For more than 20 years, SneedSpeed has built and optimized MINI Cooper and BMW engines for street, track, and endurance racing. The shop has earned international recognition for expertise in Prince engines (N14/N18), R53 supercharged platforms, and BMW N54/N55 powerplants, along with reinforce …

Your MINI’s cylinder head fasteners are essential to sealing combustion pressure and keeping oil and coolant separate. When OEM bolts lose tension, you may experience: Blown or leaking head gasket Coolant pressurization White smoke from the exhaust Misfires at high boost Repeated head gasket …

Not all cylinder head stud kits are created equal. When choosing a kit for your MINI, it’s important to focus on tensile strength, precise fitment, and heat tolerance. Factory head bolts on R55–R59 N14/N18 engines can stretch under boost, causing leaks, head lift, and repeated gasket fai …

The N14 and N18 turbocharged engines powering the R55–R59 MINI Cooper S and JCW models are known for both performance and head-gasket issues under high boost. The factory torque-to-yield head bolts can stretch and lose clamping force, allowing combustion gases or coolant to leak. The SneedSpee …

Upgrading to the SneedSpeed Cylinder Head Stud Kit isn’t just about preventing gasket failure—it enhances your engine’s entire performance envelope. By keeping the head perfectly sealed, combustion efficiency improves, turbo response sharpens, and detonation risk is reduced. Each s …

The MINI R56 N18 engine (2011–2015) introduced several refinements over the earlier N14, including improved efficiency and a redesigned cylinder head. However, one weakness persisted: the plastic valve cover. Over time, heat and crankcase pressure distort the cover, leading to oil leaks, PCV f …