^^^
^^^

Thanks for nice complements on my garage! I just got lucky when this custom built house came back on the market 4+ yrs ago which I couldn't afford to buy in today's inflated real estate prices. BTW, I'm just an old retired guy that likes to keep his toys in nice condition.

As an update on that alignment job, MINI of N. Scottsdale's service manager called me this morning in response to my request for his review of that work. In brief, he apologized for that situation having happened and authorized full refund of charges to help make that right. Kudos to him and the dealership at large! I still need to find a competent independent alignment shop but the sting of what had been wasted $$ has been resolved.

 

Whoa! That is awesome!

 

When I get around to suspension, I'll probably try to do an alignment myself and learn as I go. After I'll probably get it checked for fun and see how close I get.

 

Great that they stepped up and did the right thing.

 

Edit: Fully removed Hushmat insulation (attracted small mouse found dead) as well as R&R of modded shifter, new OEM tunnel heatshield plus Milltek res-pipe as outlined and shown in Post # 396

Having received the ordered replacement Milltek resonator pipe (shipped promptly and arrived undamaged - thank you Aaron at @OutMotoring!), project today was to swap that for the too-loud for me non-resonated pipe (due to combo of headers, pullies and engine mods still TBD), I decided to look for "opportunities for better fitment clearances and other means of reducing if not completely eliminating prior rattles I had on start-up, gearshift engagement and driving under certain conditions. I found and addressed these areas; 1) Factory heatshield areas folded over each other believed to induce vibrations under rpm resonant frequencies. Pop-riveted those together to make more rigid and 2) Insufficient clearance between that heatshield area and bottom of the shifter box just above the heatshield. Used small sections of Hushmat Thermabond Insulation already on hand, left over from sound deadening project on my buddy's and my Can-Am UTVs (Rotax v-twins are very noisy!). Hushmat makes other products incorporating aluminum foil but this material is fine where used on opposite side of the OEM heatshield. Not shown but also attached 5"x8" Hushmat section to bottom of the shifter box to isolate that from the heatshield and the added pop-rivets. Final assembled pic not shown (forgot) but looks same as shown in post #43 dated 8July (other than no dent as on the earlier res-pipe muffler subsequently and prematurely sold to a forum member). Also noting, I re-installed the nylon spacers and longer metric bolts purchased for the prior res-pipe to maximize clearances between the exhaust pipe and hanger support plate (6 bolts to chassis).

Results: no rattles this time whatsoever. Very slight vibration felt more than heard as rpms pass through 2500 zone. Seems that's the natural resonance frequency of this engine, which is accentuated with combo of engine mods and Milltek exhaust, i.e., likely already there with much quieter OEM exhaust but not felt or heard. Bottom line, I'm calling this project done!

Still need to find an independent alignment shop to do the job correctly. If not locally (unlikely), I'll probably jack-up the front end and bump the Helix adjustable camber plates back to the marks used when I recently swapped the springs, with objective of saving my new tires from premature wear from pulling to the right as it is now.

 

Stumbled onto @audihere's 2018-2019 topic (link) looking for same color (BEP/PH) as mine, with objective viewing alternative 17" wheels than the Team Dynamics matte black installed on mine early 2006 same time as other track-prepped mods. As I reported recently, one of my wheels was blemished during installation of new tires. Although touchup work continues to fill and blend the scraped powder coat one single spoke with flat black paint, I'm seriously considering new wheels with OEM 17" MINI being only ones in contention at this point. Must at minimum be JCW brake compliant to clear AP Racing (UK) front "big brake" calipers and rotors, thus R112 currently being first choice. Question remains (if I can't repair to satisfaction) whether I'd prefer glossy black or silver finish. Still thinking black but...

 

So clearly you're selling your completely thrashed rims with your used tires for a low price right? If not, I'll take em to the junkyard for ya, free of charge!

 

^^^ Used track tires (nearing 16 yrs old) "trashed" when new tires installed. If you've read much of my topic, you'll know I'm admittedly fussy. Hate when I damage stuff and perhaps even more when I pay "professionals" with that resulting. My fault not spotting the one wheel spoke blemished before I left there but still optimistic on successful touch-up...

 

It was def a joke, as you just installed new Pilot Sport 4s on em, but hey, I'd take em off your hands :D How are those tires anyway? I have heard nothing but good, but it just feels like advertising being beaten into my brain. Hope you're successful with the blemish repair!

 

Just FYI, OEM 17” wheels tend to be really heavy, and that definitely slows the car down and can make the ride more harsh. The 17” OEM S-Lites I had were something like 25# and the Enkei Racing wheels I got were about 15#. The weight difference is noticeable on acceleration. The Enkei are powder coated, not painted as some are, and are BBK friendly. I am only familiar with the Enkei wheels, so can’t be much help otherwise, but they might be an alternative to consider...

BTW - Happy Thanksgiving!

 

http://www.professionalrimrepair.com/

My coworker has had several sets of rims refinished here, its somewhat local to you so it may be an option.

And I have had oem wheels, slightly lighter aftermarket, and now 11 pound Konigs. I will never go back to an oem wheel on a mini. They are way to heavy and the difference a good wheel makes is really almost shocking. My current wheel tire combo cut just shy of 50 pounds of rotational mass off the car and it was very very noticeable

 

Ignore that link. Not local to you, my bad. Although there may be a similar option somewhere near you.

 

I was seriously considering the John Cooper Motorsport brakes back when it was easier to find them as they were rebadged AP’s on the original R53 challenge cars. From everything I found, the JCM/AP’s were one of the worse in regards to caliper vs spoke clearance and 17” factory MINI wheels required a 15-20mm spacer. Some of the factory wheels clear the 2nd JCW brake kit without, so I would determine fitment specifically for AP’s, unless you don’t mind running a spacer. However, this has a list of what factory wheels should fit the JCW/Brembo kit according to MIniMania: https://new.minimania.com/part/G2NMB...bo-Oem-R56-r59

You’ll probably have better luck finding AP fitment info on one of the UK forums as AP’s were not as common in the US.

 

First off, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone reading this!

Aindrid - Not enough miles on the new Michelin PS4S yet, however new tires nearly always feel great - especially compared to the old stiff track tires. Being +1 size adds a bit more air cushion plus speedo error correction as previously noted. I'm almost there with repeated light coats of flat black touchup to fill the scraped area. Once slightly higher than flush, will reduce to flush with mineral spirits then buff lightly to raise the sheen close to surrounding powder coat. Suffice to say, last time I'll do biz with Discount Tire. The tech who worked on it asked me to back it out, which I did thinking he didn't want to soil the cloth interior. More likely instead to avoid me inspecting all 4 corners, with the blemished mounted at RR least likely to be noticed.

Eddie - I knew standard spec R85 wheels were heavy, so sold all 8 that came with the car figuring wouldn't clear the front big brake calipers anyway. Didn't test one and should have in hindsight. The Team Dynamics 7x17 appear to weigh 16-17 lbs per online specs. Googling reveals it's a product line brand produced by Rimstock UK which is also an OEM wheel supplier. I like the ones on the car but current equivalent model is slightly different with raised cast letters which wouldn't match what I have now. I'm familiar with Enkei but never owned any. Something to consider if/when.

Jer - I'm prox 100 miles from the greater Phoenix area (and other larger population centers) over several mountains, so any specialty shops (including independent 4-wheel alignment) is a PITA to get done. One of the few downsides living in a small town of < 16k. Konig wheels are another alternative worth consideration. I had been worried about bending a wheel hitting a surprise pothole but the larger tires now provide more cushioned protection.

 

The R85’s need a spacer to clear the AP’s. We seemed to have posted within seconds of each other so see my post above in case you missed it.

 

RB - ECS Tuning's website shows which 17" wheels work with JCW brakes but I hadn't seen that Mini Mania page. Ironically, Mini Mania acquired Mini Motors in 2008 after my R53 was kitted for tracking, including their water-to-air intercooler and CF intake scoop. I wrote them asking for info about those old products but never heard back. Haven't visited their website again until today. Very interesting WRT AP Racing brakes which look quite a bit different than factory 1st gen JCW. It's with that in mind with no desire to use spacers (which my car had until the recent coil spring swap) that continuing with my T-D wheels makes most practical sense. Everything else would be a crap shoot with spacers possibly needed. Wouldn't wanted to have to use spacers with the R85 wheels, so thanks for confirming!

 

John Cooper Works wasn’t the same as John Cooper Motorsport. John Cooper Garages used JCW branding for MINI approved parts that wouldn’t void the warranty, while John Cooper Motorsport was used for their other road and track mods, including 225hp and 265hp engine kits.

The 1st gen MINI Challenge JCM brakes were AP big brakes, not sure on the specs front (304mm?) and rear, and the 1st gen JCW brakes were just slightly bigger one pot calipers painted red with a JCW logo and 294mm rotors, up from 276mm. The only difference on the rear were more aggressive pads. No rear calipers or rotors were included and the “JCW” rear calipers were never red, even on factory JCW’s including the GP. The easiest way to tell if the front calipers are most likely genuine JCW is by the caliper carrier. Real JCW fronts have a thick bar that’s curved to follow the shape of the hub while the “poor man’s JCW” 2nd gen S caliper has a straight thin bar. The JCW caliper also uses a different brake hose fitting, but if the carrier is correct, the brakes are probably genuine.

 

^^^ Very interesting in total, which made me look and find yet another interesting Motoring File article from 15 yrs ago on this topic: John Cooper Garages Re-Opens Makes me curious whether any other kit parts were sourced from there by the original owner in early 2006 including engine components, since claimed but undocumented power seems similar to: "The 225bhp JCW upgrade for the MINI Cooper S" as in that MF article. I'll need to do more research to determine what was in those JCG engine kits. FWIW with the mentioned intercooler plumbed into engine coolant system, just changing the spark plugs recently required releasing all intercooler mounting brkts/screws for clearance to R&R the #1 plug. To remove the valve cover and check cam and valve train parts would require removing the intercooler entirely and then burping the system after. Not gonna happen anytime soon just for sake of curiosity. At this point, my R53 has just 4.9k miles thus an example of "if it ain't broke....".

 

As far as location is concerned, I had a brain fart and thought I was responding to a different thread, someone actually close to the link I provided. So yeah, disregard that lol.
And bending a rim is a real issue with lower profile tires and aftermarket wheels. I originally had a 50 series on the Konigs and bent one pretty bad. It didn't blow the tire or go out of balance which was shocking given the crater I hit. But still something worth considering. At 11 pounds each and the very minimal cost of the wheel I run its worth the gamble to me. I did switch to a 60 series tire since then and haven't had a problem. I also have a spare as my car is an R50. For a higher cost, Konig makes flow formed wheels that are said to be a lot stronger and still extremely light.

 

^^^ Ouch on that bent Konig! I did something like that on my former BMW moto (2014 R1200RT) during a spirited ride in the mountains on a blind decreasing radius turn where sheer hillside on right shaded from sun glare. Fallen rocks in my path which I didn't see and I nailed a big one on the front. Nearly unseated me but maintained control and stayed upright. Didn't lose air but "tuliped" like yours. Very spendy to replace!

I see you too have a stud conversion kit installed. Mine are too long without spacers in play, so I'm now shopping extended M12-1.5 lug nuts. I prefer steel vs aluminum and don't want "tuner" or "splined" style requiring a dedicated R&R tool. Prefer to keep using 19mm lug socket which has teflon outer sleeve for finish protection. I measure prox 1.70" from conical seat to end of stud, so either need shorter open end or longer (~1.9") closed end to ensure not bottomed out before fully torqued. Lots of shopping online tonight but haven't bought anything yet. Edit: chose these DORMAN 713-385A extended open end "black chrome" steel lug nuts as practical compromise. Not aluminum and not locking splined style with 17mm hex vs 19mm currently using. I have one of same type teflon sleeved 17mm socket already but likely will use a standard deep socket instead. Bought on Amazon Prime at $35 for 20/set. A few $$ cheaper elsewhere but "no hassle" prepaid return if unacceptable quality or fit.

Pics show RR wheel with blemish on spoke at 8 o'clock almost filled flush with flat black (smallest Testors bottle). A few more light coat applications, wipe flush and buff that spot (not polish) and should be as good as its gonna get. Also showing LF for reference. BTW, new Michelin PS4S "Made in USA" - what a concept!

 

Your wheels look great! I cant see where you did any repair but a computer screen is a lot different than real life.

I went with the longer studs because I plan to run spacers eventually, or at least want the option. I got scammed when I bought them. They were supposed to be zinc plated and they sent black oxide because "the zinc were out of stock". I paid twice for gold zinc what the black oxide cost and when I complained they told me it had been too long to return them (I didn't open them right away). I painted the exposed end and use ant-seize, so far no rust. My lug nuts are aluminum but use a standard 19mm socket. The length help cover the long wheel studs and reduces the chance of damaging the wheel with a socket since the hex portion is completely exposed. They are also threaded nearly the entire length which, in my mind, is better since aluminum is so much softer than steel. They looked a lot better on the first set of (gloss black) aftermarket wheels. I have no complaints so far with them but I don't track the car and ALWAYS install/ remove/torque them by hand. I would never use an impact on them and remove/install them myself when it's in for state inspection too.

 

The ordered Dorman M12-1.5 steel extended lug nuts arrived this afternoon, are now installed and I'm pleased. Yes, Made in China but good quality, threaded on easily and seems durable finish (noting available in 7 flavors of your choice). Packed as set of 20, so 4 spares will be kept in the boot along with 17mm nut socket, extendable wrench and Bubba Rope in addition to OEM jack plus air compressor and string plug kit. I used combo of full deep socket and torque wrench for installation. As I figured, knurled end limits length of engagement in lug socket wrench but still comparable or better than standard type lug nuts. Also noting, M12-1.5 thread doesn't extended to outer end which works for me functionally and cosmetically. I recommend these for just $35 per pack of 20.

 

Looks much better!

 

I'm no wheel stud expert or anything, but it's strange that the ends of your wheel studs don't have the typical hex key hole I usually see on them for tightening them into hub. I was recently thinking about looking for a locking wheel nut for my studs, but then figured it might still be possible to use an allen wrench to loosen the stud anyways.

 

^^^ Agreed, I was surprised and curious too. Those were installed nearly 16 yrs ago at same time all other tracking mods. I disliked appearance of the exposed stud threads to the point considered switching back to wheel bolts. Happily, no need to do that now...

Edit: Noticed just now that the above Dorman extended lug nuts are currently priced at $27.50 + tax, which is prox $8 shipped less than I paid. Amazon pricing often changes by the hour, so anybody interested grab a set while you can.