Greetings to all you Mini Gurus out there. I've just taken possession of my very first Mini and I decided to buy a slightly older model to allow room for some customizations. I'd like to get some feedback from the faithful folks on here who know and love their Mini's.

I've created a short list of the upgrades I plan to do and I'm curious how I should prioritize them. Before I list those let me run down my current setup. 2009 MCS w/ JCW Kit installed. Everything else is completely stock.

My ideas on things to replace include:
AEM CAI with the Forced air hood scoop
AEM Front Upper Strut bar
M7 Pre-Intercooler Charge Pipe
VR Tune / Manic Stage 1 ECU
Megan Racing Euro Street Series Coilover Kit
Firestone Fire Hawk Indy 500 tires

Since you guys know these cars inside and out what do you think the best use of my first $1000 would be. The car is 99% daily driver but high in the milage department (91,000 miles / 145,000KM).

 

Wait a bit and see how things shake out mechanically. Used MINIs have been known to rip a hole in your pocket.

 

Thanks for the reply and for the heads up. I've got a "Rainy day fund" as well so I've already accounted for those creeper repairs that show up.

The guy who owned this previously was a Military Helicopter pilot and car enthusiast. He was one of those A Type **** "do everything right and before it breaks" kind of guys. I have no doubt there may be some niggles to work themselves out but the car itself is absolutely immaculate. He recently did the walnut blast, replaced all the break, gas and vacuum lines plus the chain tensioner. I've gone ahead and replaced the breaks pads and rotors all around.

Assuming this is anybody out there willing to comment on the upgrades?

 

Are the current tires low on tread? If so I'd get the tires and those will make the biggest difference. 2nd to that is the coilovers for better handling, or the manic tune for more power.

 

Don't bother with the strut brace, those are pretty ineffective. I'd go with the tires and then the coilovers first. I have the Euro Street II coilovers on my car and I love them.

 

Thanks for the replies. I've got a set of generic tires on Enkei wheels with 90% tread life left but there are a ton of good tire deals here in Canada. Everybody is removing their winter rubber and getting Summer/AS installed so it's a good time of year for tires.

Thanks for the feedback on the Coilovers. I saw they were reasonably priced vs the KWs or others so I was a bit weary. Good to hear positive feedback.

Since the car is new I'm thinking of postponing the Manic ECU until it gets a bit "boring" (if that is even possible with a Mini) so it will breath new life into the vehicle.

 

Welcome to NAM.

There is an immense amount of information here on your Gen2 car between the threads, the members and the vendors. If you have not already done so, may I suggest you check out the Gen2 section? In that section the JCW Garage folder has over 800 threads and the Factory JCW folder having something like 600 additional threads. The Mod section, just on the drivetrain, has close to 1700 threads.

 

What province you in?

 

Thanks so much I've been reading for a week now in all the nooks and crannies on here. It's the second best forum I've ever come across on the web for myself in all honesty. Been learning a lot of Mini lingo, upgrade paths etc. That being said I find it difficult to find details on the JCW Kit cars. The True factory JCW is another beast altogether so it puts it in between the MCS and JCW.

The ECU was one thing where I was curious because the VR Tuning shows MCS up to 208bhp while the JCW gets up to 230bhp off their stage 1. Where I have the MCS w JCW kit I didn't know if I'd only go from 192bhp to 208bhp and for $800 thats an expensive mod for 16bhp. I realize these are all claims anyway but still that $800 can go a long way in suspension and tires.

I'm located in Toronto Ontario for those who are curious.

 

Ah, Torono without the t. Some good places to eat and shop on King and Queen Streets.

Pretty sure you will get some responses from some Gen2 guys on your questions.

 

Welcome to NAM! Moved you to the Gen2 section where you'll get more eyeballs and advice.

As r53coop said, check out the Mods and the JCW Garage sections.

As a Gen2 guy, my opinion on mods for your car: First, a question: by JCW kit, do you mean just the body kit, or do you have the complete upgrade (either factory, or dealer installed) with the body kit, brakes, tune, etc.?

1) fatter rear sway bar. Best bang for the buck you can get. Several options to choose from, see the Suspension section.
2) A great set of tires, as soon as the ones you have wear out. I'm a fan (along with a lot of others here) of the Michelin Pilot Super Sports.
3) Better brake pads.
4) Next mod should be yourself - schedule a track day or do an autocross. Even if you think you are a great driver, it is amazing how much you will learn, and it's great fun.
5) The best set of coilovers you can afford. Don't go cheap, you'll just buy twice. If you really want to go all out get camber plates and adjustable rear lower control arms too, then an alignment with increased negative camber.
6) once you have done all that, then get a tune.
7) don't forget preventative maintenance, read up on the care of the N14 engine.

enjoy!

 

+What others said!


In addition:


Skip the CAI, not worth the money, instead get a larger intercooler, there are several to choose from. My personal favorite is the Alta.


Tires: Michelin Pilot Sports A/S 3s have gobs of grip, no matter what the conditions. Many recommendations on NAM.


Brake Pads: EBC Redstuff are surprisingly kind to rotors, don't squeak or rattle and grip like a pit bull. I never have been able to get them to fade despite hammering on them at 90+ (miles not KPH) repeatedly.They are a bit on the dusty side...


Rear Sway Bar: Truly the best performance per dollar of any upgrade(major grin factor here). You want at least a 19mm. Measure the diameter of the JCW bar (I bet its 18mm). Get a new one that is at least 2mm larger, but no more than 22mm.

 

Some good advice above. Check your air cleaner. If you have a round filter, you have about the best setup out there. Save the money and skip the CAI.

Aftermarket rear sway bars are adjustable , so you can tune them to what you like. Get a 22mm solid or 25 mm hollow bar and start at the softest setting. This will make the car feel much better when turning.

Drive it a bunch and see what you like and what you want to improve. If you want more power, get the tune. If you want the car lower, drop it. If you want stiffer handling, chang suspension

Have fun,
Mike.

 

The regular A/S 3 or the 3+. I have the regular A/S 3 and am not a fan. Preferred the conti DW.

 

I just got the Indy 500 tires and have been driving on them for a few weeks. So far they are great, not really noisy and have plenty of grip. I have not had the PSS so I cannot compare but from daily driving and taking my local roundabout at 40 mph and not having grip issues I think they are amazing for the price.

 

Thanks to everybody who's replied and guided me in the right direction. The first order of business seems to be the suspension. With 95K Miles on the car the ride is a bit rough and I assume this is due to the stock setup coming to it's end of life. I've started another thread in the suspension section to see what others think about a good daily driver setup that won't rattle my teeth.

So far recommendations are:

1. Polyurethane Bushings
2. New Shocks
3. New Upper Mounts
4. Lowering Springs