I always wondered why the Countryman section on this forum is so quiet, but now I realize it's mostly the open hostility from R53 elitists! :wink: :lol:
Mods? Did you say mods?! I love mods! I've spent the past two years modding my R60 and have tested the good and the bad of products. What kind of mods are you looking for?
The #1 thing the R60 needs is the rear sway bar. It'll dial out most of the understeer and makes a big difference, especially on a road like the dragon.
#2 more power! Contact Group 4 Autosports / PAW in Miami to have your car tuned. Around 30hp and 50lb of torque, it's badly needed on the R60 (as far as power mods go, intercooler, DoS intake (only one that truly is a cold air intake), exhaust won't give you any real gains on the N18, but it will sound GREAT (tested that on my car), and then you start getting into the turbo upgrades... Stay tuned as some safe options to really getting the power levels up are on their way!)
#3 Suspension. You can go the cheap route and just drop the car using NM-Eng springs (or those of your choosing) and that will dramatically help cornering. The second option would be to upgrade to a full coilover setup. For example, KW V3's. Expensive, but only heard great things about it.
#4 Brakes. The R60's brakes are just fine unless you are really going to be pushing the car hard on track or a twisty road. I'd recommend starting with upgrading the fluid and going with stainless steel brake lines (Nm-eng). If that's not enough then look into a big brake kit. Brembo, ECS and a few others have some that they offer. I know some that are working on getting the BMW 135 brakes to fit on the R60 (Same as the MINI GP brakes).
#5 The best mod is to improve your driving skills. Invest in a 2-3 day racing / driving school program. The skills you will learn on track will dramatically increase your knowledge of how to handle a vehicle at the limit
#6 Tires. This really comes down to many many many factors. I had the Continental DWS's on my R60 but didn't feel that they gripped enough in dry conditions at all. So I went with the Michelin Pilot Super Sports and fell absolutely in love with this tire. Haven't quite figured out what I'm going to throw on for the wintertime yet, but we will see!
If you have any more questions just let me know! I'd love to help.
My brother had a Countryman Justa as a rental when he was in town. I enjoyed the ride from the back seat and found it comfortable. His daily driver is a Mazda 3. He liked the Countryman enough that he's going to check one out.
:wink: I've got a 2011 CM "S" and have taken the economical way to update my driver/Mini rally car. See my garage photos. If you ordered the sport suspension, that'll be fine for most club road events; if you didn't, have your dealer install them or go aftermarket like H&R or Eibach. The rear sway bar upgrade is a great idea and will also keep it flat in the twisties. Your car is new and if you use any aftermarket performance upgrades, it may void your warranty. Look into the dealer JCW tune upgrade which includes the JCW exhaust and sounds grrrreat outside and not too noisy inside. It's not cheap; but, will add to resale later on and will not void your warranty.
Resurrecting a dead thread (it's Easter weekend, right?), but I just picked up a 2014 CMSX and am interested in the "JCW tune upgrade" you mentioned. I knew about the JCW exhaust option - was planning on going that route anyway, for warranty reasons - but is a factory tune also available?
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