AXC offers the full line of products from this fine vendor, Craven Speed. If there is something they have that you want not seen on AXC please email Dustin for special pricing.
UTI Plates to Protect the MINI from Mushrooming
The newest and least expensive solution to the MINI mushrooming epidemic. This 1/8 inch thick milled steel plate that can be mounted with the strut dropped but not completely removed. Plated to protect from weathering.
The plates have a milled finish. That means they have scratches on the surface from the manufacturing process, the plating does not hide these, please realize that the plates will not be visible after install. Not making them “Blingy” saves YOU CASH!
$74.95 + $12.00 Shipping
STD's (Strut Tower Defenders)
Infectious G Spots
Whether you are competing at an autocross or driving on a Sunday afternoon your MINI is at risk. Unless you already have some STD's, you ought to catch a few just to be safe. Because around every corner, in the very depths of every pothole, and the pinnacle of every bump G forces lie in wait. The occasional G may seem harmless by itself, but at times there may be several lurking in one rut and once they have done their damage to the sheet metal atop your tightly sprung strut towers, it will be difficult to resume normal activity.
Mushrooming
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but you may not be able to detect the mushroomed strut towers if you looked at a thousand photos. Less than one inch of tower deformation can be extremely detrimental to your MINI's alignment. This has been a common issue that MINI owners have had to face. It is a compromise in the design of the vehicle, where the tight springs allow for the griptastic handling that we love on the twisties, but are the main reason that our MINI's have a unique disposition for sheet metal deformation.
STD’s (Strut Tower Defenders)
Craven Speed STD's are a preventative measure. Instead of suffering the consequences of a lack of protection, using STD's to your advantage will strengthen your MINI's strut towers before deformation can occur. By sandwiching the sheet metal between the strut and our 1/2 inch thick aircraft aluminum plate, it is strengthened ten-fold. STD's come in pairs, one for the right tower and one for the left.
Craven Speed STD's retain a 1/2 inch thickness throughout ensuring that there are no weak spots. Installation is easy, using the included instructions, it will take about 10 minutes to ensure that you do not have to go through a lengthy and expensive alignment repair. You do not need to lift the car, and the only tool needed is a torque wrench.
Craven Speed STD's are available for both the 2002-2006 (R50/52/53) MINI in both black and red. The pair comes with custom made, 14mm, bolt adapters. These adapters are necessary to allow installation of such a thick plate without weakening the piece at the attachment points.
Part# CR-MC-0040 (R50/52/53 STD)
Craven Strut Tower Defenders
$137.95 + $15.00 Shipping
Return Of The CAI
Continuous Improvement
The new Craven Speed Cold Air Intake works on the same principals as our first intake for the MINI R53. In fact, the overall design has changed very little. At Craven Speed we recognize that nothing is ever perfect, and we make revisions and improvements to parts with each run. We would never sell something that did not function properly, but that doesn't mean it cannot be improved. Most revisions are so minor that we may be the only ones who notice. For instance, we added a second setscrew to our gauge cups to give a better balance of force so the gauge seats right on center. We made our stubby antennae work on both generations of MINI with a new tapping process. Point is, we are the kind of people who see something for what it could be instead of what it is, so we always work to make it better. In this case we made our cold air intake for the R53 MINI, Much Better.
Original Design (was great)
One of the best ways to get some more power out of your R53 MINI's engine is to increase the volume of cold air available to the engine. The Craven Speed Cold Air Intake allows massive amounts of cold air to get to our custom Unifilter lifelong foam filter. By sealing off air from the engine bay and opening the big filter to the cowl duct by the windshield, the engine has access to the cold air it needs to perform at its best.
The engine performs better because of the high density of cold air as opposed to the heated air near the firing engine. Offering cold air is a kin to offering more air since more molecules are present in a given volume. This all leads to better explosions inside the engine and more explosiveness off the line.
The Unifilter foam filter breaths much better than the stock paper filter, and it never needs to be replaced, saving you money. All you need to do is rinse it with mineral spirits and spray it with filter oil in order to keep it flowing at its best. Keeping the filter clean is essential to performance of any foam filter. That is why we have made a smoked polycarbonate top for our air box. Just open the hood and take a glance at the filter and you'll know if it is time for a rinse.
New Design (undeniably better)
The major change is in material. Our original box was cut from .05 inch thick stainless steel and it was heavy and expensive. It was brought to our attention that while stainless steel is great because of its corrosion resistance, aluminum has a better insulative capacity, is lighter, less expensive, and can be made equally resistant to corrosion quite easily. That is why we can now offer an intake which weighs a total of only 3.43 lbs. Compared with our steel version at 6.2 lbs and the stock setup above 4.5 lbs. We have had them hit with a special powder coat process that maximizes surface area to aid in insulation while providing corrosion resistance.
The other changes are small improvements in usability. We had relied on hood pressure to keep the polycarbonate top in place, but this did not always work perfectly on track day. The tops now come ready to be secured in the box, as well as scratch free with protective film in place. Customers also desired to have the battery terminal secured more tightly. So the terminal is now clamped in place to avoid any rattles.
So, we have made some improvements to the design, and managed to improve the price at the same time, who does that?
Craven CAI
$277.95 + $15.00 Shipping
Oil Catch Can
Out of Thin Air
Craven Speed's Oil Catch Can is a cool place for vapors to condense. If they didn't cool into liquid form in the catch can the next spot for them to appear is in your intercooler. This mixture of oil, moisture and blow-by gas causes carbon and sludge build-up in the intake system and engine. In order to keep them clean and functioning efficiently even under the hardest driving conditions. Note you can add a petcock valve to the lower can plate and run a hose down secured with zip ties and easily drain with oil changes and not need to remove the can.
Function Dictates Form
An oil catch tank is also an excellent engine dress up item that will give your car a racing image. Many of these cans use a small tube where you can check the level of liquid that had condensed in the can. Since an overflow would be extremely detrimental to the proper function of your engine, we machined an entirely clear catch canister. That way you can quickly determine if it is time to drain it.
Craven Speed Oil Catch Can has billet 6061 alum top and bottom, machined all over. The body is acrylic with a stainless steel connecting rod. The end caps use an o-ring for a complete seal. Over all size is 3 inch dia. x 4 inch length. There is a drain plug on the bottom for easy cleaning, you can also take the entire assembly apart if you wish. Weight is about 1 lb.
Applications
This Clear Catch Can is designed to fir a supercharged MINI without any modification or additional hose. It includes instructions on installation for this application. An experienced owner would be able to install the catch can for almost any desired application. A generic mounting bracket in included, but extra hose may be necessary for alternative applications.
Craven Oil Catch Can
$133.95 + $10.00 Shipping