wel, some things have gone downhill for me lately. so i decided that i think i'm going to spend some money to help get my mind off things. and that will go towards the mini. so far what i have is intake and pulley. i want to get exhaust, but don't like the sound of the magnaflow, and the borla. haven't heard the borla race yet, and i''m carious about teh uuc and the miltek. any thoughts? also, i know that i want a chip, but i'm waiting for giac chip to come out. so i know what i want there.
gauges are one thing i was thinking of doing. i was going to go with autometers, ultra lite gauges, and have them installed in the alta gauge pod. does anyone know if they will fit? the gauge sizes would be either 2-1/16" or 2-5/8".
now i was looking into getting the alta air diverter as well. any thoughts?
also, looking into springs and sway bars. i want just a rear sway bar for now, so what would you recommend? also, as for springs, i'm looking at either h&r or h sport. which do yoyu prefer?
not sure if i will do exhaust now or not. as i also want to put a system in. so really it's one way or the other. if i do a system, then no exhaust, but maybe the rest of what i mentioned.
i know these things have been talked about and i could do a search. but i just want your opinions and thoughts of what you think i should do and go with?
thanx
ja

_________________

CCA
I'm looking for a new graphics/
animation related job. can you help?

 

What does the air diverter do? How much does it cost and is there a performance increase? Thanks.

 

>>What does the air diverter do? How much does it cost and is there a performance increase? Thanks.
http://www.altaminiperformance.com/p.../ICDIVERT.html
PART# AMP-ENG-300

ALTA Performance has developed an aggressive hood scoop air diverter for your Supercharged Mini Cooper. While the stock hood scoop and plastic intercooler diverter may do a reasonable job for the average MINI buyer, the more serious enthusiast will appreciate our simple, inexpensive way to improve air flow and increase efficiency of the stock intercooler.

The ALTA Performance powder coated diverter replaces the flimsy plastic factory unit. It is both taller and wider than the factory unit, thus forcing a larger volume of cool air over the intercooler surface. This increase in airflow will lower intake temperatures. The diverter will seal smoothly to the under hood surface without damaging the finish.

To add to the appearance of your new air diverter we include new intercooler hose couplers. Made from high temp silicone, these couplers will replace
the small rubber hose connectors on either side if your intercooler. Silicone couplers are available in glossy Red, Blue nd Black.

Alta Takes it one step further
For high temperature situations where maximum cooling is desired we have built in a water spray jet with a dual spray pattern. This sprayer, when activated, will douse the front and rear sections of the intercooler with a high-pressure mist of water. As the water evaporates from the intercooler surface it will increase the efficiency of your intercooler. You can activate this while on the move or at a stop light for maximum horsepower. See animation below for illustration.

Testing has shown consistent post intercooler inlet air temperature reductions by 10 degrees with just the larger diverter. Adding the water spray dropped post intercooler inlet temperatures over 25 degrees! Expect even bigger results in high speed and hot weather conditions.

 

Thanks Minihune. Does anyone have the diverter with the spray? How much is this and what do you think of it? Thanks.

 

If your looking at gauges and what the ultra lites check out the ProMini Gauge Cluster. A very top notch product complete with custom made plug and play wiring harness. The boost gauge is the version with peak memory for the top recorded boost and an adjustable warning light that you can set at any boost level you wish...this is not the normal ultra-lite boost gauge with no extras. If you have any questions please let me know.

Cheers
Casey

 

>>wel, some things have gone downhill for me lately. so i decided that i think i'm going to spend some money to help get my mind off things. and that will go towards the mini. so far what i have is intake and pulley. i want to get exhaust, but don't like the sound of the magnaflow, and the borla. haven't heard the borla race yet, and i''m carious about teh uuc and the miltek. any thoughts? also, i know that i want a chip, but i'm waiting for giac chip to come out. so i know what i want there.

If you have intake and Pulley then add:
ECU upgrade-giac or powerchip, or wait for the smoke to settle and get something later.
Exhaust- you don't like the sound of the Magnaflow or Borla- well why? This seems strange- the Borla is known to be quiet- just a peep better than stock while the Magnaflow is the loudest. So you don't like the softest or loudest so are you looking for something in between or something completely different. UUC is not out yet, NRP, Quicksilver, or Borla sport (very loud) are choices too.
Exhaust Header- this is nice- London stainless, Miltex, Supersprint and others. Good mid range power.
Quaife Limited slip differential- $1000 for the part and $1000 for the labor.
Shrick Cam- $500
See the alta site for more goodies. There is no lack of stuff to buy for our MINIs.

>> gauges are one thing i was thinking of doing. i was going to go with autometers, ultra lite gauges, and have them installed in the alta gauge pod. does anyone know if they will fit? the gauge sizes would be either 2-1/16" or 2-5/8".
>> now i was looking into getting the alta air diverter as well. any thoughts?
>>also, looking into springs and sway bars. i want just a rear sway bar for now, so what would you recommend? also, as for springs, i'm looking at either h&r or h sport. which do yoyu prefer?

H-sport springs are popular- one inch drop front and rears. H-sport tubular sway bars or madness swaybar are common choices. Try the medium setting.
>> not sure if i will do exhaust now or not. as i also want to put a system in. so really it's one way or the other. if i do a system, then no exhaust, but maybe the rest of what i mentioned.
>> i know these things have been talked about and i could do a search. but i just want your opinions and thoughts of what you think i should do and go with?

Don't forget- lightweight wheels with grippy tires. While 17" look good the 16" save more weight and can look pretty nice also.
>>thanx
>> ja
>>
>>_________________
>>
>>CCA
>>I'm looking for a new graphics/
>>animation related job. can you help?

 

I would recommend you get the exhaust simply because I got the quicksilver installed, and after having the intake and pulley, it smoothened the engine out incredibly, and so far the comments have been excellent for sound, and volume is said to be "not very loud at all." I would recommend you get the ECU later when the choices are definite. I would highly recommend wheels and tires, or just tires at least. That is what i'm looking forward to because my run-flats should be replaced. Most people who swap wheels/tires say it's an excellent change. If you have the grippy tires already, get the rear sway bar and some stage 1 brake upgrade.

 

If you are considering exhaust- I really like my quicksilver.About 20 pounds, well built and designed, easy to install, looks good, has a single large oval tailpipe- that is much better looking in person- or an optional twin tailpipe, and is louder than Borla on the inside and outside of the car but not as loud as Magnaflow.

I did notice that the loudness of the exhaust makes soft music harder to hear. I have a custom audio upgrade so for me it is not bad at all. I just crank up the juice if I want. Sometimes I turn off the stereo and lower the windows and just listen to the exhaust note. Very nice. You should hear it in person. I get compliments on it all the time. Power is very nice in the mid range and my car is very smooth on throttle.

It's more expensive about $799 plus installation, in my area I'm the lone person with it. Most have Borla 10 to 1 and a few have Magnaflow.