how fast is the mini cooper?

Sooper_WiLL · #1 (**permalink**) 01-11-2004, 12:30 PM

how fast is this crazy car?

what are some mods for this car performace wise?
what are their websites?

im new to the mini

CooperSRacer · #2 (**permalink**) 01-11-2004, 05:10 PM

Depends on which of the models you're talking about.

The Cooper is the n/a model with a 115 hp 1.6L engine and it runs the 0-60 in 8.5 secs in 5 spd form (from miniusa.com). Not sure how fast the CVT (automatic) Cooper is.

The Cooper S is the supercharged model with a 163 hp/155 lb-ft 1.6 L and it runs the 0-60 in 7 flat (from Car and Driver).

The Cooper S Works is the basically the Cooper S with an added kit that was developed by John Cooper Works that bumps output to 200 hp. I believe the Cooper Works S flies through the 0-60 in about 6.5 seconds.

While the MINI isn't the fastest car, i can attest firsthand that the speed is very deceiving and builds up rather quickly due to the flat torque bands of the engines. And as all MINI lovers have come to know, the best part about a MINI is how you can take on twists and corners...it is surely the best FWD car in terms of steering and handling and bests a lot of performance sports sedans. The all around performance of these cars make them quite possibly the best auto-X car money can buy...something the MetroplexMINI club found out when a set of members defeated everything from S4's to M3's to Corvettes and an old school Ferrari in a road course setting.

As far as mods go, there's a lot of resources such as www.promini.com
http://www.mini-madness.com/
http://www.minimania.com/
and so on and so on...

The first mods that most people perform on their MINIs are getting beefier rear swaybars (to eliminate the understeer inherent in a FWD setup), exhaust, ecu upgrade, cold air intakes, and for the Cooper S, getting a smaller sized pulley. The Cooper S can easily be modified to reach over 200 hp with a few aftermarket upgrades.

You can learn alot more on forums like
www.mini2.com
http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/

and of course on the official MINI of USA website
www.miniusa.com

Damn that was long...hope that helps.

thommy · #3 (**permalink**) 01-11-2004, 06:00 PM

You were asking for high speeds...

Here are the (official BMW) figures:

Mini One D (75hp Diesel): 165km/h (103mph) - 13.5s 0-100km/h (0-60mph)
Mini One (90hp): 181km/h (113mph) - 10.9s
Mini Cooper (115hp): 200km/h (125mph) - 9.2s
Mini Cooper S (163hp): 218km/h (136mph) - 7.4s

Regards
Thommy

source: www.mini.de / www.miniusa.com

RyanJayG · #4 (**permalink**) 01-11-2004, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CooperSRacer
...it is surely the best FWD car in terms of steering and handling and bests a lot of performance sports sedans.

I'd like to see it take on a Mazdaspeed protege on an MP3 (like mine) in handling. personally I think it would lose, as the MSP protege and MP3 have a stock Racing Beat suspension that sport compact car dubbed "the best handling front drive car for sale in the United States today" (pushing the Integra Type-R out of the way).

check this old article: http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....article_id=225
check the bottom of the page and notice that the MP3 actually bested the M3 in slalom mph and skidpad g's. interesting.

and here is the full article if you want to check it out: http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....&page_number=1

not trying to start a fight or anything. I think the mini's are pretty cool myself. just trying to share my opinion

CooperSRacer · #5 (**permalink**) 01-12-2004, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RyanJayG
I'd like to see it take on a Mazdaspeed protege on an MP3 (like mine) in handling. personally I think it would lose, as the MSP protege and MP3 have a stock Racing Beat suspension that sport compact car dubbed "the best handling front drive car for sale in the United States today" (pushing the Integra Type-R out of the way).

check this old article: http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....article_id=225
check the bottom of the page and notice that the MP3 actually bested the M3 in slalom mph and skidpad g's. interesting.

and here is the full article if you want to check it out: http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....&page_number=1

not trying to start a fight or anything. I think the mini's are pretty cool myself. just trying to share my opinion

I have no problem w/you voicing your opinion. A little friendly and objective discussion is what this forum is all about.

Here are my counterpoints:

You noted that Sport Compact dubbed the Mazdas (which one you meant I'm not sure you stated clearly) the best handling FWD for sale in the United States today. You mentioned the Racing Beat suspension in the Mazdas. Did you know that the Cooper S's rear suspension (and I believe the base Cooper too) is taken from the 3 series? How about the way that the MINI has its wheels pushed out all the way to the corners improving the tracking and handling?

I too have some evidence from Road and Track about the MINI's handling prowress. You mentioned the slalom time and how the MP3 beat an M3....well, did you know that the Cooper S set the highest slalom time out of ANY car tested by R & T?

From the January 2003 issue of R&T: "Throw some challenging curves into the equation, and somewhat predictably, the order is reversed. Said Online Services Editor Kim Wolfkill, "With what has to be the tightest handling of any compact hatch, the Mini is perfect for gobbling up winding back-country roads." Baron was more succinct: "What a hoot; point and shoot! A real 'toss me around and let's have some fun' attitude." Cornering is wheel-at-each-corner flat, and the steering ratio is so quick that hand positions on the steering wheel hardly need to be shifted for anything short of a U-turn. Maybe too quick — "I felt the turn-in was a little too crisp at high speeds, but for slower around-town motoring, it was spot-on," offered Wolfkill."

From that same article: "And the Cooper S, a veritable slot car in the slalom, becomes the new record-holder; its manic 69.5-mph blitz deposes the Porsche 911 GT2, at 68.7. The others' numbers were more than respectable — the more top-heavy PT managed 0.78g and 61.9 mph; and the Beetle scurried around at 0.82g and a laudable 64.5 mph. For ultimate agility, the Mini has no competition short of a Caterham 7, Miata or go kart. For ultimate stopping, the Mini also distanced itself from the pack, with Boxster-like postings from both 60 and 80 mph."

I haven't personally driven a Mazdaspeed Protege or MP3 so I can't speak from firsthand experience...frankly I haven't seen many articles on either of those cars to know if they are really great in terms of performance.

RyanJayG · #6 (**permalink**) 01-12-2004, 07:10 PM

http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/fe...8greatprotege/
http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/pr.../0307scc_mini/

I tryed to find one magazine that tested both, but who knows if it was the same driver/track/weather. its too many factors to present, but these two links show that SCC tested the:

MSP:
.89g
70.3 MPH

Mini S:
.86 g
69.1 MPH

keep in mind that the mini did raise its g's and speed after changing suspension and tires, as I am only comparing stock to stock, because we can all change to full coilovers, and really good tires. I know I updated to Tein SS dampners myself.

I did probe and tried to find other comparisons done by the same mag, and had a hard time. so feel free to dispute my findings.

all in all, I'd say they both handle like they are on rails, and I have driven both. Furthermore, I'd be the first to defend any Mini owner who is being bashed for owning a "girls" car. thats total horsecarp.

CooperSRacer · #7 (**permalink**) 01-12-2004, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RyanJayG
http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/fe...8greatprotege/
http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/pr.../0307scc_mini/

I tryed to find one magazine that tested both, but who knows if it was the same driver/track/weather. its too many factors to present, but these two links show that SCC tested the:

MSP:
.89g
70.3 MPH

Mini S:
.86 g
69.1 MPH

keep in mind that the mini did raise its g's and speed after changing suspension and tires, as I am only comparing stock to stock, because we can all change to full coilovers, and really good tires. I know I updated to Tein SS dampners myself.

I did probe and tried to find other comparisons done by the same mag, and had a hard time. so feel free to dispute my findings.

all in all, I'd say they both handle like they are on rails, and I have driven both. Furthermore, I'd be the first to defend any Mini owner who is being bashed for owning a "girls" car. thats total horsecarp.

Agreed. They're both kick-ass cars.

RyanJayG · #8 (**permalink**) 01-12-2004, 07:19 PM

and when I finally turbo my MP3 it will kick the heck out of most Mazdaspeeds. their tiny T25 just cant breathe enough. Too bad Mazda ruined what Calloway was wanting to do for the sake of reliability. they should of put in some forged pistons and rods (crank is forged already) to increase reliability, instead of de-tuning it. But I can fix what Mazda dropped teh ball with

BMWME · #9 (**permalink**) 01-17-2004, 11:26 AM

Well to get back on topic...

I just found out how fast a Mini S CAN be. I was on route 1 in Danvers, Massachusetts, calibrating my new white gauges when I saw a new S drive past me. I followed it around a nice sweeping on ramp and onto rt. 95 south. The Mini took off as it got on the highway but I was behind a slow driver. Once on the highway I really got on it and caught up to the Mini who was just cruising. This is when I noticed that it was lowered and had a aftermarket exhaust on. He pulled to the next lane and I slowly drove past while taking a look at the car. The guy didn't really look over so I just passed and got ahead a few car lengths when I saw a Maxima charging up. The Mini got on it and flew past me as I was pulling into the next lane...so of course I had to join.
Well traffic forced me to wait for the Maxima to pass and duck in behind him. A little off topic but as we were merging onto rt128 south the sweeping right was WAY to much for the Maxima at these speeds. The thing started wagging back and forth and went off the road a few times, kicking up salt and sand on my baby

Anyway once on 128 I blasted past the Maxima and me and the S weaved in and out of traffic for a little while until we got bored. I slowed down with the guy and asked him how much boost he was running. If I'm right the stock S is 12psi right? This kid said he was running 14psi...which isn't too crazy from stock.
Anyway the acceleration of this thing made it appearant that he wasn't stock and it was a perfect match for my Miata at 7-8psi.
I wish I got a chance to talk to the kid but we went in seprate directions. Oh well, maybe he is a member here? haha
Any silver with black stripe Mini S' race a Miata today?

CooperSRacer · #10 (**permalink**) 01-18-2004, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BMWME
Well to get back on topic...

I just found out how fast a Mini S CAN be. I was on route 1 in Danvers, Massachusetts, calibrating my new white gauges when I saw a new S drive past me. I followed it around a nice sweeping on ramp and onto rt. 95 south. The Mini took off as it got on the highway but I was behind a slow driver. Once on the highway I really got on it and caught up to the Mini who was just cruising. This is when I noticed that it was lowered and had a aftermarket exhaust on. He pulled to the next lane and I slowly drove past while taking a look at the car. The guy didn't really look over so I just passed and got ahead a few car lengths when I saw a Maxima charging up. The Mini got on it and flew past me as I was pulling into the next lane...so of course I had to join.
Well traffic forced me to wait for the Maxima to pass and duck in behind him. A little off topic but as we were merging onto rt128 south the sweeping right was WAY to much for the Maxima at these speeds. The thing started wagging back and forth and went off the road a few times, kicking up salt and sand on my baby Anyway once on 128 I blasted past the Maxima and me and the S weaved in and out of traffic for a little while until we got bored. I slowed down with the guy and asked him how much boost he was running. If I'm right the stock S is 12psi right? This kid said he was running 14psi...which isn't too crazy from stock.
Anyway the acceleration of this thing made it appearant that he wasn't stock and it was a perfect match for my Miata at 7-8psi.
I wish I got a chance to talk to the kid but we went in seprate directions. Oh well, maybe he is a member here? haha
Any silver with black stripe Mini S' race a Miata today?

Cool story. For a really tricked out pair of Cooper S's check out Promini's project cars at : http://promini.com/projectcar.shtml

The turbo'd one - "Silver Sonic" is at 287 hp/264 lb-ft torque @ 21 psi. The s/c one is at 243 hp @ 15.5 psi. Both are still works in progress.

BMWME · #11 (**permalink**) 01-18-2004, 09:08 PM

Well I did some research and it appears the stock boost is around 10-11psi, so it would figure that this kid putting out 14 would be significantly faster then stock. Plus I'm sure he had an aftermarket intake to go along with the exhaust.

I'd love to get a fair race with the Mini

runetang · #12 (**permalink**) 01-19-2004, 05:46 AM

looks to me like the mp3 and the mini S are damn close in handling performance, the difference in those numbers is so small that if tested at another time & place, with different test cars, or better yet an average from a number of each cars, i think they'd put down close to equal numbers, its more driver ability id think.

the mini cooper S is sweet though, its one of the few FWD cars i'd own, i might get one used in a year or two.