Hi Everyone, I'm new to the Mini Cooper (will be moving from Los Angeles to Fairfax, VA in late October/Very Early November and taking delivery of a new 2013 Mini S from Mini of Sterling (VA) as soon as I get to Virginia. Accordingly I'm also brand new to the Motoring Alliance. Several Questions: (1) Does anyone have suggestions for changing the oem springs to aftermarket springs to lower the car approximately "1" (this change to improve both handling and the overall appearance). Any suggestions on a specific make of spring? I do not plan to race or autocross the car. (2) Does it make sense to add aftermarket anti roll (i.e. "sway") bars with the springs? I would like to improve the anti roll/stability of the car without changing the shocks. I'm assuming the stock shocks would work with after market springs and maybe any suggested anti roll bars. (3) Would adding aftermarket springs and anti sway bars compromise the oem warranty? I've looked at "warranty" information on Edmunds.com and it looks like aftermarket suspension components would only void a warranty item if it can be shown that the aftermarket component caused a warranted part to fail. But I would like to get input from anyone who has dealt with a related issue. 4) Are the JCW dual exhaust tips available from either mini dealers or the aftermarket? If not, does anyone have a suggestion for dual exhaust tips to replace the oem tips? (I love the looks of the JCW tips). 5) Does anyone have a suggestion for adding Sirrius Radio to the car? I made a mistake in the ordering process and didn't add Sirrius Radio to the "build". This was an oversight on my part. Somehow I focused on the fact that Sirrius was part of the Tech Package, which I didn't want, and didn't ask about it as an individual option. I just got a price for an aftermarket installation (recommended by Mini of Sterling) which was $369 for the purchase and installation of a Sirrius (Onxy) unit. This seems a little pricey, but I don't have experience in this area. Also does anyone have photos of what one of these aftermarket Sirrius installations looks like in a Mini? 6) How wide can one go with tire width on the 17 inch rims? I've been driving an MX-5 Mazda for years (with complete aftermarket suspension) and have 225/17" Falken tires on the rear with 215/17" on the front. Of course these are not run flat tires, but I love the aggressive look of the wider tires. I don't plan to change the Mini tires until the factory tires are worn, so this question/response is for the future. Thanks in advance for any inputs. David Hetrick (hetrida) Los Angeles, CA
:cornut: Welcome to MA and congratulations on the new MINI. I can help with some of your questions, shall we start? Ques 1-3. Did you get standard or (hopefully) Sport Suspension($500 option, Sport Package does not include Sport Suspension). If you were fortunate enough to order Sport Suspension then all that you have to do to have a tight, flat cornering, and balanced suspension is to get rid of the HEAVY run flat tires and the HEAVY factory(24lbs each) light weight wheels. Get quality aftermarket 14-16lbs wheels with non run flat tires. Doing this alone will make the suspension better than most of us can drive it by dropping 50-70lbs of unsprung weight and those suspension up grades won't be needed at all. If you didn't order the Sport Suspension then doing the above still upgrades the suspension a considerable amount. Ques 4-5. Wait for the electronic wizards to come along. Ques 6. Most of us, but by no means all of us, run 215 45 R17 at all four corners. Keep after the rest of your questions, they'll get answered. Jason
Before making changes to the suspension I'd drive it for a bit to identify areas you feel could use some help. One thing that will make a big difference right off the bat is replacing the run flat tires for something a bit more sporty.
I agree with Nathan, drive the car first to get the feel of it. Regular tires make a big difference and offer more performance options. As for springs, I like Eibach. H&R springs will put the car even lower. My son has them on his 07 MCS and it's LOW. adding a bigger rear sway bar will really transform the handling, but do the other mods first.
Here is a write-up I did on my blog about a DIY bracket for my Onyx XM radio. Couple items of note having lived with it a while: 1. View of the screen is much more limited than I initially thought. Takes a lot of moving around to see the screen. 2. jmo, but the Onyx has to be just about the flimsiest pos electronic gadgetry I've had recently. I have a constant problem with it dropping the left channel and it takes some "banging" on it to get it back. Something about the base and the connection to the audio cable. I still have not installed the hardwire kit for power, but that would only be about $20 and some of my time to complete. And due to my stripping the screw holding the bracket to the tach, I have a nasty rattle I need to fix.
Everyone's spot on. Ditching the runflats is your best move first. I run Michelin Pilot Super Sports, with H&R lowering springs. Dropped almost 2 inches and gives it a great stance for a daily driver. Adding a nice 22mm sway bar really tighten things up, and is a hell of an improvement. I was lucky enough to notice all these improvements first hand by going to track days, then doing more track days as the mods continued. Couldn't be happier with the set up for now. But I've been adding more, and more to the list to fix it up more. Good luck! It starts with these little mods then you're in over your head! Lol.
I have the stock sport suspension on mine. It did just fine for the last three years of autocrosses amd track days as well as countless daily drives to work and back. If you want to lower it for the look I understand but trust me when I say these little cars don't have much body roll even stock. Yes, ditch the runflats. Much better feel afterwards. 215/45/17 is pretty normal "plus zero" tire size. You got me on the radio issue. I did check that box. . As far as the exhaust tips check with your local performance muffler/exhaust shop. You'd be suprised what they can get thier hands on.
Thanks for all the responses to my numerous qeustions! Want to THANK EVERYONE who responded to all my questions as a new MA member and a very soon to be new Mini S owner. The inputs are very much appreciated as I know nothing about these cars, having only taken a ten minute test drive. Of course I've been reading about them and asking Los Angeles owners about their cars for years, so I've formulated an appreciation for the Mini but not as an owner/driver. That will change very soon as I hope to take delivery of my car from Mini of Sterling, VA on or around November 1st. I did not order any factory suspension upgrades. The only package i added provided the sun roof, with climate control, windshield wiper sensors (I don't like those) and headlight sensors (I don't care for those either). But I like the idea of climate control and I wanted a sun roof after 11.5 years with my '01 Mazda MX-5 Miata. It seems unanimous among MA members in terms of getting rid of the run flats and it sounds like 215 is the preferred tire width (versus anything wider). I appreciate the comments/suggestions on suspension changes. I'll check into the springs and sway bar inputs. Also thanks for the comments on exhaust tips and the Onyx satellite radio. This new ownership process should be great fun and being part of MA will provide an incredible number of resources to help spice the driving experience (and, admittedly, deplete the bank account) . Thanks again to everyone for all your great comments and suggestions!! David Hetrick (hetrida) Los Angeles, CA (soon to be Fairfax, VA).
We just changed the stock S exhaust with the stock JCW exhaust, and besides the JCW tips looking COOL, the sound is awesome without drone, and I swear there is a performance gain. Once we knew what we were looking for, it was pretty easy to find the used exhaust from someone who recently upgraded. GET RID OF THE RUN FLATS! NM Engineering springs, no sway bar...car isn't slammed, and love the way it handles.