Ok, so what are the best reccomendations for getting power from my MC with an automatic transmission?

 

SEARCH....
there are a ton of things you can do to improve your cvt!
please use the search...there is a ton of info!

 

Actually, a search will only tell him some sad truths. There's not much power to be gotten from an MC. Exhaust, cold air intake, and a chip are the only things out there unless you are going to do some major overhauls.

Instead, consider some handling upgrades (wheels/tires, springs, strut and sway bars). "You'll get me everytime on the straight-aways, but at least I can hold my own in the twisties" <<<< is what I tell 'em.

 

I have heard rumors of a turbo coming soon

 

nfo:

How much hp do you think I can get with a TRD badge? GT-R? SVT?

 

>>Actually, a search will only tell him some sad truths. There's not much power to be gotten from an MC. Exhaust, cold air intake, and a chip are the only things out there unless you are going to do some major overhauls.
>>
>>Instead, consider some handling upgrades (wheels/tires, springs, strut and sway bars). "You'll get me everytime on the straight-aways, but at least I can hold my own in the twisties" <<<< is what I tell 'em.

I am not so sure about these "sad truths". I will share my opinion and you can decide for yourself. I drive an MCS. I got a loaner stock MC with CVT and little in terms of any options while my MCS was being serviced. I took out the CVT and drove it alot in 24 hours. Like an extended test drive. I have about 5000 miles on my MCS and it is very modded. I do street driving and a little at driving school each year.

The MC with CVT is good. First you need to learn how to drive CVT. Takes some skill to do it well. Send yourself to driving school. It's really fun if you do it right.
I had no trouble doing very well with the CVT and a stock MC. Loads of fun.

More power in a CVT? Certainly you can:
Do a cold air intake- see piloMINI- maybe the green twister or a drop in.
Exhaust- certainly an option- makes the exhaust note louder some. some HP gains
ECU chip- flash and upgrade-not the best options yet-maybe wait a bit longer, modest gains in HP.
Turbo- in the future- nothing yet.
Other stuff- limited slip differential? Maybe, for better traction
Header- certainly- stick around- maybe Cat and Dog racing will come up with a good ceramic coated header that will be moderately priced and worth something.-stay tuned.

And certainly all the suspension upgrades available to an MCS you can do with an MC with CVT. I would start with lightweight wheels. The stock 15" wheels are not that bad but could be more grippy. Upgraded 16" light alloys with Bridgestone Potenza Pole Position S-03s might be worth a look.

Rear swaybar helps but not in normal driving- good for heavy cornering-does not increase ride harshness.
Sport springs are good but mostly for corners and gives a harsher ride- not as smooth. Anyway there are lots of options. More on the way.

 

ok, can someone refine that information and toss me some links. I'm not too car savvy, but I'm trying to learn.

 

Go to the MCO sponsor directory and check out who's on there, Helix, MINIPilo, MINI Madness, MINI Motorsport....lots of vendors that can point you in the right direction. My advice would be to do a little at a time, get used to each mod on the car - be it suspension or engine. You'll eventually forget what a stock car feels and sounds like...

 

I have been told that the best 2 things would be a cold air intake as well as the plug wires that have grounds.

 

I know there have been some questions among CVT owners as to what cold-air intakes will fit. The engine bay is slightly different than the 5 speed from what I understand. The intake will definitely improve the engine sound on the car, and the exhasut will open up the other end. The plug wires I don't know too much about.

 

The exhaust I was told could do something to the back pressure, but the grounded wires stop the plugs from burning off unneeded fuel in each cylinder, and with the more fuel, then the more air with the intake there will be a bigger boost to power due to a larger ignition in each cylinder. Or that is what was told to me.

 

I changed my exhaust from the stock to the Magnaflow and it completely killed my car....the low end power was GONE! Felt like my car anemic. I switched back to the stock exhaust after 8,000 miles and my car feels right again. Dont believe everything you read on the internet...mods can make your car more underpowered as well. Remember everything on your MINI was designed by MINI technicans for the MINI and so will work best than any aftermarket part. I think a lot of the "power" people feel is the money they just dropped ringing in thier ears telling them, that as a result, the car must be faster.

 

Xanthus,
If you need to talk to someone you can try RandyBMC or Chris or Eric at Helix13. All of them know about MC with CVT and upgrades.

One of the problems is that due to many options available (even more with the MCS) you would do well to come up with a budget for upgrades and a priority list of what you want to get out of upgrading. It's easy to spend $1000 or even $4500.

Links- certainly look at the sponsor directory and go through each one to see what is being sold. Results do vary and do not assume that you will get what is always advertised. It is possible that with your MC and version of ECU software- esp with the CVT you might get a combination that would give less than good results. Most of the time it is OK.

Talk to people that have done the same upgrades as you plan to do. Get involved with your local MINI club or BMW CCA chapter. Meet people that drive the MC.

I cannot emphasize driving school enough. The CVT is a great gearbox but it is not your "father's" automatic transmission. People do race successfully with MC with CVT.
This does not come as a surprise. The CVT has both manual and automatic modes. Wrong shifts in a manual 5 or 6 speed are counter productive to performance. Learn how to use your transmission. Practice.

Yes, I left out the spark plug wires- sorry. RandyBMC recommends the Magnecor for the MC for a small HP gain and maybe some smoothness.

For CVT, if you are not getting hard starts, stumble and otherwise poor performance then do not upgrade your software to the latest version. Sometimes poor performance is due to a faulty wiring harness as well.

Good luck.

 

I do intend to get to a driving school, and the person who advised me on the intake and the wires is a Mini Mechanic in the Orlando store.

He mentioned loss of low end power would result from exhaust mods on the automatic cooper, but would give a better high end. I asked him what high end he spoke of, and he said that the bloody thing can dust speed limits stock, unless you are trying to get away with a Mini full of gold bars...

 

For MC with CVT-
Try contacting some of the MCO members with CVT and upgraded exhausts
maybe start with HARMINI or ask L.Mini
It's always better to see one in action if you can find someone in your local area that has CVT and an upgraded exhaust.

 

>>Remember everything on your MINI was designed by MINI technicans for the MINI and so will work best than any aftermarket part

Thats crazy talk!