Mini Cooper S R53 Supercharged Top 10 MUST Have Mods For Your W11 Engine

in this video we go over the mods that I believe can unlock true power and potential out of your Mini Cooper R53 W11 ENGINE as such I have upgraded a few mods myself and YES you are correct this car is ready for stage 1 BUT I want to take it further and go to STAGE 2 which we will be doing on this channel the full process the car is hopefully going to be booked in and all work done and recorded before and after speed test and the outcome and fate of this engine and car let me say these mods already make this car pure fun and a pleasure to drive and puts a smile on your face like no other and I can only recommend these cars HIGHLY
with all that being said it comes at a cost if your willing to work on these yourself then these cars can be great cars BUT if your not willing to do that then you can expect this car to cost you thousands in maintenance and repairs constantly

[@cspreach1963]

I got my 2004 Mini Cooper S with 45k miles on it, it's in 11/10 condition. 2 previous owners, first owner shipped it everywhere he went, second owner was my cousin and he put a 15% pulley on it for me right before I bought it from him. I've been looking into cold intake filters and what not, car currently has 51k miles on it and i've been loving it.

[@gary_michael_flanagan_wildlife]

Did the pulley make a big difference? I had a 2012 MCS and it was a lot faster than my new, used, but excellent condition 2004MCS. It’s true I haven’t really beat on it too much because it’s got over 100k miles on it, manual trans. I love it a lot but I’m curious if any mods make a difference? Thanks

[@Bee-fr7zk]

How many miles now

[@allseeing357]

I think 15% pulley, colder plugs, stealth intake and a decent cat back.....perhaps R56 MCS front brakes are the sweetspot for a standard R53. On a facelift you're probably looking at late JCW power for probably no more than 1k spend which is excellent bang per buck. General consensus is 15% pulley with stock IC is just fine...any more you need a bigger (note I wont say better) IC. The interesting thing with the stock IC is whilst they struggle with the inlet heat generated on a pullied SC, they recover from heat soak more quickly because they are inherently smaller and less dense (the GP intercooler included) so updating the IC can have its downsides too. Also the more air you push in, the more fuel you need so you need to watch with the stock map that you dont start leaning it out particularly at higher rpms. The cars do run a little rich so they can deal with it to some extent but push too hard you'll detonate and blow the motor. Agreed a manifold is one of the better means of gaining power as the stock one is very restrictive, though the stock cat doesnt hurt power (the engine is designed to run with the back pressure) so a tomcat manifold (where the stock cat is grafted to the upgrade manifold) is a good way to go. If you keep the cat in place (rather than decat it as is the option with a tomcat) I dont think it needs a remap either, but probably benefits from one at that point

[@bign3ck]

I got a stock R53 s with pilot sport 4 s and it's the most fun car to drive, could never sell it, ridiculously fun to drive.

[@BMWDoctor]

fun to drive but no fun for me I had to get rid quick time and get back to my bmws this car was good but very very cheap car and doesn't bring the money I need bmw bring me big big money I find the majority of people AND FROM WHAT I KNOW ONLY !!! from doing this car on KZbin people don't have money who own mini where bmw community they do so for me that was a straight no go as I saw this car is now gone now and we wont be having another one on here anytime soon

[@barrygarcia75]

This dudes response is dumb asf (bmw doctor) how tf u are to say People who owns mini s are broke, like what!

[@nirdvorkin135]

@@BMWDoctor I’ll start with :I like your mini videos! After that I’ll tell you that you are very very wrong, I own expensive cars like Audi R8 , Mercedes e350 brand new as daily and more and also bought an r53 mini , and i don’t mind spending a lot on this mini . Bought it yesterday and already ordered parts in more than double the cost of the car so...... Never say never 😉

[@bernardbarbour]

I have a Stage 2 Dinan Kit on my JCW MCS. Nice mods Sir.

[@dakotaa8276]

Great video excellent details and very accurate!

[@BMWDoctor]

Yes really

[@Tryingmybestsince1999]

I would put also a 40mm thick radiator just to keep the engine fresh and healthy

[@tombosma7685]

Just got myself a R53 like a month ago. Your video's helped me a lot buying one. I've put an milltek exhaust on it and damn does it sounds good🔥. I'm think of going to stage 2 .

[@BMWDoctor]

Man that’s good to know mate this car is really really fun to drive and I have enjoyed every moment these cars are 🔥 I don’t know if I’m going to sell it or take this one to stage 2 who knows yet

[@tombosma7685]

@@BMWDoctor If you want to, you can check my car on Instagram : @ tom__r53

[@jonathanfitzwater6517]

Just seen a 3k 96000 mile one for sale. Is that not over priced from what you suggest? Want to get one but there are few out there. Would love to talk through the purchase and checking of one of these

[@russjam121]

Thank you. The amount of people that tried arguing saying that all coil packs are the same and makes no difference. I kept telling them the performance ones have higher spark rate and it was like talking to a brick wall so thank you for backing up my argument.

[@williamtipene1995]

Mean as bruv passion 1👍

[@user-og5tv2dt2v]

A good addition is having a metal coolant reservoir helps a lot with how hot the engine gets reduces the risk a bit

[@angeloweaver4127]

I have my first car. It’s a 04 manual Cooper s mc40. It’s in a little bit of rough shape but I’d love to get it fixed up

[@flippingcars101]

Great video bro.👍🏽

[@BMWDoctor]

LIFE ON THE THROTTLE no problem mate enough said on the other comments I thought you was trying to get at me bro Just wanted to say mate I don’t play like that bro trust me people all over on here know that about me and know who I was before I done KZbin I do this for my government image bro you feel me This is purely to answer the questions of where my money is coming from when I’m stopped on the regular

[@flippingcars101]

See bro i never ment any disrespect to you.iv got a shit channel and I’m in no place to say shit about anyone’s channel I was only asking about 3500 views because it’s going to be the most views I get.iv been watching your channel for months bro and never said anything bad.so just so you know that I’m a fan not a hater 👍🏽

[@BMWDoctor]

its cool bro no offence taken trust me hit me up and we can collaborate and I will help get you where you need to be bro

[@flippingcars101]

BMW Doctor thanks brother il definitely take you up on that offer.

[@Petrolhead_usa]

Stock coil pack is the best for tuning Stock coil + MSD cables + brisk spark plugs 1 step colder = more power baby

[@josht4901]

Literally buying mine in the next few months the timing of your r53 vids are perfect 👌 I’m a bmw apprentice but still like to watch the mods 👍nice videos mate

[@BMWDoctor]

I’m about to sell this one mate as I’m finished with it now and believe there isn’t much I can bring for this on the channel it’s a nice car and beautiful and is a very very fun car to drive after I done all this work to it BUT my channel is purely bmw and it’s very hard to bring on anything else on here

[@Tomgoeswhere]

@@BMWDoctor price??

[@zokusharuuku1091]

Only mod I don’t agree with is that air filter, you can tell the sides don’t seal with the hood or they would be the sane height as the intercooler and seal along the back. You can modify the stock box to have a bigger opening which does draw in cold air and just switch out the piping to smooth the flow better.

[@aaronhahn777]

Pretty standard mods on this video post. I see tonnes of talk about IC and when it's required etc (sigh), but there are alternatives that I don't hear about - water-methanol injection. I've got lots of experience designing supercharger kits and I just picked up a lil' r53 write-off for fun... first thing I did is drop a 15% pulley, did my own complete access tuning, and dropped methanol injection. Yep, methanol injection. Sound complicated?, nope. Everybody uses this... but for some reason, mini cooper owners/modders don't seem to use this much. WAY more power, WAY lower IATs/EGTs, no need for IC (cools WAY better). Oh... forgot to mention.. cheaper! For those who don't want to spend much money, you can probably do a very safe 17% pulley install and install just a simple boost-switch operated water/methanol injection kit running 50:50... so that's just -35degC windshield washer fluid for those who don't know (I know people say you can run stock tune/injectors but I'm pretty sure they don't track em'). This will give extra fuel in boost only (methanol is ~130 octane fuel) and will add huge knock protection and cooling. Just my .02$. Cheers.

[@gb25jr]

Could you give me info on install and links to parts and I would need please..

[@waterlover]

where did you find that blue high power coil ignition pack?

[@stephenblakey4913]

What bhp and torque was this running with the larger intercooler, pod filter, and pulley with stage 1? May i ask.

[@christopherparker8264]

I have a r53 2006 I think,after market stainless exhaust.ram air filter apart from that she is stock.if I put £1,000 in the engine what’s the best power for my buck?next is £2,000 on suspension and brakes???

[@manuelbonaduce8882]

❤️

[@nikv10o]

Hey there like video have questions about intake hose whats the diameter of blue hose from throttle to air filter?!

[@IbeLWscared]

When you put on the bigger intercooler how did you fit it with the crankcase valve hose in the way?

[@andyb8231]

hmm -- love the vid,, but I do think this car needs a water injection system. its the only thing missing.. you already have a res - u deleted rear wiper, so tank already there :) I looking at doing the same to mine, already got the intercooler with injector sockets welded on just before and after intercooler boots, just need more money now :(

[@Blaine0226]

Does anyone have a link to that performance ignition kit and the spark plugs???

[@craighpowell5107]

Can the bad alternator cause the power steering to be stiff

[@lucyfyrearchoftwilight9282]

Aren't the pops n bangs due to it needing to be tuned/remapped to match up to the new mods?

[@davethomas6978]

Great videos about the R53 Mini. My brother retired in July and gave me his 02 Cooper S that he had since new. It's rapidly approaching 200,000 miles and was wondering what you would recommend I look at for its BIG service. It's running fairly well for it's age but has a slight misfire when cold which throws up a cylinder 1 misfire code some times. Some cooling/ heating issues I have yet to investigate. I've been working on my own cars for the last 36 years but always appreciate any advice on new cars from experienced people like yourself. Really looking forward to more videos on the R53 and the advice you can give. 👍👍👍😁😁

[@BMWDoctor]

if im honest with you mate the R53 is set to leave me mate im having a channel shake up there isn't much more I can do with the mini and I dont have the viewers if im honest for mini all my viewers are bmw therefore the mini must go even tho its a great great car and I do love driving it its a completely different animal compared to bmw but it isn't cost affective and its not what my main subscribers want to see mate

[@davethomas6978]

@@BMWDoctor No bother, thanks for the reply.

[@jordanbwalt]

Don't forget to love your car. If it's yours, and you enjoy it, then appreciate it as it is. They're expensive, and they have issues, but there's a reason that they popularized. They set records and won tournaments for years; BMW is notorious for pushing engines to limits from factory with low manufacturing cost. Get a standard inspection from a trusted mechanic. Have them flush the coolant and oil, check compression, etc. If you have the budget, do a full rebuild whether you think it needs it or not

[@Hoetobeajew]

gotta bring in a rolls royce for the next project mate. Get the bmw company trifecta

[@saraharnold6480]

Hi I was wondering if you could help I have got a mini cooper s r53 2004 when idle it runs just below 1000rpm then just goes above 1000rpm on its own happens consistently. It was fine before it went into the garage for the following cat back exhaust, new water pipes/flush, new thermostat,new oil and filter, oil pressure switch, rocker cover gasket. Since had it back we have had this problem when idling. Just thought would ask you as we follow you on KZbin.

[@ix3538]

i bought a DDMWorks cold air intake and got the upragded filter do i need to tune the car for that , it’s for my 2002 r53

[@dandesign05]

Mine melted the leads. Any solution for that?

[@stephenblakey4913]

What yr was the r53 facelift?

[@vwlover3409]

where did you het that air filter?

[@robbiethompson8297]

I have a mini cooper s r53 03, its got s realy low lumpy idle, i have replaced the throttle body, map sensor, o2 sensors, it bangs out the exhaust, pops realy loud. Struggles to idle, but revs up fine, am thinking bad injectors? Let me know what you think thank you. Regards Robbie

[@Lukksia]

would it be a bad idea to do these mods on my nearly 200k mile engine? it runs good and seems healthy

[@elbeano3748]

Standard coolant expansion tank ? They split and most people change to an aluminium one

[@ericabell8781]

Nice work question doc.I just replaced the engine and transmission and water pump theromast radiator fan assembly and my axles rebuilt but now it Ewan hold its RPM any tips on what could be there problem now?

[@ricardodominguez1088]

I don't know if I understand correctly but if doesn't hold the RPMs it could be a vacuum leak.

[@gogogo207]

Great vid

[@BMWDoctor]

Your welcome

[@sarahcordova34]

Hi, I have an 06 Checkmate R53 with 133,000 miles. What would you recommend upgrading first? Cold Air Induction? Thanks and Happy Holidays!

[@BMWDoctor]

no problem and happy holidays to you too

[@bluenapalm123]

Quick answer: Assumption is you want more power and not better handling/cornering? If you don't care about your car lasting years and eventually happy to see blue smoke pour from the bonnet of a 133k R53 then do this: Pulley Reduction kit: 17% reduction Pulley / Colder spark plugs / Serpentine belt Airtec Intercooler - if you drive on the limit pretty much the whole time. e.g. race track. Cold air intake - rated to give up to 5hp on stock engines - better if you have more performance upgrades. Long answer, and what I'm currently doing as we speak: I'm currently starting the tuning journey with an 06 R53. From all the research I've done I am doing the below path to more power. I hope this give you an idea of what I'm actually doing right now. Make sure your R53 can take the added performance increase. Compression test, gaskets/seals replaced where leaking. Timing chain swap out (if not done for 100k - costing me around £500 alone). For example, it's costing £1800 to bring car up to good spec to begin tuning. Includes labour by Mini specialist. Work includes: Timing chain kit replacement

[@dylanvdheuvel8152]

Got a 06 checkmate too! Thy are pretty rare

[@titanium7992]

I have a 06 Checkmate with 74,000 miles.

[@lawlessr5053]

Quick question doing all these mods would the conrods need to be stronger for the engine to push more power?

[@Wisey_83]

no...BUT, if you were willing to go that far, you could get it up closer to 270-300HP. That would be a Blast if you have the LSD, Clutch and lywheel upgrades also. And would last A Long time while abusing it also.

[@minimanadam]

I did a 15% pulley,wrapped long tube catless headers ,pacesetter exhaust ,full intake, larger intercooler and upgraded boots,jcw injectors ,fuel pump,light crank ,jcw 210 ecu flash and gauges o yes msd wires,coilpack and ngk colder plugs . I have a launch controller n pedal commander yet to install and as it sits it is a fucking lil monster and surprised every car it's ran against AND HOLLOW OUT THE WALL BEHIND THE INTAKE SO IT GET REAL COLD AIR FROM IN FRONT OF WINDSHEILD

[@darrenlucas2768]

Hi buddy.....can I ask you where you got the 210jcw flash done? Just fitted the 380cc injectors to mine which has similar mods and it runs too rich on start

[@HeyhitmeBAM]

How did you go about hollowing it out?

[@Alcantara1215]

Song name at the end please ?

[@DEFerg7]

Hey, I’m trying to do a conversion with a supercharged 07 engine into a 2010 base mini Cooper. I need to find the standalone harness and computer. Can you show me how to begin the process, and where to find these parts?

[@mysterymechanics5751]

Did you manage to get it sorted? Am in the middle of the same swap

[@gogogo207]

I’m unsure weather to go with a 17% or 19% supercharger pulley upgrade. I’m going to do the intercooler aswell. Opinions?

[@BMWDoctor]

If your going to do intercooler mate I would go with 19% most people avoid the 19% because of this reason and they want to cheap out by avoiding the cost of the intercooler providing your not driving it insane 19% is perfect If your gonna be tracking it then I would go for 17% and if you want to drive crazy Remember the 19% pulley gives a lot of power low down where 17% and 15% power comes in top end I prefer 19% and I’m always different in what I do if you look at KZbin most people fit (15%) why ???? Because they want to be cheap and don’t want to add the intercooler but as you are doing it mate go ahead and put on 19% or even 21%

[@gogogo207]

Bmw Doctor thanks for the help!

[@BMWDoctor]

My friend and I give a crap because ???? Mate this isn’t a car I look to keep that’s down to the new owner to keep not me and do the maintenance and why would I care about supercharger there cheap enough to buy second hand I also have a good friendship with a mini breakers so I can get supercharged for less then £150 and waterpump is easy on this car so why would I care ???? Parts are cheap on this car super cheap so even if it breaks so what out a new engine in easy job to do so enjoy it

[@nickstill8017]

BMW Doctor so you just like making unreliable setups? Ahaha

[@BMWDoctor]

Well sorry to tell you the new owner has put on already another 6k with NO ISSUES with all these mods and they use it daily 25 miles to work and back so 50 miles a day and this has been way over 2 months now and the car is still going strong They will be letting me do any work needed for it to keep it in the channel so it’s not a loss to them or me as I make money from here and from them so if I have to pull the engine I can do that in about 2hrs no questions asked engines are cheap Please remember I’m not your average BROKE mini guys a lot of mini club people are very very budget poor people I run MAINLY BMW therefore I have money trust me on that a mini is nothing for me !

[@angelstravelandtours5349]

Sorry how much BHP at the rear wheels???? Have you converted it to RWD???

[@BMWDoctor]

yes we did its 4 wheel drive makes 320BHP and 800 TORQUE :) fastest car on road right now

[@angelstravelandtours5349]

Ooosh!!! Did you do any videos on the 4wd conversion?

[@BMWDoctor]

Yes on my other channel

[@asterisp]

Can you please let me know if the r53 is better than a r56? i'm doing a market research and ive decided to go for the mini cooper S but dont know which one to actually go for. Thank you.

[@BMWDoctor]

Mate r53 is very very good car and reliable but very old fashioned and suffers rust issues I would go R56 personally after owning a R53

[@asterisp]

@@BMWDoctor Thank you for your immediate reply! that was bloody fast! I heard the R56's with the N14 engine arent that reliable. But I also have a friend who keeps saying to get the R56. (altho ive been reading some mini forums yesterday all saying go for the R53). Would u go for a R56 with a N14 engine ? because if I look into N18 i'd have to buy a much more expensive mini from 2010-2011+ i believe and I dont think I got the budget for it. Thank you once again for helping out!

[@jakehickey6160]

@@asterisp get r53 I got one couple months back it's great

[@ThePhotoForce]

Hey Asterisp, both cars are fun but very different. R53 is certainly my personal pick because it is the smallest of the BMW generations and I like the instant power and sounds from the supercharger over turbo. The R56 is much easier to get high HP upgrades since it is turbo. I personally I have run mine on the dyno before upgrades and after with decent results for such a light car. Base run was 149hp to the wheels and which just a few basic upgrades (15% pulley, intercooler, cooler plugs, intake and exhaust) I am now at 206hp to the wheels. The car isn't for folks wanting high horse power applications but is a total blast on tight courses like autocross events or back road driving. If you want high hp numbers go R56 for sure, or get out of the Mini scene all together as there are many more cars easier to hit high power numbers. Cheers,

[@n.r.c.w]

Would avoid the R56S because of the terrible engine. R53 is way more unique. The real go-kart feel with that supercharger whine like nothing else. I love our R53🥰

[@spinksey2873]

So what bolts do i need to get please if i upgrade the coil pack ?

[@MacLaw3084]

everything ive read says its not worth it to “upgrade” the coil pack. i did replace my old one with an oem one and it requires a different type of bolt. check the forums for correct size.

[@johnmanning4149]

M10s

[@seanmiller5084]

Can you just add the ram air filter and the car still runs happily? Just as the first mod, before you do more bits?

[@jordyboonstra874]

yeah i was wondering aswell, without mapping it or something same thing with the topmount intercooler. Does somebody know?

[@wotcommander1234]

Do a ram intake as the first mod. A great, cheap, and sweet first mod!

[@wotcommander1234]

Jordy Boonstra Ram intake with no ecu tune is completely fine as well as a larger intercooler with a SC pulley of a sort. You need to tune when you are starting to get under the valve cover and into fuel rails (Cam shafts, Fuel injectors etc)

[@Mikeyboi321]

My r53 does 140+

[@SEC0NDTW0N0NE]

Hi, about to buy a 2003 mini which has been quite highly modified and I am really worried about what I am buying. Years ago I had a highly modified Subaru and ended up rubbing into a lot of problems with it and scared I am going to go down the same road. If I was to give you the mods which the mini has had done to it. Could you let me know if it sounds like it has be done right. I am really worried about buying it and could be putting a deposit down on as early as Sunday. Could you please answer this asap because it obvious you know what you are talking about. They are advertising it as 250bhp and I am not sure it is that even tho they are showing a dyno readout on it. Hopefully you reply.

[@darrenlucas2768]

I,ll help you buddy if you want to tell me..no expert but have been modifying mine for a year and no a bit about them

[@user-tc3pf7sp9j]

Единственное, что r53 действительно необходимо это замена сайлент-блоков передних рычагов на цельные. От бмв м3 е46.

[@jjoosh9]

Have you sold the car yet as I'm looking to buy one asap and if you and not so far away from me I may take a look? Cheers

[@BMWDoctor]

The car is sold long long gone

[@jjoosh9]

Just wondering but how much did you sell it for? And what miles did it have? I'm looking to spend between 1-2k really you see

[@BMWDoctor]

It was given away on the channel mate and it had 98k on it I do giveaways for cars all the time I’m here this is my third giveaway

[@jjoosh9]

Ahh I see, shame I've only just found your channel then :( I bet get shopping then, I really fancy getting one of these to mod for a track toy

[@kanenyman991]

I need a new motor😭😂😂 rod went thru block

[@Sean-ek8wc]

Same dude my gasket went now the timing chain and gear box at the same time just left the car on a random street last night

[@kanenyman991]

@@Sean-ek8wc damnn that sucks, I have a massive hole right thru my block😂

[@MacLaw3084]

@@kanenyman991 sucks man. i like the r53 so much that if mine thru a rod id get another one and swap over all my mods.

[@codyzerkle338]

"I don't need to go that cheap. But as you can see this was sent to me by mtc motorsport"

[@BMWDoctor]

If you send your contact details they will send you it for free aswell. We still have 6 subscribers left out of 10 who are able to claim the free upgrade kit. Or you can use the link with the promo code which takes it from £130 to £0

[@codyzerkle338]

@@BMWDoctor uhh. Is this in the US as well?

[@BMWDoctor]

It’s all over

[@aydenparker2603]

What's the estimated BHP with all these mods??

[@BMWDoctor]

About 1200BHP with the rear wheel drive system 😁 and the twin scroll turbos that are fitted and I have a bass box in the boot which gives so much more power mate I would highly recommend to make sure you fit one in your boot to give much much more power when going down the road

[@michaeloh4796]

watch the whole vid man. He literally mentioned it.

[@tonycavez]

@4.23 more hp and torque at the rear wheels 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@fabiovitagliano3986]

Fitted newman cams the other day it started up fine then when it got hot the cam snapped and scorred all my ported head When we got the cam out we found out that the newman cams had not been machined properly and were too big so it seized that he'd cost me fucking 450 quid

[@BMWDoctor]

Ah mate that’s not a problem tho time to get a new bmw f10 or something now

[@CaymanIslandsCatWalks]

112 comment here

[@bha977]

Why the mini r53 this mini never had a bmv engine until 2006 .. and was better than ever .. you are a bmw doctor talking about bmw engines please .. you won't say much at least not about the mini

[@BMWDoctor]

What are you going on about mate too right I deal in BMW That’s why there is no more mini videos the car is sold and I’m glad it gone who needs the broke mini community when you have the rich and infamous bmw community

[@stevenprosser5495]

Hate to burst your bubble but they never put a bmw engine in the mini till 2010 n18 , from 06-10 was Peugeot princess engine n14 which was absolutely crap. 00-06 r53 was Chrysler engine.

[@JordanThomasRichards]

@@BMWDoctor Oh wow fuck you very much hahaha wouldn't want any advice from some overpaid chav anyway pal.

[@Sava.S]

Worst car in terms of maintenance after 100k miles

[@1RSwim]

That’s a lie aslong as you service regularly it’s fine , I have one at 104,000 miles with no issues and immaculate engine.