[gabe]

Check my site ( www.bridger.us/MINI/ ) for a full review as well as pics and a couple Quicktime movies:

The exhaust is a simple bolt on piece. The installation took about 20-30 minutes at most. It appears to be made of 100% stainless steel but since the edges are painted flat black I'm not completely sure. The guy I bought it from originally purchased it at mossmini.com but details about it are scare on their site. One thing to keep in mind however, this isn't a full system - just essentially a pipe and muffler.

After installation the first thing I noticed was the change in pitch at idle. It's a sublte low rumble that generally sounds quite pleasing.

The sound while acclerating is fanstastic. Again it's a bit lower with a deep throaty sound to it. One other thing worth noting, while on the highway the change in sound doesn't penetrate the cabin anymore than the stock set-up.

The manufacturer claims a 5-7% increase in power from the system. Honestly I haven't driven the car enough to acurately describe the power Increase, however, I believe I can feel a hint of power added at the low-end and possibly through the mid-range.

Overall it's a nice upgrade for several reasons. First off the sound is a fantastic deep tone that at the same time is fairly subtle and doesn't shout to the world that "I've just put on an aftermarket exhaust". Secondly, being made from stainless gives this exhaust longevity that far supasses the stock set-up. And finally, if the manufacturers numbers are to be believed, a 5-7% increase in power is always welcome. Especially wih 115hp on tap.

Again the pics and quicktime movies are at my site: www.bridger.us/MINI/exhaust/