So considering ya'lls feedback, I've been thinking of leaving them off for my daily, but for shows/cruises putting them on just because they look good. I'm sure the local 719StreetScene guys would appreciate the look. XD Just thinking out loud, I'll shut up now until they're fitted. Snow's coming Thursday, I gotta go change my wheels before then....
I'm halfway through a rear seat delete and need help. I got the bottom out, no problem. I got the 10mm bolt out pretty easily too. Now I apparently need to move some clip somewhere or something?? The only pictures I can find are for the R56's, which are somewhat different. Help please! EDIT:: I've looked at every thread I can find on how to do this, but to no avail. If someone has a pic intensive thread on the R53, or can just talk me through it, I'd appreciate it.
Just a quick update; Today I took out me rear seats and all sound deadening around there, took out the antenna all-together, and I'm almost done with the windshield wiper delete (That thing is a pain!! I'm just gonna cut the bolt). Also on today's agenda is a de-badge. Aaannnnd that's it for now! I'm gonna throw it all on a scale just to see how much weight I lost.
Wait until you get the front seats out....That's the last thing on my list to do, once everything else is done.
Oh yessir. I plan on replacing them with these eventually: RRS - Sportline - Corbeau Racing Seats Not the lightest or the cheapest or the grippiest or the anything-est, but they feel soooo good and look amazing.... :: EDIT :: If I get impatient I may end up just using these instead. Close second. http://corbeau.com/sportline/sportline-evolution-x.html
I went on a club run with MINI5280 and MINICOW, good fun, good folks. I ran out of gas partially through, stopped for 2 minutes for gas, then hauled to try and catch the group again, I didn't catch up until lunch break. Haha. Also, a ride in Isobell pretty much convinced me to straight-pipe Joni... Sounds sooooo good...... And it really catches everyone's attention. Especially the State Troopers circling our group like sharks.
Quick, short update. I got my Continentals fitted, and holy shtuff those things grip the road with a vengeance. I'm really enjoying them. HOWEVER Chris from Sleek Motoring forgot to balance them. So the second I hit speeds over 30, wobble ensued. I went back in, and got them balanced. Buuut I was still getting a little wobble, but only under acceleration, and the higher my RPM, the higher the wobble feedback. So obviously, not a balance issue. I had Joe take it out for a spin, his best guess is CV axles. If you rip the car through a lane change really quick, it'll go away for a few seconds. So those now have to eventually be replaced. :sad: I made some new friends yesterday, and they drive a restored 1969 F100, a gorgeous 1989 Porsche 944, and a 2010 VW GTi with Miltek exhaust, CAI, new injectors, and a tune. He was running 260hp, according to him. Me and the GTi guy raced four times on an abandoned road nearby. The end result was 2-2. I was proud of myself for keeping up with him. :cornut: So a good day, overall. I'm just a bit sad about my axles...
2 days ago my battery and alternator both went bad. I can say that driving a MINI with no power anything for 30+ miles while having to constantly rev the engine at stops to keep it from dying is not so fun. Anyway, I got a few parts yesterday and the rest today, and I went to town on it. Fairly easy job to do, honestly, it just took up a lot of time. Especially considering that O'Reily's gave me the wrong belt and the wrong tensioner tool. But I managed. Got the correct pulley and after drilling, dremmeling, zip-tying, and duck-taping the tool, I got it to work just fine as a tensioner tool. After I finished replacing those two bits, everything worked fine. I was happy for the chance to actually get some **** done on my car, even if it wasn't necessarily what I would have preferred to have been doing with it.
I'm back! Sorry it's been so long, I know you've all been waiting with baited breath. Haha. Since I last posted, all that's happened is things went boom and I fixed them. Nothing too important, just my oil filter cap cracking and leaking, then my thermostat started leaking which blew out my coolant cap and on and on. In short, I have it all back together and fixed now. I just finished replacing my thermostat and doing a coolant flush and fill tonight (only took a little under two hours of my time, so that was nice), so now my car is back in working order. And I put a new cap on it as well. Also got a speeding ticket last week for going a liiiiiittle too fast. The nice lady who pulled me over dropped the ticket to a 5-9 over though, so I'm only looking at $110 in charges and 1 point. I've slowed down considerably since. I think I really should take some of your guy's advice and hit a track to let out some of that speed-demon-ness inside of me. I've also gotten back to working full time, so now the money is coming in much quicker than before. I just registered for my classes for this up-coming semester, and those are now all paid for, so I finally have a little bit of spare cash piling up for a modest mod budget. Smile I've decided on going for a straight-pipe first, but I want to know who to get it from. Local, or should I commission it out to a shop? If anyone on here has had a great experience with a custom straight pipe, please let me know who did it, and an attached sound clip would be appreciated too. I know a lot of welders who could probably do it for me, but I would rather trust a professional to tune the sound right.
If you are doing a straight pipe make sure you save the OEM or whatever exhaust you have on your car now. I have a custom locally made straight pipe exhaust that I put one in the Spring for the Dragon and a month or two after. It is LOUD, very loud. The best thing to do is have one custom made for you locally because they can measure and build it right on the car on a lift. Mail order is not the way to go. Also doing this locally allows you to have them add resonators to try and bring the drone down a little after you drive it for a while. I say after a while because the brand new stainless straight exhaust will be LOUD like an F1 car because the pipes are bare inside. You have to drive it a while and let carbon build up on the inside of the pipes and the tone will become much deeper but still be loud. Most people and cops do not like loud exhaust like Nathan and I have so if you drive it daily be prepared to make noise ordinance donations to you local government. :lol: FYI the straight pipe is for noise only and you will not gain any HP. If you want a excellent exhaust that will last and is high quality I would buy a Milltek It's the one I have and I have been taking it on and off for 7 + years when I swap in straight pipe.