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May 9, 2011 11:34 a.m. wearymicrobe Reader

Does anybody have a preferred or GRM friendly advertiser who sells Mini Cooper parts. I got a JCW Body kitted 11' for a daily driver yesterday and want a bit more power and better brake pads if possible.

Looking to get the car up to the JCW power levels if possible maybe just a bit more, say 220hp 200tq. Is there like a normal mini cooper power path. Known intake, downpipes, exhaust, hot side pipe that works or is everybody just mixing and matching. This will never run in a autocross or ay sort of no mod track event.
May 9, 2011 12:18 p.m. mndsm SuperDork

I went through MiniMania when I needed parts for my r53 S. Shipping was quick, prices reasonable, and the site is pretty easy to use. Other than that, MossMini is your horse.
May 9, 2011 2:20 p.m. geowit Reader

Try asking on Motoring Alliance forums. A lot of knowledgeable MINI folks there.

http://www.motoringalliance.com/
May 9, 2011 9:20 p.m. heyduard New Reader
for the $6,500 or so MSRP for the R53 JCW option, you got (for all 50 states):
- new s/c with coated vanes with a ~11% reduction pulley from stock
- uprated fuel injectors (a bit more flow over stock)
- a mildly ported head (some say barely)
- CAI
- cat back performance exhaust
- a tuned ECU
- colder range of spark plugs
Price-wise, we can do a lot better aftermarket. And build as you go. But it's probably a good idea to tune the ECU after a bunch of upgrades. And it may be hard to be CARB legal.

That said, the easiest way to performance is a 15% reduction pulley on the s/c. ~$500 for parts and labor. Most MINI vendors have a pulley, plugs, and belt combo. Might be a good idea to drain and replace the s/c oil and check the nose and water pump gears, barring any obvious weeping. Do a compression check before adding moar boost! Check and replace belt tensioner parts. And add smaller belt.

Brakes... Better pads and the cheapest disc's you can afford. ATE fluid. Suspension? What's your budget and goals? Absolutely, go to the MINI boards and research. You read it here on the intarweb!
May 9, 2011 10:50 p.m. mike Reader

Ignore the supercharger comments - if it's a 2011 MINI the of course it's a turbo.

motoring alliance is a great place to go for some ideas, i agree.

Also, there are lots of good parts vendors out there. Way Motor Works comes to mind - they can get just about anything, including OEM Mini stuff - even complete engines (new and used).

Full disclosure, I used to be co-owner of Texas Speedwerks (a MINI performance parts company), which was sold to Way Motor Works, but I have no connection to WMW now, so there's no canoeing going on, i promise.
May 10, 2011 10:33 a.m. wearymicrobe Reader

Mike I will check them out. I have been doing some serious digging on MM and NAM. So I have a much better idea now.

Its going in for tint on Wednesday and to have the roof and mirrors wrapped in red like the JCW's (We have wicked bird poop being this close to the ocean).

The list that I have so far seems to be pretty minor. I want to keep it under 3K if possible.

Tint and Red Roof (340$)
Bigger intercooler (500-800$)
Intercooler deflector (100$)
Hot Pipe, Cold Pipe, noise eliminator removal (~300$)
ALTA blow off valve spring (22$)
Remove resonator (50$)
JCW intake (Unknown$)
Motor Mounts (49$)
JCW Suspension or H&R springs swaybar (1.1K, 600$)
Camber Plates (200$)
Stubby Antenna (59$)

Still undecided on the chip. If I can get the stage 1 kit cheap enough from mini and do the install myself then I would still be under warranty for most of the car.

I already have great tires and lightweight rims.
May 10, 2011 12:50 p.m. Ian F SuperDork

Hmm... I'm more familiar with the S/C R53's, but...

The chances of buying a JCW Stage 1 and being able to DIY the install is slim. Much of the gain is through the ECU flash, which is dealer-only. This was true of the R53 dealer-JCW kit as well. You could buy all of the bits, but without the ECU flash, it wasn't really complete.

I agree about checking out Motoring Alliance. These cars have been around for 5+ years now and upgrade paths are pretty well defined and which mods will give you the most bang for your $.

It seems there are a few ways to approach the chip upgrade. One, chip it first, then add additional upgrades until you're happy. Often, the chip alone is enough. You're close to Revolution Motor Works (RMW), so they would be the first place I'd go. Then there's the idea of buying upgrades and then getting the ECU flashed to match them. The in-between way is to chip it first, then have the chip re-flashed for each additional upgrades (some tuners will do this affordably). Which is best is often dependent on location.
May 11, 2011 8:26 a.m. heyduard New Reader

mike wrote: Ignore the supercharger comments - if it's a 2011 MINI the of course it's a turbo.

oops. missed that lol. another poster mention r53 and that was the end of that.
May 11, 2011 8:47 a.m. heyduard New Reader

BTW, for the R56, you can gain a modest amount of front negative camber without the expense of plates. There's a locating bolt/pin on both strut towers. Remove that. With the nuts removed, you can push the strut inboard thanks to the slotted mounting holes for the top strut mount. check out this post at NAM. Read the rest of the thread for results.
May 11, 2011 9:02 a.m. mndsm SuperDork

mike wrote:

Ignore the supercharger comments - if it's a 2011 MINI the of course it's a turbo.

motoring alliance is a great place to go for some ideas, i agree.

Also, there are lots of good parts vendors out there. Way Motor Works comes to mind - they can get just about anything, including OEM Mini stuff - even complete engines (new and used).

Full disclosure, I used to be co-owner of Texas Speedwerks (a MINI performance parts company), which was sold to Way Motor Works, but I have no connection to WMW now, so there's no canoeing going on, i promise.

You did Texas Speedwerks? I saw a few of your ETDs and things on cars around here. Nice stuff.