Hello to all the community.
I am writing from Mexico and I will try to explain me, Weeks ago I test drove a 2007 mini cooper S, sport suspension but no LSD. This was my first time driving a Mini Cooper, actually I´m very interested in buy one of these cars and comes to this site to learn about the mini world and to ask the next questions based in my driving impressions.
I tested the car in two different days and in different weeks, the test was made in slow traffic and in high speed public roads, in speeds below 60 mph the car feels very well planted, fun and secure, but in speeds around 100 and 110mph and when I apply firmly the brakes the cars start to feel very sleepery, maybe some kind of loose of control or a floating sensation, I had to really work with the steering wheel to correct this behavior. The first time that I felt this becomes a really scary experience.
In the next test drive I drove the same Mini S and I tray another route, well the car do the same, I apply firmly the brakes traveling at 90 or 110mph and the car felt erratic for a seconds. This second time I was prepared and took very firmly the steering wheel and the problems was controlled in a slightly better way. --I ask to the sales men to try the same test, he does the same driving at speeds around 90-100mph and then applied the brakes, the sensation for him and for me was the same, A sensation of loose of control, I saw his face and he was really concerned for a few seconds, then he told me that this was “normal” in the mini cooper S, at this moment I was really disappointed, I don´t expect this from the Cooper S.
This is the way that the mini works?, is a "normal" behavior? I have this doubts now because a really dislikes this performance of the car but I wait years to have a Mini. Now I am thinking to buy another car, maybe a GTI but is a very boring car.
Thanks for your for your answers and contributions.
My last Car was a Renault Clio Sport, not any dynamic o stability problems.
Really sorry for my English.
Have a good day.

 

The dealership let you test drive a new car at 110 mph on public roads? wow...just wow.

Also, what do you mean by 'firmly apply breaks'. I think most any car would feel a bit weird if you break hard at 100mph+...

 

Was it the same car on every drive?

 

I think anyone that test drives an unfamiliar car from the dealership at 100/110mph and then hits the brakes to prove a point, has a problem. I bet salesmen life span there is short.!!

 

with "firmly" I try to explain a breaking not as abrupt as a panic stop but sufficiently firm to change direction in middle of a unexpected situation. The first time that I felt it I was simply trying to change to another road that is alongside.
Both test was in the same car. 2007 Mini Cooper S, suspensión package, Traction Control enabled and disabled (I try with the two ways)., no LSD.

Thank You.

 

You may want to check out this thread:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=96471

 

Thank you for the link, I´m going to check the information
By the way , the first time that I test the Mini I was alone,. they lent me the car to made the test and nobody of BMW come with me
The second time the sales men come with me because I told to him about this sensation, He was very esceptical and for this reason he wants to make a try

 

See if you can test a MINI Cooper S without the Sport Suspension. It would be interesting to know if it has the same feel.

 

Tire air pressure could be the problem. For high speeds, higher pressure.
The S needs 36 psi for the 17" tires. The manual states for a full load over 100mph, 41 psi is needed.The tires may have been lower. Some of the test cars maybe set-up with only 32 for a softer ride.
I would check my tire pressure for sure if I was driving over 100 mph.

 

If what you are feeling is the steering wheel shaking in your hands when you apply the brakes at higher speeds the usual cause is warped brake rotors. It tends to get worse as they heat up, but it is very "disconcerting" to feel to say the least. The more firmly you apply the brakes the more you feel it. It is not normal for any car. It may be just the car you drove. Be careful because brake issues like this may not be covered under your warranty. I found that out the hard way with my Jeep Grand Cherokee, come to find out later that there was a class action lawsuit about Chrysler not imforming owners that the rotors were going bad in droves all over.

 

Motor Trend Magazine just slammed the R56 for this very reason...and it is very much a 2005 trait as well. This is not a car that likes trail braking anmd the new model may be more sensitive. I do know the Mini's rear brake bias is higher than most other front drivers. Its braking distances are typically first rate.

I never trail brake while at the track and even so, hammering the brakes from 125mph is a sobering experience!

 

What is "trail breaking"? Sounds like something a forest ranger would do.

 

Guys you are very helpful, this is something very valuable in a car community, is like a secret added feature; I read the information in the link and is very interesting, made me think a lot on this purchase.
Here in Mexico the roads are very bad or at least with many changing surfaces, maybe this was the real problem. About the air pressure I was thinking the same, in fact in the test moments I did not know the tires pressure. I only was to much excited about finally driving a Mini S.

I really want to think that this behavior is not a common problem, I don´t want to spend this amount of money and find that my dreams car is not useful for my kind of driving.
Here in mexico the mini is really a expensive car, more than a GTI more than some luxury cars.
If this is the way that the car handles this could be really a deal breaker.

Thank you.

 

Google "trail braking" -- lots of good references. Useful for most of us in driving sim games only though.

 

Actually works nicely on the race track to enable the car to rotate thru the turn quicker. It's very much a "feel" that takes a while to get right/used to. Easy to go from quicker turn in to 360 plus spins!

I've never had a mini on a track, but would imagine that it a very quick rotating car, thereby making it more easily unsettled at the limit.

Mark

Mark

 

Check your trunk...there should be a BMW machete in there.

 

Not completely. I trail brake like mad on the bike (dragging the rear deepred in towards the apex). Settles stuff down nicely. As long as you're not heavy-footed... works great!

Works in the car too when you're heel-toeing it into and trough the twisties (though I'm no where near as good at that).

I would also guess one of two causes:

-warped rotors, maybe (mentioned earlier)

-rapid weight transition to the front of the car exposing some of the faults of the runflat tires. As good as the new ones are, they're still not perfect. Stiff runflats have a tendency to wander and they want to follow any inperfection in the road surface (there's a technical term for this I'm forgetting right now). When you quickley lighten up the rear (heavy breaking from speed in a short wheelbase car), I would guess that you could feel those rear wheels start to want to wander a bit.

As far as 100-110 MPH test drives? Viva Mexico !

 

warpped rotor will generate vibration or pulsation that is much more violent than an activated ABS. I had it and I know.

 

Well, that depends on how warped the rotor has become. Slightly warped, not so bad. Badly warped, it's can be violent!

 

warped is not really warped. It is just a pad imprint on the rotor. Today's rotors do not warp.
am getting hungry... what to eat...

 

Would the "technical" term be tramlining? Not sure how technical that is but I have read it used when describing this action.

 

Yes! That's it.