Milltek Exhaust System - 175 bhp to 202 bhp!!

[ELFMAN]

Turbo'd cars can GREATLY improve with an aftermarket system.

Catalysts drain so much power.....way more than an N/A car.

I wouldn't quite hope for 25hp from a S/S system on the S, but i doubt it's as low as 10hp.

Yes, but we're presumeably talking about a Cat-back SYSTEM ONLY here - no mention of replacement High Flow Cat/Manifold/Downpipe etc, so they're not changing the Catalyst in this instance. I reckon my Playmini SYSTEM was worth about 8-10bhp, and I picked up some more from the Manifold & Sports Cat. I reckon even standard exhaust systems on 'performance' cars are pretty efficient these days, so you're not going to get huge gains as you did in the 'Olden Days'. Anybody remember swapping their 'peashooter' classic Mini exhaust for an LCB manifold and RC 40 system? Nope? Thought not........

[drb5374]

Fraid not fella.

If you read the PDF at the start of the thread, it states the entire exhaust from turbo back has been replaced, including a high flow sports cat. Ok no manifold, but i wouldn't have expected much more power from changing that....mainly just better(if properly built) driveability.

[Big Gordy]

Anybody remember swapping their 'peashooter' classic Mini exhaust for an LCB manifold and RC 40 system? Nope? Thought not........

Over here...........the old guy way at the back waving.....I was that soldier:o also fitted twin 1-1/4" SU's at the same time..almost doubled the bhp of the standard set-up

[AndyP & Lenore]

Fraid not fella.

If you read the PDF at the start of the thread, it states the entire exhaust from turbo back has been replaced, including a high flow sports cat. Ok no manifold, but i wouldn't have expected much more power from changing that....mainly just better(if properly built) driveability.

The R56 Cooper S has a Manocat, so the catalyst is actually part of the Manifold. I don't think it's possible to replace the manifold. You can replace a small pipe that goes from the engine block to the top of the manocat (as fitted in the R56 JCW upgrade), but the manifold effectively is the cat as well. That's my understanding from looking at the car and speaking with a local exhaust technician.

A.

[drb5374]

Hairy muff Andy, but going by this.... http://www.millteksport.com/exhaust....?variantid=221 it sounds like the cat is in the downpipe....like quite a few turbo'd cars, although yes there are with "extra" cats in the manifold/pre-turbo.


I'm sure we'd know for sure if you had a wee quick gander around that area?...just to be sure.

[ELFMAN]

Fraid not fella.

If you read the PDF at the start of the thread, it states the entire exhaust from turbo back has been replaced, including a high flow sports cat. Ok no manifold, but i wouldn't have expected much more power from changing that....mainly just better(if properly built) driveability.

Sorry, I didn't read the pdf, just the posts and nobody mentioned a Cat-Swap! I still think 25bhp is optimistic without a remap on the Turbo S. Check MOREGO'S power outputs WITH a Remap and with an exhaust. (I think it's 216bhp with both fitted, but I can't be sure). I don't think any of these claims are taking into acount that the R56 is producing more than 175 bhp to start with.

In all cases, if you take it that the standard car is putting out over its 'insurance-friendly' quote, say about 190 in real life, then if it's now making 202bhp with the Milltek, that's more like 12bhp. Still a very decent gain, and it'll sound great I'd expect, but not the gain advertised. Any of the recent road tests of the R56 in standard form against other 'hot hatches' seem to have it punching well above the '175' it's supposed to have, so it seems to be fitter than BMW are letting on. It IS VERY torquey though.........

My Playmini Manifold/Sports Cat certainly made/makes a difference to my old R53. It hangs on in there and pulls right to the redline, whereas before it didn't quite have that 'oomph' at the top end. I noticed this especially in its previous 'non-JCW' incarnation. The manifold on the R56 was a notorious 'bottleneck' as far as getting the gasses out, which is why I changed it. Maybe the R56 is different. I've just learned through experience not to believe big, easy exhaust or intake power gain claims!

Gordy - Ahhhhhhh, the memories. Remember your Werther's Originals on the next run!

[drb5374]

Agreed. :)

I think the gain from exhaust and remap, will be more-so the exhaust.

[AndyP & Lenore]

Disagreed.:)

I think the gain from the exhaust and the re-map will be more so the re-map.

A.

[drb5374]

Lol but it's already pretty much proven it's just the exhaust comparing the Milltek and MOREGO's figures.


....unless of course you get the boost upped with the remap, but there's nothing to support the tuners having done that.

[AndyP & Lenore]

Hairy muff Andy, but going by this.... http://www.millteksport.com/exhaust....?variantid=221 it sounds like the cat is in the downpipe....like quite a few turbo'd cars, although yes there are with "extra" cats in the manifold/pre-turbo.


I'm sure we'd know for sure if you had a wee quick gander around that area?...just to be sure.

I'm pretty sure that's right mate. The cat is in the manifold downpipe.

.......I don't think any of these claims are taking into acount that the R56 is producing more than 175 bhp to start with.........

I think this is it in a nutshell. It's all down to marketing. For MINI they put a car out there which has a decent stated BHP figure that keeps the majority of their customers happy, but is also reasonable to insure. For the aftermarket tuners, they take a car which has "175bhp" and stick an exhaust on and dyno the car and find it's putting out over 200 bhp. They probably did dyno the car before the exhaust was fitted, but are choosing not to share that figure with us (the public) because it actually dyno'd (unmodified) at 190 bhp - ish. To tell us their exhaust gives the car an extra 24 bhp is a far better phrase than saying it gives the car an extra 10bhp. It's a fine line between marketing and lying. All IMHO.

A.