Generation 1 FAQ’s
Q. Do I need to fit an intercooler if I have a 17% reduced supercharger pulley?
A. Yes, we find that the air intake temperatures get very high with the standard intercooler. As well as making the MINI's engine running safer, a quality aftermarket intercooler will also allow you to use all of your MINI’s potential right the way through the rev range as the ECU will not pull the power back due to overheating.
Q. Which compound of brake pads do you recommend?
A. We sell a wide range of options when it comes to brake pads, but we tend to prefer the M1144 compound from Mintex. We run them in all of our road cars as they give an incredibly good bite from cold and also perform well when they get hotter. That said, we strongly urge all customers to contact the Lohen team to discuss how you use your car, as what suits one may not be suitable for another. We'll take the time to listen to your needs and recommend a pad to suit from there.
Q. Where should I start when modifying my MINI?
A. We would always recommend addressing the chassis before upping the engine power; aftermarket brakes and suspension completely transform the way your MINI drives. However, when it comes to the R53, a reduced supercharger pulley is high up on the list due to the relatively small cost for such a large gain. You just can’t beat that supercharger whine!
Q. How much power will my car make with a remap?
A. We offer a few options for mapping your gen 1 MINI. If you drive a gen 1 MINI One D then we have a Superchips remap that helps to increase throttle response and delivers up to 20 bhp and 39 Nm of torque. For those of you who drive a Gen 1 MINI Cooper S or GP1 then we offer an engine tuning package that offers a completely custom tuning option and can be mapped to your personal requirements. We recommend talking to one of our sales team if you are unsure or want more advice about mapping your gen 1 MINI.
Q. Which spark plugs should I use for my R53?
A. Lohen recommends using the Denso Iridium spark plugs for your generation 1 MINI. Using these will help to improve all aspects of performance from, acceleration and throttle response to idle stability and milage which is thanks to them having the worlds smallest 0.4mm iridium centre electrode. These are colder uprated spark plugs and are perfect for the MINI R50, R52 and R53.
Q. Supercharger pulley’s - what they do and what other modifications do I need?
A. Both CravenSpeed and Alta offer 15% and 17% supercharger pulley’s and they are designed to decrease rotational inertia of the supercharger and increase boost. The 15% reduced pulley is a popular option that produces a smooth, safe power increase of between 15-17 bhp. This size is most suited to those MINI owners that don't want to invest in a performance intercooler or continually track their MINIs with a stock engine. The 17% reduction builds boost at lower RPM giving even more power when it's needed, this supercharger pulley is better suited to those MINI owners that want more power for occasional short bursts, however, if you are choosing this size then we recommend fitting an uprated intercooler to your R53 to accommodate for the increased temperatures.
