SneedSpeed R53 SR71 Coated & Ported Race Header with Test Pipe

The SneedSpeed SR71 Race Header was developed for the R52/R53 MINI Cooper S and JCW equipped with the W11 supercharged engine. It is designed to improve exhaust flow, help control engine-bay heat, and support testing and competition-focused W11 builds.

This version includes a straight-through test pipe and does not contain a catalytic converter.

TESTING AND COMPETITION USE ONLY: This product is not street legal and must not be installed on or used with any vehicle driven on public roads. It is intended only for testing, development, and closed-course competition use where legally permitted.

Like most SneedSpeed parts, the idea is simple: remove unnecessary restrictions and build something we would actually run on our own race cars.

Why We Built It

On the W11, getting exhaust out of the engine efficiently is just as important as getting air into it. Restrictions and poor transitions can create turbulence and backpressure, while the exhaust manifold puts significant heat into an already crowded R53 engine bay.

The SR71 Race Header addresses both.

We port the header to clean up the exhaust path and improve transitions through the system. Better transitions help create smoother exhaust flow with less unnecessary restriction.

We then apply our SR71 thermal coating to help retain exhaust heat inside the header instead of allowing as much of it to radiate into the surrounding engine compartment.

The included test pipe eliminates the catalytic converter from the system, creating a more direct exhaust path for dedicated testing and competition vehicles.

Ported for Better Exhaust Flow

Every SR71 Race Header is ported to improve transitions through the exhaust path and reduce unnecessary restriction.

This becomes increasingly important as the W11 is modified. A smaller supercharger pulley, intake, camshaft, cylinder-head work, increased boost, and other performance modifications all increase the amount of air moving through the engine.

Getting that air into the engine is only half the equation. You still have to get the exhaust out.

The SR71 Race Header gives the W11 a less-restrictive exhaust path designed for modified, tested, and competition-driven cars.

SR71 Thermal Coating

Heat management matters on an R53, especially during extended testing or competition use.

The W11 places the exhaust manifold at the back of an already tightly packaged engine compartment. Our SR71 thermal coating helps reduce radiant heat from the header and retain more exhaust energy inside the exhaust system.

That means less heat being transferred into the surrounding engine bay and nearby components during sustained hard use.

Test Pipe Included — No Catalytic Converter

This version of the SR71 Race Header includes a straight-through test pipe and does not include a catalytic converter.

The test-pipe configuration removes the catalytic converter from the exhaust path and is intended exclusively for testing, development, and closed-course competition vehicles.

This product is not intended for installation on any vehicle registered, licensed, or operated on public roads.

What You Get

• Ported race header for improved exhaust flow

• SR71 thermal coating to help reduce radiant engine-bay heat

• Straight-through test pipe

• No catalytic converter

• Designed specifically for the W11 1.6L supercharged engine

• Direct-fit replacement for the factory exhaust manifold

• More aggressive exhaust note

• Suitable for modified and competition-built W11 engines

• Intended exclusively for testing and closed-course competition use

Fitment

Designed for:

• 2002–2006 MINI Cooper S R53

• 2005–2008 MINI Cooper S Convertible R52

• John Cooper Works models equipped with the W11 1.6L supercharged engine

This header is designed specifically for W11 supercharged Cooper S and JCW applications.

It is not intended for naturally aspirated MINI models equipped with the W10 engine.

Important Testing and Competition Use Notice

This product is not street legal and must not be used on public roads.

This header does not include a catalytic converter. It is intended exclusively for testing, development, and closed-course competition vehicles that are not registered, licensed, or operated on public roads.

Removing, disabling, or replacing emissions-control equipment may violate federal, state, or local law. The purchaser is solely responsible for determining whether the purchase, installation, and use of this product comply with all applicable laws and regulations.

Do not install or use this product on any vehicle operated on a public street, road, or highway.

The SneedSpeed Approach

We’ve been building, developing, and racing MINIs for more than 20 years. That experience shapes how we develop our parts.

We don’t believe every performance part needs to be complicated, and we don’t add features just so there is something else to advertise.

With the SR71 Race Header, we focused on what matters on a competition W11:

Better flow. Better heat control. A less-restrictive exhaust path.

It’s the same approach we use with our engines and powertrain components: identify the weaknesses in the factory design, improve the areas that matter, and build parts for how these cars are actually used.

Built from Racing. Proven by Results.

If we wouldn’t run it, we don’t sell it.