R56 1st Car WRX or 07 MIni?
6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,272
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From: Arlington, VA
Yea I'd love to do a V8 conversion on an old Volvo. Here's the link to a NY Times article about bricks:
http://www.swedishbricks.com/NYTimes...esArticle.html
http://www.swedishbricks.com/NYTimes...esArticle.html
5th Gear
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 695
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From: Las Vegas
Modded VW flat-4 in a "Volks-Rod" sounding sweeeeet!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...82544&q=vw+bug
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...51019&q=vw+bug
Cams play a big roll in the sound of a car, as it controls valve timing. Ever hear drag cars try to idal, and they sound like they are almost about to cut off but then spin over. The loping sound (rumble) is caused by the extremely high lift/duration the cam has. Exhaust also plays a roll.
But...it is very easy to tell when the sound is being made mostly by the engine itself or if its being made by the exhaust/muffler.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...82544&q=vw+bug
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...51019&q=vw+bug
Cams play a big roll in the sound of a car, as it controls valve timing. Ever hear drag cars try to idal, and they sound like they are almost about to cut off but then spin over. The loping sound (rumble) is caused by the extremely high lift/duration the cam has. Exhaust also plays a roll.
But...it is very easy to tell when the sound is being made mostly by the engine itself or if its being made by the exhaust/muffler.
5th Gear
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 695
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas
of course its not going to sound exactly the same as a cammed v8 motor....its missing half the pistons. (It was a figure of speech.) However, i have heard cammed out subbys that lope/rumble.
Banned
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,328
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AMEN! An old Swedish Brick is the perfect car for any kid to learn to drive on. They are indestructible and their safety technology was 10-20 years ahead of many other manufacturers. Hell, I'm going to equip my kids with old 1980s Volvos when they learn to drive and I don't even have kids yet
And to the person that said they are death traps, I would say how can you get seriously hurt when they can't go above 40mph?
No, but seriously, even the old Volvos are very safe even by today's standards. I remember hearing somewhere that the Volvo 240 has one of the lowest, if not the lowest passenger death rates of any car ever made. And that was without a lot of today's advanced safety features. So I say, forget the WRX or the MCS and buy a late 1980's Volvo 240 Sedan, or if you want a really cool car buy a Wagon (and if you don't believe me ask RollingStone, they listed old Volvo Station Wagons in their "What's Cool" issue a couple years ago, I guess I was really ahead of the curve considering that I drove one back in high school )
And to the person that said they are death traps, I would say how can you get seriously hurt when they can't go above 40mph? No, but seriously, even the old Volvos are very safe even by today's standards. I remember hearing somewhere that the Volvo 240 has one of the lowest, if not the lowest passenger death rates of any car ever made. And that was without a lot of today's advanced safety features. So I say, forget the WRX or the MCS and buy a late 1980's Volvo 240 Sedan, or if you want a really cool car buy a Wagon (and if you don't believe me ask RollingStone, they listed old Volvo Station Wagons in their "What's Cool" issue a couple years ago, I guess I was really ahead of the curve considering that I drove one back in high school )
6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,272
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From: Arlington, VA
Ok, I found a source about the 240's low death rate. While this was for the last few years of the 240, the car was virtually unchanged from the late 70s to the early 90s. They did add airbags in 1990 but ABS wasn't even an option until 91(they were standard in 92 and 93).
http://www.usroads.com/journals/aruj/9702/ru970207.htm
Death trap my @$$!!! Eat that Geo Tracker!
http://www.usroads.com/journals/aruj/9702/ru970207.htm
Death trap my @$$!!!
Eat that Geo Tracker!
regardless chances are... a newer nissan altima/sentra or civic or something is still probobly safer because of modern materials and modern crash test standards then a 80s up to mid 90's volvo and probobly the same price after you factor in keeping it running etc because i assume it will be high milage.
"Now, this is provided you can trust yourself as a driver "...
Sorry, but at 16 and 18 and 25 years old you think you're mature. You think you know a lot because you're well read in the latest car magazines; however, I'd argue that you've got to experience a lot more life before you qualify to weigh in on whether or not a 16 year old trusting himself is a good enough qualifier for being responsible. The thing you've got to remember (not respect but remember) is that when you're beyond that point you have both perspectives. I asked the original poster to describe himself because I didn't want to make an assumption that he was a 16 year old with parents buying him a car. I wanted to make room for the possibility that he was 36 years old, was a grad student from China (xpanda??) and had two children. I still wouldn't recommend a HiPo car to him, but it could explain why his first car would be something other than the time-tested formula of new driver deserves nothing more than a thoroughly used car to learn on.
When I was 16 I left high school during 5th period to roadrace against another kid on a backroad with lots of blind corners. He drove an 8 year old Escort. I drove a 10 year old Rabbit. I was reading car magazines constantly and without the benefit of the internet (Al Gore hadn't finished laying it out ) was as car knowledgable as I could imagine any 16 year old could be. My parents were very responsible, teaching us about responsible driving by example, and I was the only kid in my school of 1000 who's father was a former autocross chairman in the local sports car club.
Nothing bad happened that day of road racing, but I'm convinced that had my parents outfitted me with a modern day STI THEY would have increased my chances 10 fold. There was a kid in my class who received a new Acura Integra (first year) for his 16th birthday with the unstated but understood notion that since his parents were ponying up for the car in the first place, they'd replace it if he wrecked it just to get him back on the horse. And that's exactly what happened when he rolled that car several weeks later on Rt. 100 (Brandywine River Valley, PA). Now call me a cynic, but that kid's parents were doing everything they could do to kill him (and his girlfriend at the time) while failing to teach him the merits of hard work and responsibility. I did have two fender benders during my first year of driving, but my '76 Rabbit was so anemic and the road manners were not World Rally caliber, so both were far from life threatening. In other words the car was not capable of traversing roads half as fast as a WRX. I learned that without the means to fix the damage, your ride can go from nothing to brag about to downright embarrassing. I learned how to repair rust, do minor body work, and replace a water pump (surpassing my father's mechanical experience, and eventually leading to a car restoration hobby and rebuilding my own engines). In the end, the Rabbit was sold to another student and then went to the boneyard, but I imagine my life with cars would have been much different had I driven the Silver Spoon route. I can't blame xpanda for wanting a WRX, but I would blame any parent who signed/cosigned the loan and payed the alarming insurance to put such a fast car in the hands of a novice driver.
Sorry, but at 16 and 18 and 25 years old you think you're mature. You think you know a lot because you're well read in the latest car magazines; however, I'd argue that you've got to experience a lot more life before you qualify to weigh in on whether or not a 16 year old trusting himself is a good enough qualifier for being responsible. The thing you've got to remember (not respect but remember) is that when you're beyond that point you have both perspectives. I asked the original poster to describe himself because I didn't want to make an assumption that he was a 16 year old with parents buying him a car. I wanted to make room for the possibility that he was 36 years old, was a grad student from China (xpanda??) and had two children. I still wouldn't recommend a HiPo car to him, but it could explain why his first car would be something other than the time-tested formula of new driver deserves nothing more than a thoroughly used car to learn on.
When I was 16 I left high school during 5th period to roadrace against another kid on a backroad with lots of blind corners. He drove an 8 year old Escort. I drove a 10 year old Rabbit. I was reading car magazines constantly and without the benefit of the internet (Al Gore hadn't finished laying it out
) was as car knowledgable as I could imagine any 16 year old could be. My parents were very responsible, teaching us about responsible driving by example, and I was the only kid in my school of 1000 who's father was a former autocross chairman in the local sports car club. Nothing bad happened that day of road racing, but I'm convinced that had my parents outfitted me with a modern day STI THEY would have increased my chances 10 fold. There was a kid in my class who received a new Acura Integra (first year) for his 16th birthday with the unstated but understood notion that since his parents were ponying up for the car in the first place, they'd replace it if he wrecked it just to get him back on the horse. And that's exactly what happened when he rolled that car several weeks later on Rt. 100 (Brandywine River Valley, PA). Now call me a cynic, but that kid's parents were doing everything they could do to kill him (and his girlfriend at the time) while failing to teach him the merits of hard work and responsibility. I did have two fender benders during my first year of driving, but my '76 Rabbit was so anemic and the road manners were not World Rally caliber, so both were far from life threatening. In other words the car was not capable of traversing roads half as fast as a WRX. I learned that without the means to fix the damage, your ride can go from nothing to brag about to downright embarrassing. I learned how to repair rust, do minor body work, and replace a water pump (surpassing my father's mechanical experience, and eventually leading to a car restoration hobby and rebuilding my own engines). In the end, the Rabbit was sold to another student and then went to the boneyard, but I imagine my life with cars would have been much different had I driven the Silver Spoon route. I can't blame xpanda for wanting a WRX, but I would blame any parent who signed/cosigned the loan and payed the alarming insurance to put such a fast car in the hands of a novice driver.
I think we have similar backgrounds which is interesting to me. My father was the racer in my family. He autoXed and rally raced for factory eagle when the eagle talon tsi was released.
I did learn to drive from him and for that I am thankfull. I did also learn my "road" ethics from him as well. He tought me alot about the limit of cars and the limit of drivers and how they are related but at the same time... ALWAYS very different.
I do however differ from your story a bit. I jumped right into that rocketship of a car when I was 16. There was something of a proving point between my mother and father in that my mother was convinced I couldn't handle it and my father was convinced he had tought me well enough where I could.
As I stated before I never got any speeders in my car and never got in any accidents on open road. I did however get 1 disorderly conduct ticket when i blasted a 4 wheel burnout through an intersection when some A-hole in a truck was road raging on me. It was dismissed in court as the police officer showed up and stated he only wrote me the ticket to get rid of the crazy ahole and thought i did the right thing in my situation.
Any way this guy is onto something with his post. It is going to take a TON of self control to handle these cars and grow with them and not hurt yourself. I know it sounds like I am preaching but take it from some one that went though what you are about to put yourself through. Alot of people your age are going to want to race and mess around. I always kept the messing around to myself on back roads or closed tracks so it was only me that was in danger. You really are going to have to be the bigger man in most if not all situations that involve other motorists. It is totally doable but it's going to take maturity which is beyond your years... let alone your hormones.
There is also something to be said for learning a thing or two about cars by driving and fixing your own car. I learned alot working on my scubaru but I learned more when I bought my alfa spider after I sold the svx. Either way that's up to you... some peoole wrench and drive some people just drive. My father is a driver and that's where we differ.
All in all I don't know you so it's hard to make any sort of judgement about your saftey. If you are looking at these cars for saftey you are probobly barking up the wrong tree. The na cooper or something of that sort would be a safer car with the same amount of prestige. However, I/We can't swing your choice. So if you do decide to go with the S or a WRX be carefull for your own sake. You have your entire life to drive fast and burn people on the track or wherever you decide to do it.
My father always had a saying while he was driving his nicer cars when people would come up to him and rev their engine, and this will get you off the hook for racing weather there is a girl in the passenger seat or a gear head friend.
"Just knowing I can beat you is enough for me."
gl and stay safe.
5th Gear
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 667
Likes: 1
From: Wappingers Falls, NY
I kinda like it now.
6th Gear
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 15,478
Likes: 2
Cachet = Prestige - it was my SAT word of the day.
My good friend C4 says that Toyota is the new Yugo.
You will be sorry when you have to take that ugly box of yours to the dealer for all sorts of quality control issues............wait a sec - you've already been down that road with another marque.
My good friend C4 says that Toyota is the new Yugo.
You will be sorry when you have to take that ugly box of yours to the dealer for all sorts of quality control issues............wait a sec - you've already been down that road with another marque.
As to our dear MINI loyalist C4 ... you all know there ain't a finer vehicle anywhere in autoland than MINIs so
JCW
, One look at that long back storage area and she was ready to rumble (so to speak) Actually Evo Motorsports http://www.evoms.com/Splash.asp?nav=...2%3A58%3A49+PM is big in certain marquees. Unfortantely, I was confusing P with T. SO I guess I gotta go TRD
Red Calipers? Please how tacky. One does NOT add red calipers to a fine softroader. Thats for those sports cars with the big brakes. SUVs use SILVER. The SILVER matches those SILVER brush guards so you can add the winch and the HUGE mother Driving Lights
Wings ... Bad ***. Useless under 75 MPH. I can only hit 60. Remember 0 - 60 whomps JCWs.
BTW ... on a serious note (just for one second ...) I read today that CS does poorly or few entries in SCAA Pro Solo. Reason? They have classed it with SS? along with ... you guessed it GT3s. Word is that they purposely are keeping it "out of its real class" because of politics
You can read that anyway you want.Sorry about the OT.
Oh yeah, for a new driver ... get a bug.
5th Gear
Joined: Mar 2004
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Of course Porsche had them . . . since Ferdinand designed the Beetle.
5th Gear
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 695
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas
Best first car to buy....old VW bug.
My first car was a 1970 bug, (6-7 years ago) which i still have, but after 4 years of restoration/customizing it looks nothing like what it did when i first bought it. (you can see it in my gallery)
They have low HP in stock form to keep you out of trouble, cheap plentiful parts (half the cost to fix a modern car) simple to work on. Great gas milage. Probably one of the most customizable cars in the world, and once you save up some $$$ you can make it faster than both a MINI and a STI. (Handle better also.)
but they are not very luxurious, and A/C although you can put A/C in a bug, is not very practical.
However they are probably the easiest car to learn to drive stick on.
My first car was a 1970 bug, (6-7 years ago) which i still have, but after 4 years of restoration/customizing it looks nothing like what it did when i first bought it. (you can see it in my gallery)
They have low HP in stock form to keep you out of trouble, cheap plentiful parts (half the cost to fix a modern car) simple to work on. Great gas milage. Probably one of the most customizable cars in the world, and once you save up some $$$ you can make it faster than both a MINI and a STI. (Handle better also.)
but they are not very luxurious, and A/C although you can put A/C in a bug, is not very practical.
However they are probably the easiest car to learn to drive stick on.
3rd Gear
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 247
Likes: 1
No, I was not joking at all. I am 100% serious.
The MCS is a very poor car to learn to drive in. In fact it is not a car in which you build your skills, it is more a car to hone them in. This assumes that you have some skills to begin wit.
The 7.2secs is closer to 6.2 seconds to 60mph. modify it a little and you are dipping in 1980's 911 turbo performance.
You say that your car is modified, the absolute best modification that you (as a newer driver) could make is to learn to drive it - take it autocrossing, go to high performance drving school etc.
There is a 99% probability that you cannot get close to being able to use it 100%, so raising the performance is utterly pointless, because you are just raising its potential and doing nothing about your skills. A 15% pulley does not make you a 15% better driver it makes the potential for putting yourelf into a situation from which you cannot recover all the bigger.
I realize that I am typing this to someone that does not want to read it, but think about it, there is a reason that young guys and fast/quick cars are an expensive insurance combination. It has a lot to do with the gap between their perceived skills and their actual abilities.
MCS/WRX are terrible learners cars, they are both unforgiving of low skill levels around the limit, the WRX especially so with understeer flicking to lift/off oversteer in an instant. The high grip (of both cars) means that in comparrison to a normal car, the cornering speeds at which it slides off the road is very high - therefore the crash is so much bigger.
Obviously this is not a rule set in stone, but think about it.
oh and my comparrision to an R1 was not literal, it was to demonstrate that there are no good choices. I am a motorcyclist too, and I see so many young guys on the street on brand new litre bikes that hammer down the straight and cannot get the bikes around corners, they cannot figure out why my 90hp Ducati is so much faster through the bends. It has nothing to do with the abilities of the bike, it is all the rider.
The same thin goes for cars, anyone can go fast in a straight line, even my wife or my son. However, where it matters in a car is in ones roadcraft abilities, the ability to read the road, the ability to judge conditions and deal with things. This takes experience.
The faster you reach these hazards, the faster you have to react, yet the lss your experience, the more the chances of getting it wrong.
Fast car, new driver == larger potential for a crash
get it ?
no ?
I thought not, new drivers also, sadly, assume that they are mire skillfull than anyone on the road
The MCS is a very poor car to learn to drive in. In fact it is not a car in which you build your skills, it is more a car to hone them in. This assumes that you have some skills to begin wit.
The 7.2secs is closer to 6.2 seconds to 60mph. modify it a little and you are dipping in 1980's 911 turbo performance.
You say that your car is modified, the absolute best modification that you (as a newer driver) could make is to learn to drive it - take it autocrossing, go to high performance drving school etc.
There is a 99% probability that you cannot get close to being able to use it 100%, so raising the performance is utterly pointless, because you are just raising its potential and doing nothing about your skills. A 15% pulley does not make you a 15% better driver it makes the potential for putting yourelf into a situation from which you cannot recover all the bigger.
I realize that I am typing this to someone that does not want to read it, but think about it, there is a reason that young guys and fast/quick cars are an expensive insurance combination. It has a lot to do with the gap between their perceived skills and their actual abilities.
MCS/WRX are terrible learners cars, they are both unforgiving of low skill levels around the limit, the WRX especially so with understeer flicking to lift/off oversteer in an instant. The high grip (of both cars) means that in comparrison to a normal car, the cornering speeds at which it slides off the road is very high - therefore the crash is so much bigger.
Obviously this is not a rule set in stone, but think about it.
oh and my comparrision to an R1 was not literal, it was to demonstrate that there are no good choices. I am a motorcyclist too, and I see so many young guys on the street on brand new litre bikes that hammer down the straight and cannot get the bikes around corners, they cannot figure out why my 90hp Ducati is so much faster through the bends. It has nothing to do with the abilities of the bike, it is all the rider.
The same thin goes for cars, anyone can go fast in a straight line, even my wife or my son. However, where it matters in a car is in ones roadcraft abilities, the ability to read the road, the ability to judge conditions and deal with things. This takes experience.
The faster you reach these hazards, the faster you have to react, yet the lss your experience, the more the chances of getting it wrong.
Fast car, new driver == larger potential for a crash
get it ?
no ?
I thought not, new drivers also, sadly, assume that they are mire skillfull than anyone on the road
I'm sorry.... "The 7.2secs is closer to 6.2 seconds to 60mph. modify it a little and you are dipping in 1980's 911 turbo performance."
That's the funniest thing I heard today! I was having a pretty boring day, but that statement just cracked me up...
6th Gear
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 15,478
Likes: 2
?NM
Reverse Gear
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,472
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Yeah and you quoted 4.8secs to 60 from a 930
They must have been a hell of a lot faster for the US market, because the 1984 911 Turbo I had in the UK would pull mid 5's and that was it.
the 1980 version that it replaced was right on the six second mark.
The last 911 Turbo I bought was in the 4's however
But like I said, according to my GPS, my lightly modded MCS is approaching those numbers with its 'just over 6 seconds' times - 60mph comes out at the top of 2nd (just) given my new slightly smaller wheel/tire combo's.
Oddly enough the best 1/4 mile time I ran in my '84 (in '86) was 14.7 seconds, or less than a second faster than my MCS when it was stock. The last time I took the MCS to the strip I ran an uncorrected 15.0.
So I guess that a good laugh is had by all - You can laugh at me for having not one, but TWO slow 911 Turbos, and I can laugh at you for thinking that an MCS is not a quick car.....
They must have been a hell of a lot faster for the US market, because the 1984 911 Turbo I had in the UK would pull mid 5's and that was it.
the 1980 version that it replaced was right on the six second mark.
The last 911 Turbo I bought was in the 4's however
But like I said, according to my GPS, my lightly modded MCS is approaching those numbers with its 'just over 6 seconds' times - 60mph comes out at the top of 2nd (just) given my new slightly smaller wheel/tire combo's.
Oddly enough the best 1/4 mile time I ran in my '84 (in '86) was 14.7 seconds, or less than a second faster than my MCS when it was stock. The last time I took the MCS to the strip I ran an uncorrected 15.0.
So I guess that a good laugh is had by all - You can laugh at me for having not one, but TWO slow 911 Turbos, and I can laugh at you for thinking that an MCS is not a quick car.....
2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 120
Likes: 0
From: Knoxville
A fast car does not a death trap make.
This is the perspective of a 17 year old male who drives a Mini Cooper S. My first car was a 1990 Acura Integra. I never wrecked the car or recieved any tickets, but I nearly killed myself through overconfidence and poor driving decisions. It is almost impossible for a new teenage driver to be a responsible driver, and as a result insurance rates are high. My friends have wrecked every type of car in nearly every situation, mostly in the first 6 months of driving. Most of these accidents were the result of stupidy on the part of the young driver, and in one case this stupidity cost my classmate his life. There is no pause or restart button in driving, and the results are irreversable. Stupidity kills.
If you are given a new Mini or WRX as your first car, the pressure to push yourself beyond the limits of your skills will be impossible to overcome. Unfortunately this is true in every car, and you will not understand the consequences of your actions until your first close call or accident. If you value your life, (and I'm assuming you do) do not fall to the temptation of street racing and reckless driving. If you do, I sincerely hope your car is impounded and your license revoked, because these actions endanger the lives of yourself, your passengers and those unfortunate individuals at the other end of an accident. Driving is a privalige, not a neccessity. If you don't believe this, ride a bike to school and back for a week and see how well that goes. If you make the wrong decisions behind the wheel, this could your only form of transportation. (See how many chicks you can pick up on a Huffy)
Now, for the pros and cons of driving a Mini Cooper S as a 16/17 year old.
The Good Stuff:
It's a MINI!!
Chicks dig it!
Not a Civic
Great Mileage
Fun to Drive
Very Safe (6 airbags)
Etc.
The Less Good Stuff:
Fast enough to Kill you
Fast enough to Kill you
Insurance ($2200/year for me with: drivers ed, clean record, good student discount)
Too much fun (easy to speed)
I hope this information is helpful to someone. Despite the downsides, I believe a Mini is a good car for a young person. For the record, I still have no accidents or wrecks to my name, proving that in the right (lucky?) hands, a Mini Cooper S can be driven safely by an inexperienced young driver.
This is the perspective of a 17 year old male who drives a Mini Cooper S. My first car was a 1990 Acura Integra. I never wrecked the car or recieved any tickets, but I nearly killed myself through overconfidence and poor driving decisions. It is almost impossible for a new teenage driver to be a responsible driver, and as a result insurance rates are high. My friends have wrecked every type of car in nearly every situation, mostly in the first 6 months of driving. Most of these accidents were the result of stupidy on the part of the young driver, and in one case this stupidity cost my classmate his life. There is no pause or restart button in driving, and the results are irreversable. Stupidity kills.
If you are given a new Mini or WRX as your first car, the pressure to push yourself beyond the limits of your skills will be impossible to overcome. Unfortunately this is true in every car, and you will not understand the consequences of your actions until your first close call or accident. If you value your life, (and I'm assuming you do) do not fall to the temptation of street racing and reckless driving. If you do, I sincerely hope your car is impounded and your license revoked, because these actions endanger the lives of yourself, your passengers and those unfortunate individuals at the other end of an accident. Driving is a privalige, not a neccessity. If you don't believe this, ride a bike to school and back for a week and see how well that goes. If you make the wrong decisions behind the wheel, this could your only form of transportation. (See how many chicks you can pick up on a Huffy)
Now, for the pros and cons of driving a Mini Cooper S as a 16/17 year old.
The Good Stuff:
It's a MINI!!
Chicks dig it!
Not a Civic
Great Mileage
Fun to Drive
Very Safe (6 airbags)
Etc.
The Less Good Stuff:
Fast enough to Kill you
Fast enough to Kill you
Insurance ($2200/year for me with: drivers ed, clean record, good student discount)
Too much fun (easy to speed)
I hope this information is helpful to someone. Despite the downsides, I believe a Mini is a good car for a young person. For the record, I still have no accidents or wrecks to my name, proving that in the right (lucky?) hands, a Mini Cooper S can be driven safely by an inexperienced young driver.
I agree with all the others..
MINI or the Rex maybe not the best selection for your first car..
It will be very hard to resist to speed on those fun cars...
I remember driving in my first car, Daewoo Nubira. that crazy 2.0L 4 banger with 120hp. Pushing it into One30mph territory on a highway with 14 inch wheels and low speed rated tires.. a few times actually. It all happend during the first 6 months of driving...
MINI or the Rex maybe not the best selection for your first car..
It will be very hard to resist to speed on those fun cars...
I remember driving in my first car, Daewoo Nubira. that crazy 2.0L 4 banger with 120hp. Pushing it into One30mph territory on a highway with 14 inch wheels and low speed rated tires.. a few times actually. It all happend during the first 6 months of driving...
6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,293
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From: Cincinnati, Ohio
Nubian slave girls no doubt, from one of the original Star Trek episodes.
1st Gear
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11
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Rustyboy155-
Subarus can be modded for cheap?
Umm last time I checked I spent 20k in mine already. Far from cheap. I think for being a BMW the mini mods are cheap. I mean I can upgrade the intercooler for less than 800 bucks on mini. On a subaru it costs much more for a substantial IC upgrade.
I can turbo the mini for 5800 installed at Helix Motorsports.
Now maybe you meant price to HP ratio. Sure with turbocharged cars you will get big gains with bigger downpipes .. uppipes.. increased flow in exhaust. 35WHP+ if you dial up some boost for less than 2k if you shop around.
I love the mini with its interior and the fact that it is so small with so much style. Stock for stock I'd buy a mini anyday.
Reliability of the new mini engine is yet to be seen. The 2.5 block that the WRX is using is very reliable assuming you don't get a lemon and is maintained properly.
If you are in the market for a WRX I suggest that you buy a 06 sti low mileage from a dealer if you are looking at wrxes. It comes with a nicer interior and STI components. The STI interior and trim is allot nicer too with suede inserts on the doors and better accenting.
So it all comes down to is if you want a car capable of fast launches, low 1/4 mile times with AWD to boot- WRX or STI. Or you want a car that has more sophisticated interior and is even more niche than a subaru. Both cars have great personalities and character.
But I will say again if you plan on keeping it stock I would choose the mini hands down especially the new turbo one.
Nothing is better though than racing someone and seeing the look on their face when they got owned by a mini tho.
Good luck with your purchase decision.
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Impreza GC8 JDM STI VI conversion
05 MCS
Drop by my page @ http://www.myspace.com/jkjersey
Subarus can be modded for cheap?
Umm last time I checked I spent 20k in mine already. Far from cheap. I think for being a BMW the mini mods are cheap. I mean I can upgrade the intercooler for less than 800 bucks on mini. On a subaru it costs much more for a substantial IC upgrade.
I can turbo the mini for 5800 installed at Helix Motorsports.
Now maybe you meant price to HP ratio. Sure with turbocharged cars you will get big gains with bigger downpipes .. uppipes.. increased flow in exhaust. 35WHP+ if you dial up some boost for less than 2k if you shop around.
I love the mini with its interior and the fact that it is so small with so much style. Stock for stock I'd buy a mini anyday.
Reliability of the new mini engine is yet to be seen. The 2.5 block that the WRX is using is very reliable assuming you don't get a lemon and is maintained properly.
If you are in the market for a WRX I suggest that you buy a 06 sti low mileage from a dealer if you are looking at wrxes. It comes with a nicer interior and STI components. The STI interior and trim is allot nicer too with suede inserts on the doors and better accenting.
So it all comes down to is if you want a car capable of fast launches, low 1/4 mile times with AWD to boot- WRX or STI. Or you want a car that has more sophisticated interior and is even more niche than a subaru. Both cars have great personalities and character.
But I will say again if you plan on keeping it stock I would choose the mini hands down especially the new turbo one.
Nothing is better though than racing someone and seeing the look on their face when they got owned by a mini tho.
Good luck with your purchase decision.
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Impreza GC8 JDM STI VI conversion
05 MCS
Drop by my page @ http://www.myspace.com/jkjersey
1st Gear
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Skiploader- RAV4 beating a MCS from a launch?
I drove the new RAV4 with the 6 cylinder. It is much nicer than the previous gen. But I am shocked it can pull those 0-60 times even. If a driver could be in tune with the RAV4 enough to pull that launch time the MCS would kill it once it got rolling just from the powerband and gearbox alone.
I am shocked actually in how well a MCS can race considering the power output from a roll. Just on highway trips alone many sport sedans have been schooled by it.
The gearing is sick and the powerband is impressive for being a non flat 4.
As far as numbers in magazine go. There are so many variables involved such as powerbands and gearing. I am concerned with real world performance. The road and track article in which the cooper was pitted against the civic SI made me laugh. I raced a new SI stock from around 85 mph or so on a wide interstate road in the midnight hours. I flagged the other driver down out the window and he acknowledged. The first run I thought I was in 4th when actually I was in 6th and the SI was slowly pulling from me. I then downshifted into 4th and the mini pulled so hard on it. The 2nd run I let the SI catch up at around 110 mph or so to the point that it was pulling on me again by a car length or so before I pressed on the throttle more and walked it again. So magazine numbers can give you a general idea but can not be taken as absolute.
For modded cars look at 600 hp skylines 1/4 mile times vs 400 hp Subarus or evos. A lot of times on paper they are evenly matched with times. Sometimes the lesser hp cars edge it out in the 1/4 mile times because traction is involved as well as gearing.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Impreza GC8 JDM STI VI conversion
05 MCS
Drop by my page @ http://www.myspace.com/jkjersey
I drove the new RAV4 with the 6 cylinder. It is much nicer than the previous gen. But I am shocked it can pull those 0-60 times even. If a driver could be in tune with the RAV4 enough to pull that launch time the MCS would kill it once it got rolling just from the powerband and gearbox alone.
I am shocked actually in how well a MCS can race considering the power output from a roll. Just on highway trips alone many sport sedans have been schooled by it.
The gearing is sick and the powerband is impressive for being a non flat 4.
As far as numbers in magazine go. There are so many variables involved such as powerbands and gearing. I am concerned with real world performance. The road and track article in which the cooper was pitted against the civic SI made me laugh. I raced a new SI stock from around 85 mph or so on a wide interstate road in the midnight hours. I flagged the other driver down out the window and he acknowledged. The first run I thought I was in 4th when actually I was in 6th and the SI was slowly pulling from me. I then downshifted into 4th and the mini pulled so hard on it. The 2nd run I let the SI catch up at around 110 mph or so to the point that it was pulling on me again by a car length or so before I pressed on the throttle more and walked it again. So magazine numbers can give you a general idea but can not be taken as absolute.
For modded cars look at 600 hp skylines 1/4 mile times vs 400 hp Subarus or evos. A lot of times on paper they are evenly matched with times. Sometimes the lesser hp cars edge it out in the 1/4 mile times because traction is involved as well as gearing.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Impreza GC8 JDM STI VI conversion
05 MCS
Drop by my page @ http://www.myspace.com/jkjersey
6th Gear
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 15,478
Likes: 2
You don't know what we're discussing from other threads or the problems he had (and I to a different extent) with MCSs.Second, I suggest you read the guidelines. All discussion of street racing and excessive speed on public roads is prohibited ... your going to get this thread
Banned
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,328
Likes: 0
Skiploader- RAV4 beating a MCS from a launch?
I drove the new RAV4 with the 6 cylinder. It is much nicer than the previous gen. But I am shocked it can pull those 0-60 times even. If a driver could be in tune with the RAV4 enough to pull that launch time the MCS would kill it once it got rolling just from the powerband and gearbox alone.
I am shocked actually in how well a MCS can race considering the power output from a roll. Just on highway trips alone many sport sedans have been schooled by it.
The gearing is sick and the powerband is impressive for being a non flat 4.
As far as numbers in magazine go. There are so many variables involved such as powerbands and gearing. I am concerned with real world performance. The road and track article in which the cooper was pitted against the civic SI made me laugh. I raced a new SI stock from around 85 mph or so on a wide interstate road in the midnight hours. I flagged the other driver down out the window and he acknowledged. The first run I thought I was in 4th when actually I was in 6th and the SI was slowly pulling from me. I then downshifted into 4th and the mini pulled so hard on it. The 2nd run I let the SI catch up at around 110 mph or so to the point that it was pulling on me again by a car length or so before I pressed on the throttle more and walked it again. So magazine numbers can give you a general idea but can not be taken as absolute.
For modded cars look at 600 hp skylines 1/4 mile times vs 400 hp Subarus or evos. A lot of times on paper they are evenly matched with times. Sometimes the lesser hp cars edge it out in the 1/4 mile times because traction is involved as well as gearing.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Impreza GC8 JDM STI VI conversion
05 MCS
Drop by my page @ http://www.myspace.com/jkjersey
I drove the new RAV4 with the 6 cylinder. It is much nicer than the previous gen. But I am shocked it can pull those 0-60 times even. If a driver could be in tune with the RAV4 enough to pull that launch time the MCS would kill it once it got rolling just from the powerband and gearbox alone.
I am shocked actually in how well a MCS can race considering the power output from a roll. Just on highway trips alone many sport sedans have been schooled by it.
The gearing is sick and the powerband is impressive for being a non flat 4.
As far as numbers in magazine go. There are so many variables involved such as powerbands and gearing. I am concerned with real world performance. The road and track article in which the cooper was pitted against the civic SI made me laugh. I raced a new SI stock from around 85 mph or so on a wide interstate road in the midnight hours. I flagged the other driver down out the window and he acknowledged. The first run I thought I was in 4th when actually I was in 6th and the SI was slowly pulling from me. I then downshifted into 4th and the mini pulled so hard on it. The 2nd run I let the SI catch up at around 110 mph or so to the point that it was pulling on me again by a car length or so before I pressed on the throttle more and walked it again. So magazine numbers can give you a general idea but can not be taken as absolute.
For modded cars look at 600 hp skylines 1/4 mile times vs 400 hp Subarus or evos. A lot of times on paper they are evenly matched with times. Sometimes the lesser hp cars edge it out in the 1/4 mile times because traction is involved as well as gearing.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Impreza GC8 JDM STI VI conversion
05 MCS
Drop by my page @ http://www.myspace.com/jkjersey
2006 RAV4 - 0-60 = 6.3 seconds
1/4 mile = 14.9 at 94 mph
30-50 = 3.0 seconds
50-70 = 3.8 seconds
From Motor Trend:
2005 MCS - 0-60 = 6.4 seconds
1/4 mile = 14.8 at 95.2 mph
From SportCompact Web: 30-50 = 2.6
50-70 = 3.9
Please note that this MotorTrend is by far the fastest 1/4 mile and 0-60 time for an MCS.
At the track, a Mini will of course kill a RAV4. At the dragstrip, however, I would not recommend putting up your pink slip........
Hope that helps!
