New Bonnet Stripe

I've been getting quite a number of comments ever since I got the bonnet stripe. Majority of them said that I should have added the pin stripe since it looks kind of thin. Well, I did noticed that most of the mini does have pin stripes and mine looks kind of weird compare to theirs.

Since i got the bonnet stripe done at BESTFEEL, so I guess it's best to go back to them. For those who doesn't know. BESTFEEL is located in Sunway. Right next to Racing Fit adjacent to the car dealer.


Before pin stripe


After pin stripe


Side angle with pin stripe

Sometimes it's good to get feedback from others. In this case they were right, adding the pin stripe does makes a lot of difference. Now the bonnet stripe looks more thicker and it doesn't look weird anymore.

Damaged:

1. Pin Stripe - RM60 (BEST FEEL Sunway)

Air Filter & Heat Shield

If you are looking for the cheapest performance upgrades then you need to change the air filter. As we all know the stock air filter is very restrictive. By changing it to either drop-in or open pod air filter it will provide better air flow which helps the engine breathe more easily. More air means more horsepower. But don't expect so much gain from this mod cause it's just a minor upgrades. I am sure the next question that will be going through your mind is, which air filter is the best or which one shall I go for. Came across this website quite while back, this person actually does a comparison on which air filter gives you better performance and filtration. Refer to the link :

http://mkiv.com/techarticles/filters_test/2/index.html

I got myself a 3" K&N Open Pod Air Filter with heat shield. Actually, I was not in favour of K&N due to the fact that I have to clean it. Plus when it gets dirty it looks rather ugly. Every air filter has it's pros and cons. As you can see from the comparison made. Well, you can't have everything.


K&N Air Filter with heat shield


Close up view


Before K&N


After K&N

I can really feel the difference after installing the K&N. First thing I noticed was the sound of the supercharger was louder. The engine felt more responsive. I am happy as far as performance is concern.But I am not happy with the quality of the heat shield though. It's rather flimsy and they do not have the rubber to cover the edges. Lucky for me that one of my friend has that rubber piece and I DIY on my own. I also polish it as it looks dull.

Anyway, no point complaining since I had bought it. Currently, I am in the process of customizing another heat shield and it should be ready by next week. Just wait for my next posting.

Damaged:

1. K&N Air Filter with heat shield - RM 850 (Fastlane) inclusive of installation

JCW Gear Knob

There is one thing that I dislike about the interior ever since I got the car. That will be the gear knob. Even though, it has a nice grip but it just got to go. Simply due to the fact it is hideous. Especially the top part has turn to a yellowish colour.

Again there aren't many gear knobs available for mini. Currently, there are brand like MOMO, SPARCO and OMP with a wide selection of universal gear knob available. The only problem is that they are too common and you find them in any cars. So that leaves me with JCW. They specialized in Mini and one of their designed has caught my eyes. It's a half leather and CF.


JCW gear knob

Well, I do have this thing about CF and WORKS gear knob really looks cool. Anyway, I think the gear knob made the interior looks a bit more interesting. Since I am getting bored with the same stock interior looks.


Stock gear knob


Close Up: Noticed the top part has turn yellowish


JCW Gear knob


Close up view

The installation was easy. Simply engaged to second gear and pull upwards as hard as you can. One word of advice, try not to bend over too close to the gear or the knob might end up on your forehead. If you pulled upwards you might bump into the roof.

The bottom part of the JCW gear knob can be split into two. You need to push the gear boot down and connect the bottom part fist. Then line up the gear knob at the lever and simply push it in. You should hear like a click sound, that means that it's locked in place.

Well, it sure made my interior looks a bit more lively. At first it felt a bit awkward since the stock gear knob is shorter. JCW is a bit higher and lighter. After I get the hang of it. I think my gear shifting is a lot faster now.

Damaged:

1. JCW half CF gear knob - RM561 (Racecraft Sunway)

Ultra Racing Front Strut Bar

This is one of the upgrades that most people neglected. I guess too much emphasis were given to the power upgrades. When it comes to upgrades, power and chassis needs to be balance. With an increase of power the chassis needs to more rigid to prevent flexing. Of course I am not going all out with the chassis straightening upgrades. One of the most affective method on improving the car handling apart from aftermarket coilovers and harder bushings would be strut bar. What is a strut bar?

A strut bar or strut brace is a mostly aftermarket car suspension accessory used in conjunction with MacPherson struts on monocoque or unibody chassis to provide extra strength between the strut towers.With a MacPherson strut suspension system where the spring and shock absorber are combined in the one suspension unit, the entire vertical suspension load is transmitted to the top of the vehicle's strut tower, unlike a double wishbone suspension where the spring and shock absorber may share the load separately. In general terms, a strut tower in a monocoque chassis is a reinforced portion of the inner wheel well and is not necessarily directly connected to the main chassis rails. For this reason there is inherent flex within the strut towers relative to the chassis rails.A strut bar is designed to reduce this strut tower flex by tying two parallel strut towers together. This transmits the load of each strut tower during cornering via tension and compression of the strut bar which shares the load between both towers and reduces chassis flex.

Performance wise, resulting from the improved chassis rigidity (similar to that gained from a lower tie bar); may be improved steering precision under high load conditions (cornering and braking). Reduced understeer, tire wear and metal fatigue in the strut tower area may also be experienced.

Well, there are not many brands availble for my mini. Off course , the branded ones are not that cheap. So far I have seen 4 brands of strut bars - AC, JCW, UR and Racecraft.

AC - Price Unknown but I know for a fact that it's not going to be cheap
JCW - RM 1500 plus installation
Racecraft (CF) - RM6xx
UR - RM 260 plus installation

Since UR is the cheapest and the review I got from their products was pretty good. So I went for Ultra Racing. Results as shown below:

Front View: Before UR Strut Bar

Side View: Before UR Strut Bar

Front View: After UR Strut Bar

Side view: After UR Strut Bar

It looks like a normal strut bar. Nothing fancy about it. The only part that I find a bit disturbing is how the strut bar was designed. It's actually higher on one side. If you noticed from the picture. It's tilted on one side. Other than the bar looks good.

There were defnitely improvements in handling after installing the strut bar. Especially as I power out of the corner. More stable and less understeer.

Damaged:

1. Ultra Racing Front Strut Bar - RM260: Inclusive installation (Kaitenaz)

Dull Intercooler Intake

Since I haven't done any modding to my car. So I decided to give it a little bit of of TLC. So far I haven't really touch my engine bay. The first part that really needed my attention are the intercooler intake. It looks kinda old and dirty.


Comparison between the treated and untreated parts


Side Angle


Front angle



Meguiars Mag & Aluminum Polish

Actually there are few other areas that I wanted to polish, but unfortunately the Cooper S engine is so compact. Not many rooms for me to work.

Anyway, since it really works , I am going to polish the other side as well and hope that it turns out the same as this one.