Making Your MINI Cooper More Responsive

In an earlier section of this book, we suggested that you could enhance the performance of your MINI Cooper by making a few changes to the engine, upgrading the air intake, supercharger, ECU, and exhaust. We think that any MINI Cooper on the street can benefit from the added horsepower and more satisfying engine response that these upgrades will supply.
In this chapter, we’re assuming that as you try out the various driving activities available to MINI Cooper enthusiasts—touring and rallying, track days, or autocross—that you will start to think about making some additional improvements to your MINI Cooper. As your driving skills increase, you’ll discover some limits to the street-stock car that can easily be addressed with readily available substitute parts and accessories.
Let’s consider them in the order that we think makes sense. As you take a more active interest in your driving, and become more conscious of the car’s behavior, you’ll be ready to appreciate more responsiveness. Responsiveness is found in the feeling when you step on the brakes, shift gears, and accelerate. There are some really great ways you can improve that behavior.