F54 Cooper S

[Janosh]

As I've done for my previous cars, I'll be keeping an ownership diary of my F54.

Coming from a 730bhp Mustang, I started my Mini search by driving a stock F55 Cooper S... Predictably, it felt a little underwhelming.

I started searching for modified cars and also realised that I much preferred the cabin and extra space of the Clubman chassis.

Here's what I found:

2017 MINI F54 Cooper S



2.0 B48 Petrol Turbo engine
6 speed manual transmission 
Thunder Grey metallic paint
Full Black leather trim
MINI Chilli Pack
MINI extended sat nav
MINI heads up display
Reversing Camera
Reversing parking sensors
MINI excitement pack 
Harmon Kardon Audio system
Heated front seats
Royal steering wheels Alcantara trimmed wheel and gear gaitor
Cruise control 
LED headlights 
Privacy glass

Engine upgrades: 

Miltek downpipe
Forge large uprated intercooler
Forge upper resonator pipe
Forge panel air filter
JCW spark plugs
RR tune by Performance Torque to produce 297bhp / 408lb
Oil cooler/filter housing replaced with the aluminium version
Fuel tank breather valve replaced 

Suspension:

Bilstein B8 Sprint front dampers
Eibach lowering springs all round
Lemforder Top mounts and drop links

Brakes:

MINI GP3 360mm front discs
MINI GP3 calipers
HEL braided brake lines
330mm rear discs (BMW F40 M135i x drive) with matching calipers (electric parking brake as standard on Clubman)



Wheels:

Refurbished 18” MINI F54 wheels with Bridgestone Potenza tyres
12mm Motec spacers with extended bolts and extended locking wheel bolts.

Previous car thread for reference: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Janosh]

I'm finding that the power is adequate, but the handling and brakes are amazing so I don't think there's much more to modify aside from upgrading any parts that will need mileage related replacement.

Immediate minor plans include fitting a bushing kit to the gear linkage cables to help reduce some age related slop.

The OEM clutch appears to be dealing with the stage 2 power perfectly well, but I suspect that it'll need an upgrade at some point in the future.

I guess a LSD would be the obvious next big upgrade, we'll review this if she turns into a longterm keeper!

[21TonyK]

Timely post. I picked up a 2019 F54 Cooper S a couple of weeks ago. Like you say, out the box performance is... well, not performance. It goes but it's not quick. And the brakes are adequate and that's it.

But it's a very comfortable Mini. I have an R56 which is much more fun to drive but feels like it's from a different era. As does the F56 mini I had. The F54 (with its double/triple door seals etc) is a different car altogether.

Sounds like you are making yours more of a drivers car. Mine is for work and tip runs. Hopefully I'll be building something more for fun next year.

In the meantime, yours looks like best of both.

[Janosh]

First little job in my hands, I removed and cleaned the Forge panel that lives in the stock airbox.

It's about 3 years old and looked relatively clean, but a good soak in the K&N cleaner solution dislodged a bucket full of dark brown water!

It's on the drying rack now, before a light lubrication and refitting...

[WayOutWest]

Janosh said:

I'm finding that the power is adequate, but the handling and brakes are amazing so I don't think there's much more to modify aside from upgrading any parts that will need mileage related replacement.

Immediate minor plans include fitting a bushing kit to the gear linkage cables to help reduce some age related slop.

The OEM clutch appears to be dealing with the stage 2 power perfectly well, but I suspect that it'll need an upgrade at some point in the future.

I guess a LSD would be the obvious next big upgrade, we'll review this if she turns into a longterm keeper!

Quite the Q car you have there. I'm still plotting on getting a stage 1 remap for my F56 Cooper S and from what I've heard the clutch doesn't automatically get trashed overnight, although if it does go over time I think a JCW clutch can be fitted which is stronger so you don't necessarily need to go for an uprated aftermarket part.

[vimotu44]

Agree on the clutch - a healthy one should take Stage 1; the sign it’s tired is slip in the higher gears at full throttle, so check that before you map it. Before choosing a tuner, check your build date and software: MINIs with software from about late 2019 onwards have a locked ECU that needs a one-off unlock before any OBD flash tool can load a map, which changes the cost and who can do it. On an earlier car you can flash it yourself on the drive and go back to stock whenever you want. If it’s an auto, the gearbox has its own software, so ask whether the tuner covers that too. I run a tuning business, VIMOTU, so happy to answer any questions on here.

[TechnoKnows]

Speak to dervtech in Ellesmere port

[Janosh]

Thanks gents, my clutch seems surprisingly happy with the power that’s being thrown at it.. but as and when required, my research is pointing me towards the uprated SACHS JCW unit which retains a (lighter) DMF..

I’ve also started to amass some service items so I can give it a full refresh in the spring.

A fresh set of NGK 94201’s will be going in at the next service, the current set have done about 12k miles..