Topic: New Mini Cooper

[tpl]

A 300 bhp new mini would do to modern tires what a 150 bhp old mini did to mid '60s tires.... that would be fun.

[Wolfe]

Isn't there an option that you can get that moves the speedo from the center to steering colum?

I believe that's the result of ordering the MC or MCS with the navi-system.

There are two option packages in which the centre speedo moves to the steering column. The Chrono package puts some other gages in place of the centre speedo.

From Mini.ca

"Cockpit Chrono Package     $450
Includes: Cockpit Chrono Package, (Speedometer moves to steering column), On-Board Computer."

"Navigation Package     $2,900
Includes: On-Board Computer, MINI On-Board Navigation, Canada-US Navigation DVD. (Speedometer moves to steering column)."

I seldom use the big center speedo in my 2006 MCS.  I use the small digital speedo in the tach, which is mounted on the steering column

84im after having owned the Mini for a while now would you prefer to have a "normal" dial speedo on the steering column?

[The Mighty Duck]

A 300 bhp new mini would do to modern tires what a 150 bhp old mini did to mid '60s tires.... that would be fun.

Top Gear did a test of a few different Minis...  one of them was a 275bhp aftermarket mod job.  They came away saying the car simply could not handle the power - it just got silly.  The Cooper Works package and a couple others they tested put out 200-210bhp, and they thought that that was just right.  And in a car the size of the Mini, I think they'd be right.

[mdxtasy]

275hp in a FWD Mini....that would be a tough little thing to handle.

[84im]

The problem with the speedo and tach on the steering column is the top of the steering wheel blocks the top of the gauges.  The most common performance upgrades for the MCS is a 15% supercharger pulley, cold air intake and cat back exhaust system.  This inexpensive (relatively speaking) combo will bump the hp up to around 190/195 hp.  If I didn't have the monster.........

[84im]

How about a 307 hp Mini?
http://www.worldcarfans.com/rsslink.cfm/article/1060331.001/mini/wcf-test-drive-bbr-mini-cooper-s-300t

[tpl]

A quote from that link

The Mini is, aerodynamically speaking, a housebrick. When a car is this square it takes a heap of extra power to lift the terminal velocity, and Brodie’s boys deserve more than a pat on the back for squeezing 160mph, just 40 less than a Ferrai Enzo, from a shopping wagon that carves the air like a nailfile cuts sheet steel.



it may be a brick and its   Cd may be high, but its frontal area is small so the actual drag is not bad.

[jww]

How about this for increased hp in a mini?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO-JBU-9178

[a4_tom]

Anything over 250hp is too much for FWD.

[jww]

Anything over 250hp is too much for FWD.

And without a good torque management system, I would argue that even 200hp could be too much.

[safristi]

  ....

[von_khan]

A quote from that link

The Mini is, aerodynamically speaking, a housebrick. When a car is this square it takes a heap of extra power to lift the terminal velocity, and Brodie’s boys deserve more than a pat on the back for squeezing 160mph, just 40 less than a Ferrai Enzo, from a shopping wagon that carves the air like a nailfile cuts sheet steel.

 

[a4_tom]

And without a good torque management system, I would argue that even 200hp could be too much.

My best experience with high hp FWD has to be TL.

[tpl]

And What about the Oldsmobile Toronado.... 427 cu inches and fwd with 1960's tires   barrie will know how many foot tons of torque that had and I bet it was more than 200 bhp even converted to the new ways of measuring.  I wonder if it even had an LSD... although 1960's clutch pack LSDs might be more trouble that they are worth on fwd.

really the Toro was just a 6 seater mini...

[Wolfe]

I really, really hope they don't put iDrive in the Mini or at least limit it to an optional package.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/08/30/mini-cooper-to-get-idrive/

[safristi]

shouldn't it NOW be the MIDI COOPER?..it DWARF's the old one just JEFFSTING
 Jesting 

[Snowman]

Anything over 250hp is too much for FWD.

And without a good torque management system, I would argue that even 200hp could be too much.

  And defeats the purpose of having high HP. ECU HP retardation is not cool.

[tpl]

and I've spent all these years learning how to control cars that skate sideways across the raod every time you floor the pedal on a wet road.... oh well. 

[Fyrstorm]

Probably old news but thought I'd post it anyway, was on Sympatico's homepage today:

http://news.en.autos.sympatico.msn.ca/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1231167

New MINI Gets Beefed Up Bodykit by John Cooper Works
It’s Got the Look, But No Extra Heat
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Canadian Auto Press
It may only be a couple of months since the official announcement of the second-generation "Mk.II" New MINI, but it’s ramping up to be one of this year’s biggest launches. It may look the same, but the new car is fundamentally different, with the book on its powertrain, suspension, and interior re-written.

Under the hood are new engines mated to new gearboxes, while the suspension has been tweaked to be suppler over bumps and the steering rack lightened for easier in-town driving.
And the interior? The circular-themed cabin has received a massive boost in quality through more expensive materials and a larger selection of fabrics and accent trim. It may not surprise you to find that the motoring press who have driven the new MINI have once again fallen head over heels in love with the little British minicar, but what might surprise you is that it’s already been subject to modifications.

As with before, the MINI will be sold in a variety of trim levels, ranging from the base One (not sold in North America), to the Cooper (our base), to the go-fast Cooper S. But for all those that deem the Cooper S insufficiently quick, there have been delays with some of the tuners. Unlike the current first-generation car, which was tuned by dozens upon dozens of companies (Hartge, Digitec, BRM, etc.), the new S with its 1.6-litre inline-four boosted by a dual-scroll turbocharger has proven to be difficult to crack. It appears that BMW and the engine’s co-developers PSA Peugeot-Citroen didn’t want too many people tinkering around with the turbines, so they’ve basically kept the ECU under lock and key. Even officially, though, this new setup has proven to be tedious for those developing it. Insiders say that the official John Cooper garage is having to go through quite an ordeal in order to work around the much more complex engine. An official hopped-up car won’t be ready until 2008, but when it arrives it should be capable of producing more power.

In the meantime, BMW has released a set of non-performance upgrades for the new MINIs, done by the original MINI tuner John Cooper Works. The red car with the black and white stripes you see in these photos isn’t the S Works model, even if the license plate says "W10 RKS", but rather, it’s just an S model with a new body kit. On the list of visual upgrades are new wheels, a roof-mounted aluminum and carbon fibre spoiler, a new front valance with larger integrated foglamps, a deeper chin spoiler and a rear bumper that incorporates a mock diffuser. There’s also a couple of little trinkets, including carbon fibre effect finish for the side-view mirrors, turbocharger intake and rear hatchback. The muscle to back up these beefed up appearances might not have yet arrived, but as a starting point the Cooper S Works sure looks the business.
Pricing for the new MINI has yet to be announced in North America, but when it arrives in the first quarter of 2007, the base Cooper should start at roughly $25,000.