Why do I have such a hard time believing that my 05 MCS does 0-60 in in 7sec??? It feels just as quick as my prev BMW 330ci zhp or Porsche 987 (both low to mid 5sec cars). Am I being duped by the banshee scream of the supercharger and the go kartish ride?

 

IMO, it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow. The MINI is the funnest car I've driven, including a Lotus Elan and a Formula Ford. (I know they aren't "super cars," but they're the most exotic things I ever got to drive.)

 

i completely agree - the bmw was fun (i especially liked to taunt lil punks in their crappy over fiberglassed honda's as I drove behind watching them rocking back n forth in their seats as if it would make their car go faster). Although, with both the bmw and porsche - i spent more time lollygagging in the car (just because I knew their were so quick).

the mini just screams fun all the time and it def seems fastr than it probably is. usually when ppl ask me about mpg, i just laugh and say i can't accurately comment cuz i'm usually driving the car like i'm on the autobahn

 

Very cool! I can not wait to have a MINI as my daily driver again!

 

If a big thing and a small thing are moving at the same speed, it will always look as if the smaller thing is moving faster, from nearly any perspective.

 

i actually for one think the cooper s is faster than everyone claims. it wasnt to hard for me to beat a mustang gt.

 

Yeah - I've had no problem pulling away (very easily) from r32's, I kept up (but couldn't pull ahead) of what looked like a nismo 350z (it was night time and I had 3 psngrs in the MCS - he had himself) - so I think had it just been me it may have been closer to an even sprint! And the other night (again with 3 psngrs in the MCS) I was able to keep up pretty well with my friend in his 07 Audi TT 3.2 through the canyon on the straights (he had only one passenger) - his car has a published 0-60 somewhere around 5.0-5.5s.

 

i believe it is faster because of its lightweight. plus maybe you have mods that came with it. :] unless you are just saying stock in general feels faster. hehe i agree!

 

To me my 2003 MCS (with 15% pulley and CAI) feels very similar to my dads 1999 carerra until you get to about 70 mph. After that there is no comparison. With the porsche you have hit 110mph before you know it and with the mini that is just not possible in a timely manor. The real problem with acceleration with the mini is getting traction. When driving the carerra you would really have to push the car to break traction with its really wide tires. With the mini traction is a huge problem IMHO. Ofcourse I have never had a high performance summer tire on the mini...

 

yeah - my car does have the AC Schnitzer (aka Remus) full exhaust and an Alta intake. The Cravenspeed ssk may make a little difference and the AC wheels might be a little lighter than stock (I'm not actually sure what they weigh tho in comparison to the OEM wheels).

Even when I look at the figures for the JCW cars with 200+hp and reduced weight - or for that matter, anyone on the forum with 200-230 whp with or without the rear seat delete I have to imagine that those cars easily pull 0-60 in the low 5s range. I think the figures most often qouted for the JCW is still like 6.6 or so - which just seems ridiculous (as in incorrect)

I can hardly imagine how much "THRUST" factor my MCS would have once I upgrade to the 15% pulley and tune the ecu.

 

Barely noticeable

 

And that is the key. 0-60 times may be slower than the aforementioned BMW or Porsche, because they have an advantage off the line. But challenge another car from a rolling start, say 30 mph or above, and the Mini is just as quick or quicker. I have beat Mustang GT's, Z3 and Z4's, and kept up with STI's and 350Z's, and that was before my RMW header and cam! In fact I kept up with a previous gen Mustang GT Mach 1 up to 135 mph!!! Later, when speaking with him at a gas station, he was really suprised to learn that my car was stock at the time!

 

If one modifies the MCS to 240 HP, that puts it near the top of the heap HP/weight-wise as far as OEM street machines go. There are not many unmodified cars that will keep up with it. I need a tune really badly, but even with the flat spot I have right now from about 2800-3200 RPM, the car is fun to drive. I just have to keep it revved.

 

i think it feels quick when u are in boost. it is def more fun to drive than my cobb stage 2 wrx i used to own (even though it is much slower).

i dont think the handling of the mini is as great as people say (i am coming from a miata as a daily driver though- that is a true go kart in handling terms).

 

The miata is a very good and well balanced car, 50/50 or close to it. The Mini is still nose heavy, though a good rear anti-sway bar does a lot to quell understeer. The miata has a much lower center of gravity as well. That being said, you are going to have a hard time shaking loose a Mini on a twisty back road.

BTW, I love Miata's and would like to pick up a 1st or 2nd gen 1.8 as a second toy

 

I have both a MCS & an 95 NA Miata. Both cars are fast down a twisty road. The Miata is balanced very nicely & it makes up for it's lack of horsepower with it's fine handling. The MINI handles well, but it just doesn't have the handling & balance of the Miata. On the straights the MCS will eat the Miata for lunch. No favorites here, I love them both.

 

This thread is very close to being locked - need I remind everyone of the NAM Site Guidelines... in particular:If you can't keep the posts within discussion of legal activity, don't post it - at least not here on NAM. This is just a warning - infractions will come next.

 

your private message to me regarding the language is duly noted - but please be realistic if you're gonna off on me making some comment about riding the rear end of a punk in honda civic and equate that to street racing then you need to step back from your pseudo position of authority and get a check on reality because in that case you'd need to lock about every thread on here that comments about going fast anywhere that isn't a sanctioned track or strip. Specifically regarding my comment about "riding the rear end of the honda..." geez - those little ricer cars are so slow - I hadn't even turned the bmw on and I was moving faster than the kid!

edge - i think you're too close to the edge and you might wanna hand over your wings! and, if this is more personal because you were in that crappy little honda trying to teach something to the big bad bmw, then go in your room and hate your parents some more and crank up the weezer dude!

 

 

No, you need to learn what NAM is and is not about. This is not a place to brag about beating other people in a race on the street, or about antagonizing other drivers. As for my position here, this is exactly the type of behavior that we on the moderation & administration teams are supposed to watch for. You better learn that quick.Congratulations, you earned yourself an infraction with your personal attack. Want to keep it up?

I never took anything you said as personal until this post. I am not on a vendetta against you, and it wasn't just that one post I was concerned about, but multiple posts in this thread (and not only from you). Perhaps I should have just shut it down to begin with.

On second thoughts, I think that's a good idea.

Done.