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First Mods for R56? |
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chondro_84 
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PSMINI Nonmember Joined: February/07/11 Status: Offline Points: 8 |
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 Topic: First Mods for R56?Posted: March/06/11 at 8:50pm |
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I saw the post on first mods reccomended for the R53 like the upgraded pulley and such, but what sould one upgrade first on the R56? I am in the process of getting a new air intake/filter, but what would be a real performance booster right off? I am totally new to Mini's, but I gotta say that I love them! Thanks in advance for any help ya'll can give me.
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-JTB 07 Silver MCS
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johnf36
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PSMINI Member Joined: August/30/07 Location: Ephrata, Wa. Status: Offline Points: 8612 |
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Posted: March/07/11 at 1:25am |
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Rear swaybar is good investment out side of a tune.
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If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough.
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SMOG
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PSMINI Member Joined: April/07/09 Location: Port Orchard Status: Offline Points: 4296 |
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Posted: March/07/11 at 6:00am |
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Yep, swaybar is a good choice, as would be a Jan Tune if warranty is not an issue.
Stephen |
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I wish there was a local MINI Dealership, like our Honda, Subaru, Mazada and VW.
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chondro_84
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Posted: March/07/11 at 10:00am |
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The warranty is up in June/July... Oh, what is a Jan Tune? Totally clue less.
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-JTB 07 Silver MCS
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Zephyrgtw
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PSMINI Nonmember Joined: March/01/10 Location: Sammamish Status: Offline Points: 78 |
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Posted: March/07/11 at 12:15pm |
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Jan Tune = getting the most power out of your engine.
Jan owns Revolution Motor Works. He tunes Mini's, Porsche's, & BMW's (and has the podium finishes to prove he is the best):
Following is the 'products page' for the R56 on his web site:
He can up the 'smile quotient' on your car considerably!
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Black on Black JCW Clubman; Conv/Prem/Cold Pkgs; Xenon; Sport Stripes & Black-Jack Sun Roof; H-Sport RSB; H-Sport Adj. Control Arms; Alta End-Links; Forge IC; NM Eng. CAI; NM Eng. Springs
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kenru
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Joined: December/21/04 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1283 |
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Posted: March/07/11 at 5:50pm |
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One good turn deserves another...and another...
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Sanderskog
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Joined: October/08/04 Location: Sammamish Status: Offline Points: 1960 |
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Posted: March/07/11 at 6:52pm |
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Fully agree with Ken.
As for bolt on items.
Welcome! Todd |
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2012 VW Golf Pirate Edition... Aarrr! - JACK
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chondro_84
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Posted: March/07/11 at 7:49pm |
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Ok, thanks for all the suggestions!! I will probably start with the Jan tune, and then upgrade the swaybar. Should I change to iridium plugs as well after the tune?
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-JTB 07 Silver MCS
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Sanderskog
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Joined: October/08/04 Location: Sammamish Status: Offline Points: 1960 |
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Posted: March/07/11 at 8:38pm |
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Honestly, I'd do all the drivetrain modifications you want before the Jan tune. He literally tunes each car individually to run at its optimum. Adding parts after the tune will only change what you need from the tune. Plus, Jan isn't up here but once a year, maybe (he is in CA). Add to that the Jan tune is something like $500-600 plus dyno time so it's not a cheap "first" mod.
Todd Edited by Sanderskog - March/07/11 at 8:39pm |
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2012 VW Golf Pirate Edition... Aarrr! - JACK
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Boomer
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Posted: March/08/11 at 8:20am |
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Kenru has it 100%----the best mod to make is with the DRIVER!
Get to know your abilities, your cars abilities and then determine what you believe will benefit both you and the car.
In terms of "hard parts" get those done before you get any ECU tune.
Parts to consider:
Cool air intake or just a high flow filter in the existing system. If you have a JCW you are pretty much good to go except for the filter.
Blow off valve: Why? Unless you want to make noise.
Boost tubes & other stuff: Bling IMHO.
FMIC, great bang for the buck.
Downpipe, only consider if you want every last ounce of power but be willing to live with codes. (Ask me how I know)
Exhaust, if you have a JCW, your good to go. Plenty of good systems on the market (see Smog's ordeal with a newer R56 & Milltek) you may also just want to talk to a good muffler shop & have one custom made for your car & your taste & your budget.
ECU tune: RMW/Jan has more experience with both R53 & R56 Mini's than anyone else out there.
Rear Sway: Personally not a fan, definately in the minority here but people seem to feel it makes a difference in the car's handling.
Chassis brace or X brace: big fan. Think it ties the car together better and improves overall responsiveness. Slight increase in noise.
Control Arms: not sure of the benefit on the R56. Get good alignment with stock arms.
Bushings: wait until they fail then consider going with polyurethane bushing. Be aware of noise & vibration issues.
Shocks/Springs: Depends on your budget and what you want to do. Look only= Springs. Better ride = Shocks & springs. Better overall performance including ride comfort: coilovers. This particular item can lead to pages & pages of discussion on the pro's & con's of each component and/or system. Read, Read, Read and then talk to a trusted professional you installs various systems and ask for their recomendations on what system would work for you given you goals.
Alignment: Best bang for the buck. The R56 JCW spec's are pretty good overall. That's what I used when I first made changes to my suspension. Then I went NUTS.
Tires: Critical part of the suspension. I like runflats. Turn in is great with the stiff side wall but there are other issues. Have to factor in your driving style, tolerance level for noise, wear/life, budget and tons of other considerations. Very personal decision.
Hope this helps but Kenru NAILED IT. Invest the mod money in YOURSELF.
Cheers!
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07 MCS, JIC Cross C/O, JCW BBK, Milltek exhaust, RR DP, Helix I/C, RMW tune (208.5 WHP & 238.3 WTQ)Ray's (17 lbs) and Nitto NT01 for track duty
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SMOG
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PSMINI Member Joined: April/07/09 Location: Port Orchard Status: Offline Points: 4296 |
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Posted: March/08/11 at 8:25am |
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Boomer: Great advice! I was especially pleased with the suggestion of the custom made exhaust. Very possible and possibly way less expensive, even using big name mufflers.
Stephen |
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I wish there was a local MINI Dealership, like our Honda, Subaru, Mazada and VW.
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Sanderskog
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Joined: October/08/04 Location: Sammamish Status: Offline Points: 1960 |
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Posted: March/08/11 at 10:02am |
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Boomer - What have you noticed with the X-Brace? I just missed one on NAM last week.
Todd |
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2012 VW Golf Pirate Edition... Aarrr! - JACK
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Boomer
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Posted: March/08/11 at 1:58pm |
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Put this on a couple of years ago so it's tough to pinpoint the changes. Overall the chassis seems to be tied together better and initial turn in seems to be slightly crisper. Had this prior to a FSTB (front strut tower brace) and when it went on, didn't really notice any change on the street. On the track, the car seems better PLANTED. Under braking, it's solid as a rock! Very predictable, responds well to throttle/brake input, trailing acceleration/braking initiates what you'd expect. When the FSTB went on, threshold braking was even better. Car just seemed to say OK, I got it, and when coming off the brakes car seemed to be easier to dial in the turn. Really attribute this to X brace but it became better with the FTSB.
If your not going to track the car, don't bother. Get a FSTB and call it good. Mini's chassis is plenty stiff but when you are tossing the little beast around, give it some help & she'll pay you back four fold!
Cheers!
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07 MCS, JIC Cross C/O, JCW BBK, Milltek exhaust, RR DP, Helix I/C, RMW tune (208.5 WHP & 238.3 WTQ)Ray's (17 lbs) and Nitto NT01 for track duty
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ipeverywhere
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Posted: March/09/11 at 9:35am |
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One thing I've not seen is the suggestion of the strut tower brace up front. I already had the stiffer rear sway with the sport suspension and noticed a difference, even on the street, from the JCW strut brace. No need to use the JCW, there are plenty of aftermarket parts. But, it's cheap and did tighten the car in a turn. I may go stiffer rear sway at some point as my steering feels a little too neutral at this point.
Do you have an auto or manual transmission? |
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chondro_84
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Posted: March/09/11 at 5:54pm |
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Thanks for all the suggestions!! And its an auto.
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-JTB 07 Silver MCS
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SMOG
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Posted: March/09/11 at 7:17pm |
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The sport suspension on my 2011 MCSa has a rear sway bar that measures 18.5mm. I changed it to 22mm. I ordered the Mini with the JCW tower brace. Me being the operator of this little beast is the weakest link!
I love the automatic S. |
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I wish there was a local MINI Dealership, like our Honda, Subaru, Mazada and VW.
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ipeverywhere
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Posted: March/09/11 at 11:38pm |
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Quick word of advice about the automatic. The JCW tuning kit reprograms the ECU changing the throttle response and shift points in the auto. It's not as aggressive as Sport mode but it matches well with the extra power at the lower end. Only the JCW wizards can do this type of programming on the auto. It was my major deciding point to go with the tuning kit over 3rd party modifications in that area. For the hardware you get the kit is expensive but I think the reprogramming made it worth it.
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chondro_84
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Posted: March/19/11 at 5:46am |
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I found this while surfing the net... and though that it was way cooler than the regular rear seat delete kit... but so far, I haven't gotten any replies from them. What do ya'll think? Hello! |
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-JTB 07 Silver MCS
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johnf36
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Posted: March/19/11 at 11:57am |
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Very nice, but awful costly
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If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough.
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