My other car, a 1991 VW Cabriolet, certainly wasn't fast, but I found that after I got my MCS, I learned how to make the VW faster. Before getting my MCS, I read so much about its supercharger and how it needs to be in the powerband that I applied that knowledge to my VW. Now when I drive the old VW, I rev it much higher than I did before getting my MCS and my shift point is definitely much higher too. The result is I'm able to get much more performance out of a 12 year old car. I just wasn't getting the most out of the VW before.

Anyone else apply things they learned driving a MC or MCS to their other car?

 

Right now, my other car is an '89 Grand Marquis. There is no helping that car!

 

>>Anyone else apply things they learned driving a MC or MCS to their other car?

Unfortunately, yes. When I drive the wife's '99 Acura 3.2 tsl (4 door), I go into turns a hell of a lot quicker. This is not a good thing as it does not have my Mini's sway bar and tends to want to roll over and/or spin out. My wife has probably said, "You're not driving the Mini" about a thousand times since February. I also sold my Jeep the other week just to keep from rolling her while taking an on ramp or the like.

Ken

 

Yeah, I quit driving my other car all together.

MJ

 

Hardly, a 2500HD Chevy truck? I don't think so.

 

I agree with the many above responses, and almost wrecked a rental car when mine was in for service, WAY to used to taking corners without body roll. The nice thing is when I get the mini back after a day in a Mitsubishi Galant..ewwwwwwww being able to drive hard again is a total joy!

 

I use to drive my SUV a lot faster, now that I have the MINI i try to relax, because I know how different they handle....

 

My Jetta VR6 (now sold :smile: ) was a wallowing P I G compared to the MINI. After drivng the MINI for a long time, I got back into the Jetta, drove around and promptly entered a corner WAY too hot. Not fun when you don't have lots of extra body roll and all season tires to contend with.

 

Anytime I'm driving my wife's Protege 5 and approach freeway twisties, my wife grabs hold and warns, "Remember, we're not in the MINI!"

 

>>My Jetta VR6 (now sold :smile: ) was a wallowing P I G compared to the MINI. After drivng the MINI for a long time, I got back into the Jetta, drove around and promptly entered a corner WAY too hot. Not fun when you don't have lots of extra body roll and all season tires to contend with.

Dave-
How much difference is there in straight out speed between the VR6 and the mini?

 

I drive my MINI in the summer mostly. When I change over to my winter car, I almost roll it the first few 90 degree turns of the season! Gotta relearn how to drive!

 

Since the MINI's steering is so tight, when I drive another car, the steering feels REALLY loose. I feel like I have to turn the wheel twice as far than the MINI. Oh well, I'll just stick with the MINI then .

 

In a way it did change things for me. Once I attended driving school I found I was making mistakes. I have since corrected for that and it does
carry over to my other cars. I drive a Maxima and that is fast but can't handle corners like the MINI. You can do so much with each car and hit
it's limit. The MINI has so much capability that you really have to hold back on what it can do. If I want I can choose to go slower or faster on any
given trip in my MINI. Sometimes in my other cars I don't even bother to go faster- it's not that enjoyable.
IF you want fun then drive your MINI.

 

My sentiments follow DiD (The Scientist) in that after getting the MCS, my GTI VR6, although faster in acceleration, was the proverbial P I G when it came to maneuvering. So it was good-bye GTI. My other vehicles are classic MGs, and I just can't bring myself to thrash them anymore. They've become week-end cruisers and fun rally vehicles, while the MCS remains the Road Warrior.

 

Yes. Now I only drive my MINI!

 

No , not really. My other vehicles are an 89 toyota 4x4 pickup,a 00 4 runner,and a 1979 landcruiser.None of them handle well.I was actually frightened this morning by the amount of body roll my 4 runner has.It needs some bilsteins bad.

 

It definitely affects the other cars I drive. My other car is a '99 5.2L V8 Dakota. Helped my brother move this past weekend and drove it 1500mi. The steering is so loose and the gpm so horrible couldn't wait to get back in the MINI. On top of that, drove a 26' International Moving Van with a Manual trans., the clutch in it was so stiff that when I got back in the MINI on monday I thought I had lost the linkage in the clutch for a minute when I started it.

 

Driving my wife's Grand Cherokee feels like driving a tank. By habit I go into turns but quickly have to slow up so I don't roll it.

 

My (our - it's my wifes') car is a VW Passat VR6 Wagon. A beast of a German car that handles surprisingly well, and feels fast even though it's 0-60 time is close to 10 seconds.
To answer the question at hand... No, the MINI has not changed how I drive. I've always pretty much reamed on any car I've driven.

_________________
[img]albums/album25/ama.gif[/img]VinceAndJessica.com
Alta pulley, Stebro exhaust, Pipercross intake, Progress rear anti-sway bar.

 

Yes, carefully, very carefully

 

The biggest change I've noticed is that I keep throwing the Honda in reverse at high speed.

 

In my wife's SUV, I often find myself entering a corner too fast. It helps to drive a vehicle other than my MINI now and then so I can appreciate the limitations of other vehicles and not feel so frustrated when following some SUV pig and thinking to myself, why are these people slowing down?!!

 

My MINI is my only car right now, but I've had to drive my brother and my father's pickups since I've owned it. While I appreciate the visibility, I cannot abide by the feel. They both seemed downright unresponsive and I didn't feel very certain.

 

IN A STRAIGHT LINE

My only experience with the Jetta VR6 and the MINI was at altitude. The MINI was as quick as the Jetta in stock form. Remember the VR6 puts out 172 hp, but the Jetta VR6 also weighs 3200 lbs, vs. the MINI Cooper S at about 2750 lbs and 163 hp. The VR6 gearing was a little more favorable for 0-60 though. That said, with the intake, pulley, and exhaust, the MINI was definitely quicker.

You could easily make a Jetta 1.8T faster than the MINI in a straight line (see APR for ECU tuning, add an intake and exhaust and you're putting out some serious power). However, the dynamics of the Jetta are still massively hindered by the 500 extra pounds, the 30 extra inches in length, AND the simple torsion beam rear suspension.

At the end of the day, the MINI is the cone carver and the Jetta is still the cheapest (and best selling) european sedan on sale in the U.S. The Jetta is a nicely appointed package, but dynamically, it is lacking compared to the MINI.

Dave :smile: