Is it crazy to think of tracking my 2016 S all4, MT?
it seems to me like it will be a blast. Car has WMW 10mm spacers and rear NM sway bar, but otherwise stock.
What would be the bare minimum upgrades to have some fun at the track? Brake pads, sticky tires, upgraded brake fluid/trans fluid? Anything else mandatory?

 

Reduce weight because the car is heavy, clutch probably needs upgrading too.

 

pads will get you by for a few events

once you get faster you'll learn what limp modes are and it'll take some money thrown at it to get it to do more than 15 minutes on track

 

I should have mentioned I've done some tracking before including a Bondurant course - just not with this car. So my question is what will it take for car to be safe and reliable, for maybe a few hpde per year at most.

 

Fun fact: The R60 Cooper is actually race legal for the SCCA B-Spec series, now!

I think the R60 could do fine on track with a few things. With some suspension work, it's basically a smaller-than-a-Golf hatchback.

I would think if you did the stuff on your list, it will get you on track and having fun and you may figure out if the weak link is brakes or cooling or suspension, etc.

Let us know how it goes! Love to see unexpected cars on track!

 

OK, HPDE is next weekend and light mods are officially done.
Rear sway, spacers, new hi perf brake pads, hi perf brake fluid, new Pirelli Cinturato tires, and a piggyback ECU flash.
This car is tenacious. The power is surprisingly good, not from a stop but once the car is rolling, and the cornering ability for a stock vehicle is remarkable! The rear sway renders the car really neutral and predictable..... My buddy who is a die hard Subie guy with a modded WRX, as well as an F10 M5, was blown away this evening.
Can't wait to get to get out on the track next week.

 

After you blow through the pirellis, you can get some decent non run flat summer tires (extra wheels?) and REALLY see how it corners.

 

You can track an R60. Here's a friend of mine doing it: He's done 5 track days, if I remember correctly.
This is a stock car (FWD S) besides fitting 225/50r17 Michelin PS4S tires on the stock 17x7 rims. (The first 4 track days were on the stock tires! The PS4S tires dropped his lap times by 8 seconds for the 5th day, these tires are fantastic and make a huge difference.).
The R60 has bigger brakes than the R56 so he has been fine for 4 track days on stock pads. (though aftermarket would be more ideal)
I also sometimes wonder if the bigger grill helps with cooling on the R60.

 

Is the piggyback ECU a JB+?
For track put the piggyback on low, also put in a 1/3 tank of 100 octane on top of 91 or 93 if you're going to use the JB+, to bring up your octane above 95.
Let us know how it goes. I'm curious for my friend whether a JB+ or NM module on low can add a few hp (maybe 15?) for his track days without blowing up his engine. haha

 

It's the NM power module and it makes a difference for sure.. The hgh perf EBC brake pads make a noticeable difference in grab as well. Pirelli P7s feel great, non RFT ultra high perf summer, maybe not as good as PS4s but pretty darn nice. I'm very excited. Like I said, my friend who is die hard WRX was blown away.
You might also recommend the NM rear sway if he hasn't done it yet. That was the single best upgrade I've made. Huge difference in responsiveness.

 

Awesome, as someone mentioned above, I also like seeing different cars on track instead of the usual suspects. The Countryman is still a relatively small car and feels very sporty. It seems to rotate decently on track as well. Btw, how is the throttle response for the NM power module? Does it feel smooth like stock, all the way to redline? Is it good at part throttle?

 

I'm not sure I can answer that. I had already added a Sprint booster a while ago, before I added the NM power module. The Sprint booster made a difference in feel, but the power module makes an even bigger difference in field. I guess what I'd say is that it's been very responsive from the start, with no noticeable lag, and yes, it's smooth and linear all the way to redline. I'm not sure if you have a car with the any team motor, but it just wants to keep pulling and pulling. It's no different with the power module, except stronger. An aerate, I suppose I could turn down the Sprint booster and see what it feels like, but there is always some effect, I think.

 

Cool, just making sure no stumbling/roughness.

 

How did it go?

 

​​​​​​The car did amazingly well. I was in a group with either lower HP cars or higher hp cars with less experienced drivers. I pretty much was able to get by everyone, especially when I went ***** to the wall. I've done some tracking before, and I've got to say, AWD makes a pretty normal dude feel like a hero. Pretty much the only people who passed me were a couple WRX STIs, with some decent drivers. Hard to take that personally - I'm certain they were tuned. How many WRX's do you know that aren't tuned? All in all, it was a killer weekend and the car performed flawlessly. I encourage anyone to do a track event if they haven't already.

 

Nice, glad you had fun that the car performed so well! I had a WRX for a while (10 years!) and it definitely made me feel like a hero, especially on slick track days. Just curious, what setting were you running on the power module and what octane fuel? (It would be great to have another datapoint for a setting and fuel combo that works on the track for this device)

 

I use 91-93 octane Premium unleaded, have never tried octane boost. As for NM Power Module, it's plug and play, And I don't think the settings are changeable. I don't remember reading anything about that in the instructions, and I'm not usually the type of guy to slap in in place without reading any info. I reached out to NM engineering with the question a few minutes ago, will update when I receive an answer.

 

Thanks for the info! I think the unit comes set for 91 octane (as described below), so you're right it's plug and play, but some people turn it up. I don't advise turning it up for track. Also, just FYI, I wasn't referring to octane boosters, I just meant that every racetrack I've gone to has an unleaded 100 octane pump and that a lot of people with turbo cars use that or get half a tank with 100 and half a tank with 91/93 so they end up with a higher octane than 91.

 

Same, I understood what you were asking. They didn't have a place to purchase race gas there. I was surprised. But the car was doing great and I was keeping up a good pace, so I didn't feel the need to try to amp up anything with the booster.

 

man I just read this and I’m getting inspired now to start tracking mine as well. Which EBC brakes did you go with? How about rotors?!

 

I wish I could remember. They weren't for track only. If you call Mini Mania or Way Moto Works they will guide you. I didn't mess with the rotors as I perceive that as a much bigger deal than just the brake pads. Basically all I did was NM rear sway, piggyback ECU flash, grippy rubber, brake pads, and spacers, and the car did beautifully. So much fun, so neutral and forgiving. On several occasions I knew I'd made a mistake where I would have been in the infield if I'd been driving a RWD car. This car made me feel like a hero.

 

I agree with the need for a sway bar.. mines on order after a track day yesterday.. all the Porsche guys were pretty blown away with how well the R60 did. When you’re ready for more power.. the RPM stage 2 tune and supporting mods is the way to go. At lease until you’re ready for stage 3.