The Independent American Magazine for all Mini Owners
Issue link: http://mc2.epubxp.com/i/33538
powder-coated steel air funnel that ducts cold scoop air to the back of the engine compartment and into a new air filter box with a K&N-style; filter. You can get the air box and filter (without the ram scoop) for $189. If money is really tight, you can easily make your own cold air intake (see Cold And Frugal, Issue 29) for just a few dollars. Breathe Easy Your exhaust system is the best place where you can easily bolt on some comparatively low-cost horsepower. You can reasonably expect to gain 5-15 horsepower from a good cat-back exhaust. As the name implies, a cat-back system replaces your factory exhaust from the last catalytic converter to the exhaust tips at the rear of the corrosion on the plug wire terminals! For about $200, you can buy an MSD coil, MSD plug wires, and a set of new NGK iridium spark plugs. The best news is that this is a job you can do in your own garage in just minutes, so you’ll save on labor. Best of all, you only need a 10mm wrench and a spark plug wrench capable of picking the plugs out of their deep wells. When you fire up your engine, you should notice that it’s smoother, more eager to start and run, and generally happier. The MSD coil is more powerful than the stock unit, and the MSD wires have less resistance than the stock wires, so you’re going to get a more powerful spark. There’s no scientific proof, of course, but it’s also distinctly possible that the snappy red cover on the MSD coil and the sexy red MSD ignition wires will make your MINI just a little bit faster due to enhanced self-esteem! This Supersprint (www.supersprintna.com) exhaust for the R50 Cooper ZLOO JLYH WKH HDVLHVW KRUVHSRZHU \RX·UH JRLQJ WR ÀQG car. This section of the exhaust system is where the mufflers are found. Desirable features in this part of the power system are velocity and free flow with as few bends as possible. Because of differing chassis underbody configurations and rear bumper designs, MINI exhaust systems are not shared among different platforms. So make sure the system you buy will fit your car! Cat-back exhausts are readily available for all MINI models. You can get a cat-back exhaust for your MINI from about $500 for a Cooper or $700 to about $1,000 for a Cooper S. You can install these in your own garage in an hour or so. Reclaim Your Spark Over time, ignition coil packs, plug wires, and spark plugs degrade in their performance. Usually this happens so slowly that you never notice it. But if you replace your old stock parts with new performance parts, you’ll notice a difference in starting and in smoothness at all RPM. Remove the little pin on each strut tower and move the strut tops in the slots to dial in about half a degree of negative camber in your R56 MINI. Be sure to wait to set your car’s toe until after you change the camber! This O-Z Ultraleggera (www.tirerack.com) wheel is a good choice to UHGXFH ZKHHO ZHLJKW EXW EH SUHSDUHG WR VSHQG VRPH PRQH\ RQ D VHW The MSD (www.msdignition.com) ignition system looks great and works ZRQGHUIXOO\ 7KHUH·V D ELW RI D ÀGGOH ZLWK WKH PRXQWLQJ EROWV VR EH VXUH the kit you buy includes those. This upgrade does not yield any horsepower improvement (unless your old kit was in really bad shape) but you will notice a positive difference, and you’ll see why when you remove your old coil and marvel at the 34 MC2 Magazine www.mc2magazine.com The DDM Works (www.ddmworks.com) cold air intake for the R56 adds WKLV GXFW WR VFRRS DLU LQWR \RXU ÀOWHU