i think santa claus is gonna bring my wife a new mcs for xmas, with the proviso that her husband can take it to the track on weekends. it will be her daily driver and she's not a car person at all so it will likely remain stock. i'm an experienced driver (instructor and race spec e30) but am new to the world of minis so i'm wondering about a few things:

1. how camber challenged are they? i'll probably get a second set of wheels/tires for track use (max performance street tires so i can drive to the track, not r-comps). am i gonna kill the fronts? are adjustable camber plates commonly used?

2. are the stock brakes able to withstand track duty in 20 min bursts? really don't want to have to swap pads/rotors every time. what about the included maintenance program, that covers pads right? anyone get them to do annual brake fluid changes as well?

3. do i need to be concerned about heat problems? stock system able to keep the water temp in check? i don't worry about oil temps as long as synthetic is used, does mini/bmw specify it?

anything else i should know before pulling the trigger? if i can find a 2011 cooper s hardtop w/ cloth seats and no giant sunroof that is

 

Here are brief answers to your questions. Ask the moderator to move this to the Driving School section (Under Racing and Competition header) of the site and you will likely get more attention from the trackheads around here.

1. You will experience understeer without camber adjustments, and either way, your tires are going to take a beating. Many of us have camber plates and run between -2 and -3 up front, and -1.5 to -2.5 in the back.

2. You will likely experience brake fade toward the end of your sessions. Obviously, this will depend on your level of driving and to some degree, the track you are on. If you plan on driving at anything above 7/10, you should consider upgrading the fluid and pads. Lots of us like Carbotech pads. I don't think the maintenance program covers annual brake fluid changes as MINI recommends that only every other year.

3. I track an R53, so I can't comment firsthand on the heat the turbo generates.

Don't know what part of the country you are in, but if you are in the Northeast, I look forward to seeing you on the track next season!

 

1. Remove a plastic pin at the top of the strut towers and you can get about -1.5 camber max. Plates required for more.

2: carbotech pads xp 6 or xp8 and better fluid should be ok. you can cook the stock pads on heavy track use.

3. no need to worry about overheating.

 

1. See above.
2. Stock Pads overheat fast if you use the brakes any more than you need to! Get better fluid and keep going back for free pads/rotors I say...
3. Just let your motor idle for a couple min after a hard run before turning it off. Orangecrush had some melted valve covers.

 

thanks for the info everyone, i'll post something in the track section to get some more specific info. sounds like i should be ok, 1.5 deg of camber ought to be (barely) enough given that i'll be on street tires. and i'll flush the system with ate 200 a couple of times a year just like i do on my other track cars. hopefully i can nurse the stock pads along, if necessary i'll short shift in the straights to lessen the thermal load.

 

Orangecrush also had a exhaust leak where his turbo hooked up to his aftermarket downpipe.

 

Yeah you're right, one of the three bolts or something was not secured. Def. doesn't hurt to let your motor idle after some hard runs regardless.

 

You can get the oem brake air ducts for your MINI too.

 

My favorite subject As Veggivet will tell you Just started this your. I see you are experienced, but wife is going to use it as a DD. I also use mine as a DD but a resonable cross between street and track. No engine cooling issues. I change oil and brake fluid before each session, so can't say what a dealer will do for you. Use the recommended Mini oil (Castrol).

So here is my short list of mods, in priority order (most of this makes it a sweet street machine with little change in ride quality):

1) racing pads - I found that street pads would not cut it. Carbotech XP10s in front 8's in rear. The stock rotors are fine. I drove these on the street for the summer no problem but noisy. Easy to change if the noise is an issue or try the 8's up front. But street or track the Carbo's had a nice feel and no fade. If you use the brakes a lot, the single piston caliper may be an issue once you get beyond 1/2 the pad. Keep an eye on them.

2) rear sway bar - 19, 20 or 22 mm. Each one will remove some of that understeer. I like the 20mm. Even on the softest setting the rear will step around. 22mm will take more control. But with your experience the 19mm won't be enough. This will give a really nice feel for the street too.

3) Camber plates - the Ireland fixed give -1.2 deg and if you pull the plug on the top of the strut tower you can get -1.6 deg. Really nice feel to the car street or track without tire wear. Ride is good. Base on stock Z3 parts. An adjustable plate will give more but the stock springs will only allow -2 deg so they are questionable on worth plus a hit on ride.

4) Turbo inter cooler - Intake temp is the #1 killer to Hp and on an 80 deg day I have seen 150 deg intake temp and can feel the power drop. Helix has a good rep.

5) or maybe 2) Scangage II - the only way to see what is going on in the engine.

6) or maybe 3) 17" light weight wheels and Yokohoma AD08s (or some other brand) for the track.

6) Newer model Schroth Rallye 4 Quick Fit harness for an R53 - yes it fits directly into the R56, just don't read the qualifiers too closely. The Mini seats suck.

7) JCW Recaro Seats - your wife will love them (mine does) and so will you.

and the list goes on...but that is a start

 

thanks everyone! we just got her car a few days ago (found a zero option six speed mcs) and boy is it quick. even in 6th it pulls pretty hard once the turbo spools up, and the clutch feels better than the 2010 demo car i drove. the shifter occasionally hangs going into third but that will hopefully improve with a little break-in. if i instruct at the trackdaze vir event in late feb i'll wring it out for a couple of days and report back.

 

found the same little hangup going into third. Mostly when cold. Found that the clutch-shift timing change greatly improves that. Actually found that moving the shifter a little earlier/sooner helped.

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Minis and the land of endless mods

 

my wife came home tonight after driving it to/from work for the first time and said "now i understand why you enjoy driving so much!" music to my ears

the only mod i'm doing for now is floormats. speaking of which, any suggestions?

 

WeatherTech Floor Mats...www.weathertech.com!! See pics. in my Garage.

 

Got the Mini rubber mats from the dealer. They also double as great catch-alls at the track

 

Hey Eddie, you sound quite knowledgeable (shameless sucking up). What, if any, have you heard about 4 point harness'. I have a 2010, or R56, looking for initial upgrading to start with Safety. That means, to me, a 4 point harness, which has YET to be developed - according to HMS, Apex, and other web sites. Do you think it would be wise to kobble the harness meant for the R53, into my MINI? (some, have cut part of the clip away, in order to fit)

 

I have the Schroth Rallye 4 Quick Fit harness (for the R53) installed in my '07 R56. No modifications were needed. This is the latest version; the one with the Yellow Schroth lettering. It seems that the buckle design has been changed slightly and it fits the R56 with no problem/modification. However, it still says on it that it is only for the R53 and use on any other car is not allowed. I don't know why, if it fits R56, that they have not gotten it certified. There is a lot of posts on NAM about modifying the buckle, but from what I can tell that applies to the earlier model with the white Schroth lettering. But the R53/50 and the R56 have the same pre-tensioner so it seems as though the harness would works the same on all models.

I have used it once on the track, with the stock seats, and have to say that it keeps you planted in the seat. No sliding around. In a word "fantastic". Can't wait to try it with the Recaro Seats. However, because of the "don't use" statement on them I plan to use the stock belts with an instructor in the car so we are both using the same belt system as the rules require. I don't like the liability issue if the instructor were using the 4-point and there was an "issue" .

However, as Sargent Schultz once said "I knooow nothingk"

 

My X10 front and X8 rears just showed up. Went with the same set up Eddie.
did 2 days at Thunder Hill with stock and they were about 50% after that on a new car. Getting them on tomorrow.

I purchased a 4 point harness from Phil Wicks. You can contact him from his driving school website. He works with company who is making them for the MINI. The recommend using with the 3 point system already in the car. No buzzers or warnings etc. You bolt the lap belt in using the bolts present that hold the rear of the seat down. The shoulder harness clips into the clips that
hold the reat seat in place. Much better angle going straight back to the clips and then down to the seat belts. I only bought one set. If an instructor wishs we run with just the standard system 3 point system. Most don't care if I belt up. they work great and I leave the rears installed and tuck them under the seat. rears clip in easy once you have them adjusted.

 

Thanks for reply, Eddie. I just received my pre-owned harness (purchased here on NAM). Looking forward to install them this weekend. And yes, they have the YELLOW markings. What you said, confirms my thought upon inspection - that the clip was much smaller than pictured in other threads, where they cut back the male shoulder. Like you, I'm confident all is well!

Oh yeah, I also grew up on Hogan's Heroes - "Schuuuuuullllllllltz"

 

This is an update to my earlier post about using the 4 point Quickfit harness with my Recaro seats...A REALLY BIG NO

The seat slots are too low and the shoulder belts ride on the shoulders not the seat as in the stock seat setup. The problem is that with no support from the seat back, there is nothing to keep the belts from pressing down on the spine in a crash. Read that as a broken back...I know that there probably only a few of us with these seats in a Mini and who also track the car (where the quick fits would be useful) so this won't affect most of you, but I will not use the Quickfit with these seats. However, this may also be a problem for anyone who has put some other kind of race seats with slots in the back for belts.

Now I will say that with the stock seats and the way the shoulder belts pass between the head rest posts, the Quickfit is fantastic and there should be no problem with back compression.

As an alternative I would highly recommend the CG locks. These are a fantastic addition to the stock belts and they WILL keep you planted in the seat almost as well as the Quickfits but for a lot less money.