Well hello all! Just got myself a Webb Motorsports pulley and guess what happened! I'm in SM now. Any advise. SM is pretty competative here in CO so I'll need a few more mods. This is gonna be my street ride still so can't go all out crazy. Gonna save that for my classic project mini.

 

I would talk to Randy about that. He campaigned The Mule in the Rocky Mountain SCCA in SM without a limited slip. There is a very good Supra in SM in that region.

 

Oh yeah got the Randy talk going on! He did my pulley today. At the events I usually pick his brain. Plan on pickin some more but wanted to see what others might have to say too.:smile:

 

I'm also in SML so I don't have to worry about the men if I don't want to. Not yet anyway. Thanks

 

I've done mostly suspension mods (other than the pulley).

I'll give you my opinion on susp mods in descending order of importance:

1.) R-compound tires
2.) rear sway bar
3.) camber plates/arms
4.) lowering springs
5.) light-weight 15" wheels

 

Hey thanks for the imput!

 

Tires were gonna be my next step too.

 

Trinityblk,
SM is a tough class to autocross in. To be competitive will require lots of upgrades and $1000s. It becomes like a bottomless pit if you are not clear on what you want to do and what limit you want to set on spending. MINIs in SM class in my region easily have spent $8,000 to $10,000 on mods.

Here is my list of things to consider and why-
1. Rear sway bar- This is cheap about $200. My pick would be the Rspeed.net rear bar. It's stiff, has three holes (choose the softest setting), is stealthy in black (looks stock) and is well built. The H-sport competition is half the weight, a bit more expensive and can work about as well. This bar helps to reduce understeer and make the MINI handle more neutral when cornering. For daily driving it doesn't really stiffen the general ride quality and it does help with cornering.
2. Tires- This can be critical. I'd think long and hard about choosing the right tires. For not too much you can get Falken Azenis Sport which are good but not as good as R-compound tires (about $300 vs $600+ respectively). Avon Tech R, Kumho victoracers, or even Kumho V710 tires are competitive and durable enough if you don't abuse them or drive them on the street. Since some of these tires come in only a few good sizes for the MINI you have to think about tire and rim combos that make sense before you commit to which tire.
3. Rims- Definitely 15" rims with as low a weight as your budget allows and as wide as you can. Optimum is 15x7" like the Kosei K1 TS (10.6 pounds $149 each- see alex@tirerack) matched with either 225/45-15 or 205/50-15 tires (one is wider with more weight/grip and larger contact patch while the other is lighter and more nimble). You can save money by getting stock MINI holey rims 15x5.5" and put on 205/50-15 tires. While more narrow than optimal they still are low weight and will fit the wide tires OK to get started for less investment. SM class allows you to use any wheel/tire.
4. Lowering springs- while less expensive than coil overs they do stiffen up the street ride quite a bit. You can choose a brand that doesn't lower too much and that will help some. I wouldn't recommend doing everything all at once but try the first three options before moving to springs. Coil overs may cost more but can give more adjustability, a smoother ride and better cornering/performance.
5. Camber plates (front)/ Rear lower adjustable control arms- These go hand and hand with suspension upgrades like springs or coil overs. They allow you to adjust the front and rear negative camber to whatever you want which allows you to have better tire contact with the ground. The MINI lacks enough front camber to make full use of the tire grip so even with tire upgrades you'd be riding mostly on the outer edges of the front tires. The MINI has enough rear negative camber but no way to adjust the amount unless you add the rear control arms. Think of the total suspension alignment when planning this. Camber plates cost $500 and rear control arms about $250 for parts alone then about 4-5 hours to install them so over $1000+. Once installed the ride quality will be compromised for street driving- it will be harsher but the cornering will be excellent. You'll also tend to wear the inside edge of your street tires so rotate them more often and check for wear. For autocross the alignment settings are roughly front negative camber -2.0 to -2.4 degrees with 1/16" toe out (set camber to as positive as possible-if your camber plates allow) and rear negative camber to -1.2 to -1.5 degrees with zero to 1/16" toe in. Generally the front camber should be about -1 degree more negative than the rears. Too much negative camber hurts straightline performance but does aid cornering.

If you have fun runs in your area you can try to ride in MINIs that have some of these options installed and see how it feels. Check out the bumpy ride. I have all of these installed and use my MCS for daily driving and it is OK.
I'd recommend starting off slow with one or two improvements at a time.

What intake and exhaust are you using- those are legal and might be worth considering. Watch for the new M7 intake and check out the invidia exhaust thread.