[eeyore]

Hi everyone,

I've spent a few weeks skulking about as I prepare to order my mini cooper and the biggest question I still have is whether or not to get the sport package. The jury is still out for me on the following three issues...

DSC: It seems like opinion is really split on this option. Does anyone have good/bad experience with the DSC on the cooper? What swayed you one way or the other on this one?

Run Flat Tires: I have read lots of the horror stories on these - how expensive they are to replace, difficult to replace. I also have seen a few, "these saved me!" stories. I am leaning towards not getting these and just getting a good set of all weather tires.

Tire size: I know that if I stay with the standard 15" the ride is a bit softer, but as far as I can tell, if I go with 16" or above, I have to get run flats which i don't think i want. Are there any other pros/cons for the 15" versus 16" decision?

thanks so much!

[Tom F.]

If you live in SF and don't expect to drive the car in ice or go drift racing, I would save the $500.

I've got it, don't like it most of the time, but admit that the onetime I drove it through a turn on glare ice it is good. Don't forget that ASC+T will still give you traction control and a bunch of "advanced" braking. Its just when you are skidding or sliding through a turn that DSC offers additional control.

Tom

[Ezzer]

I find the MINI sooooo grippy anyway, I have been trying to get it out of shape but so far I haven't been able to. So unless you are on ice, I can't see much good with DSC, get the bigger wheels with the money instead.

I have 15" for winter wheels (Alloys) and 16" star alloys for summer. I haven't had the summer ones on it yet but seriously I cannot wait. The 15" are giving me a bit of understeer and I think the 16" would eliminate that. I am though generally getting a lot of grip with the 15" already, I just can imagine the 16" performance tyres! The 15s do ride well, I do find the ride a bit harsh sometimes even with the 15s but hey, this is no slow motor....

And last but not least.... the car does not look NEARLY as good on 15s as they do on 16s..... hence I cannot wait....

Save on the DCS and get the Chili pack... you'll get those much desired sports seat plus other great items as well.

[DeekosRSV]

Whats wrong with right foot traction control? I don't have ASC+T or DSC and i don't miss them (apart from the blank space)
In cars WITH traction control, i hate the yellow light on when the system is turned off.

I went for the 17" wheels and the bugger just grips (and lifts a wheel when REALLY cornering)
Don't know about you lot, but i like a bit of lift off oversteer.

"And last but not least.... the car does not look NEARLY as good on 15s as they do on 16s..... hence I cannot wait..."

sorry mate, but it looks EVEN BETTER on the 17's.

[bobntx]

I got the sport package, and don't regret it for a minute.

I love both the look and the ride with the 16" tires with the sport package. And regarding the runflats, keep in mind that in the U.S. the Cooper with sport comes with 16" runflats AND a spare tire under the boot. I really like the fact that I have both of them. That way, if I'm lucky I'll end up being one of those "Run flats are great!" people... when I get a flat but don't have to mess with it... or if I'm unlucky and have a serious tire failure, I'll be fine because I've got a spare for a backup.

Re DSC: Having driven 3 series BMWs since the beginning of 2000, I am VERY much a fan of the DSC... and honestly, wouldn't have gotten a car without it. People have said that DSC is only of value in snow or ice, but that's just not true, IMO... though hopefully you'll never have to learn just how valuable it can be. In my 325i, I was on the freeway one day on my way to work. It was raining that day... not very heavy, but the roads were definitely very wet. Well, I shouldn't have been following so close, should have been driving slower, etc, etc... all those "should haves" you say after the fact... but an accident happened RIGHT smack in front of me. Suddenly, there were cars everywhere and I was heading right for them. In the split second I had, I jammed on the brakes and cranked hard on the wheel to take the car off to the side of the road... it was my only hope of avoiding a collision. I firmly believe that DSC was the only thing that kept me from wiping out. Turning the wheel as hard as I did while doing 60MPH on wet roads, there's no way I would have kept the car under control without it. Hopefully I will never ever again come into a situation where I'm glad I have the DSC, but it's nice to know its there.

If you wanna see something really neat, take your DSC car out on a dirt road somewhere safe, and actually TRY to spin out... try to lose control. It's amazing to see and feel DSC in action. It really gives you a good perspective on just how much it can do.

Now, I DO hate the thing during normal driving sometimes. Like when you pull out from a parking lot real quick into oncoming traffic and it kills the power right when you NEED the power. That's seriously irritating. But after dealing with DSC for over 3 years now, it's almost second nature to flip that switch and turn it off when I'm approaching a situation where I may need a little tire spin... and then turning it back on after. Doesn't bother me at all, especially with the switch so conveniently located.

And yeah... don't forget the sport seats. They're awesome.

~bob

[fishie <///><]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ezzer
I find the MINI sooooo grippy anyway, I have been trying to get it out of shape but so far I haven't been able to.

i agree with ezzer on that the MINI has a very good grip. i was driving the BMW 330i loaner from the dealer for a week. i drove it like i would on my MINI. the DSC warning light flashed quite a number of times. for the month i've had my MINI, i only got the DSC light to flash once, and that was when i took a sharp turn at 50mph. i still like having the DSC though, for the extra safety measure. i also like the look of the fog lamp and the 16" star rims that comes with the package. no regrets with the sports package here.

[Willy]

I am glad I got the Sport package. The DSC is nice to know you have. I would not consider a MINI without the sport seats. They are the best seats I have ever had in a car. I wish our other car had such great seats!

the 16" rims look great as well. IMHO, they are perfectly designed for the looks of the MINI! The fog lights look good and are good for piece of mind!

[PigLick]

Yep, I'm another fan of the sport package. The two main things I wanted were the seats and 16" 5-stars, the fog lamps were a close 3rd, and it's nice knowing the DSC is there in case I ever need it (hopefully not, though).

The only thing I wasn't sure about at first was the rear spoiler. At first I dind't like the way it looked. The more I looked at it, the more it grew on me, and now I like the look of the spoiler better than without it (except for that awful S spoiler, don't like that one a bit).

If you're really not sure, you could always just pick-and-choose just the components you like, and leave the rest out. It may end up costing you a bit more (though it could also cost less), but being happy with your MINI rather than having regrets is definitely worth a few hundred dollars in my book.

PigLick

[Wentworth]

I had the same issues. I didn't like the spoiler, and I wanted the 15" wheels. At the time there seemed to be more tire options available in that size, and I really didn't want runflat.

I added the cold weather package, sport seats, front fog lamps, and DSC to my car to get it the way I wanted.

The sport seats are a must! Sit in cars with standard seats and the sport seats and you'll agree. Especially around quick corners.

Fog lamps are really nice on dark nights. Xenon wasn't available when I ordered my car, so the fogs are nice.

DSC is amazing. I live in Minnesota, and the DSC has been great in the snow and ice. I tested it one night on the roof of an empty parking ramp covered with snow. I turned DSC off and spun around fairly eaisly. When I turned DSC back on I couldn't get the car to spin out. The car turned out to be too smart for me.