+1 :yesnod:
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Crashton Club Coordinator
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N2MINI MINI of the Month
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Dave.0 Helix & RMW PoweredLifetime Supporter
Yeah well they never look like the pictures when they are done but it does look interesting.
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N2MINI MINI of the Month
I wonder if one or the other will emerge as the car to "have" somehow...
Aftermarket stuff etc... -
I'll never forget the Top Gear with Clarkson trying to get the AMG around the track, wheel completely locked, car going straight....We'll have to agree to disagree, but if ever a car was out of balance between what it's engine could do, and what it's chassis can handle, that would be it.
Man, I wish I could find that video of the turbo classic MINI, tried but with no luck. It's hysterical--when the turbo kicks in, there is this big jet of flame, and the rear end of the car lifts off the ground. A professional driver took a turn at it in the video, and was totally disgusted with it--it was pretty funny. -
A powerful car that is not easy to drive, rarely if ever is first to a checkered flag....2cents
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goaljnky New Member
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGUZJVY-sHo]Richard Hammond drives F1 Renault R25 car at Silverstone - Top Gear - BBC Autos - YouTube[/ame]
P.S. Certainly Clarkson impressed me as a type of chap who'd take a creative license / unorthodox approach for the sake of making the show more entertaining. -
Relative yes. Power you can't get to the ground means nothing more than a big number as a talking point.
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I drove a Scion FR-S before I bought my MINI. As a past owner of a Toyota Supra I was really hopeful that the FR-S would be the return of Toyota (Scion) to making exciting cars. I very, very much wanted to love the FR-S. After driving it I came away from the car thinking that it does everything really well but it has no spirit and no personality. Plus, the back seats make a R56's rear seats seem like you are riding in a limo. And the lack of torque was really annoying.
I wanted to love this car. I was expecting to buy this car. Then I drove it and then I drove a MINI. You know which one I bought.
The FR-S really is a great car but a R56 is just simply more fun and practical. -
Steve AdministratorStaff Member Articles Moderator
Can anyone explain -- in relatively simple terms (and hopefully without just posting a link) -- the real advantage(s) of this horizontally opposed engine?
I'll say lower center of gravity is one effect, are there others?
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Crashton Club Coordinator
I feel the main one & possibly the only one is a lower center of gravity. Maybe it is the slightly rugged idle they have.
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The lower center of gravity is a huge plus, and the main reason they went with this engine configuration. The of the downsides is I bet that sucker is going to be a PITA to get at....I didn't get down and dirty in the engine bay, from what I could see, there actually is a fair amount of space in there, but it's going to be awkward to get at anything near the block.
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Crashton Club Coordinator
Just like any other Subaru. I think the space is likely to be taken up with a turbo, pipes & an intercooler...
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ScottinBend Space CowboySupporting Member
And they tend to be better balanced as well as the reciprocating mass is opposite of each other. But the lower CG is the biggest performance gain.
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The same configuration as a VW flat four air cooled (actually oil cooled) engines.
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ScottinBend Space CowboySupporting Member
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N2MINI MINI of the Month
Nice stuff.. and will only get better as more people get the cars and the aftermarket world gets going..
Might be time to start following the Subu forums... -
BThayer23 Well-Known Member
Subaru likes the boxer engine because it leaves room for a front diff, which allows them to put AWD in all of their cars. It's low and short. Go ahead and try to change a spark plug, though. The heads are low in the engine bay.
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Steve AdministratorStaff Member Articles Moderator
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