I have decided to buy a Cooper S but not sure which one to get. I understand the new one with the turbo is supposed to be more efficient and better on fuel as well as more comfortable for commuting. The supercharged one I heard has more rigid suspension and there are adequate upgrades for it but the supercharged gets maxed out on the amount of pounds it runs after a pulley is put on.

I did test drive the turbo one and like the beefy torque curve, feels like the power is there all the time even in sixth gear it starts to move. Haven't had the opportunity to drive the supercharged one. Wandering what is some your take on this guys and your experiences or opinions.

Also I dont know if I have the understanding of it right between traction control and LSD. TC as far as I understand is when a wheal looses traction it then receives less power to it so not to loose control of the car. And LSD puts down equal amount of power to both wheels or something like that. If thats what it is then how do both work together if a car has both?

 

Can't help you decide which year MINI to buy, but you may only be able to find the supercharged version used. All the new 2006 R53 MCS sold out of my dealer's sometime before last March.

On the R56 MINI, ASC is what they call traction control. It is a computerized system that cuts engine power and applies the appropriate brake when one of the drive wheels spins under acceleration.

LSD (Limited Slip Differential) is a mechanical system that transfers power to the wheel not spinning.

Both systems are designed to minimize drive wheel spin, however, LSD is the one that more efficiently puts power to the ground.

 

Get the 08 MCS.
LSD will give more power to the wheel that has more traction. After the power is transferred appropriately for the condition at the given moment, if there is wheel spin due to loss of traction, the ASC will kick in. Therefore, a car with LSD is able to put more power to the ground than a car without LSD. If the road surface is perfect, in a straight line acceleration LSD will have very little work to do. However, in all other situations LSD+ASC will have the upper hand over ASC alone.
Therefore, if you are very consciencious about the performance and handling of the car buy a 08 MCS with LSD and performance tires. All season tires are not that great in terms of performance. You might want to consider winter performance tires in winter and summer performance tires in spring-fall. Get an aftermarket rear swaybar and it will get rid of the understeer and the car will turn like you couldn't believe. JCW stage I kit is available as well as aftermarket parts if you want to increase the horse power and torque. For your information, R56 is faster than GP until you get up to high rpms. But according to JCW engine kit owners, R56 keeps pulling to the redline after the modification. Suspension wise the JCW suspension package is available for about $1500, installed.
In conclusion, if you go to the track at all, I would recommend LSD, JCW stage I, JCW suspension (I would probably still go with aftermarket rear swaybar), and R-compound tires. You will be able to keep up with just about anything out there in the turns.

 

At the risk of coming off like a total bonehead, I have some questions about performance upgrades for my 2007 MCS Cabrio with an Autostick.

Is it even possible (or advisable) to install any JCW engine mods on an MCS with an automatic?

I'm not going to track the car, but I'm looking for a little more juice for every day bombing around. I'm looking for some suggestions for modest - but effective - power and handling mods. Cost of parts and install is also a concern.

Thanks in advance for helping a brother out!

 

I believe 07 Cabrio is still 1st Generation car so JCW should be avaliable for it whether auto or manual transmission.