http://www.motoringfun.com/2006/09/ Is probably a video thats been posted before of some guy running the Dragon in a Mini,I've ran the Dragon many times in and on many machines but never in a machine where there was no need to shift gears,even the automatic i once used could be heard shifting all through the run,As i dont have a Mini yet i was wondering what it is about this Mini that makes the guy in the video run the whole Dragon without shifting gears

 

2nd Gear in the 2005 and later Mini's is pretty long. Sounds like he shifted into 2nd, and stayed there. I do exactly the same thing when I autocross. I get into 2nd, and never need to go into 3rd.

 

I agree with the above. I have probably done the part in the video w/o leaving second. Along the lake, on the straights, I shift into 3rd, maybe 4th.

 

If that's representative of the Dragon, I'm not impressed.

Try CA 78 from Ramona to the Anzo Borrego desert. Then you have some curves.

 

On the R50 version of the MINI you could get a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) instead of the regular automatic. These types of transmissions do not have "gears" they just seamlessly change though an infinite number of gear ratios within the RPM range. One of my friends as one, it is interesting, I don't know if I would like it on my car or not though.

The R56 does not have this as an option.

Now, having said that, the MINI in this video is a Cooper S,and the S was not available with the CVT. So I would agree with Gromit801, you can hear the shift at the beginning and then stayed in 2nd the whole time.

If you want to know more about how a CVT works then here is a link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continu...e_transmission

 

whats his RPM range Im sure he was hanging around 5-6.5K

 

I believe the speed limit on the Dragon is 20 mph, as I recall. They have also stepped up police patrols on it. The video does not appear that he is tearing up the Dragon. Staying in 2nd for the entire trip is not so unusual to me.

 

With the added torque from the JCW (plus some stuff), I do it mostly in third gear. 2nd gear is for shedding rubber and attracting cops.