[ipoulin]

The noob in the title is me.

Briefly -- I am on my third mini. I started with a 2003 cooper CVT and that car taught me how to enjoy going from point A to point B -- the first care I ever owned that made driving an enjoyable experience. I then, half on a lark, took a 2005 cooper covertible off the dealer floor for which someone had canceled their order. This mini taught me how to simply enjoy going out and driving for the sheer enjoyment of nowhere to go. but it lacked a certain oomph (and also lacked leater seats, options, etc.)

So... now I have a 2006 Cooper S convertible with everything I wanted -- the options, the leather, the GPS, the power under the hood...

or so I thought... A friend of mine started sending me copies of a show you guys int he UK have called 'Top Gear' and now I am wondering what I can do performance wise to this S of mine.

I've done a search at mini2.com to no order to find a FAQ on basic performance upgrades. Over a minimania, they highlight four types of upgrades, from Stage 1 up to Stage 4 kits.

Would I be correct in assuming the difference between Stage 1 and Stage 2, and so on is simply each stage uses bigger, badder and more horrifically costly gear to add the oomph -- or is there a set requirement across the board for all vehicles "stage 2 must give you XXX and Stage 3 must give you YYY"? Also, what stage kit would the dealer installed cooper works kit be equivelent to?

I am not going offroad, I am not going onto test tracks... I am going through sleepy New England villages and enjoying roundabouts at speed.

So, if you can direct a n00b to a FAQ or basic info on the difference, the options, the suggestions, it would be appreciated.

Cheers!

Ian Poulin
Boston Massachusetts

[Mortimer -- 2006 Cooper S Convert; british racing green, cordoba leather, Packs 1-4, blah blah blah]

[BlackFerret]

look for a specific tuner near to you (don't know any US equivilents )

but to answer your other Question the kits on mini mania can be added to when and if you want if you have stage 3 you can add bits from stage 4 or whatever its pretty much upto you!

and each stage simply is an increase in horsepower and torque.. (and some other tid bits such as fuel economy)

[Tonyt3]

What you want to start with is a reduced pulley and an ecu upgrade - should be available from around $1000 or less and will give you approx 210 bhp - more than enough. Perhaps a sports exhaust would complement it nicely as it'll make it sound 'the business'....

warranty issues seem less of a probelm there in the states so you should be OK. Only the committed power hungrey brigade need more than this on a convertible....

[St00ge]

Basic performance upgrades for a cooper S that are a must are:

Intake
Reduced Pulley and Spark plugs to go with it
ECU remap
Rear Swaybar
Some kind of exhaust, cheap but very underrated option is the one-ball setup....

[obehave]

Ask the folks in the New England forum about local tuners. There a plenty of tuned MINIs around Boston.
A number of them drive down to see Eric @ Helix

The aforementioned pulley and ECU will get you the best performnce boost but does have warranty issues. Much depends on your dealer.

The rear sway and lighter tires and wheels are the best handling option to start.

[Lohen]

Hi,

Everyone has mentioned the correct ways to start with, pulley and remap, but no one has mentioned why packages are formed this way. Admittedly this information is more known to the tuners than the public. So here is a brief explanation how this works...

When a package is developed we look for the best way to acheive the gains, at the same time considering the cost (In all honesty i would prefer not to sell packages and create something individual for every customer, but for some reason everyone is obsesed with them). Often there are very obvious ways to gain a few bhp from a standard car. In case of the cooper S this is done by changing the pulley and a new map. On a MINI One its a remap and so on...., and hence the first packages are formed around these obvious gains.

After that it becomes more creative, and depends on the person who is designing the package. We(tuners) dont have a set guideline that we have to follow and everyone develops a package which they think is best at that particulat price range. What we do aim to do is deliver a certain bhp figure, bacause thats what the customers demand and thats the only way they (Read: you) can compare the packages. Hence all the package labeling is there for easy refence rather than a set directory of how it must be done.

You can always add bits to a package to get something more personal and suited to your needs. So i would suggest regarding each package/stage merely as a price/performance guide rather than a set "this is what you must do" criteria.

For example why not change the pulley/head/cams first??? not the cheapest mod but can deliver good results without making the car much louder! (this would be similar to the approach that JCW take)

Quote: Originally Posted by ipoulin

I am not going offroad, I am not going onto test tracks... I am going through sleepy New England villages and enjoying roundabouts at speed.

So, if you can direct a n00b to a FAQ or basic info on the difference, the options, the suggestions, it would be appreciated.

You probably need to have a ride in a few demo/modified minis and see what you like and dont. Chat to a few people/tuners and gather general information. Let them know what you do like and what you dont, what you think is good/bad. If they havent got the time to listen and advise then they are probably not worth your custom.

They should really be able to think of your car as a complete whole item (power, chasis, interior and exterior) rather than just try and sell you a package off the shelf (unless it suits your requirements) and be done with it.

In terms of suggestions then i think the following should be of use, but without knowing the budget/requiremnts it is difficult to givea specific list (in no particular order of importance):

1. Pulley & remap (+sundries) - to gain a few bhp, this will make the car more responsive and more fun.
2. Better tyres (if you havent already) - improve the grip over the standard run flats and gain a few MPH while cornering.
3. Springs/dampers (or more if you are keen) - make the car more stable and predictable.

Obviously there is hardly ever a gain without a compromise, ie. more bhp almost always = worse fuel consumption; Better cornernering = firmer ride. But thats why you have to discus and spend time to get what you want from your car.

Consider the following: "Power is nothing without contlrol" - cheesy i know, but eventually you will come to a corner...

Happy tuning

Andrey

[ipoulin]

Thanks for the thorough and complete posts!

Control is everything -- my goal seems to be having fun where I can obtain power in the turns -- long straightaways I tend to idle down and relax; enjoying the scenery.

For tires right now, I have the 17" perfromance run flats (well its winter so I have the 16" snow run flats (yes, I recognize the difference in how it holds and handles)).

I think I'll look to sign-up for the Mt Washington run this year and hope to run into folks who have done their upgrades there -- so I can speak directly with the owners and get their impressions.

Last quick query -- Mini dealership post-deliver JCW upgrades -- worth it, or best to go third party? Assume the issue of warrantee isn't important...

Cheers -- Ian

[Richard Crofts]

CAI (Cold air intake) Alta appears to be a good well respected make.
Sports exhaust (Cat back) such as Magnaflow or Milltek
Reduced Pulley 15-17% seem to be the norms Alta do these too (get a new belt at the same time and colder sparkplugs)
Remap to make best use of all of these.

All in these mods will cost in the region of $1700 but will give you approx 210+ bhp Which is the same or more than the Works dealer fitted S kit! but at half or less the price!