Hi NAM!

I'm newly registered on NAM but I've been driving and modifying my R53 since July 2007. I decided to register to make it easier to research parts, mods, how-to's etc. I just need to get used to your American English and your abbreviations (as I'm a Brit, I just live in Finland).

Thanks, t-c-b.

PS You can find me on MINI Torque as "tcbw".

 

Welcome to NAM........

 

Welcome to NAM and nice to have you with us, t-c-b. We'd like to know a few more detail about your R53. What color, options etc. We'd also love to see a few pics of your MINI.

 

Welcome, we love pictures. Good luck and hopefully MINIacs wave in Finland too.

 

Yes t-c-b welcome to the NAMily and don't forget to share with your NAMily because like Mr. T and Braminator remind you don't forget those pics, cause we really do love pics... yes we do!

Also you are now eligible to rise above the mundane and join a most elite and extraordinary group of MINI/Mini enthusiasts, namely The League of Extraordinary MINIacs.

You can become a League member at:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/general-mini-talk/256292-want-to-join-the-league-of-extraordinary-miniacs.html

OR you can join up on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1404...group_activity


Take the oath and Save the Wave!

May you and your MINI share many miles and smiles together as you travel along Life's road!

Motor On!

 

 

thanks for the warm welcome - unfortunately I broke a bone in my left foot so I haven't being driving much ( I had an enforced six weeks off!) as you can't press the clutch ... but I'm back in the saddle and starting to feel I can change gear again. Along with a buddy, we're heading up to the track at the BotniaRing on 23rd September, so I hope to spend some more time at the redline and really using the car.... it's not really set up for commuting into town and driving over cobblestones and tramlines. I'll try to upload a decent picture too.

 

save the wave - haha - unlike bikers (who all wave at each other madly round here) most MINI drivers don't wave, but I'm prepared to raise a finger of acknowlegdement if I see a tasty MINI/MINI driver

 

OK, so where do I start with mods? When I got the car (back in the summer 2007) I went a bit vinyl mad (it's a DS/B so a bit dull) so I was running black Cooper stripes, Union Jack A panels and a boot stripe, but now I've got a dechromed/red beltline, red Cooper stripes with a black pinstripe (and some rather fetching red & black stripes across the dash). I still like the go-faster stripes down the beltline, very sort of 1980’s. I’ll probably get rid of the red Cooper stripes, when I add the chili red hood scoop and the JCW aero grilles (still waiting in customs…). These are just cosmetics, as none of these add a single bhp. I’m just painting you a picture. Hey ho.

Anyway, three months after I got the car, winter set in and I slapped on some 9kg 16” rims and Nokian winter tyres. I realized how crap the the S spokes and Pirelli run flats were, and that winter, sold them and got some very nice OZ Ultraleggeras in 16x7 Et37 and Uniroyal RainSport2 tyres in 205/50-16. Come summer, comfort, grip, ride, steering and handling all improved over stock. I should have left the S spokes at the side of the road a long time ago.

Then I found the (famous in the UK) "dave.f" fully enclosed cold air intake (with the extra intake in the scuttle) and an Alta 17% pulley. Power and fuel consumption went up.

With power, comes the need for stoppage. I upgraded the front brakes with Nitrac Frozen Solid 12 groove discs, Carbotech XP8 (ceramic) pads, Goodridge brake lines and Castrol SRF fluid. Now I could stop quickly and efficiently in a nice straight line without the rear end wondering all over the place. Rears got Brembo Max and TarOxm pads (handbrake is handy in the winter for slow speed corners).

I don't run a BBK as I've now got 15x5.5" Imola rims and Nokian Hakkapeliitta7 185/60-15 studded winter tyres (which are required in winter). Very happy with that combo – the car feels so frisky on the lightweight rims and narrow tyres. As part of my ‘winter kit’ and to protect the underside, I sourced the nice Cobalt aluminium skid plate – for peace of mind over summer gravel roads and winter ice. It’s bent now, so it must have protected something.

We also have DEFA engine block pre-heaters for winter too; makes the start up and warm up a lot easier on the car and driver.
On the inside, I've fitted the very lovely indeed JCW alcantara and leather wheel, and a custom steel gear **** from Doug Whalen. It’s been engraved for me with a Finnish lion (the national emblem). Lovely weighty throw to the gear change, but of course ice cold come winter - I have to drive with a ski glove until the gearbox warms up.

As to the chassis and suspension, the core to the MINI secret: I've done some proper work: polybushed engine, gearbox, plus various key suspension bushes, Whiteline rear anti roll bar and drop links all round, and the very fabulous Bilstein B14 coilovers, lowered 30mm all round (legal minimum ride height), with adjustable front camber plates, and KAVS rear control arms. Set up is stock toe & caster, with -1.5 camber all round (which works for me at the moment, at least it was neutral on the track at Alastaro). I’ve also got a set of 17x7 OZ SuperTurismo’s painted red with Yokohama Advan Neova AD08s for the track – the road tyres are fine, but they’re nothing like sufficient for stopping or cornering at the track.

Next, I want to upgrade the seats – maybe R56 Recaro Pole Positions (keeping the side airbags as I have to) and get some improvements to the engine breathing: I’ve got a John Cooper Motorsport 4-2-1 manifold (header) and sports cat, but I still need to source extended sensor leads and the rear silencer assembly. I’m hoping to get a custom one ball set up from Hayward & Scott in England. That should improve the breathing and the noise (the dave-f adds a whole lot of whine at the front end, and I need to balance it out at the rear).But I’m still waiting for the stock exhaust to fall off… and there’s always something to go in terms of maintenance, ie coolant, or brake fluid, or gearbox oil, or fuel filter…

All in all, the R53 is a lovely piece of kit, and something of a lifetime project - I want to improve something every year, and there are a lot of years ahead of me...

 

HI, we were just in Helsinki and noticed quite a few MINIs. There were even several convertibles which you probably need to be an optimist to buy in Finland. None of them had the top down, even though we had bright sunny weather (which I think may have been atypical).

 

Presumably you came on a cruise ship?

The are indeed plenty of fashionistas in Helsinki but I don't know why they feel the need to buy the convertibles either ...

 

We got the Ferry from Stockholm, which is pretty much like a cruise ship. Trains and ferries through Scandinavia.

 

I know them well - the red Viking and the blue Silja...