Jun. 25, 2008 - I want $5.00 gas

Dec. 12, 2007 - Winter Prep

No, your eyes don't deceive you.  Those are 15 inch "holeies" (I think I spelled that right) on my MINI.  Some might think it's a sin to put 175/65R15 tires on Cooper S, but I would like to take the stance that it is a smart idea for the winter for the following reasons:

1)  Stock 15" rims for the R50/R53 can be found everywhere, for almost nothing.  I got my set on Ebay (with almost new all season tires) for $275.
2)  15" snow tires are also very cheap.  I think my Pirelli's were like $55 a piece from Tire Rack.
3)  Unlike Summer Tires, you want the skinniest tire you can get for the winter...and 175mm is about as skinny as they come

However, there are a couple downsides to my wheel choice.  There are very few options for a winter tire.  Actually, maybe the word "option" isn't even appropriate, since there is currently only one winter tire choice on Tire Rack.  Also, if you want to upgrade the brakes on your R53, you will be lucky to fit 16" wheels on your car, let alone 15's.

One a side note, I also switched my Alta sway bar to it's softest setting.  Not because I fear the snow, but because the more common slushy wet roads of the Michigan Winter tend to make things "interesting" at times.

Oct. 5, 2007 - 20K

Aug. 24, 2007 - MINI brake problem and solution

After hearing some brake talk recently on whiteroofradio.com, I thought this was a good time to share a potentially common brake issue I had with my MINI.

I took my MINI to the track for the first time a few years ago and noticed the rear end would slide all over the place under hard braking.  I am running stock rotors with some Carbotech Panther XP8 pads (the greatest track pads I have ever used, by the way).  This instability was quite unnerving and caused me to have a minor off track experience.

I heard (or read) that installing a more aggressive rear sway bar would solve this issue.  I thought I would give it a try since I heard the rear sway bar would make the car handle better in general.  Well, I'm hear to say the sway bar (I got the Alta) made the car handle much better, but did not solve the rear end stability issue.

After debating the issue with my track buddies, we thought it might be too much rear brake bias.  Since I didn't have a big brake kit handy, I grabbed my stock rear brake pads and quickly put them back on the car between track sessions.  Sure enough, this did the trick.  The MINI stayed very firmly planted lap after lap.

So it appears the rumors are true.  The front brake system on the R53 MINI seems to be a little weak compared to the rear.  Normally, I don't believe in big brake kits, but in this case, it's probably not a bad idea if you take your MINI to the track on a regular basis.  Actually, it seems like the JCW front brakes might even be the best match.

Now all I have to do is confirm if I can put the R56 stock front brakes (which should be the same as the R53 JCW brakes, but cost less) on my R53, and then I will be good to go.

Nov. 15, 2006 - Mirror FAQ...sort of

I'm almost positive the part number is 51 16 7 058 059.  Just in case I am wrong, here is a picture of the box.

As you can see from the picture below, the mirror glass is symmetrical both up and down as well as side to side, EXCEPT for the heater terminals.  Knowing this, here are your options for replacing the driver side glass:

Jul. 5, 2006 - Mirror change

Here's an "upgrade" that I'm guessing not may people know about:  Installing a European spec driver side outside mirror glass on their US spec car.  Take a look at the before and after shots and then scroll down for the explanation.

[Before]

[After]


No, it is not an optical illusion.  You can see more with the European spec glass.

Because of FMVSS 111 (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard for Outer Mirrors), the US government requires a flat glass on the driver side and allows a convex glass on the passenger side (with the text "OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR").  Even though a convex glass on the driver side increases the field of view, the US government thinks this would confuse all of us in America because we won't see other vehicles with a 1:1 ratio.

However in Europe, where their drivers are "smarter", they get convex glass on both mirrors without the "OBJECTS IN MIRROR..." text stating the obvious.

May. 22, 2006 - New Grill and Grill Badge

Feb. 22, 2006 - My First Car

I came across this picture of my old Honda a few days ago, and just had to pay it a small tribute.



You know when they advertise a car by saying, "starting at  $XX,999"...Well, this was one of those cars.

It's a 1990 Honda Civic Hatchback Std.  My dad bought it new for something like $7000.

Now here are the details (as it came from the factory):

1.5L 4-cylinder engine (70 hp, 83 ft-lbs of torque)
4-speed manual transmission
Vinyl seats
Manual door locks
Manual windows
No passenger side outer mirror
No rear wiper
No air conditioning
No cup holders
No radio
No speakers
No tachometer
Not even a badge that designated "Standard" grade

A modest radio and pair of front speakers were added right after we picked up the car.  Beaded seat covers (yep, like the taxi cab drivers have) were added after about a year being cooked in the Summer and frozen in the Winter by the vinyl.

This car was my dad's daily driver and my part time car when I was in high school.  It was handed over to me in college, and was the car I drove out to Michigan to start my first job after graduation.

Two notable things about this car that none of us will ever see again.
1.  I could fill up the gas tank for about $10...no joke.  Cheap gas in the 1990's and a tiny gas tank made it possible.
2.  It had a small vent that directed outside air at the driver.  It was like a poor man's dual climate control that was extremely effective in the winter.

Looking back, this car was probably very unsafe due to it's small size and lack of airbags.  However, it was a great little car for the 8 years I drove it.

Jan. 13, 2006 - 2006 DETROIT Auto Show

Here are a few notable pictures from my visit to the Detroit Auto Show this week.


MINI Cooper S race car
The key feature...205/50R15 R-compound tires.  They might not look as good as 16's or 17's, but will be much quicker on the track. 
Also, I did like the Hood Scoop extension.  Not so much the carbon fiber, but the shape.  A functional and cosmetic upgrade.


Z4 Coupe concept
I have never been a huge fan of the Z4 styling, but this coupe version was impressive.  It has the classic sport coupe shape that made the Toyota 2000GT, Ferrari 250GT, Datsun 240Z, such good looking cars.


Lamborghini Miura Concept
This year's worst attempt at modeling a concept car after an beautiful, iconic car of the past.  The color...ugly, the 20+ inch rims...gaudy, the front spoiler...plain stupid, the silver running boards...why?  The stylists from Lamborghini need to take a look at the Ford GT and see how it's done.


Who is this guy?
Alright, someone help me out.  I can not figure out who the guy is in the black shirt.  All I know is that he probably has a lot of money because he was making the rounds between Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bently, etc, when us mere mortals couldn't even get close to the cars.


In summary, the Detroit Auto Show was pretty weak this year unless you are a Camaro fan.  There just weren't any significant vehicles for the average car enthusiast.

Jan. 5, 2006 - Entry Number One

Just to make sure this blog works, I figured I would introduce my car.

It's a 2004 MINI Cooper S that's pretty much stripped down (cloth seats, no sunroof, no auto climate control, no DSC, etc.).  The only big "splurge" items from the factory were xenon headlights and the color...British Racing Green was the only way to go.

From the picture, the obvious modifications are the new, wider wheels and tires (205/50R16 Bridgestone Potenza RE750's on Kosei K1's) and the top half of the Aero Grill.  The attempted installation of the bottom half of the Aero Grill was a disaster, so I just painted the stock silver piece black.

Here are the remaining big and small additions to my car:
- Pro MINI intake
- Stereo Aux input
- Additional cigarette lighter (for my radar detector)
- Glove Box organizer

The next project is figuring out a good way to mount my iPod Nano which currently resides, rather crudely, in my cup holder.