I have autocrossed my S a couple of times and I have come across something strange.

I have noticed that when I trail brake into a corner is seems that the ABS & CBC are coming on. This sends a shudder thru the hole car, it also seems that the CBC is softening the braking to the other wheels. This tends to make the car run wide, and not follow the line that I am trying to take.

I always run with the DSC turned off as the DSC makes it really hard to hustle the car.

Has anyone else had the same thing happen to them?

I would like to be able to trail brake, as this will make the car rotate around the corner more quickly.

It is incredible how well this car handle in stock form. I run in STX, and the only change that I've made is to change to 205/50/15 Azenis. The S is always one of the fastest cars thru any slalom.

 

My first ABS experience was in a M-Coupe BMW and I have found that by braking in a fashon to not induce ABS is the best way to go.... That may not be easy on street tires though... you may want to try the sudden lift option instead of trail braking.... Might work better.... I will have a better idea of how the MINI ABS functions after June 1st... the next Atlanta event, and my first time in the MINI.... but not my first event...LOL... I have been at this for a "few" years.

 

This is interesting as I was having a hard time trail braking as well. Again I don't have much experience at all and am probably not doing it right anyway but.. I used to have a dodge omni, and a Mazda protege, both of thise cars required trail braking to minimize the body roll and rebound in corners. The mini does not have that problem. By the end of the day in the mini I was finding that old school hammer the brakes and then turn were working best.

Now the cool thing is that I didn't collect a cone all day in the mini. In the slalom the mini is far faster than I am.

 

Increase tire pressures in the rear to get the car to rotate. MINI ABS has EBD (electronic brake force distribution) and CBC (corner brake control) which contains other safety features other than straight ABS. The computer realizes in a panic stop 90% of drivers stand on the pedal way too hard and compensates for that (EBD). In addition, there is a cornering ABS function (CBC) that will brake the inside wheel and allow the outside to continue to roll, increasing traction.

 

I'm confused... Do you run a smaller tire as well on the 15's? This would reduce the gear ratio as well wouldn't it? It sounds like a great idea for autox. I am thinking about wheels and tires for the mini for autox and since I am not that competative, and I don't do it enough to really matter as far as class this might be an idea. Our g stock class is very competative and I like running in it, but I'm hoping to do changes to the car next year that will put me in STS anyway. What do you run?

 

I run X lites shod with 215/40 16 Hoosiers for big events and R83s with Kuhmo Ecsta Victorracers in 205/45 16s for local events. You can not mix 15 and 16 wheels on the car as no MINI came from the factory with two different size wheels. Generally in Auto-X you want a low gearing as the speeds are less than highway speeds. The MCS will fall into STX since it has forced induction so STS is out. I run in HStock and will resist the temptaion to run FSP as my finances are stretched too thin now.

 

SPRCPR,

I run the 205/50/15 in STX, as this size isn't legal in GS. I also don't want to have to run R-compound tires, as they are much more expensive than the Falkens.

The 15s do lower the overall gearing which makes the car much quicker. Because the S is geared so high this hasn't been a problem. It puts the overall gearing closer to normal.

If you are interested in improving you car control abilities, I think the Azenis on the 15's in STX is the best set-up. Because you cannot lean on the tires too hard. I see people using R-comp tires overdrive, and just rely the tires to save them.

The tires available for the 16s don't lower the gearing as much, or are not as sticky, or cost as much as R-comp tires.

Just my 2 cents.

94SwiftGT