Hello, I am thinking of buying my first MCS either this month or next. It seems like everyone has been enjoying their cars. But my biggest fear is the 6.5k redline. Comming from an Si, I always loved reving up to really high, with the reflash almost 8k redline. So I was wondering is it still fun with the lower redline?

I have driven my friends Impreza with almost the same redline and I was not impressed. Will I get bored later on?

 

It's all about the torque curve.

Does the Si feel like it has very little pull below 5k rpm?

Personally, I'd hate to have to rev above 5000 to have any power. An 07 MCS has gobs of power between 2k and 5.5k

 

i know exactly where your coming from since i use to have only drive DOHC VTEC cars with 8500 rpm redline.

Personally, i miss it. but the car is not slower, i never get to use the redline as much. the 6500 is not the problem since it takes longer to get to 6500, it is not like the sportbike revs of the Hondas.

You have to understand that the b16a1 in the Si (depeding on your year) had 4.4 Final drive, the MCS has a 3,2 much slower so the car revs not only less but also slower.

overall it makes more power so your still moving fast. It is exaclty like comparing the VW which are geared like the MINI to a Honda...just a different way to skin the cat.

 

I used to autocross with RX-7s. Those had a 7000 redline only because no additional horsepower was obtaininable above that ... but even the stock 12A engine could be run to 8000 without harm, and a blueprinted/ported engine could easily run to 9000.

The value of the high redline to me was short straights between two corners. I could hold the vehicle in 2nd, and not have to upshift to 3rd and back down to 2nd for the next corner, like those lower-redline cars in my class.

My R56 is AT, and I haven't raced it, so I haven't had an issue with the 6500 redline. Yet.

 

its not all about the redline that makes driving a car fun... id much prefer the torque down low so you really feel the pull... hondas take forever to accelerate and get into the powerband, that to me is boring.

 

What did you find fun about a higher redline?

Personally for I would be more concerned about the the way the engine made power rather than how high it revved. For all intents and purposes high revs on a street car is for bragging rights.

Cheers
D675

 

Prince engine is the best!

 

Anyone who doesn't think high redlines are fun - in and of themselves - has probably never driven an Integra Type-R or an S2000. There's just something fun about the way the engine makes such a healthy scream so far up the dial.

That said, the R56 does pull like a tractor - which is fun in a different way.

dhL17, have you driven the MCS? If not, I think you'll like it. The car can move.

 

I grew up with high rev cars. My first car was a 1957 Afla Romeo Spider (used) that had a redline of 6200. This was in the days when most cars redlined around 2500.
Since 1990 I've had an Integra. So, when I went to replace it I test drove an Acura RSX, and a Honda S2000. I took them both out on some windy road in Monterey to see what they could do.

The 8000 RPM of the Acura and Honda didn't do much for me. You just have to rev them higher to get them going. I found the MINI to be more fun to drive.

 

I'm sure they're fun, I have friends that have them, however for 95% of the time they operate way down in the rev range as a street car and thats where they feel soft and sloppy.

High revving engines are fun when driven hard. But for around town generally, 8000rpm engines are just bragging rights. Unless you have an f430, m3, m5 mmmmmm

 

Anyone who doesn't think low end torque is fun, has probably never driven a car with 500ft-lbs at 2000 RPM.

I've had an Acura with the 8k limit. The reason you think it's fun to redline, is because it's NOT fun below 6k.

I've driven cars that make HP way up top... and nothing down low. I've driven cars that make tons of TQ down low. I've driven cars with a generous mix of both. I prefer low end TQ with a lower rev-limit than a car that requires you to rev the snot out of it.

Forget the redline... the BottomLine is where the power and torque start to drop off. Once torque takes a nose dive, HP will usually follow. It's time to shift.

Bingo... couldn't agree more.

So, dhL17... don't fear the 6500 rev limit. It's fine.

 

I guess I'm just too open minded to fit in around here Where did I say that low end torque wasn't fun?

I've got a LOT of autocross seat time in an Integra Type-R. And I've also done 2 events in two different LS1 Z28s.

Both cars are a complete riot to drive hard. I love them both. Different ways to haul butt, but they both do a real nice job of it. Why do I have to pick one side of the stupid argument? Can't I just like cars?

 

It's cool. We all have our preferences. All that matters is that you have fun doing what you want to do.

 

That being said theres a certain amount of FUN..... being full tuck at 13500 rpm, 270km/h, 6th gear on a Daytona 675.

 

Now that sounds like fun.

 

and thoroughly enjoyed shitting myself in a really weird way

 

My first car was a 84 vette. 200HP and 300lbs of torque. After that i had a 1991 mercury tracer wagon (93hp), then a Focus SVT (170hp) and now the mini. So far only car that has come close the FUN of the Vette has been the Mini!

 

Ahh.. ok. Things are starting to make more sense now.

No, I have not. But I intend to very soon. =)

Yeah I kinda agree. My Si was a generally a fun car, but only when I revved it high it become really fun. So now in the Mini, I can enjoy the below 6k rpm. yay =) Which makes sense, cus reflash makes v-tec kick in alot earlier to get more power down.

 

I had an old 99si and i trully was happy to see the thing stripped and flatbeded out my life. After test driving a mini, i find myself hooked. There is just something about the car that makes you forget about your past cars. I'm not sure if its the instant torque or the light weight. My Si may have had a high rev limit, but the weight of the car just canceled the joy of the engine. In trafic the Si was nightmare, exp with my brother in the car and the AC kicking. The Mini is a totally different story. It's an anywhere car. As in you can get it going with little effort even in second gear with a body on board.

 

I love the MINI, even with a passenger I have no problem getting it going, fast.

 

I do love the smooth rush of power and race car sounds that the RX8 gives me up to 9k. The MINI power band seems a little lumpy in comparison.

The downside to the rotary is that grabbing a downshift can be a bit of a guessing game. The engine note doesn't give much clue on where you're at in the power band so it's easy to grab too high or too low a gear. With the MINI you can be pretty confident that one down will give you the power you need.

 

I just got out of a '95 Accord (granted it's no racecar, but $4,000 in modifications later, it was fun!) with the F22B1 engine with VTEC.

When looking for a new car, I thought I would miss the sound/feel of VTEC... but with my MCS, it's like VTEC... but from ~3K RPM- 6500RPM.

I just sold my Honda yesterday, and the last time driving it, I realized something about it: NO TORQUE. I drove an Integra the other day: NO TORQUE.

The MINI is a riot... put the back seat down (increases exhaust noise), put the windows down, turn the radio off, and that supercharger whine will make you forget all about VTEC or 8,000 RPM redlines.

 

Ah, another Honda driver sees the light!

 

fixed

 

I had to take a S2000 for a test drive after I stomped one twice with my 2005 VW Golf TDI (131WHP 241 ft lbs of torque) at the wheels. Pretty car with no torque (162 ft lbs of torque at the crank). It's a much better balance with the MCS.