View Full Version : killed a MINI Cooper S


NY330xi
03-29-2004, 02:43 PM
Ive always liked the new MINI S. Everytime i went for a ride in my friends stock S i always thought, wow this thing is pretty fast off the roll, i mean the center mounted speedometer really seems to fly up to 100, more so than my auto 330xi which after 81 mph and the end of 3rd gear, is basically a dog.


Im im driving down on this open 2 lane road with alot of lights, perfect for a nice race and there i see it, a probably 02 or 03 Mini Cooper S and he was moving. I chased him down and got him at the next stoplight. I didnt think he was going to race me but then i heard his engine rev and that damn supercharger whine like a baby....so i put it in sport mode and power braked...on green i let go and absolutely smoked him off the line, and stayed about 1-2 cl in front all the way to 60, and began to slowly pull away as we went towards 100 then we shut it down. We stopped and i asked him what happened and he said "my car just wont launch right, ive tried everything, DSC off, dropping the clutch at 3000, 5000, 4000...nothing seems to get it right...either i spin out to much or i bog" so im like alright, off the roll it is then.

Next light turns green and we agree to start from 20 mph, which probably gives him an advantage (as opposed to starting at 5 or 10 mph) b/c his powerband isnt really strong until about 4000 rpm...anyway, i put it in M1 and honked 3 times and we both went. We stayed suprisingly even to 60 mph, where i began to pull .5 CL ahead and stayed that way to 100. Off the roll again from 45 i beat him by even more, his excuse was he was in the wrong gear. Oh well..sucks...

The Mini was toast. But i was suprised at the power compared to my car.

SilverStreak
03-29-2004, 02:48 PM
His problem is the notion of clutch dropping at any rpm... you gotta ride the clutch a little to get a good launch, especially with FWD...

Nice kill...

M Roady
03-29-2004, 02:57 PM
Nice kill! He'd take you in the twisties.

NY330xi
03-29-2004, 04:15 PM
Yea I know he would outhandle me. Does the 330xi really have subpar handling, as compared to the 330i or any other sport sedan? It seems pretty firm to me and the car corners well.

SilverStreak
03-29-2004, 04:22 PM
I think it's more of a "the Mini handles really well" thing than a 330xi doesn't thing....

fortysix
03-29-2004, 04:37 PM
I'm also surprised you stayed close for so long. But nice kill.

surfacewound
03-29-2004, 04:45 PM
I'm also surprised you stayed close for so long. But nice kill.

Why? The xi has the slowest acceleration of all current 3 series, especially in an auto. I think the 0-60 on an auto 330xi is rated at well over 8 seconds, and Cooper S is what, mid 7s or so?

SilverStreak
03-29-2004, 04:52 PM
I don't think the auto 330xi is quite that slow... high 6's to 60 I'd bet...

surfacewound
03-29-2004, 04:56 PM
I just looked it up (bmwusa.com). I was thinking of a 325xi auto (8.8!). The 330xi auto is 7.5. That sounds about what a Cooper S should be, no?

SilverStreak
03-29-2004, 05:00 PM
BMW always under-rates their times, please know that.... MT got the 330xi 5 spd manual 0-60 in 5.8...

surfacewound
03-29-2004, 05:03 PM
Well yes I'm well aware of that. However I would still think that a (well driven) MT Cooper S would have no trouble keeping up with an auto 330xi..

SilverStreak
03-29-2004, 05:05 PM
Well yes I'm well aware of that. However I would still think that a (well driven) MT Cooper S would have no trouble keeping up with an auto 330xi..

"well driven" is the key phrase.... I agree with you...

///MEric
03-29-2004, 05:43 PM
Maybe the mini was auto

doostin
03-29-2004, 08:09 PM
Maybe the mini was auto

"...ive tried everything, DSC off, dropping the clutch at 3000, 5000, 4000..."

///MEric
03-29-2004, 08:26 PM
:lol: i must of missed that part. i find that 3500 is the sweet spot

shmoo
03-30-2004, 09:23 AM
Stop picking on your little brother :D

Glenn 328is
03-30-2004, 01:04 PM
Cooper S's only come with the 6 spd box. The Cooper and Cooper Classic come in CVT or with CVT + tiptronic if you want.

mmmbeefy42
03-30-2004, 03:58 PM
Cooper S's only come with the 6 spd box. The Cooper and Cooper Classic come in CVT or with CVT + tiptronic if you want.

How is there a CVT with tiptronic? I fail to understand that one, if it's one cone gear, why are you shifting???

I guess it just goes to presets or something? Still, why would you want to, wouldn't it be more smooth to just let it go on it's own, hence the entire point of CVT?

Anyway, good run. Off the line an AWD will destroy someone who can't drive their front wheel drive. Am I wrong in that on those MINIs the correct way to launch it would be to rev to 1200 and then wait til the clucth to fully engage before going WOT (I'm really asking you, SilverStreak, as you're the resident God of the drag)?

Good kill, I want a MINI.

Glenn 328is
03-30-2004, 04:02 PM
Having the "tiptronic" brings the revs up in like in a conventional auto. And if you get the ones with the steering wheel flip swicthes, it is that much more fun...

SilverStreak
03-30-2004, 04:07 PM
I don't know, beefy, I'd have to get behind the wheel and find the best way to launch it, every car is different... my wife's CL-S is FWD, and you can launch it at 3000 rpms, you just gotta modulate the clutch quite a bit while launching...

mmmbeefy42
03-30-2004, 04:14 PM
Hmm, that's interesting. I've never really laid into a FWD car...

Thanks!

SilverStreak
03-30-2004, 04:17 PM
It depends on a lot of things with FWD, suspension set up, lsd or no, torque, weight transfer, etc...