We got a few things done yesterday/last night. The car felt super slow so putting the pulley on was a must.
I decided to buy a Detroit Tuned bypass valve with a slightly stiffer spring. The spring commonly wears over time and causes the car to loose boost. Sure enough when the old one was removed it was very easy to manipulate. This was probably the reason it felt even slower than when my old car was stock.
The old (barely used) slotted rotors and EBC red stuff pads were transferred to this car. I decided to do stainless lines and Motul 600 fluid while we were in there.
I didn’t take pictures of everything so here’s a list of what is done so far.
Intake
Exhaust
Bypass valve
15% reduction pulley
Colder plugs
Solid upper and lower motor mounts
Poly gearbox bushings
Short throw shifter w/ shift boot delete
Slotted rotors
EBC red stuff pads
Stainless braided brake lines
Motul 600 high temp brake fluid
There are still a ton of things that need to be done but this was a nice little checkpoint. The car feels much better now and, like I said last time, the pulley makes a HUGE difference in power. The motor mounts obviously cause some NVH but nothing terrible. Everything feels nice and tight. Hopefully the progress will keep rolling.
with your intake did you cut a hole in the plastic for more airflow? If you didn’t I find it is safer to just heat up a razor blade with a torch rather than risk cutting through a brake line
I changed the cabin air filter, they’re always gross. I don’t know why people neglect to do it. The Alta intake was on my old car for 3 years so I really don’t remember if we cut it.
you need to do it, just take a utility knife blade, heat it up with a propane torch and cutout the plastic of the firewall just ahead of the CAI in fron of the brake lines. You will get cold air from the cowl vents and more whinnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeeee
Earlier this week we installed my coilovers, rear sway bar and lower control arms. The coilovers are more performance oriented but I have them all the way down right now and the car is pretty low. Since I can’t get an alignment until next week I decided to keep the stock wheels on and let the coils settle.
The alignment is obviously super off at the moment so I can’t really comment on how the car handles. I have the 25.5mm sway bar on the middle setting right now and it feels awesome. There is virtually no body roll when turning and the rear outside wheel lifts easily. I can’t wait to see how it is with a proper alignment and new wheels/tires. Also, while we were waiting for a friend to show up with a hole saw, we took @SPDboy 's advice and cut the plastic in front of the intake to allow air to be pulled in from the cowl. The intake sound and supercharger whine is much louder now. Definitely worth it.
Here’s the stock rear sway bar vs. the new hollow 25.5mm bar
Right now the only thing I’m scraping is my front lower valance. When the new wheels go on that valance will be trimmed and the car will be leveled out. Hopefully that will solve any clearance issues I have.
hey I am going to look and see if I have any spare paint I can send you if you want. I’m glad you modded your firewall cover. Whatever you do from here make sure you keep your stock coil. OEM ones have proved the best time after time. MSD ones are junk. Maybe better plug wires would be good. If you put a header on you may want to wrap it and make sure you keep your heat shield on as our top mount intercoolers get heat soaked easily. The GP intercooler has been proven to be the best bang for your buck as far as they go.
I finally got the wheels and tires on the Mini along with a proper alignment. They are Traklite Gear’s 15x8 +35 with 5mm spacers front and rear. Tires are BFGoodrich G-force Rivals 225/45/15. So far they are a huge improvement both functionally and aesthetically. I’m pretty low at the moment so I get some rubbing on the rears at certain times. Hopefully they’ll rub themselves clear in the next couple weeks.
I made it pretty clear that I hate the red paint but honestly it has grown on me. Now that the wheels are on I think I’m going to change directions a bit and just change the roof and mirrors to black. I’ll plasti dip the headlight rims, belt line, and other small parts as well. Progress has been slow but steady…
I hated the red on my car but I could deal with it because I had the matching roof. I had black mirror caps and blackened out the front. Never had time to do the trim though I did buy the vinyl for it.
Thanks man. I have another motor that will get built sooner or later. I’m not exactly sure what direction I want to go with it but the end result will be big power. I still have quite a bit to do as it is so I’ll focus more on that once everything is done and I’ve enjoyed it.
The color matching roof looks good for sure. I have the same grille and really need to put it on.
You’re living my mini dream lol. How are the Rivals grip wise? I went back and forth and ended up with direzza ZIIs. I’d love to go for a ride in the sometime
I’m super happy with the Rivals so far. I haven’t tested them on the track yet but they have provided endless grip so far. I used to spin through fist and second but now I have a ton of grip in all gears. I’m always around if you want a ride.
