So a friend of mine just bought a Ford Mustang with the 8-cyl 5.0 manual transmission and has been shouting his mouth off saying that he can be my Cooper any day. Mmmm... Challenge (almost) Accepted!!!

Here's what I want to know first:

1. Check my sig for specs on my Mini, then tell me whether you think I can beat him in let's say a quarter mile run. I have yoko s.drive tires.
2. I'm thinking that I'd take out all the unnecessary weight in my Mini, choose manual transmission mode (to keep the R's as high as possible and drive the turbo as hard as possible), start in 1st gear, and put DTC on to allow more power to the wheels without loosing traction. Comments on setup?
3. Don't know if I should just floor it off the line or aggressively apply the peddle until it's all the way floored.

Any other tips for beating this guy? We'll be at a local track I'm sure so it will be as safe as possible...

thanks!

 

The new 5.0s are pretty darn quick. Even with the weight advantage you have, you might still be in trouble.

 

MINIs are not drag cars. I would drag race him. Road course or AutoX heck yeah. Twisties are where the MINI shines.

From mustangcult.com
"2011 Mustang GT 0-60 and 1/4 Mile

• 0-60 mph: 4.4 sec
• 1/4 mile: 12.7 sec at 111.3 mph"

from insideline.com
Track Test Results Acceleration, 0-30 mph (sec.)2.1 0-45 mph (sec.)3.4 0-60 mph (sec.)4.8 0-60 with 1 foot of rollout (sec.)4.5 0-75 mph (sec.)7.0 1/4-mile (sec. @ mph)13.0 @110.6
Test Driver Ratings & Comments Acceleration comments - Leave the line best at about 2,700 rpm with minimal wheelspin. Great shifter and engine sound. Easy to launch consistently, but not always quickly (5.1 to 60 easy, 4.9 not easy) barely makes quarter in 4th gear.



From MINI USA for a 2011 MCCSA
0-60 7.1sec
1/4 miles 15.3

 

Bad news, friend, but the new 5.0 Mustangs, in competent hands will run very low 13s (or high 12s in even more competent hands) all day and all night... They are quick. And rather tasty.

 

I'd say he'd struggle to keep sight of you on a roadcourse. 1/4 mile will be his, without breaking a sweat. Plus his car will probably spend less time in the shop. Sorry, but it's true... That said, I've owned both (both older generations than the cars you two own, however). The MINI is hands down a more fun, more satisfying, and more quality feeling machine. Plus a guy driving a MINI (at least in my circle) tends to be a lot more secure then a Mustang owner. I know that doesn't mean much when it comes to racing, but he's the one running his mouth, not you. That says something in my book.

 

Roadcourse?

MotorTrend had a Mustang GT and a BMW M3 running neck n' neck on a race track with a pro driver behind the wheel.

If I were the OP I'd stay away from messin' with those new Stangs anywhere but an AutoX course.

 

Yeah, sorry, but you'd get smoked. Autocross is really the only real place where you'd have any apparent advantage.

 

Don't even bother racing him, it wouldn't be much of a race. Even if you don't believe the quarter mile times posted as they are sometimes exaggerated, you can't beat physics. The 2011 Mustang has 412 HP and weights 3605 lbs. A 2011 MINI Cooper S has 181 HP and weights 2668 lbs. That 8.75 lbs/HP for the Mustang and 14.74 lbs/HP for the MINI, even if you have a GP or a Works car and your in 220 hp area you still have ~ 12 lbs/HP. The Mustang has a significant HP/weight advantage so forget about beating one in a drag race. Take him to an autocross course or a tight race track you might beat him but I've heard the new m Mustangs really handle great.

 

That was my impression based on my experiance with older models of similar vintage. I should not have spoken on something I have no up to date knowledge.

At the end of the day, he wrote a check for that car. It's not like he built it himself. I don't see much to brag about just because I can go out and buy (or worse, finance) something better (by his definition: faster) than someone else. Let him have that victory.

 

You could do an endurance race: Each one of you puts $5 of gas into their car, and then see how far you can go.

 

race the stang in the rain. Rear wheel drive loses traction. otherwise you will get your butt spanked. He will win hands down. .

 

Don I have to agree this won't be much of a drag race. A stock 5.0 Mustang is faster then a stock Mini Cooper S.

 

Yup, MINI's aren't drag racers.

 

Read the October car and driver. A article on the best handling car in America under 40000. Mustang gt was included as well as a mini JCW. Mustang destroyed the JCW in everyway, road course time, brakeing, just in every single category the mustang beat the JCW Now I love my MCS .. An I'd still pick it over a stang. But dad gum those mustangs are nice.

 

I had a '87 5.0 Merc. Capri, long gone but now own a '03 MCS with 190 whp.
Must admit to the 5.0 scaring the hell out of me at times but I did have some help from Ford Motorsport, Edelbrock and Holley.

I'm sure the 2000 + Stang can smoke yur Mini! Not wanting to start a flare-up of Nam'ers but any stock Mini won't smoke many in a 1/4 mile run!
Not even mine!!!!

 

wouldn't even be close. The stang will leave you in the dust in pretty much any type of race.

 

You will get smoked.

No offense to the OP, but "mine is faster than yours", "mine is bigger than yours" or whatever arguments are pretty childish and pointless don't you think? There is always going to be someone richer and thinner than you right? Or in this case, someone is probably going to have a faster car than you on a drag strip.

I would still go to the track and make it clear to your friend that you are going to loose, but you want to have fun.

 

I know it's not a 2011 Mustang 5.0, but I had a 2010 Mustang GT for a little over a year and got out of it two months ago to get back into a Mini CMS.

Mustang was fast and all that, but had no "soul". Not to mention the gas mileage issue, + higher insurance costs on the Mustang, etc. And the fact that I don't see a CMS every minute I'm on the road is worth it by itself...

 

The carbon fiber stripes will not help.

 

I would race. Who gives a ****. If you lose everyone will look at him like he is a douche because who really races against a car that is over twice as powerful as their competition. If you win(which sadly you will not) then hell you beat a Mustang and that will make him look like a bigger douche because he got smoked by a slower car. Meh its not really worth it because Mustangs suck *** and so do their drivers.

 

They add 10 hp - at least.

 

What this guy said.

You're probably gonna lose, because, science. However, maybe he's a sh*t driver and you'll get lucky somehow and win or come close. It'll probably be fun either way. Just go into it knowing the MINI is not a drag car. FWD, not geared for it, and the power to weight ratio doesn't touch a big V8 like that.

I test drove a 2008 Mustang GT. Not the same thing, but I chose my R50 over it. It's a big pig, and the interior felt like a Kia. Sure it's faster in a straight line, but BFD. Apparently the 2011 can hang with the Germans around a road course now which is awesome. I still wouldn't buy one unless I could keep my MINI, too.

More to a good, fun car than quarter mile and lap times.

 

Gee folks - not so sure an Autocross course would level the playing field. I had the pleasure of watching Mark Daddio get used to his new 'stang this season, and when it went to Lincoln for the Nationals it was damned quick.

Of course F Stock is supposed to be faster than D Stock - no surprise there.

Craig Wilcox combined both courses for a total of 136.282 in the Mini.
Mark's total was 135.044 in the Mustang.

Closer than one might think though...

Cheers,

Charlie

 

To be honest the 2011 6 cylinder stings are nothing to mess with. Prior to the engine change I would race the 6 cylinder stings all day long. Not any more

 

I had a kid in an A4 pull beside me on the Expressway one afternoon - revving the engine and pointing forward with a big grin on his face. I think his tongue was even hanging out... I waved him on so he could continue to go play with himself. The MINI wasn't meant to race in a straight line.

Now if he tried that on my favorite twisty... He'd have grown smaller in my rear view.

Don't sweat the Mustang - bragging about it beating a MINI in a quarter is like bragging that the sun will rise in the morning.