With an award-winning customized Volkswagen Golf heading out to pasture, Melissa Spiering had her sights set on a new 2006 Mini Cooper. Since Spiering is a serious car enthusiast, there was no way she was going to just rush over to the local Mini dealer and pick from whatever they had available. After carefully researching and selecting all the features and options, she ordered her Mini Cooper S. While patiently waiting several months for the Mini to be built and delivered, she began to purchase accessories for customization.
Mini-MiteOnce in Spiering's hands, the Mini madness began. Three months later and this Cooper S has already racked up a lengthy list of modifications. Its Astro Black exterior was augmented with a carbon-fiber-trimmed hood intake and the addition of 17" Konig wheels (the Helium Bronze model) wrapped in Kumho rubber. All of the extraneous chrome was replaced with black paint, and the chrome beltline was covered with a deep red hue. Spiering has several more goodies, including a Magnaflow exhaust, waiting for the chance to be installed.
The factory speakers up front...
The factory speakers up front were replaced with JL Audio XR525-CSi's, powered by a 4-channel MTX Thunder 5604.
Inside, Spiering wanted subtle modifications, in keeping with the stealth-inspired exterior. The Mini designers did such a great job with the interior that she didn't want to take away from their visual perfection with unneeded changes. Since she planned to upgrade the OEM audio, Spiering ordered the Mini with the base level audio system, adding only the navigation package and iPod connectivity.
While the OEM audio system was pleasing to the eye, it was definitely unpleasing to Spiering's ears - in fact, within weeks of ownership she managed to blow the tweeter in the passenger door. Starting with the front doors, the Mini's 5 1/4" component speakers were replaced with JL Audio's Evolution XR525-CSi separates that dropped into the factory mounting locations without any major modifications. The Evolution XR crossovers were compact enough to conveniently fit between the interior door panel and the sheet metal of the door, keeping them dry and out of harm's way. Looking at the finished product, it'd be impossible to tell that anything was amiss with the factory speakers.