Well..... I have a BMW E90 328i that I love. I am a self confessed car freak and would love to get into autox or utilizing "track days". I live in Buffalo which isn't to far from "The Glen". I think my BMW would be suitable but I plan on having it for a very long time so I don't want to abuse it too much.

My question.... If I were to get a Mini Cooper S how "track ready" would this car be....

Also if anyone does track their car what do you guys do before you take it to the track!

Thx

 

All you need is some good fresh brake fluid and maybe a decent set of pads. And maybe replace the runflat tires.

Of course adding some good shocks, a good alignment, some power, etc. is nice and will make the car faster, but certainly not needed to make the car track ready. Bilsteins or Konis will just make the car better on the track and street, so that's something that might be worth doing anyway. Shocks from Mini generally suck all around.

For newbies to the track, doing an event with the car as stock as possible (with capable brakes) is a good idea. Don't go overboard with suspension, tires, and power until you're ready. You'll learn more and become a faster driver sooner.

That said, there are a few easy things you can do for not much money that improve all aspects of the car that are probably worth it. I'd start with shocks and alignment (which may mean getting some fixed camberplates or just doing the free camber mod).

- Andrew

 

I agree, all you need is a brake flush. Once you get more experience you might (or might not) want to mod it. We track both MINIs, and the only mod we've done is better tires, with light wheels to mount them on. We have tires specifically for the track because it'll chew up your street tires and you get better grip.

 

If you leave it stock you can run in your stock class for auto-x events. As soon as you do much to it you'll be bumped up to another class so then you'd need to bout max out to those rules to be competitive in that class. Depends on who all is in said class of course.. Great thing about auto cross is it's not that hard on the car. Pretty much get going put it in 2nd gear and drive.. Usually never changing gears again.. Granted may not be as much fun as running 100+ at the Glen but much cheaper... and easier on all the parts..

 

If you do WGI, upgrade your brake fluid and pads, and lose the run flats. Hope to see you there at some point.

 

How ready is it? It needs more front camber, badly... If you open the hood and look at the strut mounts, see that plastic tit? If you unbolt the strut mount, and pound out that locating tit, you can gain about another -1/2 degree of camber in front, and still stay stock. Every little bit helps.

 

Definitely new brake pads.

I'm from Buffalo too, and still haven't been to the glen. Let me know if you get a MINI!

 

Well.... right now I would classify myself as a "lurker" I havet even driven one yet! ( have however sat in them..... I love the retro interior) I have been to Towne BMW ( They also sell Mini) many times so I know a lot about the brand. I have even built many cars on the Mini website and saved them to a file on my Mac.

I would say when my Bimmer is paid off a Mini Cooper S would be a great car to take to autocross/track days. My problem is that i'm like 24 months out before I pay it off.

Until then Ill be dreaming!!

 

This is a very interesting little bit. Is this commonly done?

 

de rigeur in SCCA Stock classes as far as I know...

as the author said - every little bit helps, and the stock front end eats Hoosiers muy pronto...

Cheers,

Charlie

 

I know many people who just drive their MINI's on the street have done this 'mod' as well.

 

In SCCA Solo Stock classes, that would be illegal. If the rulebook does not explicitly say anything about removing some nub and the manufacturer service manual does not include removing the nub as part of the factory designated alignment process, you can't remove the nub in Solo Stock classes.

But besides the minimal factory front camber available, few factory cars are better out of the box for autoX and track days than the MCS. The most desirable configuration for stock class competition would be one with the Sport+ suspension, the LSD, and no heavy options (i.e. sunroof)

 

Hmm... I do believe there are different opinions on that. Here's Craig Wilcox on that point...

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...7-vs-08-a.html

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Very track ready, the trick is to know how to drive it. We have a couple of drivers with Minis who make Minis look like the worst track car ever. We got them to let our buddy who races semi-pro (E30s, STi and Lotus). He made their R53s sing. He pulled the second best unmodified #'s for the day...after an EVO.

 

Just got back from two days at the track. I've had four additional track days in the past two months. My MINI handles GREAT at the track. It can get smoked by Corvettes, Vipers, Porches, etc in the straights, but it is at home and very formidable in the technical portions.

My car is almost stock. I installed a rear sway bar, and now it handles very neutrally. In one portion where a quick transition is necessary, I can really feel the car rotate under me. It usually understeers a little, but I can get a some throttle-lift oversteer, too.

I also got rid of the run flats, and the car was transformed with a decent set of street tires.

I had a BMW E39 before this, and, although the BMW was a lot of fun, the MINI feels a lot more nimble.