Most liked posts in thread: Upgrading the TSW R53 MINI Cooper S

I'm looking forward to hearing this part of the story... I'm thinking about something more agressive than stock in the next year or so.

I'll add my two bits to the "While you are in there..." portion of this thread. Have you replaced the downpipes for the power steering fluid? Mine died after 4 years and a handful of track days (where I'm nowhere near the hot-shoe that you are). It might be worth the $60-80 to replace those since you have the subframe out where you can easily get ahold of them... It seems to be a very common place for leaks to appear.

 

Now this is the kind of weekend project I am most familiar with.........you know the ones that take more than the single weekend you planned on!

 

Mike, great writeup and pics.
I'd love the chance to meet up with you when you head out this way!

 

1. Very nice project here. About your ported head, like someone once told me and everyone on the "sewing site", hand porting was the ONLY way to do it back then, and some very good mechanics did it very well :yesnod: Unfortunately, nobody believed him and he was trashed Keep us posted.

 

Opinion or fact? Mynes much prefer the NGK's over any plug. I think I'll take Jasons word for it, which I did :ihih: BTW I have a set of Brisk for sale, less than 2k on them.

 

It's my opinion that it's a fact. :lol: With the NGK's I had some trouble with part throttle modulation that for one reason or another disappeared and became smooth and resolute throttle modulation when I dropped in the Brisk plugs. Add in the Brisk appear to be more durable and their price premium appears to be money well spent, which is a rarity in automotive aftermarket! That said, the NGK's are much better than the Denso Iridiums, which have the same part throttle modulation problems as the NGK's but have terrible longevity. I prefer the stock plugs to the Denso's, FWIW.

 

Jiminni, wasn't your car misbehaving on the dyno with the Brisk? And after we changed it out, the power delivery was smoother and the power went up?

Your MINI wasn't the only one that didn't 'like' the Brisk, i can name a couple of other occassions. It doesn't matter whether it's Brisk or NGK, we just put in stuff that performs... and based on our experience, we prefer the NGK

Same thing hold true for gas: here in Kali, we prefer 76Stations first, then Shell V-power... in AZ where 76 is hard to find, we generally go with Shell. Chevron and Mobile we do not like. Hey when your car pings with stock timing map running Chevron, that's a fact we can't dispute... and a couple of days later the same car with Shell/76 stops pinging with the same mappings, there's nothing else to say... the Dyno tells the truth (well, some of them)!!!

***Disclaimer: None of the Mynes, its team members or affilliates have any monetary interest or stakes in Shell, 76 or NGK and their subsidiaries***

 

1. The stock cylinder head will go on the shelf, and a ported cylinder head will replace it. I ported the cylinder head myself. Now before you say, "dude, leave that to the pros," hear me out. My dad opened a car shop when I was about six years old, and I grew up there. I ported my first cylinder head about 20 year ago when I was 17. I'm certainly not a pro, but I am an accomplished engine builder and a mechanical engineer. I'll post a few pictures of the ported head later.

Take it back off the shelf and send it to me. Wait, port it first and then send it to me. I'll send you mine in trade..

.. please?

 

And there is no way I would run 76 in my car as it is horrible compared to either Chevron or Shell.

Location determines a lot now a days I guess.

And I have been running the OEM JCW plugs for the last couple of years cause they have performed best with my tune and gas.

 

Dr.Mike said, "A few odds and ends, such as the upper radiator hose (for some reason it was rubbing on something and is nearly punctured)."
The fan shroud on the radiator support has a right angle ridge that rubs the bottom of the hose. The hose expands and the engine pitches forward causing the hose to make contact on the tip of the ridge.

I cut the point off the ridge and shape a concave section to provide clearance.


After hands-on observation of how the oil behaves in the MINI crankcase and discussions with a former Chrysler failure analysis engineer, I believe there is an alternate solution to oil starvation under extreme load; and it’s not baffles.

 

Wow, I haven't heard Accusump mentioned in years!

Had one in my 84 GTI in the passenger side footwell. That didn't bode to well with some people. The thought of a container of hot oil under pressure at their feet made them squeamish...wimps.

 

There are three main “non operator error†conditions that can lead to oiling problems in the Tritec motor, aeration, roping, and poor oil return. Depending on tolerance stacking, wear (cavitation or gerotor damage), and oil type, one or more of these conditions can contribute to failure. Deeper sumps, pan baffles, and overfilling won’t address those problems, and overfilling can exacerbate two of the conditions. Failures from those conditions don’t just occur in racing use; the effects can be cumulative and cause problems even on the street.

 

Yes, almost a quart can be delayed on the head before spilling over the cam sprocket side. The block and a few other areas need to be addressed.

A windage tray is one component of the systems approach needed.

 

Looking GOOD there Mike!! ( HMMMMmmm...... Nothing like aluminum dust in the morning!! LOL) Old school trick... open all the drain back holes!!

Great pictures and text!!

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

Thumper