New 2023 SE Owner

  • Thread starter Thread starter SJA
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Tommm said:
BMW 17MM head is about 85 ft lbs, Porsche 19MM is 104 if i recall correctly. Someone once told me that there are standards for the bolt.
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Not just head size, also shear rating, thread pitch, hardness, length. Generally, lug bolts are torqued more snugly than lug nuts. Also, too many well-meaning mechanics (both shadetree as well as “licensed”) lubricate the threads to prevent corrosion, and this significantly alters the torque setting.
 
If you're looking for suspension, I can recommend the ST XA coilovers. Allows you to dial in both your preferred ride height and damping. I found them to be very comfortable while also handling great. I have a very lightly used set available since I sold my SE. If anyone's interested, please PM me.

For tires, I went with Firestone Firehawk Indy 500. They worked great for the short time that I had them on the car. The range probably took a little bit of a hit, but I never really measured it.

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I had some time to finally add a few items today. I will hopefully install the black waistline tomorrow as it got delivered yesterday. It has been raining so much in SoCal the car is in need of a good detail. Waiting for window tint also until after all the rain.

Mini OEM stubby antenna, smoked lower fog lights, mini cooper license plate frame and ordered my custom vanity plate.

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SJA said:
I had some time to finally add a few items today. I will hopefully install the black waistline tomorrow as it got delivered yesterday. It has been raining so much in SoCal the car is in need of a good detail. Waiting for window tint also until after all the rain.

Mini OEM stubby antenna, smoked lower fog lights, mini cooper license plate frame and ordered my custom vanity plate.

D8-DF125-F-ACC3-4-AC7-BD51-32340-AECB9-EE.jpg


B42-D106-D-6551-4-B1-A-8058-671218-CF742-C.jpg
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Nice! Did you get the OEM waistline or are you using the black tape? I have the tape on mine and it's okay, the chrome still peeks through a bit... would really like the OEM black waistline but $600 for 5-6 pieces of plastic is the only thing I can't quite justify. Tempting though LOL.
 
David Comstock said:
Nice! Did you get the OEM waistline or are you using the black tape? I have the tape on mine and it's okay, the chrome still peeks through a bit... would really like the OEM black waistline but $600 for 5-6 pieces of plastic is the only thing I can't quite justify. Tempting though LOL.
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I found the OEM waistline online through a Mini Parts Site for about $540 shipped. Install seems pretty straight forward after watching some YouTube videos. I asked the dealer when I bought the car, they wanted $650 plus tax.
 
I know zero about this and shouldn't add,...but, somewhere I have read about lowering EVs may be a problem combined with the weight of the batteries. Anyone?
 
Pennyworth said:
I know zero about this and shouldn't add,...but, somewhere I have read about lowering EVs may be a problem combined with the weight of the batteries. Anyone?
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The batteries in an EV are under the car so if you run over something, you run a chance of damaging the battery which may lead to a fire. If the car has been lowered, it may increase the chance of damage from running over something. If you put coilovers on the car that aren't designed for the weight of the car, you will get poor results. A heavier car than expected will mean there will be more suspension travel and thus, get lower than desired when you hit a bump in the road.

The Mini batteries are protected with a foam covering and the front has a steel bar that protects the leading edge. Also, the ST and KW coilovers are "TUV" approved which is an approval process in Europe that basically means the car is still safe after the aftermarket parts have been installed. Eibach and H&R have lowering springs that are also TUV approved. These have been designed and tested by these companies for the SE.

I trust the TUV approval process as it is much more rigorous than what the US has and I trust BMW engineers being able to design the needed protections for the battery. BMW also has been selling the i3 for about a decade so they have lots of practice on protecting the batteries.
 
David Comstock said:
Nice! Did you get the OEM waistline or are you using the black tape? I have the tape on mine and it's okay, the chrome still peeks through a bit... would really like the OEM black waistline but $600 for 5-6 pieces of plastic is the only thing I can't quite justify. Tempting though LOL.
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The $600 goes towards a properly designed part with OEM fit and finish, ease of install, and won't have random chrome bits showing. It is also 8 pieces if I remember right. Not saying it's cheap, but just pointing out what you're getting for the money...
 
I understand that. But let’s admit that it is overpriced for what it is! I bet that the factories in Shenzhen churning out all the other repro MINI parts could make a perfect replica of this kit and turn a profit at under $100 plus shipping.
 
SJA said:
I will hopefully install the black waistline tomorrow as it got delivered yesterday.
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Is the OEM black waistline piano black. I've read that that colour easily collects fingerprints.

Does installation of PPF (full body) interfere with the waistline? (Eg, should the waistline be installed before PPF?)
 
Qisl said:
Is the OEM black waistline piano black. I've read that that colour easily collects fingerprints.

Does installation of PPF (full body) interfere with the waistline? (Eg, should the waistline be installed before PPF?)
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it is gloss black, as for install the chrome one pops/pulls off and the new one goes on. As for PPF if you’re doing full car they should remove it anyways so the seam is underneath the waistline trim.

Here is a YouTube video showing removal and install.

 
David Comstock said:
What's funny is I asked my MA and he said it wasn't possible to swap out... so weird how experiences differ from dealer to dealer
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I believe that when MINI installs the black beltline trim at the incoming port, they just throw the old trim away. So it's technically not a swap, just an add-on with additional installation expenses.
 
JonR said:
The batteries in an EV are under the car so if you run over something, you run a chance of damaging the battery which may lead to a fire. If the car has been lowered, it may increase the chance of damage from running over something. If you put coilovers on the car that aren't designed for the weight of the car, you will get poor results. A heavier car than expected will mean there will be more suspension travel and thus, get lower than desired when you hit a bump in the road.

The Mini batteries are protected with a foam covering and the front has a steel bar that protects the leading edge. Also, the ST and KW coilovers are "TUV" approved which is an approval process in Europe that basically means the car is still safe after the aftermarket parts have been installed. Eibach and H&R have lowering springs that are also TUV approved. These have been designed and tested by these companies for the SE.

I trust the TUV approval process as it is much more rigorous than what the US has and I trust BMW engineers being able to design the needed protections for the battery. BMW also has been selling the i3 for about a decade so they have lots of practice on protecting the batteries.
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TUV is a German process not a European process. Any car modified in Germany has to use TUV approved parts and then the entire vehicle has to be TUV approved before the owner is allowed to drive and insure it.
 
I have 16" Hankooks on my SE. I find them great for everything except autocross. This seems a common take on them. Not many people seem to love pirellis. I've not heard much about the goodyears.
Tyres sold in Europe (and UK) have tyre labels.
These giving a rating for rolling resistance, wet grip and noise. All the stock Mini tyres are A rated for rolling resistance. If your tyre candidate is sold in Europe, look for it's tyre label.
Most of the really fun tyres, like Michelin PS4, have very high rolling resistance.
 
Tommm said:
BMW 17MM head is about 85 ft lbs, Porsche 19MM is 104 if i recall correctly. Someone once told me that there are standards for the bolt.
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M12 bolt 88ftlbs
M14 bolt is 101-104ftlbs

Porsche is anywhere between 94-130 depending on wheel size, bolt or stud, brake type, model of car etc

center lock is 443ft lbs updated again. Tighten, back off, tighten , back off and tighten. I have a 6ft torque wrench just for them
 
One would think that aircraft mechanics have some fancy hydraulic torque wrench for landing gear wheel nuts, but they don’t, they also just use a BFTW.
 
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