't seem to drone much at all on the expressway. I even have my back seats removed which makes it considerably more noisy in the car but it seems to be all road noise, not exhaust drone.

 

Is it illegal to remove the 2nd cat? I thought the JCW Countryman didn't have it, but that may not matter. I'm currently in PA which is a CARB state but am moving to MI which is not.

 

Technically it's federally illegal to remove it if your car came with it. Whether or not your state is going to look for it when you go for inspection is another story. In Illinois where I live there is no visual inspection, the 2nd cat isn't monitored by the car so if you remove it, it doesn't throw a CEL. In Illinois you'll still pass.

 

I'm thinking about doing the 2nd cat delete and a tune.

Anyone have any suggestions for a tune?

 

Let me clear a few things up for the OP.

I've had nearly a dozen different exhausts/custom builds between my two R60s over the years, and here's what you need to know.

1) Removing the "second cat" has no impact on the US emissions code, nor will it cause any issues with inspection, etc. This was placed there for EU clean air standards. There is one heck of a restriction from this piece, as I've shown before. The main catalytic converter is a 400-cell, which is more than sufficient for not only the law, but for keeping pollutants out of the air.

2) Removing the resonator is generally done at the same time due to the pipes being so close together. It's a straight-through perf core, so nothing major in blocking sound.

3) Removing the resonator does not introduce any drone into the system, but it does increase the loudness of the system at the tailpipes.

4) If you remove the rear muffler, you will have amazing amounts of drone at 2800-3100 rpm.

5) There is no warranty issue with removing these pieces other than losing the warranty on your stainless exhaust system. Anything AFTER the cut will no longer be covered. The drivetrain and other warranties are unaffected. This is the law, and it's not up to a SM's interpretation.

6) For a simple tune without any mods (the exhaust mod is more for sound on the R60), I would suggest the NM tune. It's $500 out the door, and offers the most bang-for-the-buck on an otherwise stock R60S.

Feel free to ask any other questions, and I'll be happy to answer them.

 

Awesome. Thanks for all the info.

I'm going to go for the 2nd cat and resonator delete and probably a tune at some point.

Would you recommend a CAI or any other mods before the tune?

 

There's a lot of good info around here that you will want to look at. Many (well, most) have gone through the same process of decision-making when starting out.

The CAI choices are not really CAIs at all, but rather open-filter designs. They offer a much better sound (blow off, etc), but no real tangible gains until you start getting up there in mods. But they sound great!

The best mod that can be done before a tune is an intercooler. You will make much more power, and be able to run a 'hotter' tune with that. Essentially, it's going to be the biggest "power maker" on the R60 without a turbo swap, etc.

If you're going for sound a a moderate amount of performance increase, a simple exhaust mod and perhaps an intake will net you the sounds you're looking for.

 

I'm going to start with the exhaust. If I want more out of my r60, I'll go for the intercooler and tune.

Thanks for the advice. There is a lot of info in these threads and it is hard to figure out what combination of mods is right for you.

Any particular intercooler you would recommend? I've read that a couple of them don't fit in newer models.

 

I have two at the moment, one of which is the monster Forge unit. That one requires a lot of work to fit properly (I'll most likely be selling it soon to somebody that wants to track the car). It does offer the best cooling, but it's not for the faint of heart.

Moving on, you can use a stepped design like the Helix, or use the Tyrolsport, which is a thin, but large-faced design. This is catching on in popularity.

If you go with the NM tune, they will upgrade your tune to the Stage 2 once you install an IC for a modest fee (I believe it's $50).

 

The Helix intercooler looks like a solid option. Do they have one out for the r60, or does one of the current models fit?

http://www.waymotorworks.com/helix-s...tercooler.html

 

The R56 model has been used frequently on the R60.

 

I just installed the Helix intercooler on my car on Friday, it made a noticeable difference with the NM stage 1 tune I have.

It's expensive, but the design is top tier. I'm happy with the purchase.

 

Did you have any issues with the install on your r60?

It looks like I'm going for the intercooler...
Hopefully the list doesn't get too much longer!

2nd cat and resonator delete
Helix intercooler
K&N filter
NM Stage 2 tune

Any suggestions?
I'm trying to keep things balanced to avoid having issues with under engineered stock parts down the line.

 

Your plan is solid, and you will be quite happy with the results.

 

If you would like to save some cash, I'll give you a tip:

You can mount the K&N RU-1540 directly to the MAF and achieve the same results as the normal open filters out there. Costs less than $40 to boot.

 

Thanks for the tip! I'll have to report back with the results once everything is done.

 

Please do! Happy modding!

 

I got in the last helix intercooler group buy and should be installing in my R60 in the next couple weeks. I'll probably post some pictures if not an entire how-to.

 

Cool. I'll keep an eye out for it.

 

Do you know any flash tools that work with the r60?

 

There aren't any yet. There may never be since Alta is done. I read a few months back that Renntech was working on a tool for the N18 engines but haven't heard anything lately.

 

No flash tools work with the N18, and they never will.

I have run the NM and RENNtech tunes.

Please refer to this thread for more details: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...n18-minis.html