Crap :( I had this huge thing typed out and lost it all, so I'll try again here

I apologize and I'm sure I'm beating a dead horse with my questions (and my first post). I did a search and it answered a lot of them, but not all, and you guys seem pretty cool so hopefully you don't mind.

My background: I currently drive a '97 Jeep Cherokee. It's great for MN winters, but quite the thirsty beast on gas. I also have a '78 MGB for summer, which is quite fun. I enjoy shifting and how it sticks in the corners much like how I imagine a Cooper does. Now I'm thinking about getting my first "real" car (read: payments for the first time, but nicer!) and was thinking with gas @ 3.50+/gallon I should look for something that gets a bit better gas mileage. I'd never really considered a Cooper before because although I heard they were a blast to drive I never thought I'd fit in one (I'm 6' 3" and 210, but my MG oddly enough has as much/more legroom then my Jeep...). Well I finally sat in one and seem to fit pretty well! Cool!

So, on to my beating-a-dead-horse questions:

I do about 50/50 city/hwy driving, about 30 miles a day (possibly much less in the future if I find a closer gym...) and don't see myself doing any rally-crossing or anything (never say never though!).

What is the real-world MPG difference on a '03-'04 manual cooper vs. a cooper S in relation to a 50/50 split on driving? Quite noticeable or not very (opinions are great!)

With gas @ 3.50+/gallon (more in other places I'm sure) do you guys still believe the "fun factor" of the S outweighs the MPG of the normal Cooper?

If I'm not going to be rally-crossing or anything, just driving around, is the extra power/torque of the S useful in day-to-day driving? Of course I AM a 26 year old guy, and tend to try and whip my MG around corners ect as fast as I can at times...

And finally, can an "S" model approach the MPG of a normal Cooper if driver with an emphasis on efficiency? Basically if I slow down and try for high MPG, can an "S" get close to a normal Cooper? Or is always a decent amount lower?

Anyway, thanks to anyone that can answer some of my questions, I spent quite a few hours last night going through threads here and it looks like a great place, I'm happy I found it! I'm sure you'll be hearing lots of my soon!

 

If you look at the new sticker MPG ratings, they are very close. In real world, I think they are alittle further apart, but not too much. I drive probably 90% city and still avg. 24 mpg. I drive kinda hard also . And yes. if you drive normally, short shift, coast to stops, you can get very good intown mileage. I personally think it's nicer to have the advantage of the "S" performance when you want to play than not. That's my .02

 

In my area and where I drive to work, there's not too many stretches where the added power of the S would be needed. I drive a lot of back roads that twist a bit. Most of my 14 mile (one way) trip to work is spent at 40-55mph. There's a few places toward the end where it goes into city-style driving. With my DDM intake and Borla cat back, I get an average of 30.1mpg( ), Granted, the car is never beaten (for long), I buy only good gas, and just added RedLine's fuel treatment. That alone took me from 27.1 to 30.1 in a few days.

 

my OBC shows consistent 29.5 to 31mpg.

 

In the real world the biggest impact on MPG is how you drive. I can get 27 MPG in my MCS but mostly get 25 because of the fun.

You can have a lot of fun in a Cooper but the extra HP in an S is worth the extra cost of gas.

I'm a former MGB owner and you have not seen anything yet if you have not driven an MCS. The fun factor is much higher in the MINI.

 

I'm curious as how this thing really works. Does it magically create a 2 gallons of gas in your tank?? There is no way an additive can increase mpg without changing the the AF ratios (leaning the mixture out) which is bad for the car.

 

Yeah there is. This stuff is potent. It cleans the system from the pump forward removing any small deposits which build up in injectors, lines, the pump, the rail, everywhere. Gas can be super dirty sometimes. I got a bad batch a few weeks ago and decided to try something to bring the life back into the car. Believe me, I never bought into it, either. But, I followed the advice of a friend and when I had the chance to get it cheap, I tried it. Guess what. It works.

 

ummm I still don't get it. Even if your system is dirty, you're still getting the same amount of the fuel into the cylinders since it's the computer that determines the mixture. If it was to change with your magical mixture it would be the other way around. Since you system became cleaner it should be pumping more gas to the cylinders thus higher consumption and lower MPGs. But since this logic is not the case per my computer comment then we still don't have the "magic mixture" logic explained. Oh, and BTW how much did you pay for this thing and how much of it do you use per tank of gas?

 

I'm actually still an MGB owner (though it's been in storage for a long time), but I have to disagree with you. My MGB has a higher fun factor than the Mini. More raw, basic, and funky. More soul!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

 

I paid $3 for it and I used the whole bottle in 1 shot, as directed. I don't know how to explain it anymore. I sell auto parts and have a clear understanding of what is BS and what isn't. I didn't believe it either until my bad batch of gas a few weeks ago. A friend said try it and if it doesn't work, than I'm only out a few dollars. And still, there are plenty of ways to pick up MPG without ECU tweaks. Ever use a K&N? I also had a Borla installed and picked up maybe 1-2 mpg there, too. It's called restriction, just like with the fuel. There's less of it, therefore the engine does not work as hard to propel the car down the road, therefore, mileage increases slightly.

 

I used to untill I found a study that proved that while you're getting more air, you're also getting more crap into your engine that gets past the "oily filter".

 

I still won't go back to a paper filter because I've never had an issue with ones I've used and I can't count how many I've sold and never had any issues with customers coming back.

 

Hi Omega...your daily drive is the same as mine...50/50 and 32 miles here...my recently purchased '05 Cooper, Feb this year, gets about 34 consistent,...sometimes more...[thats actual calculations, not using the OBC]...a recent trip to the Dragon, 800 miles round trip, returned 37.5 for an average.....so these cars will save you gas money.
For myself, the Cooper is more than enuf to have fun with...sure, the S is a fast fun ride, but I believe you'd find the base Cooper all you'd want, maybe should say need.
As you may have found out on this board,...the 05 and 06 models seem to be the most sought after.
Any way you go,.....S or base, 05/06, or any other year you can get a deal on,....I feel sure you'll enjoy the car....I've had older British cars too,....and theres no comparison in quality, comfort, features, reliabilility, etc...

So buy one and enjoy..

Steve

 

here is one link I found quickly however it's not the one i was refering to, but pretty much gives the same conclusion.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest1.htm
On top of that, the guy actually checked how much the flow is improved and it shows marginal increase.

Of course your customers won't come in and ***** about the filter since it's not the filter that people usually suspect when something happens. Also, it's not like your engine will explode in 1000 miles if you put high flowing air filter. This stuff accumulates over time and is one of the reasons you may have dirty valves (thus needing fuel system cleaner) and contaminants in the oil.

 

As regards the MC vs. MCS argument;horsepower is like guns and money....it's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

 

Drive both and decide for yourself. They are both really nice cars, both have their pros and cons. The 'S' is fun, but so is the Cooper. The Cooper is cheaper to run, maintain, and for my insurance co...to insure also. The 'S' has a bit more 'WOW' factor when you need it...plus the supercharger sounds cool! You gotta see for yourself though, and get what makes you happy.

I have had two MGBs, what was the company who wired them...oh yeah, Lucas, prince of darkness. Just joshing with ya...still have a '65 Midget in the garage. They each have their own uniqueness to them-they are fun in different ways.

 

Hey guys, thanks for all the helpful info, it's greatly appreciated! For you guys saying you're getting about 25 mpg in your MC S's, is that mostly city, hard driving? Or your overall mixed economy? Also I noticed you said your getting about 30 kenchan, is that mostly highway? I just have a feeling I'd enjoy the "S" more overall, but if the normal Cooper averages 10+ more MPG, with current gas prices it'd become more of a toss up...(although I say that NOW before I've driven the S I suppose)

Back to the dealer this weekend...!