1st Gen R53 Cooper S Exhaust Questions - Which to buy?

I just purchased a Borla and very happy with the results. Nice throaty rumble at rest, nice sound when stepping on it and a very acceptable noise at highway speeds

Keep in mind that a cat back system is going to be a pretty expensive noisemaker without some sort of downpipe. The whole system is what gets you a performance gain.

I have the WMW downpipe and it seems to be adding a nice extra punch

I was about to get a Millitek however they were/are having real availability issues and I was tired of waiting. If in stock they are another notable choice.

Preface this is all for a R56

 

On a technical note about the two mufflers mentioned only and not the system they are part of. The Magnaflow has a better CFM rating of the two mentioned. The MINI R50/R53 can utilize 396 cfm of exhaust flow. Most of the systems available with the chosen muffler used rates even less then that.
Another thought would be to look at systems that gives the total CFM for the completed system or for systems that at least have either a DynoMax or Magnaflow muffler attached to it.You might find it hard to get total CFM rating from anyone on their systems though.

The quality of the sound is an individuals taste. The performance is formula calculated and rated by CFM flow.

 

Look into the Stratmosphere. It's very similar to the Milltek, both of which can be found here:

Helix Minisports - New MINI Cooper and Cooper S performance parts and tuning

The sound and quality are excellent, and their customer service is very good. Beware of Borla's "warranty": It's worth the paper it's printed on, if that. I've been burned one too many times with them.

 

Another great option is to find a custom exhaust shop and see what they can do for you. They will be able to give references and even a chance to listen to some of there work.

 

I have a Magnaflow system and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great sounding system

 

I did this... called Magnaflow, got the numbers for their two mufflers, bought them. ( $92.00 ea thru summit racing) Made a trip to my friendly exhaust shop. Had a cat back system built for $225.00 total !!( including the original cost of the two mufflers!!) 2.5 dia!! Love the sound!! just a thought....

Just me.................................

Thumper

 

Here's another take on DIY exhaust

I rolled one with some guys I've used for exhaust work on a lot of cars. Too loud by miles. I thought it would give my kids hearing problems. It's behind (well, next to) my shed. I think Mike's way may be a good one for the budget minded. Without some guidance on parts selection, it's easy to end up deaf or with some serious drone.

If my car were track only, I'd keep the exhaust that I built on and wear earplugs when driving. But it made the F355 F1 with race exhaust across the street seem quite....

Matt

 

Ha Ha, Matt, that's a funny visual, I can almost see that guy "neck wrenching" his head every time you pull away from your house.

 

Always my advise as well!

My experiments in sound and size the 3" now carefully stored under the house. ...auh what..... can you speak up..... my ears are ringing...

And the 2.50 which was nice but rough for how I usually try to do projects.
old systems now laid to rest.
2.50 left 3.0 right




Current exhaust is battery delete for straight pipe DynoMax 534cfm Turbo style case wrapped center pipe and cut out.

 

When my wife would drive the car...

you could hear it coming from quite a distance away. And yes, when the local Ferrari owners are commenting on how loud your car is, with 1/2 or 1/3rd the cylinders and about half the revs, you know it's loud!

Keep in mind running a header makes a BIG difference in sound, even if you do run a cat.

Matt

 

you make more noise then a "heard" of Harleys

Now I know who makes all the noise up in them thaaar hills... lol

I like the thermal wrap myself. You not only can get the benefits of maintaining the exhaust velocity by keeping the exhaust temperature up but the added bonus of a much quieter exhaust system.

Matt you wrote a great article about exhausts in MC2 a while back.


In test mode......no cat no resonator muffler only felt mine was considerably quieter then most other MINIs with cat back aftermarket systems.

There are drawback to the wrap. When applied you itch for days and it looks like st*t when everything else is polished plated or powdercoated. lol

 

Stratmosphere/Milltek is the very best sounding I've heard and I think I've heard pretty much all of them for the most part.

 

I saw a Milltek installed at a Metroplex MINI DIY day recently. Appeared to be VERY well built. It looked really nice. I wasn't around for the sound test. I understand that Stratmosphere is built to the same specs, but is not identical. Not made by the same company even, but I could be wrong on that.

 

Anyone have any experience with Bastuck????

http://www.bastuck.de

 

We heard the Milltek test and were surprised it wasn't too loud at all. We didn't hear him drive away though!

 

I bet it sounded nice.

I have not heard of that one, but I did look around the website. I couldn't find MINI on there.

 

Another vote here for Milltek!!

 

From someone that has sold and installed about every brand you can imagine. I recommend the Stratmosphere or Milltek over all the others. They sound great, don't drone, and make great torque numbers.