The week before the ‘09 Blue Ridge Parkway Tour, my dad and I got to work installing this VIP engine stabilizer (some folk call it a damper, I calls it a stabilizer mmmhmm). Thankfully my neighbor has a large shop with all the right tools for the job, such as a 90 degree drill and the right length drill bits. Otherwise you are required to remove some suspension bits in order to drill the holes from the wheel well inwards. Adding the stabilizer has the two-fold advantage of giving the engine’s power a more direct feel (and reducing lunge) as well as protecting the weak passenger side hydraulic motor mount. I’m on currently on my second motor mount, the first started leaking badly under warranty.

I have to say I’m really impressed by the more direct feel it gives my MINI in certain situations, and the steptronic shifting actually feels quicker now as well. This mod (or one that achieves the same result) is a must for first-gen MINIs with hydraulic motor mounts.

Visit the VIP Custom Parts website.

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I’ve had this CravenSpeed supercharger pulley on the car for a couple months, and now I’m finally making a post about it! Kellen let me send him whatever design I wanted on the pulley, so I decided to go with a Tony Stewart “Smoke” logo. I think it looks great, and the extra power is pretty nice as well.

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Last week my dad and I got to work on installing an 19mm Eibach rear sway bar on the MINI. I would encourage anyone who is planning on getting an R.S.B for their MINI(and has a decent set of metric tools) to save a little dough and install it themselves. Just allow yourself plenty of time and you’ll really learn a lot about your MINI. As for how the Eibach performs? I would say when set on the stiffer of the two settings, it’s really an ideal setup! When I first installed it, I had it set on the more conservative setting, which did make it a bit more surefooted in the turns compared to stock, but there was still plenty of under-steer present. Once set on the stiffer setting, it really had me grinning. In most cases it’s now very close to a neutral handling car. On the track I’ll probably be able to apply a little trail braking without experiencing excessive snap over-steer. I imagine trail braking could get pretty scary with a 22mm or higher rear sway.

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These super sticky tires replace my BFG KDWs. The KDWs were great, especially in wet conditions but they’re a bit overpriced in my opinion. These Falken RT-615s were almost 30 dollars cheaper per tire! While my KDWs were 205/45/17, I decided to go with 215/40/17 which is a little smaller in diameter, but I don’t notice a lot of difference in acceleration or wheel-well gap. I’m now looking to get some front camber plates to reduce some of the outside edge tire wear I’ve had on my previous two sets of tires. Hopefully regular rotation and the camber plates will help these last until the Phil Wicks MINI Academy at VIR.

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..and I’m really liking the sound, it really lets the supercharger sing. Unfortunately it does now have a bit of a partial throttle lisp, but I’m able to live with it for now.  Click play below to hear a quick sound clip of my MINI’s new sound.

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The MINI’s seats are known for not being very supportive during quick cornering maneuvers. The CG-Lock is the perfect solution to our slippery seats! It locks the lap portion of the belt as tight as you can stand, and unlike a racing harness you can sit forward when you need to. I really didn’t notice how often I use my knees to brace myself until getting the CG-Lock.

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Installing this 3rd backup light was a snap, and it adds some much needed visibility when backing up (my tinted tail lights weren’t helping things.)

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Just in time for the holiday shopping season, it’s the top five MINI gifts you’ll never get!

5.) Alta Twurbo ($3,999.99)

"Featuring a Garrett GT3071R turbo, ALTA™ has created an easy bolt on turbo kit for the MINI Cooper S that will produce up to 400 horse power." (link)

4.) m7 Cosworth Stage 2 Tuning Kit ($5,999.00)

Featuring a Cosworth intake manifold, ported head, performance cam, ported and polished supercharger(just to start), m7 can turn your MINI into a true race-ready machine. Read more…

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These BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW tires replace the Dunlop run flats that came on the MINI. There’s a noticable increase in ride comfort as well as performance. Plus they look fast!

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I’ve had the Vacucam for a couple months now, but I’m still working on getting the best possible results from it. I’m using my laptop to record the video coming from it, which has both advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, I can record upwards of 12 hours straight. If I were using a camcorder to record the video I’d be swapping tapes every hour. I recorded this video on a couple backroads near the house..

MINI Runs, Mods, Videos

That’s right, my latest high-performance mod is the Snow Peak Titanium Spork. With an all titanium construction, it easily outperforms all other dinnerware. It’s ultra lightweight, yet extremly rigid, allowing you to shovel food faster and dive into that frozen ice cream sooner. Its dual action design makes forks and spoons obsolete. And remember, the less time it takes you to eat, the quicker you can get back to motoring!

Order it online now through ThinkGeek.com for $8.99 ..or through PaloUber for only $78.99.

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