Engine Drivetrain 2nd Gen Most liked posts in thread: What next? Help me plan my next mods!

Nice start and possibly arrival point

What do you want to do with the car? Track? AutoX? Drive back and forth to work and the occasional rip through the countryside?

 

That depends on a lot of things, but I'd concentrate on improved handling assuming your MINI is a daily driver. If you still have the cast iron RFs, dump them for high performance "Z" rated non-run flats. A good front STB is an idea, too. If you plan to not lower your MINI, Koni FSD struts/shocks should be the next item. These ain't cheap, but the improvement over OEM is startling. Have I spent enuf of your $$ yet? LOL!

MOD ON!

 

Hankook V12 is a good tire, lots of positive reviews from MINI people (I think Scottinbend runs those).

Camber plates make a huge difference in handling. The car doesn't get upset as easily over bumps in the road mid-corner, which I'm sure you have plenty of in TN. If you pay a mechanic to work on your car, combine the plates with some springs and you'll save $$$ on labor. Any spring or shock upgrade will make the car ride a little rougher; it's up to you to decide if you'd like to trade a bit of comfort for some better handling. Fixed plates aren't as harsh as adjustable plates, too, so think about that.

JBewley has a similar car (R56 justa) and drives similar Appalachian roads - PM him for some thoughts. He just upgraded his suspension, I believe.

 

Agreed with my colleagues on camber plates, The Hankooks (Yokohama Advan AD08's and Dunlop Starspec Direzza's another option) and Koni's (KSW is another option here, toss up)

I'd also consider Way's TSW X Brace. Adds aheckuva lot of front end stability for about $300 - $400 and you can install yourself. As opposed to a front swaybar which is pretty pricey to install assuming your like me and not a master mechanic. Downside is that I think it kicks you into a diff class that you probably don't want to compete in for AutoX. Easy enough to take off though. 4 bolts and thats it.

 

Yep I have the Hankooks on right now and so far I am very impressed with the performance. They are a 280 wear rating so they will not be as grippy as the Yokohama Advan AD08's and Dunlop Starspec Direzza's but for the money they are (so far) a great value.

I agree with the others, do some springs/dampers/camber plates as these will greatly augment the handling of the car.

 

On my second set of ADO8s...

 

and they stick like glue damn these are nice tires!!, a little noisy on the highway but for the performance?.....I can turn up the stereo!:biggrin5:

 

Our run with an ear bleedingly loud exhaust. However...below about 60 degrees they are rocks. Toss some rain in with the "cold" and you're slip slidin away.