Most liked posts in thread: DragonButt

When I got my 2005 MINI Cooper R50, the very first day I removed the backseat and mounted a custom rear harness bar and 3 sets of jr. dragster 5 point harnesses for our sons that were 4, 5 and 6! My neighbors thought I was nuts to be tearing apart my brand new car. A couple of years later, we drove 14 hours to Disney in the MINI! (Not my wife, she flew! Lol). 14 years, 160k miles, 12 MOTD’s, all the MSSD, track days, autox’s and 28 years of marriage, we all are still going strong!

 

While the TOTD and its brutality is the main reason most people go to MOTD, there are lots of other drives that are not so hard on a pregnant woman's body...especially when she is so far along. My favorite drive other than the TOTD is the approx. 50 mile long Cherohalla Skyway, with its sweeping curves and scenic resting points to view the surrounding beautiful scenery. If you have never driven it, it lies between Robbinsville, NC and Tellico Plains, TN, and is a pretty up and down drive...starting down, and traveling up the mountainsides to the top and then going back down the other side. The roadways are spacious and the drive is smooth but not boring.

 

"My neighbors thought I was nuts to be tearing apart my brand new car." I know the feeling. In 2015, I bought a 2005 R52 S with stupid low miles. The next day, after changing the 10-year-old run flats (still had the original nubs) I went to the Dragon and that was the start. Thanks to Chad (DT) Colin (Green Performance), Jan (Rmw), Zach Ta, Dave O., and Mworks garage, I have ended up with a car that is fast, extremely fun to drive, safe and with no problems. It now has 29,750 miles and will probably be for sale in the fall due to medical problems. Boy, has it been a fun ride...

PS I have to give my wife credit for staying with me through probably 60 cars, countless late nights in the garage, absences, And a host of other 'stuff' for 46 years. We have keepers Colin

 

I need Dragon Therapy so bad! And can’t wait to be with my MOTD Family too!

 

Cherohalla Is a great run and lots of people like it more that the Dragon.

 

Yes lots of nice rides in the region. I don't see the dragon itself as brutal. A lot depends on driving style, if you drive like a brute it can be brutal. If I drive it like a rally stage my wife cries uncle & reminds me we are not on a rally stage justa open public road in a car without a cage, no helmets & no 5 point harness'. If I drive my smoothest while still carrying speed she is fine.

If you are stupid on the dragon then yes it is brutal. Look at the tree of shame for evidence of that.

My take is I wouldn't take my wife if she was expecting & sooo close. There is always next year.

2013jcwmini, welcome to M/A

 

The stock system is OK, but does not sound like you are driving a sporty car. If that matters, then a catback system is something you might want. As a Gen 1 owner, I have a Milltek that I swear by. they are pricey, but the cost has more than evened out since installing the exhaust 12 years ago.
Whatever you get, make sure it is of good quality [like S/S] as well as durability, because our lowered cars DO take their knock on the roadways.

 

Doctors have to get their priorities right. Jeez... Anyway, good looking JCW and you know...it's the fastest color. Welcome, and we'll see you next year. May everything go well with the birth.

 

Nice looking JCW! Welcome to M/A, too!

 

I drive it alone, although each year there is an organized drive at MOTD. Alone, however, you can take your time or set a blazing pace...it's all up to you. In Tellico Plains, you can pull off and dine along the river.