The Mini Catalog has this statement, but the sales guy said it made no difference on the MC.

Which one is correct?

 

Don't think it makes any difference.

 

It'll make a difference over 110 mph.

 

The spoiler is for aesthetics. Any difference it makes is likely coincidental and minute.

 

Does it say there is an "aerodynamic advantage" perhaps? I've seen this terminology used before and some might confuse this with downforce. However, it has nothing to do with that, but more with the way air flows over the rear of the car. Both the spoiler, the c-pillar profiles, and the shape of the boot (I think) contribute to making the car move through air more efficiently (and even helping to keep the boot somewhat less dusty). I notice a big difference in this from my R50.

Here's a snippet from MINI:
"Serving as a vertical air flow spoiler, an additional trim panel in the area of the C-pillars helps to optimise the flow of air at the rear end of the new MINI. The MINI Cooper also boasts a small air spoiler at the rear end of the roof, helping significantly to improve the streamlining of the car, with the drag coefficient of the MINI Cooper now down to 0.33."

A friend of mine who's inito this stuff says 0.33 is a big gain!!

 

If you got a chance to look at the C pillar spoiler of the R53 and R56 you can see the big aero work... the R56 is a little more choppy at some angles, but that was to promote cleaner separation (and less turbulance, thus better economy...)

At roughly 60, aero drag can become noticable.
At 80 you'd def. notice every time you hit the pumps.
Drag increases with the square of the speed.
and you need to increase power to the cube to over come drag and increase your speed...

that being said, I have no idea how this spoiler compares to that on the S...

 

Actually, if you read that marketing statement with the weasel-word filter on, it doesn't say the spoiler has anything to do with the drag force gain. It just says that the the drag coefficient of the MINI Cooper [is] now down to 0.33. But, it doesn't credit the spolier. That's only an inference.

 

if the spoiler has ability to exert 100 lbs of down force, it should be able withstand a force greater than that. Try putting 150lb weigh on it. If it doesn't fall off I'd say it is functional.

 

My memory of race cars in the 1960's is that spoilers were first added for just this purpose. Down-force spoilers and wings came later. The original purpose was to control the size and shape the vortex coming off the back of the car.

 

A totally ludicrous argument, but funny.

 

Agreed but i drive at ludricrous speed so I know my wing makes me go faster

 

Bingo!!!

I was told (yes, we were discussing all this the other day) that the rear spoiler of the Cooper is really well designed. The spoiler profile, ending in a flat edge, apparently causes turbulence to collect there along that edge, lessening the effect further behind the car.

Again...as is so common with R56...it rear wing's effect is probably a small thing, but it adds up with the other aerodynamic tweaks to make for some impressive improvement.

 

So it was the vortex affect that the two guys on their bikes (peddle mountain type) were using to draft my R56 on C103 (Western Dragon) Sunday afternoon. The were pushing a line of four cars of which I was last in my R56. The family van in front was taking all of the fun out of the drive.

On the downhills the bikers were pulling up at 40mph until we had to slow for the left and right twisties at 10-15 mph. I normally move through those turns at a better rate of speed. I kept praying the bikers did not nudge the back of my MCS.

Should have taken a picture, but I had to keep an eye on the family van for panic slow-downs.