I got my 03S not long ago, did the SC oil, water pump, crank and SC pulley, belt tensioner, plugs and ignition... all in about $600. The pulley made a big difference, it was worth the cost.
That said, if I were running the challenge, I'd buy tires.
I got my 03S not long ago, did the SC oil, water pump, crank and SC pulley, belt tensioner, plugs and ignition... all in about $600. The pulley made a big difference, it was worth the cost.
That said, if I were running the challenge, I'd buy tires.
In reply to BradLTL :
Tires are not in the budget. So, I'll be buying tires too.
SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Woody :
Because maintenance is scary.
Yup...that was it.
I’ll move along now.
In reply to Woody :
If I wanted maintenance free, I'd buy a Honda.
I am at a phase in my life where I can afford the maintenance if I choose to. The price tags on MINIs are so ridiculously low, its a lot of performance for the money. I figure I will learn a bit of BMW weirdness and do some maintenance myself, be prepared to pay more for maintenance, and if a giant bill comes along (like $5K or something), I can walk away, and sell the car for pretty much what I paid for it.
It's not a hard decision for me.
DeadSkunk (Warren) said:In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :
I bought the slicks for $50.
I'd be happy to take those off your hands if SVrex doesn't.
In reply to bigben :
I think he was offering to loan them. Warren, I'm interested for either a loan or a purchase.
In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :
The intent was to sell them....I'm accumulating too much stuff. They're yours if I head to Gainesville.
In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
Excellent!
If you don't make it, maybe I can find someone who can transport.
Are they mounted on rims?
They are mounted on a pair of Bassett steel rims that I intend to keep. You also need to check and see if you can fit 15" wheels to the MINI.
In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
Got it.
Pretty sure I can fit 15" wheels, but I will confirm.
SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
Got it.
Pretty sure I can fit 15" wheels, but I will confirm.
Generally, yes, but it depends. For non-S, non-Sport package Coopers, 15" wheels were standard. My 2003 non-S that I ran in 2018 could have used some spacers, with the wide wheels we ran.
In reply to keithedwards :
My 2003 S wore 15's at the Challenge. Since the 2004 JCW does not have a brake upgrade, I'm pretty sure 15s will fit.
But I will confirm.
In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :
If it has the normal Cooper"S" brakes then 15" wheels work. I ran 15s for snow tires on mine.
I disagree. Maintenance on a MINI is not scary. Just a bit odd at times.
Probably the easiest way to improve a MINI is the tires and wheels. Dumping the S-Lead wheels for lighter 15" wheels would help. The easy-button is finding a set a "holies" - the 7-hole 15" base Cooper wheels. Those are the lightest OEM wheels and can be found for cheap. Throw a set of 205/50-15 200TW tires on it and have fun. The smaller diameter will help the taller gearing of an '04 car as well.
If you can find the wheels cheap enough and have some budget left over, the next item I'd put on would be Ireland Engineering Fixed Camber plates. Those combined with the original alignment will give the car an incredible turn-in feel, although don't drive it that way for long as tire wear will be excessive. Trailer it to the Challenge, run it that way in the auto-x, then get a proper alignment when you get home.
If you can find one cheap enough - rear sway bar. Some will argue this is better than the camber plates, but having experience with both, I disagree - the camber plates help the car more.
Adding braces are more placebo and don't give a very good performance to cost benefit. Same with doing a pulley swap on a JCW car.
I thought R53's had a habit of mushrooming the strut towers, when driven hard? at least, that's what I thought I remembered from reading dpreview in the way back times.
In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :
I don't think it's only when driven hard. I think they just have that habit.
In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :
Yeah, don't need to drive them hard - just a few good pot hole hits or commuting across expansion joints will do it - unfortunately, I know this from experience. I fixed a lot of mushroomed shock towers. Fortunately, it's easy to fix and the aforementioned IE Camber Plates will prevent it from reoccurring.
In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :
Your description of "holies"/ 205/50/15's/ camber plates and sway bar was exactly the formula we did on our last Challenge MINI. It was pretty much my plan, but I am always open to crazy ideas from this crowd! 
In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :
Well... from what I remember, the IE camber plates are nothing more than a set of stronger strut mounts (E46, I think) welded to some 1/8" thick steel plate. Could probably be duplicated on the cheap with minimal fab skills and some dimensions provided by a current IE plate owner (ahem...).
In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :
I had IE adjustable camber plates on my previous MINI.
If you'd be willing to share some details, I'd appreciate it. I will certainly make the effort to replicate.
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