LOL....nice hat

 

S&CLC^^^^Looks very, very nice. Don't you just hate to have to get it dirty again.

They put down my gravel base today for my asphalt. Tomorrow going do the actual asphalt. Having a section off the driveway to my 25X30 metal carport asphalted plus inside the carport. Not a garage but a nice big clean place to keep the Mini and my Harley (in the trailer).
Can't wait to get 'er done.

 

Installed the sway bar today. Pretty easy, took me about 3 hours including my sandwich break and figuring out how to jack up the rear while leaving the jack stand pad open.

Didn't need a spring compressor or any special tools. Did it by myself, without any help too.

Hardest part was re-aligning the subframe, so I used the jack to install the top strut bolts to take some of the weight off the sub frame, then I used my breaker bar/pry bar and my cordless impact with a socket to line up and insert the bolts into the subframe. After that it was pretty easy.

Initial impressions, pretty awesome. I put it on the outside (softer) hole and took it for a quick ride and I could feel the difference in the corner stiffness.

Got my OBDII/iPad cable and tried to get it hooked up, unfortunately none of the features I wanted (dyno, speed, MAF, etc.) are working. I'll have to look into this some more to see if it works; if not I'm sending it back.

I've also been trying to re-install INPA/NCSexpert with my new Amazon cable. At least the old cable would give me the black circles in INPA, this one doesn't.

 

Congrats on the RSB. I didn't do the job myself, but caught the tail end of the job and remember him putting parts of the frame back together. I think I remember a gas tank issue, too?

Are you considering the middle setting? I don't know what the softer setting feels like, but I like the middle setting and haven't moved it since it went in this past March.

 

I bought the Eibach bar, which only has two holes. They are pretty close together, and while I can't find any official information, I would like to think they just neglected to put a 'soft' hole on the bar, and wend with 'medium' and 'stiff' instead.

My iPad OBD cable sucks, it keeps dropping the connection, and the $50 app that is supposed to give me all kinds of cool features doesn't work because it can't read the sensors on the mini. Sending back the cable and trying to get a refund for the app.

 

Installed new control arm bushings, ball joints and waiting for a right side drive axle to show up and I hopefully will be back on the road. It was time after 244,000 miles. Keep on motoring!

 

Wow!!!!! That's quite some mileage. Hope I get that much out of mine.

 

IE Fixed plates - awesome!!! That's right three exclaimation points.

Bit of a pain in the *** getting the struts back in the steering knuckle but what a difference.

Rides better and the turn in/grip oh the turn in and grip - I now have confidence.

Yay!

 

just got done installing all of my vinyl wrapped parts on the car ... DEATH THE CHROME !!

 

Pics pics pics

 

will do tomorrow once i finish the belt trim and attempt the door handles ... needs a wash then a nice photo shoot.

 

Experienced understeer? for the first time today, driving with the newly installed sway bar! Scary!

Long, wide, sweeping curve on ramp at 72-ish mph, let off the gas to slow down, and I could feel the rear start to come loose. Remembered reading the forum, got back on the gas, and it straightened right out.

Definitely a difference in the way it handles! NOT going to the full stiff setting anytime soon!

 

Installed yellow LEDs in my side markers so they are now completely clear. Clear(ish) bulb in my clear side marker. I just need to get into the headlights and change the front turn signals now.

 

You mean OVERsteer! Fun, ain't it?

 

I have the same opinion of mine. I've had 'em for almost a year.
*MUCH* better than the stock strut mounts!

C ya,
Dutch

 

Actually, IIRC, what you're describing is oversteer--the back end started to slide toward the outside of the turn.

Understeer is when the car's front end starts to slide toward the outside of the turn, and is often called "plowing".

I can't wait to get a bigger rear bar for mine, to go with the IE fixed camber plates I installed last April or thereabouts to replace my dying strut mounts (AZ and rubber don't get along).

Budgets....

C ya,
Dutch

 

Understeer = Front end hits guardrail.

Oversteer = Rear end hits guardrail.

 

You got some pics of that 244000mi car? Your gallery is empty!

I got some nice controlled over-steer getting groceries the other day. A little flick, cold damp roads and weeee!! I find this JCW much more tail happy especially lift-off throttle over-steer compared to my previous justa-Cooper. Not sure if it is the winter tire setup, sports suspension or what.

 

Not a big fan of the Countryman but this looks good.

 

Like the strips with the color and the wheels go very good with the overall theme.

 

Not much to see, the old girl is rough. We live down two dirt roads so keeping it clean went right out the window when we moved our here. Wife uses it like a small SUV. We haven't done anything special to her, pretty much stock. Got a dent in the front front a deer (didn't get to eat it, ran away) and a scrap in the side from a gate closing on her. Just got the rear end fixed from an accident, got rear ended. Still runs like a champ though. Looking at buying when the 2013 s's come out.

 

Dropped off Smacky at my usual car audio installer for a not-so-major upgrade

 

...and others...

Thanks, that's funny, I like your explanation. It definitely would have been the rear-end hitting the concrete wall. Scary, puckering, butterflying, exciting, and envigorating all at the same time.

Next $$$ mod: driving course. haha

Next $ mod: removing and painting the hood scoop, mirrors and grille surround with plastidip. Possible home-depot grille mod, depending on the weather and weekend plans. The mirrors are 'wicked' easy to remove with the finger method. Glad I read up on that one.

 

I love pulling u-turns in empty roads with my car ever since I installed my RSB Yank hard and keep the throttle on

 

I love leaving POSs in the DUST on Cloverleaf OnRamps!!