I have my MINI (MCS) for over a month now. I am new to driving stick so haven't been able to explore lot of capabilities yet and being under break-in period does not help either

So, I have been taking it out on the freeway last couple of nights and discovered what makes others look like when driving. There is lot of power and torque even going in 6th and there is no need to downshift to pass someone. The only observation that concerned me that there was body sway around 80 mph which was not very bad as being unstable, but I haven't experienced it before in my other car (Honda Accord Sedan). Maybe because it is small and light, sits higher from the ground, has a higher drag.... I don't know. Has anyone else experienced this or it is just me.

Other than that I just love how this thing drives.... Only if I could stop stalling It really sucks all fun out of my drive. I avoid revving the car during launches and try launching around 1K rpm. Sometimes I even do no-gas launches which makes me happy but when I miscalculate the biting point of clutch I stall. So, what is your favourite strategy to do a successful launch.

 

Use more gas. Not ALOT more, just more. You definitely need to get it off idle speed if you want to go somewhere. Don't be afraid of the gas. If you start to light up the front tires, use less gas.

 

No sway except in extreme cross wind. even at highly illegal speeds.

my favorite strategy to do a successful launch is rev to 1500rpm and let out the clutch slowly. the clutch doesn't engage until the pedal is nearly at the top of the travel so I have lots of time to ponder if I need to adjust the throttle or not (.5seconds :D )

 

Push in the sport button too, that will help alot when launching.

 

I am pretty much sure there was no extreme cross wind last night. I don't know if I should take it to the dealer Maybe I was imagining things as it was very late in the night.

 

i would wait to see if it occurs on a different stretch of freeway. just to make sure it wasn't the road causing it. also do you have LSD? with lsd when you take your foot off the throttle while turning (even a little bit) it will cause the car to move slightly off the original intended course. the opposite will happen when you get back on the thottle.

 

I live in Monterey Park I can teach you how to drive stick but in your car.

 

I have the LSD, I guess you have a point there. I will take it on different routes and see what is going on. Just the excuse I needed to drive it more

 

Thanks so much for your offer I guess that would have to wait till I break-in the car

BTW are you coming to MTTS, maybe you can show me few pointers.

 

yeah... the biggest thing is letting go of your clutch slowly... while keeping your rpm at a constant 1.5k...

the sport button will def help keep your rev up but if you are learning stick for the first time, dont learn how to launch half the time with sport button on and the other half with it off... the opened throttle makes a noticible difference in rpm climbs. even after having learned how to drive stick only 4 months ago... i nearly stall the engine when sport mode is off cuz im just not used to it. go sport button

 

Your MINI should be rock solid at speeds well above 80. It really isn't a light vehicle. The 08 Accord is 700lbs heavier, but also 45 inches longer.

Check it out on a different section of road. We get a lot of truck grooves in the summer here. Hot asphalt and heavy loads can leave ruts in even the best highways.

I don't like driving cars with automatics. I turn when I want, I shift when I want.

 

Certain tire treads will cause tramlining on some kinds of road surfaces -- especially concrete with grooves going in the same direction as you are driving. The effect is that the car feels like it is shifting from side-to-side.

Other than very occasional tramlining, my R56 MCS is very stable at 80 (this seems to be flow of traffic on some California freeways). It feels so solid, I have found myself accidentally going 90 when there is no other traffic around to gauge speed against.

Even if you've driven stick for years, it can sometimes be difficult to adapt to the different engagement points of the clutch and engine torque of a new car. I had that trouble going from a 1980 VW Rabbit that engaged late, and had some low-end torque, to a 1990 Integra that engaged early and didn't have much low-end torque. My suggestion is to find an empty parking lot or a very quiet road and practice starts until you have it down. I spent a lot of time an a speed-bumped dead-end private road with my first car. This was a great help when normal driving consisted of rush-hour on Sunset Blvd. in West Los Angeles.

 

You mean tramline, Robin?

 

I've only experienced instability which could be called sway once in a MINI. It was an 07 MC I hired in the UK. It happened in a strong crosswind while doing a calimed 90 or so. I did wonder if that was because that MINI didn't have sport suspension like our others do. The road surface was smooth, so it wasn't tramlining.

 

Uh, I guess tramlining is what I meant.