Tires vs Cones: FIGHT!

Kinja'd!!! "Desu-San-Desu" (Desu-San-Desu)
02/09/2015 at 13:15 • Filed to: None

Kinja'd!!!16 Kinja'd!!! 32

I've owned my 2006 Mini Cooper S (Supercharged, 6-speed manual, sport suspension, open diff) for right at 5 weeks. So far it's been positively fantastic, with absolutely zero issues. It's gotten a consistent 24.5 average mpg with my 100 mile daily commute and hasn't even had a hesitant start-up in the morning, even when it's dozens of degrees below freezing. Sure, the tight suspension and rigid chassis, along with the hatchback body style, means that the highway portions of my commute aren't the most comfortable or the quietest in the world, but all of that falls to the wayside whenever I get into the twisty bits in the mountains or find a nice roundabout in town. The Mini, as one would expect, loves corners and curves. Its appetite for mischief is voracious and it is constantly egging you on to go just a little faster, turn just a little quicker, make that supercharger whine just a little louder.

After 5 weeks of this, I took the only logical step:

I took it autocrossing.

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I will say this: I've never been autocrossing. I've always wanted to go, but I've never had a car that I felt comfortable autocrossing, nor have I really had enough friends who actually do it to talk me into it. Both of those things have changed since last season. I've gotten involved with an awesome group of fellow gearheads who are heavily involved in the southern Carolina region SCCA Solo chapter. In fact, my buddy who helped me buy the Mini and install the new stereo headunit (I wanted Bluetooth, AUX, and USB and happened to come upon a fitting headunit for cheap) is the new Regional Director, so about 2 weeks ago when he tried to talk me into going to the Novice School event yesterday, I had a lot of objections of the usual type, such as worrying about breaking the car or ruining my tires or the long drive from Greenville, SC to Darlington Raceway, yet he overcame each and gave me even more reasons why I should still go.

I made him a compromise. I signed up for the Novice School, but not the points race the next day. I did this primarily for 3 reasons: First, my fiancee and I are saving up to move into a new house at the end of the month, so I wanted to conserve money. Second, I only have my daily driven all-season tires that I need for commuting, so I didn't want to wear them unnecessarily, especially when they'd keep me from being competitive anyway. And third, the gaming group my lady and I are in had our biweekly Dungeons and Dragons game scheduled for that Saturday night. For those three reasons, I could only commit to the Novice School instead of the entire weekend.

So come 3am Saturday morning, my alarm goes off and I begin getting ready for the nearly 3-hour drive. Shower, breakfast, pack up my gear, check the tires and fluids of the Mini, and head out at 4am. It's cold. 22 degrees may not sound like a lot of some Opponauts, but in South Carolina, we're not used to it. Especially when it's usually in the 50's or 60's by lunch time. Worst yet? I left my driving gloves in the car overnight, so they're cold too. Still, they're better than nothing when it comes to touching the metal shift knob, so I don them after setting my GPS and I head out.

2 and a half very boring hours of highway driving later, I finally come through Darlington. I'd left the house with 3 quarters of a tank and I'm just above an eighth of a tank, so I pull in for gas, meaning to get it back up to a half tank so I don't have a bunch of extra fuel weight. Idiotically, I just throw in 20 because I'm on autopilot and when I get in the car, it's nearly topped off. Oops…

Arriving at the track, I have to take a side road, aptly titled "Racetrack Road", around to the back side where a giant parking lot and a small gaggle of Miatas and FR-S's await. A couple of the Miatas are driven by friends of mine and we exchange hellos before we move our cars over to the area where everyone will be gridding. At this point, other cars show up and everyone begins to file in, revealing a definite preponderance of Miatas, FR-S', and Mustangs. However, there was also plenty of variety to be seen as well.

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The trailer shows up soon after and we all begin setting up the cones and equipment as more cars begin to arrive. Eventually everyone falls into a routine of setting up their parking spaces and removing everything loose or extra from the cars. Everybody registers, gets their car through Tech Inspection and then gathers around to explain how the day is going to progress, how work assignments are doled out, and who will be driving in which groups with which instructor.

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"Oh, you're driving a Miata? So am I!" <- Every conversation at registration.

Once all that is completed, we follow one of the instructors around the course as he explains the layout, what all the cones mean, philosophies of how to attack the course and of autocrossing in general. After this there follows a short question and answer session.

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"So we...DON'T hit the cones...right?"

Once all that is done, everyone goes back to finishing prepping their cars and we get underway. Since I was in the last group to drive, I worked for the first group as a cone-fixer and helped call out points deductions over the radio, alongside my buddy Harlan, whose parents drive an R53 Cooper S very similar to mine. Even just working was a lot of fun, as I got to watch the cars go through the course and see how they handled different sections- some better than others, obviously.

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This automatic Camry got more sideways than every FR-S combined. Every. Single. Run. My hero!

Once our group was done working, we had some free time to peruse other cars and talk to other drivers, spectate a bit, and discuss the course. After the 2nd group was done driving, we took a break for lunch and about 20 of us all went to the Burger King down the road, as it was nice and convenient.

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Harlan, myself, and his mom all carpool in the Mini, in order to keep it nice and simple. Pulling in, I was just amused as could be at all the other cars in the parking lot with masking-tape numbers and letter festooned all over their doors and fenders. I feel bad for the workers there, though, as they suddenly got swamped by what must have seemed like an invasion of Miatas, FR-S', and FWD hatchbacks.

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After lunch, we went back and it was my group's turn. I was incredibly nervous. I was especially afraid of getting lost or missing entire sections, but surprisingly the walk-through earlier on did the trick and I retained the course layout quite well, as was shown when the instructor hopped in and asked me to recount the course to see if I remembered it. I passed with aplomb and we set off and got in rotation for the first run. I was nervous as hell, but the instructor was calm and easy to understand, walking me through the course as I went and before I knew it, I was through the finish gates and hadn't gotten lost. My time for my first run? 49.491. Not bad for a first time, but with plenty of room for improvement.

Obviously the first few runs were slow, as I was still getting used to the course and driving the Mini near the limit. I hit cones on my 2nd and 3rd runs, but my fourth run went flawlessly and I made a clean pass at 46.556. I'd shaved off nearly 3 full seconds over my first run! Whoo! In fact, Jeff, my instructor, outright clapped at the end of that run, as can be seen below.

Sadly, that was my last run for the first set of runs before we rotated back for the second half of the session and once the car was parked and cooling, I had to meet up with Harlan and run back to our on-track station to work Group 1's second set of runs. After we finished running our station- and screaming 'Doriftoooooooo!' every time a muscle car or FR-S kicked the tail out- we went back to our cars, which were parked side-by-side. I got my camera out of the Mini and asked Harlan if we could use his laptop to watch my videos and see where I could improve my times. But...the backpack containing the laptop was missing. It wasn't with the rest of our pile! What the hell!? I pull out my phone and see about calling Kyle, since he's in charge. I decided to sit down in the hatch area of the Mini (it's perfect bench height) and popped the rear hatch open only to see...Harlan's backpack! It turns out when we carpooled to Burger King, we'd tossed it into the Mini so it wouldn't be left with the pile of floor mats and water bottles and then forgotten to get it back out when we returned. Which meant…

Oh shit.

Harlan's backpack, and the laptop contained within it, had been in the back of my Mini the entire time I'd been running the course for the first session! After I finished laughing myself to doubled-over tears, we hurriedly pull it out and open up the laptop. Screen's fine and no cracks or dents to be seen, so we fire it up. It boots up flawlessly. We share a sigh of relief and then have another good laugh about. We review my footage and decide I need to be more aggressive with the throttle and turn into a tiny bit earlier, but otherwise everything looks neat, tidy, and controlled.

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Mini Cooper rear bumpers. Perfect for impromptu benches.

Until I line up in the grid for my second set of runs and my first instructor, Jeff, is nowhere to be seen. Instead, my buddy Kyle, the aforementioned regional director for this chapter of SCCA Solo and resident "Car Jesus", walks over to my car with a helmet and says "What's up?" Now, I need to explain something. Remember that article about the 10 guys you meet at every track day? If not, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . It's ok- I'll wait. Done? Good. Remember The Alien? Yeah, that's Kyle. It doesn't matter if it's on the track, in karts, in the mountains, or just around a highway exit ramp; Kyle has rightfully gained a reputation for being insanely fast and being able to take any car whatsoever and drive it faster than should be mechanically or physically possible. And now he's going to instruct me around an autocross course in a car I've owned for barely more than a month?

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Suddenly I'm nervous again.

But you know what? It went fine. Maybe it's because we're friends and we've already spent so much time discussing cars and riding in cars together, but very little actually direction happened. He'd just nudge me to turn a little earlier or get on the throttle sooner, but he didn't over-educate or try and make me drive like a carbon copy of him. He respected my driving style and preferences and just gave me nudges where I needed them. Between runs, we'd discuss what I can work on and what I did well, but it was very casual and mostly just us chatting like the friends we are instead of instructor and student. And you know what? My first run out in the car with him, I shaved a half second off of my time like it was nothing.

My second time around, he told me to worry less about keeping it super smooth and tidy and to try and just chuck it in a little more and trust the car. And while it was a tad bit sloppy, as the video below will tell, it was nearly another second faster than my previous time, netting me a 44.779 for my fastest time of the day. I'd knocked off more than nearly 5 seconds between my very first run and my final one! I was so proud of myself.

Once I was done with that run, I let Kyle take the wheel and do a run, as he was curious as to how the Mini was the drive and I felt like I owed him a spin. So we switched seats, told the control trailer it was an instructor run, and, after some fiddling with the gears, we were off. And I was immediately floored. He would just chuck it into turns with sheer abandon and I swear, he'd make the car grip by sheer force of will alone. It was insanely fun to be a passenger when someone who really knows what they're doing slings my car around the cones. When we passed through the finish gate, it popped up with a time of 42.288 and I couldn't help but laugh in amazement, despite the competitive side of me kicking itself and muttering "That son of a bitch!", haha.

So what did I learn? Well, I learned that I love autocrossing and want to do it again and again and again. I also learned that my car can do a lot more than I think it can, if you just drive it hard and trust in its innate capabilities while respecting the truthful limitations inherent therin. I also learned just what areas of improvement to focus on to make it faster and more competitive in its class. As such, I'm currently planning on installing an adjustable Hotchkis 22mm rear sway bar, some Koni FSD shocks (the current setup is plenty firm for smooth surfaces, but gets easily upset on bumpy surfaces), Cravenspeed strut tower defenders, MSD coil pack and wires, NGK Plugs, K&N drop-in air filter, high-temp brake fluid, better brake pads, and, obviously, a set of smaller, lighter wheels (TR Motorsport C1 16X6.5) with a set of properly sticky tires (Dunlop Direzza ZII Star Spec) instead of my high-treadware all-seasons.

I can't wait to see what the Mini will be like to drive once all that's installed.

[Reposted for the afternoon weekday crowd. Orginal posting was Sunday, 02-08-15]


DISCUSSION (32)


Kinja'd!!! Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > Desu-San-Desu
02/08/2015 at 21:43

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Awesome! The best advice I have for you is make sure those mods will keep you in Street (or whatever your car is in stock form...) for a little while until you get some more seat time. Getting bumped to a higher class you can't drive competitively in is no fun.


Kinja'd!!! Desu-San-Desu > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver
02/08/2015 at 21:47

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Yep, those mods will still keep me perfectly in D-Stock class. I need all the help I can get, too, as I'm up against WRX's and Integra Type R's, lol.


Kinja'd!!! Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight > Desu-San-Desu
02/08/2015 at 22:20

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Good for you! I pretty much did the same thing in 2012/13. I did the two-day school. My first instructor was a Miata racer and after four passes, I made him drive my car - interestingly enough his instructions changed (high HP/TQ has to be driven a little differently than a Miata) In my case, the Alien was my instructor for the second day and he bested me, too, but complemented my being able to get so much out of it as a novice "cause its a handful!"

If you're gonna get serious about SCCA Solo, get into the rulebook before you start modding the car. Some mods will put you into a different class where you'll end up less competitive. And tire rules have changed, so ask around for what's your best street tire for autocross. My motor mods sent me over the top so I went for full race suspension and shaved super sticky almost slick tires (couldn't find A8 in my size). I won my class championship, but it was tough learning the car while changing/adding stuff every week.


Kinja'd!!! Desu-San-Desu > Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight
02/08/2015 at 22:50

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I've been through the rules a few times with my SCCA buds and we've pretty much landed on the following:

-Hotchkis adjustable 22mm rear swaybar

-OEM Brembo or HAWK HPS brake pads with high-temp brake fluid

-Koni FSD shock absorbers (recommended in person by Dave at DDMWorks)

-Cravenspeed strut tower defenders

-TR Motorsports C1 16x6.5 wheels

-205/55-16 Dunlop Direzza ZII Star Spec tires

-K&N drop-in air filter

-NGK plugs and MSD coil pack and wires

These mods will allow me to be competitive while still staying within D-Stock.


Kinja'd!!! desertdog5051 > Desu-San-Desu
02/08/2015 at 23:51

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Very good, but a bit TL;DR. Try some of this. :)

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Kinja'd!!! Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight > Desu-San-Desu
02/09/2015 at 00:24

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Sounds like a great plan. Remember, if you never hit a cone, you're not turning in soon enough.

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I've killed more than my share.

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Kinja'd!!! daender > Desu-San-Desu
02/09/2015 at 00:26

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Welcome to the autocrossing brotherhood!


Kinja'd!!! Desu-San-Desu > desertdog5051
02/09/2015 at 07:03

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Nope. I'm the reigning King of TL;DR on Oppo for 5 years running and I'm not going to stop now. :-P


Kinja'd!!! OSOZVIL > Desu-San-Desu
02/09/2015 at 07:24

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This was the course on Sunday:


Kinja'd!!! Desu-San-Desu > OSOZVIL
02/09/2015 at 10:13

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Feels so empty without the roundabout, lol.


Kinja'd!!! Officer Jim Lahey is not a real cop > Desu-San-Desu
02/09/2015 at 10:21

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As someone looking to start autocrossing this spring, thanks for sharing your experience. I'm that much more excited to check it out!


Kinja'd!!! bee1000 > Desu-San-Desu
02/09/2015 at 10:23

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I recommend giving Way Motor Works a call. Way is a Mini expert. He might confirm your plan as perfect, but it won't hurt to talk about it with him. He set up my R53 for the street (nothing radical, just an aggressive daily-driver set-up) and I love it. Since it was for the street I didn't have to worry about autocross class rules and I had more leeway, but I expect Way will know just what to do for your class, too.

Great write-up!


Kinja'd!!! Desu-San-Desu > bee1000
02/09/2015 at 10:38

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Thanks, man. Dave over at DDMWorks recommended Way to me as well and I've been meaning to call him once I decided what to do with the car.


Kinja'd!!! KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Desu-San-Desu
02/09/2015 at 11:01

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Now all we need to do is get you to start turning laps at Carolina Motorsports Park. :)


Kinja'd!!! Desu-San-Desu > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
02/09/2015 at 11:02

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From what I hear, actual track days are significantly more expensive than autocrosses, lol.


Kinja'd!!! KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Desu-San-Desu
02/09/2015 at 11:06

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Decent brake pads - $200 or so.
Track fee - $125-250 (depends on the track. CMP is less expensive than some others)
Tires - Well, now, that's up to you. I'm still burning through the Michelin Pilot Sport A/Ss that came on the S4. I already have a set of Goodrich R1 in the house to use after that.

It really depends on what group you go with. You have to be able to find a good deal. I happen to also do volunteer work and have done nice things for my group, so I occasionally get stonking deals.


Kinja'd!!! BeaterGT > Desu-San-Desu
02/09/2015 at 11:08

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Must...autocross...my subaru.


Kinja'd!!! Desu-San-Desu > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
02/09/2015 at 11:23

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I'm involved with a Chump and Lemons team so I should be able to get my track time with them without abusing the Mini too bad. I think I'm just going to keep the Mini as DD/Autocrosser for the forseeable future. Playing with the idea of prepping the Audi for rallycross...


Kinja'd!!! WhiskeyGolf > Desu-San-Desu
02/09/2015 at 11:35

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Great write up! I felt the same way after spending a few hours on a track last summer: despite the all-season tires, my car is capable of far more than I expect. It wasn't until the end of the day, when I really began hucking it into corners did it begin to understeer and protest. Here's to many more races to come!


Kinja'd!!! KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Desu-San-Desu
02/09/2015 at 11:36

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I eventually need to put a roll bar in the S4 and proper seats. Fortunately for me, the S4 doesn't have a license plate on it.


Kinja'd!!! Desu-San-Desu > BeaterGT
02/09/2015 at 12:03

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What kind do you have?


Kinja'd!!! BeaterGT > Desu-San-Desu
02/09/2015 at 12:07

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Legacy GT.


Kinja'd!!! Desu-San-Desu > BeaterGT
02/09/2015 at 12:15

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Then you'll be going up against Mini's like mine. ^_^


Kinja'd!!! BeaterGT > Desu-San-Desu
02/09/2015 at 12:19

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Oh really, what else can I expect? Miatas/BRZs? Is there a stock class?


Kinja'd!!! 96Formula6spd > Desu-San-Desu
02/09/2015 at 12:31

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You were getting good. It takes time and practice to get as fast as I was in your car. My method is toss it in, hope that it sticks, and get on the gas ASAP. I need a camera one day on my feet. I do not left foot brake. Some say I should but I don't. Anyways I will upload some more videos to my channel of me in a E46 m3 and a FRS. I will also add that the new Hankook RS3 is AWESOME and my be going on my miata instead of the Dunlop Z2 start spec.


Kinja'd!!! Desu-San-Desu > BeaterGT
02/09/2015 at 12:41

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Yeah, there's a 'street' class which is essentially stock class with very firm restrictions on allowed mods and upgrades. You'd be with me in D-Street, which features the following:

Acura Integra Type R

Audi A3 quattro (3.2L V6, AWD) (2006-09), A5 (2008-15), S4 (2000-03), TT (1.8T, non-quattro/FWD) (2000-06), TT (2.0T, non-quattro/FWD) (2008-09), TT quattro (AWD) (2000-06)

Chevrolet Cobalt SS (2.0L Turbo) (2008-10)

Eagle Talon Turbo (AWD)

Lexus SC 400 (1992-2000)

Mazda Mazdaspeed6

MINI Clubman JCW (2009-14), Clubman S (2008-14), Cooper Coupe JCW (2013-15), Cooper Coupe S (2013-15), Cooper JCW (2006-15), Cooper Roadster JCW (2012-15), Cooper Roadster S (2002-15), Cooper S (2012-15),

Mitsubishi Eclipse Turbo (AWD), Lancer Ralliart (2009-15)

Saab 9-2X Aero (2.0L Turbo) (2005- 06)

Subaru Forester 2.5XT (2004-13), Legacy 2.5GT (2005-12), Impreza WRX (non-STI) (2001- 15)

Volkswagen Golf R (2012-13), R32 (Golf chassis) (2004, 2008)


Kinja'd!!! Desu-San-Desu > 96Formula6spd
02/09/2015 at 12:53

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CAR JESUS HAS ARRIVED, FOLKS!

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm really torn between the RS3 and the ZII SS and I'll be researching them more before I make a purchase. It'll be a while before I have the money for the wheel and tire set anyway.

As for left-foot braking, I practiced it a LOT in my old automatic Subaru Legacy wagon, to the point that it's just instinctual and I barely even register that I'm doing it. I don't know if it actually makes me faster, but it makes me feel more confident as a driver and I feel like it makes me smoother.


Kinja'd!!! davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Desu-San-Desu
02/09/2015 at 14:44

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Awesome. Great write-up.


Kinja'd!!! J3ffro > Desu-San-Desu
02/09/2015 at 15:31

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I owned an AP2 S2000, an E46 M3, a MkVI GTI before my current F56 Cooper S, and I never autocrossed any of them. Your post is making me regret that even more, and I plan on fixing that before 2015 is over.


Kinja'd!!! bee1000 > Desu-San-Desu
02/09/2015 at 19:34

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Yeah, you spend a lot less money if you figure out your goal first, then go shopping to make it happen. One mod I would caution you about is the 15% smaller supercharger pulley. It's very popular and not too expensive if someone near you can install it, but I found that after a couple weeks my car didn't really feel that much faster than it did with the stock pulley while my MPG of course dropped. Basically it was too easy for me to just get used to the power difference and I don't think I'd do it again.

One thing I love is the BSH polyurethane lower engine mount. It's designed to keep the engine more stable than the stock rubber bushing, which it does, but it also transfers vibration and noise into the cockpit and makes the car feel a lot tougher and even more fun - it transformed the character of my car. It's not for everyone (one friend said she wouldn't want a Mini because mine was too loud, and a car guy friend asked if I had an aftermarket exhaust...), but it's one of my favorite mods. Have fun!


Kinja'd!!! Desu-San-Desu > bee1000
02/09/2015 at 20:36

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I don't plan on doing any power mods. It has enough power for me as is and I don't want to do anything to kick me out of D.S. class in Autocross.

How difficult was it to do the lower engine mount?


Kinja'd!!! bee1000 > Desu-San-Desu
02/10/2015 at 12:13

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I watched a guy from BSH install a lower engine mount in about 10-15 minutes, so apparently it's quite easy if you know what you're doing. I found this video which shows a car on a lift, but he did it by jacking up the passenger side of the car: