Competitive in STS
 

Is there any one out there that is competitive with thier "just-a-Cooper" in this class.

Here are the results from the 07 Nationals,scoll down to STS, top 40 cars were Honda Civics, only one MINI entry, finished 47th out of 50 cars.


http://www.scca.com/documents/result...ts%2011.14.pdf

Can the Cooper be competitve in STS in a local region? Depends on who's shows up.

Let's hear more from STS Cooper drivers.

I was the lone Mini entry at Nationals!

Although, I do not think the Mini could ever win Nationals in STS, I am convinced it could do much much better than 47th out of 50.

At Nationals my car was only about 50% developed. It was essentially overweight, under-suspended, under-tired, over-geared, and under-powered. There is quite a bit more I could do to the car, and I did not have much time in the car to sort it out before Nationals.

For example:

Weight: (according to Heartland Park scales) 2390 lbs (low fuel, tools and spare removed). The Civics weighed in around 2050-2100 lbs. I could probably legally remove another 120 lbs to get to 2270 lbs (still a bit of a pig).

Suspension: H-sport springs on SS+ shocks, 19mm rear bar, and camber plates w/ -2.0 camber up front (max obtainable with the large diameter springs). A fully sorted coilover setup could go a long way.

Tires and Wheels: I ran well worn 205/55/15 Kumho Ecsta SPTs on 10.5lb 15x6.5 wheels. Although a decent tire, definitely not the hot set-up.

Tires are where the most time can be made up. Now to decide on the hot set up (15", 16" or even 17" wheels; 195/50/15, 205/50/15, 225/45/15, 205/45/16, 215/45/16, etc.; Bridgestone, Falken, Kumho, Yokohama, or Toyo). The opinions on this are endless.

Power: CAI, OBX header w/ stock cat, and a Magnaflow cat-back. I still can reflash the ECU and add a lightened crank pulley. After all of those mods are complete, I would expect about 120 hp at the wheels? I believe the Civics are in the 110-114hp range.

Do not fear STS:). Every time I make a mod, I love driving the car even more. If you want a National title, get a Civic. If you want to maximize your Mini and try and see how many Civics you can put behind you, take the STS plunge!!! I look forward to 2008.

STS Mini
 

I think I agree with 4 H Stock's conclusions. The SPT is a nice street performance tire, but the difference between it and the Bridgestones/Falkens can be measured in seconds (I ran the SPTs locally in an STS Civic a couple of times when my primary car was down).

The Civic has a great package because of its light weight, gearing, and suspension geometry that takes very well to being lowered. Tough to beat this set of attributes. But, the current STS Civic is the product of five years of development, so it would be interesting to see how a really well developed STS Mini would do.

We were driving an H Stock Civic and doing well with it (seconds in a Tour and a Pro), and then the Mini hit town. I looked over in grid at the Mini next to me and saw a tire that seemed to be the size of my car, and knew the Civic's day in the sun was over.

I can't help but think a that arguably better stock package might be able to transition to a competitive STS package.

Hmm. Sell the Miata and get an R50 Mini......

How many Minis is too many?

My Precious is a PIG @ 2550lbs, no driver, less than a 1/4 tank of gas, tools, floor mats and spare removed, back seats down. The only reason the Civic weighs less is the frame and body panels are made from lower gauge steel and thus not as safe!! I'm only starting out and I have alot to learn but the way I see it is the Mini (no matter what driver or setup) will never see the podium in STS or FSP as long as there are "CHEAP ASS" Civics competing. I belong to a Mini club and alot of the members AuotX so the experience is alot of fun. We have had as many as 8 Mini's compete and when that happens there is also something else that happens. We park together and we support one another and we visit with the driver after thier run. You don't see that with any other groups:thumbsup:. So I will continue to modify my Precious and enjoy what AutoX is all about "havin fun drivin it to the limits". My hope of going to nationals is long gone!!!

One of my friends prepped a civic for STS and took 2nd last year and prepped a CRX for STS2 this year and won. Each car was built for about $5k, or maybe a little higher with ancillaries.

I would like a National title (who wouldn't) But I love my Mini more. I'm already in STS at about 65% prep and I'm about .2 seconds behind pro David Webb competing in GS with R comps (without camber plates or ECU tune). I've been at this for only a short while (about 7 months) and I'm improving every time out.

More power to you if you can compete in STS, but our cars are the BEST cars to have in H and G stock. If you want to be at the top of the game, keep the car stock and run in stock class.

PistWalrus,

I will be starting a project on Jan 09' It involves a 500hp+ turbo 05' S. I'm going to mod my current STS Cooper to the limit and continue competing. I'm looking for an 05' S for the wife, when I get it I will pull all mods that are not stock allowed off the Cooper and put them on the S. I will then compete in HS in my car and compete in SM with the wifes car as she will compete in mine and hers as well. While this is hapening me and my son will be building the 500+ hp powerplant for my wife's car. A ballenced, blueprinted and polished stroker twin scroll turbo w/FMIC monster!

my 2 cents....

as youll read, mini's are highly competitive in H stock. with my R50 running completely stock (even with runflats), locally, i won my class once, and scored second once. if i had been in STS, i would have taken 1st at both events...

nationals are a whole new ball game that i havnt experienced. but with the locals, STS seem to be the category that the "tuners" get caught up in. they show up with 17-18" wheels, slammed to the ground and never bother to remove their systems before its time to drive... its sad. their not all this way, but there was a good hand full of them at each event.

i was going to stay in H stock for the competition but i didnt want to spend money on tires i couldnt enjoy everyday. plus, modding is way to much fun :thumbsup: . so, i expect to score very high this coming season but am honestly hoping to influence the other drivers in STS to step it up.

so i say you way your options. if you want the competition stay stock and pick up some light wheels and race tires. if you cant resist the mod itch, move on up and have a great time as well. and maybe shock a few people while your at it :lol: !


side note-------if you want to stay in H stock, and you dont already have the SS+ suspension, you can upgrade to that to hold off the mod bug. if its scca racing then you can also upgrade to a catback. not to mention all the little things such as plug wires, foam/cotton drop in filter, better brake pads etc etc...

My 05' MC is almost completely modified in STS heres my list:
K&N short ram Typhoon 69 intake
Borla cat back exhaust
MSD ignition coil and super conductor wires..NGK Iridium IX plugs
Konig Feather (11lb ea.) 15X6 wheels
Azenis 615's 205/50 tires combined weight 32lbs a corner
Schroth 4 point harness
Alta 22mm adj RASB
Pilo Racing RSTB
M7 FSTB
Helix Camber plates
Hotchkis sport lowering progressive rate springs
H-Sport lower rear adj. control arms
Powerslot (cryo treated) rotors @ all 4's
Stoptech S/S braided brake lines
Hawk HP+ pads @ all 4's

Soon to come
Craven speed short shifter
Mini Madness custom ECU Tune
K-Sport GT Pro coil overs w/ride height corner balancing
Sparco racing seats
lightweight battery moved to boot.
Larini header

Performance
114whp
113ftlbs tourqe

Suspension settings
Front -2 deg camber 1/16th toe out
Rear -1.5 deg camber 1/16th toe in

weight
front drv 777lbs / psg 779lbs
rear drv 497lbs / psg 509lbs

I'm looking to kick some pax ass this spring series!!!

Heres a link to the next event course this Sunday:thumbsup: http://www.azsolo.com/details/maps/20080210.jpg

I ran fairly successfully in H Stock for quite a few years in my 86 CRX & 03 Mini. However, my motivations for running in STS are the following:

• Lack of camber adjustment in stock form.
• Having to change tires before and after events (especially after a long, hot, 100F degree, day).
• The expense of R-compound tires that would wear out on the shoulders before the tread.
• More performance for track events.

It is such a pleasure to drive to and from an event on the same tires :thumbsup:. I will continue to get the most out of my Mini, and concentrate on my driving skills regardless of how competitive it is in class. I have a feeling that I may ultimately take it to road racing in an IT class (very similar to STS prep). Who knows?

I still rely on my Mini for work, so in the meantime, it will remain in STS on H Sport springs. I plan to run Nationals in 2008 so look for improvement over 2007 with the addition of more mods.

In a nutshell, the Mini is just a cool, fun-to-drive car regardless of its competitiveness!!!

couldnt agree more, 41 h stock!!!

im not really looking to take the world by surprise with my R50 but i really do love driving it.

my setup for next season is very light and modest. it only consist of an "S" rear bar, H-sports, a free'd up stock exhaust and drop in filter. im still looking for a proper set of wheels for some good rubber.

Report from AMVIV V...N. A. Mini Cooper Challenge Series
 

I attended this event this year just last Friday and nabbed a first in class and 7th overall in the solo (time trial) event. I feel that the ECU tune I got last Thursday not only helped a great deal but it will make this MC very competitive. I'm only 28 pax points from first place in the AZ region spring series...and I now feel that I can make that up and nab a first there too! If all goes well I will be adding coilovers before the last spring series event. BTW durring the custom ECU tune (from Mini Madness) my K&N Typhoon 69 SRI was breathing 140deg. air straight from the radiator! :mad: So before the next event I will be putting back the stock air box and installing a K&N drop-in filter to cool that air down a bit. I will use this setup until I relocate my battery to the boot and change it to a dry cell. This will not only save weight but give me the ability to install a Dinan stage 3 CAI w/ cowl induction.

That's good to hear regarding the ECU retune! I am getting mine done this Friday. I can't wait!

You are going to love the difference it makes!!

I noticed in your signature you have a custom K&N intake. I'm looking to relocate my battery to the boot and installing the Mini Madness CAI w/ cowl induction & barrier and was wondering if it was STS legal. The battery box on the MC makes up about 80% of the plastic barrier that forms the brake booster area and I was wondering if the removal of the battery box (if you relocate the battery) was STS legal. There would be very little modification (if any) required to do this. Your thoughts?

I should post a photo of my CAI. It is a bit convoluted, but it does a really good job of shielding the heat from the engine compartment.

Always read the rules to be absolutely sure, but in STS you are able to relocate your battery as long as it isn't in the passenger compartment. The battery tray (or battery box, I would assume) may be removed by simply unbolting it.

As for the CAI, be careful that any existing structure of the car is not modified for the passage of ducting from the air cleaner to the engine inlet. Once again, consult the rules to be certain!!!

I will be relocating the battery (also changing to a smaller dry cell type) and mounting it on the passenger side of the boot (which according to the rules is not the paasenger compartment). As far as engine bay modifications for the CAI...I dont belive any cutting or modifications to the car would be required.

Sounds like a good plan :thumbsup:

Here are photos of my CAI. It's not the most direct path to the throttle body, but it insures the air is cold. I can drive all day in cool weather and then put my hand on the air filter/ducting and it's as cold as the ambient temp. I left the stock air box in place and put a heatshield/fence between the air filter and engine compartment.

i like it. its very simple and does the job :thumbsup: . very similar to what im wanting to do in the next few weeks.

Anyone currently playing in the ST class.. Old thread here.
I've done a few auto-x this year in my justa cooper cabrio, and while it's fun it's tough to be a contender locally.. Honda civic in class was 5th at nationals this year.. Mazda 3's in class as well with much more HP then I..

I ran a few local events and one Midwest Divisional this year. I took the win in ST at the divisional, but none of the big guns in Civics were there. It seemed like I wasn't too far off of the times in STS, but I can't remember exactly. I remember being somewhat pleased about that. The website with the results seems to be down right now, so I can't provide times. I was planning to run Nationals to see how I would fare, but decided against it for the following reasons.

My MINI is probably 85-90% developed for ST. I could legally drop some more weight from the car by removing the A/C (not gonna happen soon), replace the passenger seat, and add a light weight battery. With those changes, I may get close to 2,300 lbs. I am currently weighing in at about 2,375 lbs. My alignments are a bit screwed up, and I have yet to do any corner balancing on the car. Tires could also be an area of improvement. I am currently running the 195/55/15 Dunlops, so a 205 or 225 width tire would be a nice improvement.

Anyhow, I love the improvements, but think the MINI is too portly to compete nationally. A good driver in a well developed car may take you to mid-pack at nationals???

I wasn't here when this thread started almost 3 years ago. Stock MINIs ran (and dominated) in SCCA GS and HS then. The MCS was kicked up to DS this year, where John Ma's MCS still managed to take top honors at the Solo National Championships. The next DS MCS finished 14th, however. The stock MCs still rule HS; with the top 4 finishers, and 7 of the top 8 (Focus snuck in somehow), being MCs.

ST seems to be a tough nut to crack with a MCS. SCCA regions now have an option to run a new street tire class based on PAX numbers. Cars from all stock, street prepared, and prepared classes are eligible. Blue Ridge Region SCCA ran this class (we just call it TIRE class) this past season and it was very popular; maybe a little too popular, as it drew off too many cars from the stock and street prepared classes. Because it's run on PAX numbers, this new tire class seems to give the nimble little guys an edge over the more powerful big honkers.

STS was changed to plain ST some time ago.

In the early years base MC drivers could run in H Stock or ST where they did OK locally and regionally.

Now in my area we hardly see any H stock cars and ST is mostly Honda Fit, Subaru RS and Altima or Civic.

Could the MC be competitive in ST class? Probably, I would think the driver would make the most difference at the local or regional level.

STS wasn't changed to ST. They are separate classes. STS is sports car with only two seats. ST is for coupes/sedans with a minimum of four seats.