[1320autos]

...........now I know it sounds strange but when Luca said the other day he was getting tired off his Dad blowing his doors off in his M5 and he was considering part ex the Mini for an Audi S3, I've been obsessed with thinking how we can stop him leaving the Mini community.

At last years BMW show an M5 won the 6 cyl class with an 12.82 @ 113, so we know for a heavy family car there very quick.

So really if you're only using one power adder, at this moment in time you only have one choice and thats a turbo.

If you used two power adders then you could get your own back with the M45 and a 50 shot of nitrous with the right components in the engine.

Surely at any track the M5 is on a looser with a Mini

So with the right selection off parts could Luca keep the Mini and let his Dad see his tailpipes on the way home?

Or is the Cooper S just a stepping stone for a faster vehicle which is in the market place.

[Damo]

Lol

[lucachiarelli]

Wow pretty shocked by this thread paul lol.
Dont think i'll get anywhere near him in a straight line as 507bhp is alot to tackle. Theres a vid on youtube where an m5 beats a gallardo rolling start from 30mph.
As for track id easily beat him as hes a crap driver lol.
The reason for looking at the s3 isnt mainly for power its for driveability and comfort also and there are some huge gains to be had from the vag lump for quite good money. As you know paul my car is pretty low so at every speed bump i s**t myself. When i go over a pothole the same thing. Also get paranoid on the motorway that i cant put my foot down for long periods of time in 5th and 6th due to all the WOT detonation stories. I dont like to speed on the motorway but like to toy with bigger cars now and again.
The mini has been the best car ive ever owned and always puts a smile on my face. I would like to go further with my car but the next stages are going to be very expensive.
I should try and get insured on the m5 but it will be way too expensive.
Who knows whats going to happen in 08.

[MINI-Morgan]

Oooo could be a challenge.... only problem is from my calculations you need 325bhp to get away from him in the M5. Defiantly Turbo! But interestingly the M5 isnt that great on torque for a V10 so you might have an edge there but the M5 had a long strong power band much better than a MINI.

Right so a turbo or NOS with a raised rev limit Race tomorrow?

[Loui]

You cant sell it

[alski]

look at a copy of evo at rear, bedford track times show m5 only a second better than std r56s
and a new s3 is not that quick in comparison, build up that no claim bonus..

[ScottyBoy]

Luca you'l miss it when its gone..................

...... Ive had my hands on a few different cars and ive always missed the MINI, its just the charecter of the car, the Whine, the fact it has a Charger NOT a Turbo, the Meets/Events, The people you meet on runs, ive meet some of my best mates on them.

You have an awesome MINI keep it, keep it keep it lol

Edit: Saying all this....... Mine may have to go soon, its costing me alot of money at the moment and im changing jobs, going self employed and all depending on work when ido change it may have to go for a few month so i can afford to live without the car to worry about...... even then i cant think of me ever selling it, although thats the sensible thing to do and ill have another one as soon as i can.

[Ant FR]

well if he wants to keep up with his old man, why buy an S3, there miles off the pace.

[r1_kde]

Being self emplyeed is not a reason to get rid of the car! its more of a reason to spend more on it, with milage at 0.40 per mile you will take in a fair amount, also you could move it to being a company car or just pay yourself a fat dividend ever now and then

[Ant FR]

Quote: Originally Posted by r1_kde (original)

Being self emplyeed is not a reason to get rid of the car! its more of a reason to spend more on it, with milage at 0.40 per mile you will take in a fair amount, also you could move it to being a company car or just pay yourself a fat dividend ever now and then

I'm sitting here doing my tax return ( or meant to be) and i tell ya, it don't quite work like that mate.

[r1_kde]

OH! I have been self employed now for just over 2 years, I don't see what the problem is? Every so often I pay a nice dividend, I travel all over the country and my milage even when it drops to 25p is almost as large as my last employed job, I pay myself a good wage.

Never had any problems with it all really, and I have two people who sub contract from me too, I have never had so much money to **** around with. I do suppose it depends what you contract as... also how much you charge...

I will say it can be hard especially when companies hold on to money for a while. Good advice to have a contractual agreement for them to pay you within a set period.

You have to love them tax returns, I am lucky to have a good partner to do all that! It is worth noting that looking back at our first ever quater, we did have some money troubles when things did not look good, but now I am booked up till about september for work. Its like anything you either do or don't land well.
I wish you all the best with it, and the hardest part for me was seperating the business money from mine!

PS: sorry back to topic "tune the mini more!"

[lucachiarelli]

Im looking at the new s3 which has 265bhp. Which wont be staying standard. With a remap and turbo back exhaust system they see 330+bhp all for £1200 fitted. Ive had 3 minis now since i was 17 and an rx8 in the middle which was the worst buy ever. Im not changing it because i want something faster i just really liked the way the s3 drove and handled with gearbox and clutch were very light. If i wanted something crazy quick i would get an evo or sti but dont fancy the depreciation. The interior of the s3 wins it for me aswell with the rs4 style seats, flat bottomed steering wheel etc.
Ive spent around £5000 on my mini and i would love to keep it alonside the s3.
My dads passing down the tile shop in august so dont know whats going to happen. Funds may be better.
As for track times they dont really bother me as i dont track my car.

[1320autos]

MINI COOPER :: North American Motoring - From PSS9s to Cross Coilovers

Might be able to solve the pothole bit with these?

[1320autos]

I just got it, borrow Dads car keys, open bonnet, remove 1 spark plug lead from right bank and 5 spark plug leads from left blank, hand Dad keys back and tell him;

tonight its 4cyl v 4cyl.

[lucachiarelli]

They would help paul but again its money and insurance rising everytime i add something. If i told you what i pay per year insurance for my car you will be suprised i even went for an air filter
Im not trying to keep up with my dad as i dont drive with him all the time. Plus hes always changing cars so by the time my mini would be ready to show him the tailpipes he would have something else even quicker. He did have a ferrari 360 about 4 years ago which was a very nice and very loud car. He let me drive it when i just passed my test, only on a straight road for about 30 seconds but think he papped himself when i was hitting triple figures, private road obviously.
Im a big car fanatic but i want to see other cars and experience the noises they make and their individual characters. Ive never had a 4 wheel drive car or a turbo so would be nice to have a go with one.
If i regret swapping it will be my fault but you have to make mistakes to learn from them.

[lucachiarelli]

Quote: Originally Posted by 1320autos (original)

I just got it, borrow Dads car keys, open bonnet, remove 1 spark plug lead from right bank and 5 spark plug leads from left blank, hand Dad keys back and tell him;

tonight its 4cyl v 4cyl.

LOL or just throw his keys down a drain and say RUN

[BigShow300]

Quote: Originally Posted by lucachiarelli (original)

Im looking at the new s3 which has 265bhp. Which wont be staying standard. With a remap and turbo back exhaust system they see 330+bhp all for £1200 fitted. Ive had 3 minis now since i was 17 and an rx8 in the middle which was the worst buy ever. Im not changing it because i want something faster i just really liked the way the s3 drove and handled with gearbox and clutch were very light. If i wanted something crazy quick i would get an evo or sti but dont fancy the depreciation. The interior of the s3 wins it for me aswell with the rs4 style seats, flat bottomed steering wheel etc.
Ive spent around £5000 on my mini and i would love to keep it alonside the s3.
My dads passing down the tile shop in august so dont know whats going to happen. Funds may be better.
As for track times they dont really bother me as i dont track my car.

I'm glad you said the new S3 as my old 740i used to blow away a 300bhp previous gen S3. To be honest mate you've got a really hard choice there... the new S3 is an amazing car and stupidly quick through the gears even when standard and with the spec you're talking about the interior is a very nice place to be. So if you want some squirt and go one minute and comfortable cruiser the next it's a fine choice, however... performance wise how does it stack up to say the 1320 demo car:

S3

0-60: 5.8
0-100: 13.6
30-70: 5.1

1320 MCS

0-60: 5.8
0-100: 14.2
30-70: 4.5

Now if you were to go for the RMW Head, Cam & injectors you would blow the doors off the S3 by some margin with 270 bhp + and save a bundle on the asking price of the S3 and probably insurance...

[lucachiarelli]

In stock form its a very close call but with 330 bhp i think the times may change a little. My main goal isnt to get something quicker its to have an all rounder that is comfy for during the week and good for a blast at the weekend.
Dont think i would get insured with head, cams and other bits on my car. Im only 20 .
Maybe in a few years ill get a used cooper s for a reasonable price and get a full blown turbo crazy animal conversion weekend car, and a diesel for during the week. It all depends on how business goes.

[BigShow300]

True, but don't forget 4wd transmission losses.

To be honest mate I'm with you on the S3 for what you're looking for, it is a good compromise of comfy but sporty.

[Richard Crofts]

Lemans style start, surely you can get to the car far quicker than an old man