Drove these 2 on the same bit of back roads yesterday (Repost for the morning crowd)

"ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability" (italianjobr53) 04/11/2019 at 10:05 • Filed to: Z06, Mini

5

30

We have been having some good weather the past couple of days so it made perfect sense to compare my 2 cars (that felt good to write :) against each other. First I drove the Mini, then the Vette.

Mini:

It is soo easy to drive! Just point it at a corner and decide what speed you want to enter. You can manage the under-steer easily by modulating the throttle. Come off the throttle and there is glorious over-steer. And it is so very eager to turn-in, it does feel very light on its feet.

The SC whine is addictive as always and the throttle response in the higher revs is pretty good too. Compared to the Vette, the gearing is a bit too tall tho.

After 2 days of driving the Vette, I again realized why I love this small thingy so much! Especially the fact that you have so much time (comparatively) to enjoy the experience of carving through corners.

Vette:

The first thing that I noticed is that the 1st gear in the Vette seems to be much shorter than the Mini, I have no doubt it is because of the gobs of torque from the LS. Same thing with other gears really, 30mph in 5th is great for cruising (I would be in 3rd in the Mini). This was all in town stuff till I get to the fun roads. There is no way I could go anymore than 60 70% throttle in 2nd and 3rd in any turn. The LS just makes too much power for that. Also, in the switch-backs the change in direction is not as immediate as the Mini but once the car is settled down in the turn, it is actually faster than the Mini. The car is a little bit softer than the other guy on the straights but it stays more level in the corners, that may be coz of stiffer swaybars and the transverse leafspring at the back. Ooh yeah, and getting oppo is damn easy even with the 295 section rears :)

The handling and power are great but the craziest part of the Vette are the brakes. I have no clue what the pads are but damn do they stop haaard. The pedal feel is pretty good too, a little bit of pedal movement and then its all modulating on the pressure. That the one thing that I feel I will never get in the Mini, the Mini’s current brake setup is pretty good but its pedal still feels a bit mushy (fluid is 20k miles old).

Overall, both of these are damn good on the narrow twisties, the Mini gives you a lot of confidence and the Vette scares the living daylights out of you :D

Just Jeepin' > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 04/09/2019 at 23:37

3

and the Vette scares the living daylights out of you

When I was fresh out of high school I went car shopping at the biggest used car lot in town. There were three cars I primarily looked at: a Yugo (yes, seriously, because it was cheap and had a stick), a Corolla FX, and...something powerful.

If you’ve ever doubted my automotive illiteracy, the fact that I can remember the Yugo but not the overpowered muscle car (Camaro? Corvette?) should cure you of all doubts. It was red, if that helps.

I took the mystery sports car on a test drive and it took me less than a mile to decide it was waaaayyyyy too powerful for me. I asked my friend to drive it back, I was so scared of it.

Ended up buying the Corolla, a much better choice than the Yugo. Sadly an idiot totaled it in a university parking lot; happily that led me to buy the del Sol that I drove and loved for 14 years.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Just Jeepin' 04/09/2019 at 23:42

2

I’m getting used to it more and more but I’m still at a level where it always gets my heart pumping whenever I drive it hard. Like I won’t notice how much adrenaline I have till I stop pushing the Vette. In the Mini I seem to be more conscious of it.

The 1st time I drove one last year, I was properly terrified. That’s how I knew I wanted this car :) This and the Viper!

PS9 > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 04/09/2019 at 23:48

3

Internet car enthusiast rule #136.75; Two cars are not comparable unless they are exactly the same, but not really, but also are invalid to compare if they are similar in any way, and differ in any way.

Because the vette is not a mini and vice versa, a comparison between the two is automatically as valuable as a comparing an orange to a dump truck. ICER 136.75 was established in the great BRZ flame wars of yore to protect enthusiasts from hearing bad things about the cars they like, as well as suppress inconvenient conclusions. ICER violations are absolute. I’m sorry, but you must immediately delete this post.

Chariotoflove > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 04/09/2019 at 23:49

6

I am jealous of all the opponauts around me that have different cars to drive.  I would ideally switch between my luxobarge and a Miata, depending on my mood each morning.

CB > Chariotoflove 04/10/2019 at 00:00

4

You and me both.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > PS9 04/10/2019 at 00:01

3

Jk

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Chariotoflove 04/10/2019 at 00:03

1

A cheapo S600 it is then!

It's quite fun owning 2 quite different vehicles. I never wanna own similar vehicles.

BeaterGT > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 04/10/2019 at 00:18

1

Mystery pads make for the best brakes. How’s the short shifter treating you?

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > BeaterGT 04/10/2019 at 07:02

0

Forgot to mention the shift action, but I'm getting used to it more and more. It's feels great now

Chariotoflove > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 04/10/2019 at 09:31

1

Haha. If only. 

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Chariotoflove 04/10/2019 at 13:16

1

This is why I’m grateful for my wife letting my buy the Jaguar. Some days are MINI days, some days are Jag days.

This week so far  it was Jag Monday, Train Tuesday, MINI Wednesday. Nice. 

Chariotoflove > MiniGTI - now with XJ6 04/10/2019 at 14:36

0

Oooo, I like that lineup.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Chariotoflove 04/10/2019 at 18:22

1

When the weather is nice the choice is even harder. TR6 isn’t mine but it lives at my house and I have full driving privileges. 

Chariotoflove > MiniGTI - now with XJ6 04/10/2019 at 18:25

0

Yeah, I remember that. So cool.

Discerning > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 04/11/2019 at 10:10

1

What tires are you running on the C5Z? I could mostly stick 2nd around turns and I could go hard on 3rd in turns when I had NT05's.

That said, I did spin out once on a turn when I shifted mid turn and mistakenly power shifted. Last time I ever power shifted around a turn (and it wasn't intentional to begin with - just an old habit of driving hard). Fun times. 

random001 > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 04/11/2019 at 10:10

0

This is really funny, because I started tracking in an R53, and then moved to the Z06.

What tires are you running?

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > random001 04/11/2019 at 10:22

1

Nitto NT01 on the Vette, Firehawk Indy 500 on the Mini.

The plan is to use the Mini as a DD and the Vette as my autox/weekend drive

random001 > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 04/11/2019 at 10:24

0

Nitto....blech.  Burn those out and run the PSS’s.  They’ll make you PSS....

BeaterGT > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 04/11/2019 at 10:31

1

NT05s*

BeaterGT > Discerning 04/11/2019 at 10:32

1

That’s pretty much my experience with them, never spun it though (thankfully) !

Discerning > BeaterGT 04/11/2019 at 10:54

1

It was a tank slapper. I was going around a banked right turn. The rear kicked out and I lifted a little and counter steered just enough. But the rear dipped over the bank and it was game over. Thankfully it stayed on the pavement. 

BeaterGT > Discerning 04/11/2019 at 11:04

2

Jeez, even  reading it caused some pucker.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > BeaterGT 04/11/2019 at 12:40

0

aah yes, my bad

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > random001 04/11/2019 at 12:40

0

Blame BeaterGT, its his tires :D

They arnt too bad imo, i’ll run more stickier stuff next year.

random001 > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 04/11/2019 at 13:02

2

Oh, I will!

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Discerning 04/11/2019 at 14:25

1

It had NT05s on it for now. And yes, powershifting does spin the wheels in 3rd.

BeaterGT > random001 04/11/2019 at 14:41

1

Haha! They definitely work well for what I used the car for (read: almost everything) I didn’t go full sticky because that would have definitely led to broken parts at the track (the short, straight type).

Discerning > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 04/11/2019 at 14:50

1

I had learned that well before I did it around a bend. Not sure how I slipped up and did it mid turn. Ha

random001 > BeaterGT 04/11/2019 at 15:14

0

Heh.  I was just giving y’all a hard time.  They’re ok tires.

BeaterGT > random001 04/11/2019 at 15:25

0

Can be found under a grand too, certainly not a bad deal.