>>
>>I was asking this as a somewhat rhetorical question with no ill intent. My point was that the primary focus of the club websites that I visited was "spirited driving." Since I am not a "spirited driver" I would like to see if I am among at least a few like minded individuals before I participate in any MINI functions or I might as well stay home or go for a drive on my own. I would love to go on a canyon drive but I am not going to compete in the Indy 500 to avoid getting left behind either.


Thats good. I post in a lot of political forums and your post just reaked of trolling. I understand the need to meet like minded individuals. I see in you signature you find a mini calming, like prozac. Whereas i find it stimulating like caffiene (strongest upper I have taken, I imagine cocaine would be a better analogy).


Good luck with your quest, leave peeping and smelling the roses isn't my cup of tea.


Paul
You can be Felix to my Oscar

 

It's whatever floats your boat, dude.

Some equate a MCS + reduction pulley + ECU upgrade with the Dark Side, while others see it as a means to better track times.

Some are concourse weenies, cleaning the brake dust off their "precious" every time they park it.

Some just love to motor from one part of this nation to another.

All are passionate about their MINI.

 

To get back to your original question, leisurely drives in the MINI are a pleasure, and keeping in the motoring spirit.

I went for the MCS myself because I preferred the useful low-end torque in local driving, and the stiffer suspension, larger wheels, sport seats etc. I would have had to get an MC with sport package to get what I got in the MCS without sport, and would have missed out on some power and a spare gear.

That being said, both the MC and the MCS can get you in trouble. As others have mentioned, both are very capable cars that make it easy to go fast. I found that out the hard way. I just paid the speeding ticket I got last month, my first in about 7 years. And I got it pushing the car in the twisties of an empty office park.

Now that I've learned my lesson, I try to keep myself from pushing it too hard. I still beat the pack away from stoplights, and exceed posted limits by a not-unreasonalbe 5-10 mph, but I'm more careful.

I think the key is moderation. Have some fun, but don't be stupid.

And yes, you can enjoy your MINI, hang out with other "MINIacs," AND drive like a responsible adult. You don't have to be a professional tuner or a lead-footed freak to participate. :smile:

 

Hilarious. BTW, I'm another MC owner that shifts at redline......

 

To each, his/her own. Just so long as we remember that spirited driving != poor driving.

On a German car drive a while back (M3 x2, M3 roadster, AMG MB x2) we hit speeds near 150 mph, and pushed mountain twisties at 20-25 mph over the posted limit. BUT, we rarely went more than 10 mph over the limit when there were other cars in sight, and speed blasts were controlled with forward lookouts on the radio.

So in essence, I agree with what I think most people are saying - don't do anything that will endanger others. And on group drives, respect the driving style of your motoring friends.

Doug

 

>>
>>I was asking this as a somewhat rhetorical question with no ill intent. My point was that the primary focus of the club websites that I visited was "spirited driving." Since I am not a "spirited driver" I would like to see if I am among at least a few like minded individuals before I participate in any MINI functions or I might as well stay home or go for a drive on my own. I would love to go on a canyon drive but I am not going to compete in the Indy 500 to avoid getting left behind either.


In the fun-runs I've organized and ran, there's always scenery to be enjoyed. Those who like to drive "spirited" tend to re-group at large gathering areas along the route. That way no one is left out. Those who like to take up the rear and enjoy the scenery do just that. Those who like to motor in a "spirited" manner usually wait or drive back down thru the twisties a couple of times to allow the scenic drivers to catch up. This has worked extremely well. Those who tend to driver "spirited" also love to "bench race" so they do so at the regrouping spots along the route. We leave no one behind unless they request to be. Oh, and as far as the MC vs MCS issue... the MC are quite competant at spirited driving just like their big brother the MCS.

 

I am new here and not yet a Mini owner. I have to wait 18 longs months before I can order my Cooper. I am currently a VW owner, and was at a time in a VW club. Here is a story for you guys. On a group drive a few years ago we were blasting through a lovely area of central NC. There were about 10 cars in are pack. We were on a public rode with no traffic. The road we were on twisted through some woods and opened up to a bridge crossing a lake. The person who scouted this route said you could easily hit triple digit speed crossing the bridge. So we are coming up to the bridge, road straightens outy and I nail the gas. One thing the scout forgot to tell us was that there was a small kink in the road right before the bridge. Well I enter this kink way too fast. I got almost completely side ways on the bridge. Thank god I diddn't over correct. I just got off the gas and let the car correct itse;f. I was also the last person in line, or else it could have been nasty. Needless to say I don't do group drives any more, and I keep the high speed stuff for autocross.

Please be safe out on the roads.

 

If I may offer my unlearned opinion...

I think Mini drivers like speed simply because the car is so incredibly capable. I just got my Mini two days ago. Traded in an Audi A4 1.8T. I loved my Audi, but it was time for something new. The Audi was great around curves. It handled very nicely, but its limits were quite low. Taking exit/entrance ramps at a little over the posted speed was quite exciting.

But my new MCS is just so sweet! I mean, taking an entrance ramp at a little over the posted speed is so below the handling limits as to be...um...mundane, if you will. It just sticks so wonderfully!

It takes great restraint, but I will have to try very hard to obey the laws in this car. Otherwise I will just get too many tickets. And I believe the laws are there for a reason. Driving way faster than traffic on the street, especially at highway speeds, is just an invitation to disaster.

But I don't think there's a law against taking residence area corners at 25 (as long as kids and parked cars aren't around)!

 

It's too much fun to to drive a car like the MINI at speeds not possible in the city. Finding the right places out of town or away from heavy public use to push the car is a goal most of us probably share upon taking delivery. It's true that the MINI just loves to go fast. I'll even do cloverleafs for a quick fix from time to time. The main thing is to learn to drive on your own and in a way which doesn't endanger other drivers. The MINI's safety isn't just in the airbags, it's in the suspension and handling. An experienced driver who knows how to control the car at higher speeds will be much more likely to avoid the accident which calls for radical maneuvering. The key is in how you get your experience. Do it safely, and no one has any reason to complain.

 

I think that words like "safety" and "dangerous" are somewhat subjective. What's insane for you is mundane for me, or vice versa. And it's not just one's mindset, but driving skill/experience with a car on the limit play into the equation as well.

I doubt anyone will advocate jeopardizing the lives of others while piloting a motor vehicle. But my mother (on the race occasions we are in the same car) has heart failure if I drive an on-ramp at an utterly safe speed but at a rate which is 10 MPH faster than she would take it.

Everybody has their own definition, I suppose. It is unfortunate that the concourse weenies go into arrest at the mere sound of squealing tires.

 

>>I think that words like "safety" and "dangerous" are somewhat subjective. What's insane for you is mundane for me, or vice versa. And it's not just one's mindset, but driving skill/experience with a car on the limit play into the equation as well.
>>
>>I doubt anyone will advocate jeopardizing the lives of others while piloting a motor vehicle. But my mother (on the race occasions we are in the same car) has heart failure if I drive an on-ramp at an utterly safe speed but at a rate which is 10 MPH faster than she would take it.
>>
>>Everybody has their own definition, I suppose. It is unfortunate that the concourse weenies go into arrest at the mere sound of squealing tires.


He who squeals his tires on a public road is a very poor driver.......and a highly unsafe one as well.....take it from a weenie, just not the concourse kind.....race ya..... :smile: :smile:

 

>>Some just love to motor from one part of this nation to another.
>>
>>All are passionate about their MINI.
>><<

MGCMAN, I concur! I'm about to begin my second cross-country roadtrip next week. I LOVE to do that...visiting MINIacs all along the way! I am passionate about my MINI and my MINI friends, as well. Great group of varied characters on this board, tee hee!

 

>>He who squeals his tires on a public road is a very poor driver.......and a highly unsafe one as well.....take it from a weenie, just not the concourse kind.....race ya..... :smile: :smile:

I don't think that's necessarily an accurate blanket statement....

Perhaps in a 5-speed MC or an MCS it is easier to control such things... but in my CVT I squeal the tires in one specific spot at LEAST every day. My office turns out onto a fairly busy road. Unfortunately for me, I have to turn left onto said busy road during evening rush hour to get home EVERY SINGLE DAY. Since people in Atlanta (for the most part) drive with their heads up their asses, this usually involves a very quick takeoff to jump into the lane in between light-changes.

This procedure became MUCH easier once I passed break-in and could just nail the kickdown in SD to get a nice boost out into traffic... the downside is that for some reason my tires squeal just a little as the torque kicks in around 3k RPM EVERY SINGLE TIME. Not the slightest bit unsafe or a "poor" driver.... quite the opposite; the extra speed at takeoff makes it much more likely that I'll make it into the lane ahead of traffic; but the tires squeal non-the-less, probably due to the wheel being turned at such a sharp angle when the (rather sharp/large) torque boost from kickdown mode hits.

 

>>He who squeals his tires on a public road is a very poor driver.....

Thank you for proving my point. You took your personal limits and applied them to the rest of the world. Exactly what I was talking about. Thanks!


_________________
I like small cars and big food.

 

>>Since people in Atlanta (for the most part) drive with their heads up their asses, this usually involves a very quick takeoff to jump into the lane in between light-changes.

Don't mean to derail the topic, but its nice to see another Atlantan on NAM.


Doug

 

>>Don't mean to derail the topic, but its nice to see another Atlantan on NAM.
>> :smile:

I'm technically *in* the AtlantaMINIs club.... but it seems that the meets since I took delivery (autox school, scavenger hunt, and now deal's gap) all are scheduled when I've got other plans. I'd LOVE to hit Deal's Gap, but my fiancé graduates from college the next weekend, and her folks are coming in to visit and do family stuff beforehand :smile:

 

>>>>He who squeals his tires on a public road is a very poor driver.....
>>
>>Thank you for proving my point. You took your personal limits and applied them to the rest of the world. Exactly what I was talking about. Thanks!
>>
>>
>>_________________
>>I like small cars and big food.

I stand by the totality of my statement......including the reference to myself as a weenie and the smiley faces......someone needs to lighten up......... regardless of the circumstances........squealing tires is still bad form from my weenie point of view......you don't have to agree......you could smirk......but please.....don't take it personally....and I will race ya.....anytime......and I won't squeal my tires....not even in Atlanta......must be weird drivng among people who have their heads stuck up their ***.....I wonder how they see??? do they smell??? must be awful......

 

to me, racing is good, but why go in and out of trafic really fast? sure pass people, but not just stupid back and forth stuff. :smile:

 

Freedom of expression, to live life is what a MINI is about. If you want to go slow, fine; but just don't ask everyone else on the road to view driving as you do. If you are going to go slow, use turnouts and the slow lane as soon as you see a faster car close on you. Make it easier for faster drivers to get by and it will make it safer for everyone.

If one wants to go rally fast, respect others and do it on the track, not in heavy traffic. In order to have freedom to drive briskly, we must be respectful when we pass others (even when they have been flaming a-holes and have a mile of cars backed up behind them).

 

The subject of spirited driving is a hot button topic for many of us, and as such it is difficult to discuss rationally. The superb handling performance of the MC makes it hard to not take curves and corners at speeds higher than you would in your mother’s station wagon, and the improved throttle response of the MCS and the MCS/JCW make it even harder! Those who live in the urban flatlands are hard pressed to find places to safely exercise this “need for speed.” The lucky few who live in or near mountains can always find roads where it is perfectly safe to squeal the tires.

Exceeding the speed limit is seldom unsafe, but driving faster (or slower) than the flow of traffic puts everybody in harm’s way! Tailgating in an effort to get the slow car in front of you to go faster is even more dangerous! Driving more spiritedly than your vision, reaction time, driving skills, and car’s capabilities is asking for bent metal and maybe spilled blood!

I recently moved to SoCal where at times the freeway traffic flow looks like a parking lot, but frequently fairly heavy traffic flows at 75-80 mph. But, there are always a few (usually in a rice rocket) who want to drive 25-25 mph faster than traffic who are cutting from lane #1 to lane #4 and back again. This is NOT the way to exercise your freedom of expression, it is the time to turn on the cruise control and pace the traffic flow.

Even if you normally drive in an urban environment you should be able to find at least one spot where it is safe to push the limits a little. Forty years ago when I was in my late twenties my father lived and worked in urban Las Vegas. There was one corner with an unobstructed view well down the cross street. On most days the traffic was very light when he was going to work, and if conditions permitted he would try to take that corner just a little faster every time he went around it. Never endangered anybody, and gave him an outlet for his need for pushing the limits.

For over ten years I lived in the Sierra of NorCal and was surrounded by great twisties - - many sections with no side roads or driveways and very little traffic. One section that I frequently drove had a short straight where it was possible to get into the low triple digits before needing to brake for the next curve, but I never felt unsafe because the tree line was far enough back from the shoulder that there was no chance of a suicidal deer catching me by surprise and there was no access for other cars to enter the roadway. Here in SoCal I recently discovered a great stretch of twisties. I don’t know the road well enough yet to really push my limits, but the tires squeal on most every curve and again on accelerating out of some of the sharper (2nd gear) curves. Yesterday I stopped at a wide spot to enjoy the view and quiet. When the first car came by I happened to note the time. It was 54 minutes before the next car came by my spot. Not what you’d call heavy traffic!

Just because the MINI begs to be driven hard doesn’t mean that you have to drive unsafely, and if you’re an Old Fart that want to drive like old people f__k, then feel free to do so and just enjoy your car. I can be politically incorrect when referring to more mature drivers since I’ll never see 69 candles on my birthday cake again.

Have fun and drive safely (but not necessarily legally)!

 

Please excuse the long and probably incoherent rant, but I just had to vent a little.

 

>>Please excuse the long and probably incoherent rant, but I just had to vent a little.

Speaking of scofflaws....I 24 hour tested a TT convertible up to yesterday afternoon....top speed tested the sucker.....130 MPH...6200RPM in sixth.....a tad hairy but held the road........obviously electronically controlled at that max speed...... Fun car! paddles and all!