Top 5 Performance Mods for Newbies

James Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

If I were new to MINIs, I’d still wonder what you mean by Pulley/Engine Management. Maybe you could explain what the pulley does and how you might modify the “engine management”. It’s pretty vague.

Jon Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

The Pulley mentioned is the one on the stock supercharger (again, for the S model only), which is driven with a belt from the engine. There are currently 3 different sized pulleys available in the aftermarket, 15% smaller than stock, 17% smaller, and 19% smaller. They all make the supercharger spin faster, therefore making more air go into the engine. More air means a bigger bang in the combustion chamber, which translates to more horsepower and torque. The 15% pulley yields approximately 20 more horsepower or more. The 17% and 19% provide even more power gains, but some folks claim that they can lower your engine’s reliability, and perhaps shorten its’ lifespan.

Combine the pulley modification with an ECU upgrade (engine management software), and you’ve really got a strong power upgrade. But performing these two mods can mean that you’re crossing a line as far as warranty coverage on your engine. If you make your engine go boom with these parts installed, your MINI dealership will give you lots of hassle, and might not cover any costs, even though it is supposedly their burden to prove those parts you added indeed caused the meltdown… but either way it could be a hassle for you–a word of warning.

Jon Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

ECU upgrades modify your MINI’s engine computer with new software, designed to optimize fuel curves, raise the RPM limiter, and raise the top speed governeur. It gives you more power throughout the RPM range, allows you to rev the engine higher, and ultimately, just plain ole’ go faster. Check out GIAC, Shark Injector, and others.

Some claim an ECU upgrade can actually increase your engine’s fuel efficiency, too, but since you have more power, you might be inclined to put the pedal down even more than before, so you might be at the gas station more than ever! Depends how you drive…

Rudy Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

Thanx for the lesson. (I am a newbie)

greg Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

How about a list of performance mods for those who already have JCW(2005)? Any suggestions?

Mike Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

I think the list is great as is, however the exhaust suggestion might be less important to ‘05 MCS owners; the new exhaust sounds awesome (IMO) and I don’t think you’ll get much gain from replacing it since a part of the 5hp increase for the ‘05 year comes from the less restrictive exhaust system. You would save a few pounds by changing the exhaust on an ‘05, but I doubt you’d get much more than that out of it.

Evan Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

Where do I go to an autocross for a driving enhancing lesson? I’d love to learn some better shifting and handling techniques. I know that these can be expensive, but I’d be up for an afternoon or something.

Info or links are welcome!

Mark Hirt Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

I’ll second the “nut behind the wheel” statement.

Evan go to scca.com and find a region near you. Many offer Autocross drivers schools. After the school if you not hooked (check for a pulse) you will at least know the limits of your car and “the nut behind the wheel”.

As for “modding” up the car keep this in mind.

Last spring one of my students (Subaru STi) was kept telling me what he was going to do to make the car faster and handle better. After a couple runs though the course he asked if I wanted to drive. It’s STi and I had never drove one so he didn’t have to ask twice. Anyway when I crossed the finish line a full 3 seconds faster then his best time he changed his tune.

Chris Kimmelshue Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

The best $250 one could spend on their Cooper S would be on a rear sway bar and a supercharger reduction pulley in my opinion. These two mods offer a lot of “bang for the buck” and improve two important aspects of the MINI: power and handling.

MiniMonkey Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

What are some of the ultimate rear sway bars out there that people are using? What do you look for when shopping for a sway bar? And are they self installable? Thanks.

Chris Kimmelshue Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

MiniMonkey - I have installed uprated sway bars from Alta and H-Sport. I highly recommend the Alta 22mm rear bar if on a budget and the H-Sport Comp 25.5 (22mm effective, and almost twice the price) rear bar if not.

You can install the rear bar yourself with the proper tools. The job takes about an hour. There are many tutorials out there with photos.

Gabe Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

The H&R sway bar series is also highly regarded. OutMotoring and Promini (both MotoringFile sponsors) carry them.

Tsukiji Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

Don’t forget the RSpeed 22mm 3-position, supposedly the strongest bar on the market.

Edge Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

Question on the rear sway bars… I understand they cross over in the cabin, right behind the rear seats… this is fine for day-to-day… but what about when you want to carry cargo? Are they easy to detach when you want the open space? Are some models detachable (without tools) and others fixed?

Jimbo Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

I would like to differ on this comment in 2. Wheels/Tires:
“A suggestion would be to keep your current stock wheels/runflats for the winter weather…”

If you have light/occasional snow, maybe the stock all-seasons might suffice, however the stock ‘performance’ 17″ pirelli runflats and Dunlops suck in the snow. Buy a dedicated set of snow tires and wheels ($500) instead.

Jimbo Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

Edge,
The sway bars arent inside the cabin, they are underneath with the rest of the suspension bits….

Jon Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

Yes, the rear sway bar is located UNDER the car. See this link for a few examples… http://www.minituner.com/products/?sfID1=8&sfID2=61

I believe what “EDGE” was asking about was the rear strut tower brace, http://new.minimania.com/web/Item/NMS2020/AddedFrom/CatBrowse%2D%20SUSPENSION%5FNM/InvDetail.cfm

MiniMonkey Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

Thanks for the excellent replies on the sway bars. I’m definitely doing that next. Thanks also for this excellent site. Everyday this is the first web site I visit. Many thanks Gabe!

Edge Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

Oops, yes I suppose I did mean the rear strut tower brace. I wonder how that improves things in comparison to (or in addition to!) the sway bar upgrade?

Lawrence Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

Jimbo - I agree, the “performance” runflats do not perform at all in the snow, whereas the all-seasons get by OK in the stuff - just OK. Best option would be to buy dedicated snow tires and steel wheels, if the weather gets bad enough often enough where you live.

However that would mean having 3 sets of wheels/tires - stockers that came with the car (provided you don’t trade or sell ‘em), performance set, and snow set. Can get expensive, and if you don’t have a garage, where you gonna stash ‘em?

What I was suggesting (and perhaps not making clear) is that you can save some cash by selecting base wheels and all-season tires (at no cost) when ordering your Cooper or S, or if picking up your car used, repurposing the stock rims already on the car for winter duty (swapping on all-seasons, if not so-equipped, or snows) - and then getting a second warmer-weather performance set. This is what I’ve done, along with a number of people I know.

Lawrence Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

And Jon, thanks for covering me on the explanations of pulleys and engine management! James, you’re right, a little more explanation was needed…

Rich Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

Actually, a way to avoid three sets of rims/tires would be to just wear out the stock performance tires on the OEM rims. Then order a set of dedicated snow tires (eg Pirelli Snowsport 240 is a V-rated runflat snow tire that comes in the stock 205/45/17 S-lite size) and mount them on the heavier OEM rims such as the S-lite. Then, order a lightweight set of rims and pure max performance summer tires like Bridgestone S-03 in a slightly wider size such as 215/40-17 or 215/45-17.

/rich

Jon Mar 23rd, 2005 Link

No problem Lawrence. I just hope I was fairly accurate with my comments!

I concur with MiniMonkey; this is the first site I visit every day. This is the site every MINI owner should have as their homepage!

For much deeper information on all things MINI though, I use NAM (northamericanmotoring.com). That’s my second site I visit each day…

jeeves Mar 24th, 2005 Link

Best Modification money I ever spent was to attend a driving class with Phil Wicks. One day of class room, and track time that greatly improved how I drive and how I precieve the other cars and drivers around me. Time and money very well spent.

Michael Burchill Mar 24th, 2005 Link

A sport-shift kit (short-throw shifter, like B&M’s) is also a great, inexpensive way to improve the tactile experience of driving the MINI.

The Getrag gearbox is a beautiful thing - and putting one of these units in will make it feel the way it should have from the get-go. I think the getrag manual with the sport-shifter fitted is one of the best feeling gearboxes out there.

• • m

Mike Mar 24th, 2005 Link

Webb Motorsports has a great FAQ on performance mods:

http://www.webbmotorsports.com/faq.php

greg Mar 24th, 2005 Link

I finally take delivery of my ‘05 MCS/JCW/JCW suspension package next week. Are there any mods(regardless of cost)that can be added on top of this to increase power without invalidating the warranty.

I’m confused (a newbie)as to whether the JCW kit has cold air intake or if this is something available I can add.

Kimes Mar 24th, 2005 Link

The 05 JCW kit already comes with an intake. You have pretty much all you can get with the kit. You can get a smaller pulley, but you just spent all that dough and it’d be a waste to pull it apart. I’d go with real sway, short shifter and maybe get those matching JCW 18 inch wheels w/o runflats. If you’re really looking to squeeze some more out, Dinan has a chip that may boost your engine performance, but I’ve never seen that on a JCW yet. Has anyone else??

blalor Mar 24th, 2005 Link

How well do “lighter” wheels hold up to life on the street? My gut tells me that aftermarket rims won’t hold up to MINI-swallowing pot holes like the stock (heavy) rims will.

I’ve given a lot of thought to my wheel situation; what I plan to do is buy another set of S-lites, get ‘em powdercoated black, and put sticky tires on them. I’ll keep the all-season runflats for longer roadtrips and winter driving. I’ve found some good looking, fairly inexpensive, aftermarket wheels (Koenig, perhaps? Like $140/corner?) but I’m worried about them disintegrating on bad roads.

Rudy Mar 25th, 2005 Link

If you had a choice in mod and was low on cash (budget). would the alta intake be prefered over the millteck exhaust for a cooper.

Mike Mar 25th, 2005 Link

Rotas or Excel TZ-10s are examples of light wheels for about $100 each that should hold up fine. You can go with 16s or 15s for extra sidewalls and less weight if you are really worried.

Since the Alta intake is about 1/4th the cost of the Milltek, I would say defanitly get the intake on a budget. I would get a pulley before the exhaust as well.

Gabe Mar 25th, 2005 Link

Rudy - it sounds as if you have a Cooper. I would recommend going for an exhaust first. The intake does very little in the way of power on the Cooper. A good exhaust will create more interesting sounds throughout the rev-range than just an intake and it will look great. I’d recommend the Supersprint from Promini. You can read a review on in the reviews section of MotoringFile.

Rudy Mar 25th, 2005 Link

Thanks Gabe,
I do have a Cooper and that’s exactly what I want: a little sound (cool factor)and a little HP.

Gabe Mar 25th, 2005 Link

Rudy - I actually have the Remus exhaust and while I love the sounds it makes, I think the Supersprint is made with better materials.

morknmini Mar 26th, 2005 Link

Thanks again, Lawrence, for a checklist of modifications.

I especially appreciate the recommendation about the nut behind the wheel. It’s been a long time since driving school and never for a front driver. I will put that on my list for when my MINI finally arrives.

I wonder about an add-on cannister that supposedly collects dripping oil. It’s not a power or handling modification, but I read it might improve performance in a different way (not power, not handling, so what?).

Excellent article in Motoringfile as usual.

LTL M CPE Mar 26th, 2005 Link

Regarding driving instruction, the Phil Wicks suggestion is a great one. He has events all accross the country and focuses on MINI drivers at many of the events. Go to midwestdriver.com

Another option is your local BMW Car Club of America chapter. They glady welcome MINI’s and many offer safety schools, autocross schools, autocrosses, and driver’s schools. Evan, not sure where you are located but Windy City BMW has an autocross school happening 3/17.

Happy, and safe, motoring!

Jim

greg Mar 26th, 2005 Link

thanks kimes for your reply. i checked the DINAN web site and they have LOTS of mods for mini’s but i have no clue if or what can be piggy backed on top of JCW.
does anyone know if DINAN mods are warranty cool?

greg Mar 26th, 2005 Link

what is a “real sway”? i justed dropped $2000 on the JCW suspension. is this yet something else i can add on?

Martin Mar 27th, 2005 Link

I just got a 2005 S convertible. Do any of you know where I can buy a manual for it? All I see only cover to 2004.
Thanks,
Martin

Kimes Mar 28th, 2005 Link

Sorry, I meant rear sway [bar].

ben Mar 29th, 2005 Link

Gabe I have an mcs, and I live in mexico(the streets are a mess), do you still recomend the non runflat tires, and what exactlly do you mean by harsh

Gabe Mar 29th, 2005 Link

Unfortunately I don’t know what your particular situation is with your streets. If they are bad enough that you expect a flat tire then I’d keep the runflats.

Runflats are hard in that they make the ride very stiff. The side wall has very little flex which amplifies every little bump.

ben Mar 30th, 2005 Link

Tanks gabe, thats the feeling i get, now imagine that stiffness with in a bumpy street, I was considering getting a bilstein kit, to reduce that since its adjustable, but may be I´ll try what you say before that.
I read that changing the pulley may get the engine warmer, the smaller the pulley the warmer it gets, is it true, and if it is do i need to do anything extra to correct this.
thanks

greg Mar 30th, 2005 Link

thanks again for the (2nd) reply. however i’m still confused about the rear sway bar. doesn’t the jcw suspension i just dropped $2000+ have this already? if not(!) can it be added?

Anybody know if any of the DINAN mods can be added to enhance power in addition to JCW tuning and is DINAN covered under warranty?

greg Apr 4th, 2005 Link

i read something about a flywheel that adds 15hp anybody know about this? can it be added to JCW?

David Marlow Apr 4th, 2005 Link

DINAN does not void the MINI warranty. At least that was what my sales person at MINI in the Woodlands told me. I am sure that BMW/MINI will have to install it to keep the warranty though.

The DINAN Stage III kit gives out just a little less hp (5 less I believe) than the JCW, but is quite a bit cheaper.

Gabe Apr 4th, 2005 Link

David - according to a MINIUSA memo released a few years ago any aftermarket product has the ability to void the warranty. MINIUSA and Dinan have no official relationship. In fact the only relationship that Dinan has to MINIUSA at all is that some MINI dealers also sell Dinan parts. Basically Dinan has it’s own warranty that some of these dealers will honor. So keep in mind quite a few MINI dealers will not cover Dinan parts.

f david Jun 11th, 2005 Link

Hello guys:
I would like to get more info on this driving instruction sessions.
I just bought a new MCS 05 (upgrades: diamond black BBS RG-Rs 17″, alta intake, borla catback exhaust, H-Sport lowering springs…don’t plan to mess around with pulleys or anything in the engine for a couple of years…just setting the car for a nice ride).
Anyways, I would like to get my girlfriend a driving instruction (which I’ll take as well!) and wanted more info if you guys could help me on this.
I am currently in Los Angeles.
Thank you all.
NOTE: DO I usse my own car or do they provide rides on this seminars?

blalor Jun 12th, 2005 Link

Check out Phil Wicks’ Mini Driving school. I was supposed to, but was unable, due to ongoing technical difficulties with my MCS. I did spectate for more than half the day (and got a ride with Phil for a few mighty fast laps). It seemed to be well run and regulated, and novice and intermediate drivers have an instructor on-board most of the time. He’s going to be in Monterey, CA on 12/14/2005.

Matt Aug 24th, 2005 Link

DINAN will warrenty your car if you upgrade with their products. They will iron out BMW if you have an issue.

Gabe Aug 24th, 2005 Link

DINAN will warrenty your car if you upgrade with their products. They will iron out BMW if you have an issue.

I agree 100% with the first sentence. However I think the second can be a bit misleading. Dinan has had issues in the past with parts effecting cars that required fixes relating to non-Dinan parts. In those cases BMW has generally not covered them. Obviously this is case by case but in several situations I’ve heard of first hand BMW has treated Dinan like any other manufacturer of aftermarket parts and not gone out of their way to cover issues relating to said parts.