What have I done?! (R53 Mini Cooper S)
Discussion
Last year I caught the horrible track day bug and, unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be going away.
I’ve been using my ‘daily’, a 992.1 GTS, and while it’s obviously very fast and competent, it’s starting to show a bit on the car. Largely because I spend the next few weeks after a track day trying to clear everyone else’s rubber off my tyres, so it perpetually feels like my wheels are out of balance. It’s also not as much fun when constantly worrying about binning an expensive car into a tyre wall or worrying about whether Porsche will refuse to honour the warranty because it’s been used on track.
Anyway, today I got a bit carried away and bought a 2002 R53. I know almost nothing about them other than that I’ve seen many of them hassling me in the corners and I absolutely love supercharger whine! Plus everyone loves a Mini. I did look at a couple of FN2 Civics but I can’t remember ever seeing so much rust on the underside of a car and decided they weren’t for me.
It’s not quite full-on chav spec, but it has been tinkered with by someone in the past. Supercharger pulley is already done, uprated intercooler and plugs etc… It appears to have JCW brakes and it’s got a sports cat and stainless exhaust. And a Barry-boy-tastic gear knob. I suspect it’s probably a good idea to leave the towing loop attached given the total lack of service history!
The bodywork is remarkably rust free for a 24 year old car and the interior is in good shape. It sounded pretty decent, went around the roundabouts better than my Porsche and the brakes felt sharper as well. It was actually quite nice to have some steering feel for once! Im really looking forward to knocking about in it.
The initial plan is to get it to a specialist in a few weeks who’s going to give it a once over, change the oil and filters, make sure the cooling system is up to scratch and flush out the brakes with high temp fluid (discs look newish but I’ll check the pads - they appear to be EBC Yellow Stuff). If he says it’s a sack of s
t I guess I’ll take the hit and sell it at a loss and call it a lesson learned. The biggest loss possible is only a couple of grand so it’s not the end of the world. Going forward I’d do most of the routine work myself because since selling my TVR many years ago I’ve kind of missed tinkering in the garage.
Otherwise I’ll get the basics done, get a set of Nankang NS-2R tyres on and get it on track. The plan beyond that, assuming I actually enjoy driving it, will be the usual - coilovers, better seat and we’ll take it from there.
I figured £4k total spend on this won’t be much different to a year of tyres, brakes and expensive oil and brake fluid changes on the Porsche. And hopefully more fun!
All tips and criticism gratefully received!
I’ve been using my ‘daily’, a 992.1 GTS, and while it’s obviously very fast and competent, it’s starting to show a bit on the car. Largely because I spend the next few weeks after a track day trying to clear everyone else’s rubber off my tyres, so it perpetually feels like my wheels are out of balance. It’s also not as much fun when constantly worrying about binning an expensive car into a tyre wall or worrying about whether Porsche will refuse to honour the warranty because it’s been used on track.
Anyway, today I got a bit carried away and bought a 2002 R53. I know almost nothing about them other than that I’ve seen many of them hassling me in the corners and I absolutely love supercharger whine! Plus everyone loves a Mini. I did look at a couple of FN2 Civics but I can’t remember ever seeing so much rust on the underside of a car and decided they weren’t for me.
It’s not quite full-on chav spec, but it has been tinkered with by someone in the past. Supercharger pulley is already done, uprated intercooler and plugs etc… It appears to have JCW brakes and it’s got a sports cat and stainless exhaust. And a Barry-boy-tastic gear knob. I suspect it’s probably a good idea to leave the towing loop attached given the total lack of service history!
The bodywork is remarkably rust free for a 24 year old car and the interior is in good shape. It sounded pretty decent, went around the roundabouts better than my Porsche and the brakes felt sharper as well. It was actually quite nice to have some steering feel for once! Im really looking forward to knocking about in it.
The initial plan is to get it to a specialist in a few weeks who’s going to give it a once over, change the oil and filters, make sure the cooling system is up to scratch and flush out the brakes with high temp fluid (discs look newish but I’ll check the pads - they appear to be EBC Yellow Stuff). If he says it’s a sack of s
t I guess I’ll take the hit and sell it at a loss and call it a lesson learned. The biggest loss possible is only a couple of grand so it’s not the end of the world. Going forward I’d do most of the routine work myself because since selling my TVR many years ago I’ve kind of missed tinkering in the garage. Otherwise I’ll get the basics done, get a set of Nankang NS-2R tyres on and get it on track. The plan beyond that, assuming I actually enjoy driving it, will be the usual - coilovers, better seat and we’ll take it from there.
I figured £4k total spend on this won’t be much different to a year of tyres, brakes and expensive oil and brake fluid changes on the Porsche. And hopefully more fun!
All tips and criticism gratefully received!
CrippsCorner said:
Been a few years since I've had mine but if I remember correctly, the R56 Cooper S & R53 JCW use the same brakes.
Edit to say now I've looked again they're obviously multi-pot and look more like R56 JCW brakes... nice.
Yes, from what I can gather they do look like R56 JCW brakes and, even with what I assume is old fluid, they still felt very sharp. They seem to actually be quite expensive as well! Trying to work out what fluid to put in, I’ve found ATE 200 DOT4, which seems to be reasonably rated. Don’t really fancy stretching to Castrol SRF as it’ll probably double the value of the car!Edit to say now I've looked again they're obviously multi-pot and look more like R56 JCW brakes... nice.
As it’s for the track I was thinking to replace the coolant with deionised water and Water Wetter (and then put antifreeze in over winter). I don’t fancy dumping a load of coolant on the track and facing a clean up bill.
TimmyMallett said:
The r53 was peak bmw mini looks wise, that looks lovely. Every that came after looks a bit watered down.
I agree. They’ve got a classic look to them now and, in some ways, it’ll be a shame if I end up making a mess of a future classic. The best bit so far is that insurance for the year is coming in at £113 with all the mods declared! Ok, so it’s third party, fire and theft, but it’s better than I expected.
In some ways I wish I’d bought an unmodified engine as, from my research, a modified one significantly increases the risk of failures - obviously. I’d have preferred less lower and more reliability. Hey ho.
I’m looking forward to the update and how you find this on the track! I greatly enjoyed ours, the supercharger whine is addictive and it’s like a little go cart!
It looks like someone’s definitely cared for it and there are some nice parts, such as the brakes.
Have a look for an ’Ultragauge’ which is a cheap ODB port display for monitoring temps etc on track. I found it useful for keeping an eye on rising temps, but it perhaps even more useful with performance upgrades.
It looks like someone’s definitely cared for it and there are some nice parts, such as the brakes.
Have a look for an ’Ultragauge’ which is a cheap ODB port display for monitoring temps etc on track. I found it useful for keeping an eye on rising temps, but it perhaps even more useful with performance upgrades.
Muska said:
I m looking forward to the update and how you find this on the track! I greatly enjoyed ours, the supercharger whine is addictive and it s like a little go cart!
It looks like someone s definitely cared for it and there are some nice parts, such as the brakes.
Have a look for an Ultragauge which is a cheap ODB port display for monitoring temps etc on track. I found it useful for keeping an eye on rising temps, but it perhaps even more useful with performance upgrades.
Yes, these run very hot. Methanol is a great way to go to keep temps down.It looks like someone s definitely cared for it and there are some nice parts, such as the brakes.
Have a look for an Ultragauge which is a cheap ODB port display for monitoring temps etc on track. I found it useful for keeping an eye on rising temps, but it perhaps even more useful with performance upgrades.
Muska said:
I m looking forward to the update and how you find this on the track! I greatly enjoyed ours, the supercharger whine is addictive and it s like a little go cart!
It looks like someone s definitely cared for it and there are some nice parts, such as the brakes.
Have a look for an Ultragauge which is a cheap ODB port display for monitoring temps etc on track. I found it useful for keeping an eye on rising temps, but it perhaps even more useful with performance upgrades.
I’ve just been reading about the oil temps but apparently there’s no way of getting a direct reading as standard? Trying to find more info on the sump plug sensors but struggling. It looks like someone s definitely cared for it and there are some nice parts, such as the brakes.
Have a look for an Ultragauge which is a cheap ODB port display for monitoring temps etc on track. I found it useful for keeping an eye on rising temps, but it perhaps even more useful with performance upgrades.
I’ve just told the wife about my purchase…….it’s not gone down well!
M.F.D said:
They are indeed 4pots from the R56 JCW. A common and effective upgrade.
Here was my R53 a few years ago. Ohlins, cage, slicks, methanol etc etc. Was a great car, but sold after it not quite being as good as my previous Mégane 250 Cup.
Yours look great! Not sure how far I’ll go with it yet, we’ll see whether I enjoy it on track as I’m not generally a fan of FWD! It was a bit of an impulse purchase!Here was my R53 a few years ago. Ohlins, cage, slicks, methanol etc etc. Was a great car, but sold after it not quite being as good as my previous Mégane 250 Cup.
Crumpet said:
I ve just been reading about the oil temps but apparently there s no way of getting a direct reading as standard? Trying to find more info on the sump plug sensors but struggling.
I ve just told the wife about my purchase .it s not gone down well!
The oil temps are the least of your temperature worries….I ve just told the wife about my purchase .it s not gone down well!
If the intake air goes over 55degC (iirc) the injectors piss fuel in to cool the cylinders, prolonged high temps will wash the oil from the bores, dilute the oil, etc, etc.
The low speed cooling fan resister often fails causing it to not run (should run slow at 105deg) until the coolant reaches 115degC and it runs at full speed.
The ultra gauge or a scan gauge is a must to keep an eye on coolant and intake temps.
Dave. said:
The oil temps are the least of your temperature worries .
If the intake air goes over 55degC (iirc) the injectors piss fuel in to cool the cylinders, prolonged high temps will wash the oil from the bores, dilute the oil, etc, etc.
The low speed cooling fan resister often fails causing it to not run (should run slow at 105deg) until the coolant reaches 115degC and it runs at full speed.
The ultra gauge or a scan gauge is a must to keep an eye on coolant and intake temps.
Thanks for that. I suspect this info is buried deep in many of the previous R53 threads, although I’m not sure how many ended up as track cars. If the intake air goes over 55degC (iirc) the injectors piss fuel in to cool the cylinders, prolonged high temps will wash the oil from the bores, dilute the oil, etc, etc.
The low speed cooling fan resister often fails causing it to not run (should run slow at 105deg) until the coolant reaches 115degC and it runs at full speed.
The ultra gauge or a scan gauge is a must to keep an eye on coolant and intake temps.
The intercooler is an uprated one but I’d be very keen on keeping an eye on temps. It’s the main screen I have up when driving the 992 on track but that thing never moves and just stays steady no matter what you do to it.
Dave. said:
The low speed cooling fan resister often fails causing it to not run (should run slow at 105deg) until the coolant reaches 115degC and it runs at full speed.
I think I'd wire it so it comes on full speed at 105deg.For the oil I was recommended Motul 300v competition 15w50 for my integrale, as it works at very high temps.
https://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-864-motul-300v-compet...
Dave. said:
Does the new intercooler have a proper air diverted and seal on it?
A bigger cooler alone does more harm than good without .
That I didn’t check. I guess when I pick it up this week it’s going to be a voyage of discovery finding out what has and hasn’t been done. And how much rust is underneath it! I know it’s had a number of oil leaks addressed with new seals (crank seal was one of them, I believe). A bigger cooler alone does more harm than good without .
The fact it’s got the R56 JCW brakes on it suggests it might have been previously loved but I suspect a lot of these things start out with good intentions and then people get bored. I could’ve just gone out and bought a GT4 and had very little to do apart from put fuel in it, but where’s the fun in that!
I guess what I don’t want to do is get it on track before it’s ready for it, despite being tempted to take it to Cadwell next Friday!
SlimJim16v said:
Dave. said:
The low speed cooling fan resister often fails causing it to not run (should run slow at 105deg) until the coolant reaches 115degC and it runs at full speed.
I think I'd wire it so it comes on full speed at 105deg.For the oil I was recommended Motul 300v competition 15w50 for my integrale, as it works at very high temps.
https://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-864-motul-300v-compet...
I have the one that doesn t . Although I had to replace that once too!I did say to myself that next time it happened I d wire it up without the resister and have it run at full speed, but it rarely gets used, and doesn t sit in traffic.
Stat opens at about 90degC so very rarely gets hot enough to bring on the fans anyway, on track will be a different story though.
Well, given that temperatures seem to be an issue - oil, coolant and air - I’ve ordered an Ultraguage. I believe that should mean I can keep an eye on coolant and air inlet temps but that I’ll need a separate sensor for oil temp?
I’ve been struggling to find a guide to installing a sump plug sensor which surprises me as I thought it would be a common mod. Any ideas on that one?
I’ve been struggling to find a guide to installing a sump plug sensor which surprises me as I thought it would be a common mod. Any ideas on that one?
I’ve been looking at TD Pro Race 1.2s as they always seem like a lightweight sensible option. The wheels currently look horrendous so it’s either £300 for a refurb or £500 for some new wheels. Pretty sure I can get a wheel and track tyre package for <£900.
I’ve ordered an oil temp sensor, 52mm gauge and an adapter for wedging it in the air vent.
So initial plans are as follows (mix of garage and myself doing the work):
- Oil and filters (Fully Synthetic 5w40 sounds popular for track)
- Oil temp sensor and gauge
- Cooling system flush and replace with deionised water and Water Wetter for the summer.
- Remove and clean brakes. Unsure on fitting braided hoses at the moment.
- RBF600 brake fluid (need to check it’s compatible first)
- Ultraguage to monitor temps
- Full machine polish and some paint touch ups (it’s really not too bad for a 23 year old car).
- Somehow make the shiny leather seats and steering wheel less slippery!
If the garage says it’s worth putting money into it then it’ll be:
- Wheels and track tyres
- Coilovers and camber plates and any crusty suspension bits replaced
- Brake ducts
- Oil cooler with thermostat
At this point it should just be a reasonably well set up road car so should be easy enough to sell on if it’s not for me. If I can get to this point for <£4k I’ll be happy. Hopefully be at this point by the end of June. Or I’ll have abandoned it and bought another Porsche!
I’ve ordered an oil temp sensor, 52mm gauge and an adapter for wedging it in the air vent.
So initial plans are as follows (mix of garage and myself doing the work):
- Oil and filters (Fully Synthetic 5w40 sounds popular for track)
- Oil temp sensor and gauge
- Cooling system flush and replace with deionised water and Water Wetter for the summer.
- Remove and clean brakes. Unsure on fitting braided hoses at the moment.
- RBF600 brake fluid (need to check it’s compatible first)
- Ultraguage to monitor temps
- Full machine polish and some paint touch ups (it’s really not too bad for a 23 year old car).
- Somehow make the shiny leather seats and steering wheel less slippery!
If the garage says it’s worth putting money into it then it’ll be:
- Wheels and track tyres
- Coilovers and camber plates and any crusty suspension bits replaced
- Brake ducts
- Oil cooler with thermostat
At this point it should just be a reasonably well set up road car so should be easy enough to sell on if it’s not for me. If I can get to this point for <£4k I’ll be happy. Hopefully be at this point by the end of June. Or I’ll have abandoned it and bought another Porsche!
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