Hello from germany

I did not know that there are so many Cooper S and JCW Minis in North America!!!

... and i have a quastion: How do you enjoy the potential of your cars concerning top speed?

As i remember when i was in California, Nevada and Arizona the speed lemits are very restrictive..

Best regards

Christian

 

US speed limits aren't like they are in Germany, but they aren't as bad as they used to be. California now has 70 (112km/h) as the max on several freeways, 65 (105) is more common. That's up from 55 (90). Just because that's the limit, doesn't mean the traffic's actually going that fast. Typical speeds are 10-20mph above that.

I don't expect to ever find the top speed of the MINIs on public roads here. Montana used to have no set limit, just "reasonable and prudent", but that was ruled not clear enough. I might be able to get close during speed week on the Bonneville salt flats, but the fastest you can go legally is on the racetrack. Even then you don't go that fast, the straights just aren't long enough. The fastest I've done is about 103 (165), and think that may get up to 113 (180) with the JCW.

That contrasts with Germany where we were cruising about 180 (ie 110mph) in a Cooper-S when the speed limits and traffic allowed.

 

i have but only because the top speed my R50 (with the CVT of doom) tops out at 95.

Speaking of Montana, i lived out there for a short time about 2 years ago. The fastest speed limit you'll find out there is 75 on the freeway. (i have gotten a speeding ticket on the freeway there however, wouldn't recommend it.)

 

+1 for the Autobahn! I own a US spec 2010 MCS and its a blast to drive on the bahn. Its going to be hard going back to the US in a couple years knowing I'll never drive at the speeds I do in Germany.

 

Wilkommen Christian!

I bought my 06 MCS in Germany and raised her on the lovely German roads. I also had her tuned while living over there and had the ECU restrictions lifted. Coming back to the USA was a bummer when it comes to driving. People here really don't know how to drive and don't respect the rules of the road. Still, I have a lot of fun putting her through her paces when I can.

I still miss Germany and hope to get back there someday.

 

You have a restrictor plate on your MINI? Having owned 3 R50s, I can tell you that you should be getting a higher top end than that.

Back on topic, I spent 7 years in Germany. While we have nothing that can compare to the Autobahns, if you pick the right time and place, you can enjoy your MINIs top end here in the States.

 

Having spent 7 years in Germany, you then know that the asphalt that they use on their B roads is a higher grade than we use here on our highways and recommending that people can safely go out and run their cars at high speeds in the USA is foolish.

I remember getting an e-mail from the Polizei telling us to use caution in a construction area and follow the speed limit because they were using "American" grade asphalt. I got a laugh out of that one.

If you want to top your cars out, hit the track, not the highway.

 

Come on..... it's not like we're top ending at 180 MPH like some of the German Autobahn Cruisers. And Howard is the weather up there on your high horse?

 

Our tollways around Austin are 75 and 80, I go 90+ daily and seems like there is plenty more I could go, just want to get better tires.....prefer a track to really see what top end speed is, much safer that way.

 

The weather is great, thank you.

The roads in the USA suck and to be brutally honest, even the speed limit in many areas is dangerous. Seeing that you live in MD, you should know this.

My point is that it is not the same and not OK to do this. If you want to find out what your cars top speed is here in the USA, take it to the track.

My MINI has been on both Hockenheim Ring and Nurburging as well as unrestricted sections of the Autobahn and there is nothing even close to any of those quality of roads here. It is dangerous....

 

Oh.. we were only talking about Maryland?

And Maryland has some of the best roads of the 43 States I've been to. Population and traffic volume is our problem.

As I said... time and place.

 

You just made my point. MD has crap roads, so what does that say for the rest?

Whatever dude.... Your comment is wrong and you know it, quit trying to defend it.

 

Not sure where in MD you are driving but I find 90% of the roads in MD to be just fine. Traffic is our issue, not the condition of the roads. Get out more, you'll see. And travel the US, you'll see by comparison our roads are pretty damn good.

The only thing I know is you have a holier than thou attitude.

 

Jerr-ry! Jerr-ry!

 

Telling someone that if they want to see how fast their MINI can go to take it to the track is holier than thou? Really? Last I checked, it was called law abiding! Your flippant disregard for laws and forum rules is holier than thou.

As for getting out and traveling, I do and have most of my life including Germany, Italy, Romania, and most of the USA. Even Italy uses a better grade of asphalt than we do which is designed to allow higher speeds.

I have to swerve around 10 - 15 potholes that would easily knock my alignment just to get to work in my area tells me all I need to know about our roads. They suck!

The point is that it is NOT ok to run your MINI at high speeds just because there is no traffic on the road. You want to do this, find a track. My point has been made. Enjoy the thread.

 

You think that's all you said ?

Again, you're basing your judgment of MD roads on your tiny little corner of the State. And that's not the main point here, let's not get distracted.

Your assertion that the asphalt on American roads means a car can't be driven at high end speeds that MINIs are capable of is ridiculous.

And I would not advocate driving over the speed limits in 95% of the situations a typical driver finds themself in. But in the right time and the right place, if you want to open it up, I believe it is very safe to do so.

I am enjoying the thread ! Immensely !!

 

Ps. I guess driving cars on tracks at high speeds is without risk. Wonder why mine and most other insurance companies have exclusions in our policies for driving on tracks.

 

In Germany we have a serious difference between Autobahn-surfaces in eastern and western germany.

The former German Democratic Republic (east) has the far better Autobahnen because they were all build from new in the 90ies. In the former Federal Republic of Germany (west) we are living on construction-traffic jams.

..... but if you are at the right place at the right time you can run on fullspeed for hours. (e.g last weekend on sunday morning between Berlin and Hannover, "A2") >> average 115mph for 2 hours.......

(Mini Cooper R56 130hp tuning)

 

the "restrictor plate" is the CVT itself. it's useful "gearing" range sucks the engine definitively has it in it to keep going if i could get around to doing a getrag swap.

 

Interesting, I've had two R-50s with the CVT (2006s) and one with the manual (2005) and I have experienced very little difference in their top end speeds.

 

The highest limit in the US currently is 75mph (121kph that is functionally closer to due to flow of traffic 80-85mph, or 129-137kph) which most highways in TX have been raised to in areas between cities. However we will soon have an 85mph limit (137kph that will likely have traffic cruising around 90-95mph, 145-153kph) on a toll road being built that runs between Austin and San Antonio that should be open before the end of the year.

 

I agree with daflake that finding the top speed of the MINI on US public roads, no matter the time and place, is not a great idea. If you get caught at those kinds of speeds, you're gettin cuffed. Not to mention the danger it poses to others on public roads. The place for those kinds of speeds is a track.


Don't get me wrong, I speed frequently. But never get close to hitting the 140+mph top speed of the R56 MCS.



I remember an episode of Top Gear where they went to America on a road that everybody told them was so great. The road was awesome but since there was a 30mph speed limit they could not exceed this on TV, so they all thought the road sucked. My point is, you can't FULLY enjoy roads in the US without breaking the law to some extent. Most people exceed the speed limit at some time or another, but theres a difference between going 10-20mph or even 30mph above the limit and hitting the top speed of 140+.

The good thing about our MINI's is that you can enjoy the car at any speed IMO as long as there are twistys

 

i was under the assumption that they had switched to the geared automatics in 05 due to the number of failing CVT's

 

No, but I believe the 05 and 06 CVTs are improved, I don't believe there have been nearly as many failures with those as the 02-04s. We still have one of the 06 CVT R50s and it has 76,000 miles and still going strong. Of course, my other half drives that one and she never, ever used it in its manual mode.

 

As a RN who has worked both Trauma and ED I just don't understand the need for high speeds on American roadways. Our roads are in poor condition, the building of them goes to the lowest bidder, our drivers are not by any means competent as a whole, there are drunk drivers, distracted drivers,and wildlife. What happens to the human body at high speeds is horrible. I have seen drivers killed not because they were a poor driver, but because they were at such a high speed they did not have time to correct for the kid who swerved into their lane and because of the high speed all parties died. Take the high speeds off the public roads and onto the track. And yes I rather do enjoy the air up here on my high horse.