My MCS with an intake and pulley beat a 260HP Mustang GT on the highway the other day. I was coming up on him and he must have saw me in the rearview mirror. I guess he wanted to play b/c he floored it away from me. I said to the wife and kid, "Let's take that Mustang GT". I went after him and chased him into this really tight curve as we were really on a 2-lane on-ramp onto another highway. During the tough curve, I switched to the inside lane to pass him right before the apex of the turn. Not surprisingly, I was able to take the turn much faster and catch up to him. We were probably going over 70mph at this point and we gunned it coming out of the curve. I took it to 100mph until I let up b/c my radar started beeping. From 70-100mph, I slowly pulley away! Then he flew by me a car length or two before slowing down after I had already let off the gas. I saw the cop after that but he already had a victim pulled over. Needless to say, I scared my wife on that turn and she didn't speak to me for over a half an hour!


I'm happy to say that my modified MCS is ALMOST as fast in third gear as my brother's M3 is in fourth gear. We were driving on a two lane main road the other day and both floored it. He did floor it first so he should have accelerated faster which he did. But that's where his 333HP came into play - he didn't have to shift until 9000RPMs while I shifted at 6000 RPMs. That's where he made the biggest gap. He later told me he was in fourth gear. So maybe after a chip and exhaust my MINI will be as faster or faster than a M3 in one gear higher!

I'm sure my brother will find this thread and chime in!

 

Find even twistier roads and neither competitor will be able to keep up, even without mods!

 

When your brother drops the M3 into 3rd he will drop you like a bad habbit.... Minis handle very well, but they can not keep up with an M3 in a straight line. Mod your S all you want, a stock M3 is STUPID fast in a straight line.

 

True. Stock M3s were made for one thing and it shows. I just wave at the drivers as they pass me. I've had quite a few wave back. They like the MINI as much as I like the M3. The MINI & I have beaten quite a few racers, but if I ever beat anybody in an M3, they were either dead or they just shouldn't be driving that car.

 

A lot of people just can't drive and just buy the car because it's a BMW. That said I'm sure a lot of people also buy the MCS just because it's a cute car and can't really drive. (Not trying to bash anyone on either, just a general statement)

That said, there are *very* few cars who would be able to keep up with a MCS or a plane jane Cooper in the twisties. The problem comes in the straights. (If you really consider it a problem) Take 'em in the corner and don't let them pass.
-Chris

 

>>When your brother drops the M3 into 3rd he will drop you like a bad habbit.... Minis handle very well, but they can not keep up with an M3 in a straight line. Mod your S all you want, a stock M3 is STUPID fast in a straight line.>>>



I know, I know...

 

You're absolutely right. During a BMWCCA driving school at Second Creek, as the A group was starting I was first in line and an 02 M3 was right behind me. I had about a 20 second lead as we do a staggered start. It took him nearly 20 minutes to catch me ... he finally passed me on the second to last lap. You can get an overview of Second Creek at the following link.

Cheers

Geoff

Second Creek

 

I love Second Creek. Nice track with some really great turns. Haven't been back to CO with my MINI to drive it again, but I had a ball in my GTI there.

With the full kit of mods, my 1.8L Turbo GTI was much faster than my MINI in a straight line, but would not be able to keep up with me in my MINI on such a track or other twisty road.

And in any situation where raw horsepower is not the determining factor, the better driver will win. When running at Second Creek, my GTI was much faster than a Porsche 911 Turbo, but that car was being driven by a older gentleman who had just had his first morning of driving school.

 

You want to know why you won? Well, I'll tell ya, it's because the MINI Cooper "S" is voted the second best car in the world next to the Porsche 911 Turbo, but in my mind it is the best for the price. :smile: :smile: :smile:

 

As said above, it's all the driver. Also a lot of people don't like to push M3s or Porsches on the track because they are scared of what they might do to it in a spin since it is most likely a cherished weekend car. A lot of people that have those cars have them as a status symbol. But let's put it this way. If you timed yourself in a porsche or M3 (after taking some time to learn it's carachteristics) and then in your cooper I bet any of us could get better times in the more expensive car. But you certainly can't beat the cooper for handling for the $$$ from what I hear. I will test drive my first one tomorrow, and hopefully be getting one soon. I will let you guys now how it compares to my WRX. My wife really wants the cooper, and after reading a lot here I am very excited to try one, and to steal it from her so I can drive it and my WRX regularly.
Ben

 

Hey ben,
are you going to test drive an MC or an MCS? You should try them both, because I tried the MC first, and I loved it, and then I tried the MCS, and I didn't like that it is so hard to get it off the line. I ended up with the MCS, because I wanted the extra power, and I couldn't be any happier, and I'm sure that I would still be saying the same thing if I ended up with the MC, but it is all up to you, and good luck.

 

Great you spanked a Mustang..big deal.

You also put you wife and daughter and everyone else on the road at risk with your reckless behavior.

Hate to be a scold but grow up.

 

I said to the wife and kid, "Let's take that Mustang GT".


HAHA thats crazy! but good kill

The mustang driver prob didnt know how to drive. Anyone here go to the Euro meet in anaheim? I havent seen so many M3's and fixed up audis and vw's in one place. It was awesome

 

I'm not sure if I would be that interested in kicking someone's butt on the road with a wife and kid in the car. That's kinda reckless. Especially with a kid. I've had girlfriends hit me in the shoulder after something like that.
There's a REAL awesome curvy mountain here in the Okanagan area of Kelowna, BC-Canada. I mean some serious fun times right here. They actually hold a Hill Climb every year on it. May long weekend. Took her up and down that. Scared the crap outta her. Then she hit me and told me if I do that again, she's gonna beat me senseless. And she works out a lot and is a total fitness buff, so I'm actually the one that's scared now.
Cheers,

 

Well I did the test drive. We are looking for a car for my wife that I will "borrow" on occasion. After test driving a cooper S I think I might be borrowing it often! We are going back tomorrow to test drive the standard cooper (they only had the automatic yesterday), but we already ordered one. I love this car. they are amaizing. I hope what all the MC people say is right and that the cooper is still great fun. I'm sure it is, but boy does the S fly! Feel very fast, even though I know my wrx is faster, the S felt faster 0~60.