DavidJCW

We have watermelon, veggies, & dip

Any plans on meeting in ad ance and rolling in together? REPRESENT!

Sounds like you are impressed with the performsnce and you are satisfied, if not even HAPPY with the value you have received for your money! AAAaaand I just got a bonus yesterday....hmmm...

I have the great fortune of having an understanding wife as well! The last mods we did on the Mini she ended up taking over completely (cosmetic mods: She wanted the windows tinted and some vinyl work done). She encourages the mechanical mods but leaves them to me. It helps that she enjoys riding in the car with me during my 'spirited' trips. The debate I have with myself is horsepower v. handling, and which to tackle first. My internal conflict is that the mods have to be purpose driven. Like, what is the end goal I am trying to achieve with the mods I am contemplating, and then what is enough...where is the stopping point? At what point do you say, "Yeah, I COULD do this or that, but I am happy with the setup as it is now and I really do not need to do any more."? I am afraid of spending significant money on any modification without a purpose only to find that I am not really happy with it. Once that money is spent, it ain't coming back. My exhaust is a good example: $1,500 on a JCW Pro exhaust only to find out after it was installed that I could have gotten the same effect by straight piping the car. The saving grace there is that the Pro exhaust is designed and engineered by Mini (BMW) to work perfectly with that model (F56), and I am still all OEM. IT is a small benefit but it helps. (Since I leave the bypass valve open all the time, I still feel like I would have been happier straight piping it, but I digress) So I think I am done spending money on the car for this year. I like the way the wheels, vinyl, and tinting turned out, and I dig the exhaust with the wireless button. That's enough for now (that and I still don't know where to go next) until you come back and tell me that the Dinan tune is an experience akin to a ride on the Falcon X, and then just maybe.....

I agree...we do mods for the love of doing mods. For me though, they have to be purpose driven and usually multifaceted (I can better justify the higher expense for coil overs over lowering springs since they are so much more functional (better handling, adjustable ride height, better suited for track time, etc), for example). It is easy for me to hang with a limited budget, tougher to be a little patient (ex. "We will wait to do that mod next year") but simply difficult to decide which mod should come first, and which mod functionally makes the most sense v. "Do I REALLY need to do that?" type of mentality. Even though the car was clearly babied by the original owner, I worry about the high(er) miles also.

I sent you a DM, but at this point I am leaning towards cancelling.

OK; now I am interested. I did not realize the gains were above 300HP. Now I REALLY want to get your opinion of the final product after you reinstall the ECU! And I much prefer an ECU flash instead of a piggyback system. I watched the R&R video and thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be easier just to remove the engine? LoL... My concern is that my JCW has ~98k miles and I believe the original clutch. Adding ~75 more HP is really going to work the clutch pretty good. When the time comes, when I replace the clutch I am really thinking about adding a LSD at the same time. Just more $$$, right????? and then there are the coilovers and larger sway bar I want to get... It never ends, does it?

I appreciate you! No worries though; If there are no takers I will just cancel and volunteer to lead a different ride. It was worth a shot!

I thought the Dinan tune was a piggyback? Maybe a different Dinan product (or different car). Very cool either way. I will be interested to see what the turnaround time is and how well it works. Do you know: Does the tune only work in Sport mode? Or does it negate the Green/Mid/Sport modes all together? Maybe adds a boost to each? Re-assembly should be interesting; please do keep me posted. Thank you for keeping me in the loop with your adventures!

This is a scenic route starting at Sheetz in Haymarket. We will be running radios and I will have a navigator (even though there are only 2 or 3 total turns on the run). I will have at least one extra radio for anyone that needs it. From the Haymarket Sheetz, we take VA-55 out to Marshall, VA, then we hit the back roads all the way to Sperryville. There is a gas station & Convenience store just as we come off the B-roads and hop on to 211; we will stop there to fuel up and pit stop. Then it is up and over the mountain to Luray. I am looking at different spots for lunch to cap the run and get some pictures. Hope to see some folks there.

@twakefield, @1975_mini, @MELO-R56 - Answer me this: Along with the coilovers, any other modifications to keep that geometry of the suspension straight? Anything like adjustable end links and such? I know Sluggo will need an alignment after the install, but any other suspension components needed to keep the car straight and squared away?

Thanks guys! I am leaning towards BC Racing. I do not have DDC so regardless what I go with, I am going to have to manually adjust. Not there yet on the sway bar - seems like a pricey modification. I am running Pirelli run-flats for now - they came with the car and are brand new tires; can't justify ditching them when there are other things on the mod list. When the time comes I will be curiouis to see the difference - everyone says that it is pretty dramatic. I am taking Sluggo up to a local tint shop today to get the windows tinted. MORE MODS!

Who got what and do you regret changing from stock? Now that I have the exhaust installed, the next step is coilovers for my F56 JCW. I have pretty much narrowed it down the BC Racing BR series. Seems that they are the most popular and best fit for an average price point (not the lowest price, but certainly not the highest). I WAS looking at MEGAN RACING - they are less expensive AND made in USA (oxymoron, I know considering the GERMAN car I drive that was built in the UNITED KINGDOM) but have been steered away due to the lack of reviews and advice from a club member. But there is also KW, Bilstein, ST, etc... Who runs what? What have you heard good? What have you heard bad? What do you like? Help a brother out!

Helps to have a 2 way radio also.

I installed the JCW pro exhaust on Sluggo today!