Countryman Cooper S Mods

[EdLeMas]

Hi all,

I am looking at starting to make some minor mods to my wife's Countryman Cooper S (2014 pre-facelift) with a view to making it a bit more fun to drive. I have bought an ITG Air Filter replacement and have had the 'Countryman' wording removed from the back.

It is a Chilli Pack car so has the 18s and runflats but the ride is very choppy / hard around town and it does tend to tramline under acceleration. Is it common for people to switch to non-runflats or are there any other mods that can soften the edges off a bit?

Have also been looking at a JCW exhaust through MINI Bristol. Do these become 'boomy' on longer motorway runs?

Thanks

Ed

[sad61t]

Changing to normal tyres is the first mod - relatively simple to achieve, and easily reversible.

If it has the sports suspension, that was just a stiffer anti-roll bar and, from what I can gather, makes the ride more unsettled as the price for flatter cornering. As I'm old enough to remember the French roll in all its soft and buttery glory, sport options are something I always check the spec sheet to avoid. Door handles are like bikers' knee pads; only useful for bragging rights at the end of the trip.

To be honest, I do not like loud exhausts (it's a four-pot, all you'll be doing is unleashing the inner Barryed Nova); I didn't even like the standard exhaust on the S Roadster I test drove.

After that, things become more expensive. Changing the springs to a more progressive spring rate, uprated dampers, etc are the normal route but you're best discussing that kind of money with others who've been there before.