Most liked posts in thread: What did you do with your MINI today?

That reminds me of a couple of years ago at the track. I was trying to catch a friend in turn 7 and forgot to set the front end up for the turn. So the car went straight ahead. Out in the field I go spinning donuts with the windows open. I had to take it to a detailer to clean it out. What a mess, but fun.

 

Making MINI friends on the Dragon!

 

Saw pictures of you running the Dragon on Killboy.com.

 

129photos.com has some good pics of our two MINIs!

 

Took the car to get it ceramic coated today. Will see how it comes out in a couple of weeks. This place must be doing something right they had another 15 to 20 cars in his shop. They also do wraps. I heard they quit a price to customer of $3800.00 for a complete wrap. That seem high but I don't really know.

 

So, I never did get a chance to talk with a senior tech at the MINI dealer, but I did some reading of old articles when the 2020 Clubman was launched. The most notable to me was the article put out by AutoWeek and the descriptions they provided. Now I am on the hunt for some performance additions and perhaps some way to bring up the 'bling' under the JCW Clubbie's bonnet. Man that is one plain engine department, might have to contact Rick in NC and get him a paint shop setup just to satisfy all the new JCW folks.

Anyway, I will cut and paste the portion Autoweek published on the Clubbie JCW transmission, sorry Spoiler it is not a DSG. but read for yourself.


"The JCW’s 2.0-liter engine block is the same as that in the Clubman S, but just about everything else in the engine is different. The turbo is bigger and the heads lower compression from 10.25:1 to 9.5:1. Injector volume increases, the exhaust tubes are bigger and less restricted, and internals are upgraded. The pistons and con rods are more rugged, and the crank and main bearings are reinforced. The radiator is larger, and both coolant and oil flow are enhanced for track duty,

The net is basically 150 hp per liter, or 301 peak hp, with 331 lb-ft of torque. That’s 113 hp and 124 lb-ft more than the 2020 Clubman S. More to the point, horsepower in the ’20 JCW is up by 73—a full third—compared to 2019, with 28 percent more torque (73 lb-ft). That’s with a new gasoline particulate filter required for the European market."

"The transmission is new to the JCW, adapted from the BMW X2 M35i—an eight-speed torque-converter automatic with a lock-up clutch. The JCW’s all-wheel-drive system is upgraded with heavier-duty clutches and more rigid half-shafts. Both the gear set and mount points are reinforced, and there’s a mechanically locking differential for the front axle.

As you’d probably guess, the Clubman JCW comes with a high level of standard equipment and grippy sport seats. Production started at Mini’s assembly plant in Oxfordshire, England, in late July, and the first ’20 Clubmen will reach North American stores in as long as it takes to cross the ocean and travel from the port.

Technology upgrades and excitement don’t come cheap. The 2020 Clubman JCW starts at $39,400, before the $850 delivery charge. Options and custom packages can easily push the price past $50K. Perhaps Sir Alec is rolling in his grave."

Pretty much says it all, I trust the source, if anyone has hard technical on the internals, post them.

I will let you know what I find out and about. Next up will be a full persoanl detail, need to read up on Dave.0's tips. Then a 2K oil change to keep the internals clean, this will be done a local BMW/MINI performance shop in Broomfield, CO. Have not used them in years, but reviews and commentary are good, if not a bit pricey!

Don

 

Sounds like your new JCW Clubster has all the go fast bits n bobs. Thanks for the AutoWeek provided info. Enjoy the new ride!

 

I had to have 3 surgeries in the last month and one skin graph for an infection. I am laying down and healing and doing well.

The test area a did with a graphene product looks great and dust is not laying on it compared to other parts of my roof.

 

Get better soon Dave.

 

Everyone goes off the track sooner or later. I was lucky, but it scared the crap out of me. When I did mine at Mid Ohio, it was because I didn't let my tires heat up before I left the Keyhole. As I rounded the turn for the back straight, I floored it and the tires didn't grab...slid off the track, did several doughnuts and stopped about 5 ft. short of the tire wall. The dust factor inside my S helped to soak up my body fluids........

 

I agree with getting some seat time before you hit the track. How about taking the Helmet to the test & tune? You know that car like the back of your hand.

I'm sure the Lotus has crazy high levels of performance. IMO you want to walk up to those limits somewhat gradually.

What ever you choose to do have fun Lee, you've earned it.

 

The key is to go into them with the goal of becoming a smoother driver. Smooth over time with get you to fast. If you go in like Ricky Bobby (I wanna go fast!), you will wind up going faster than your skills can handle very quickly.

For a reasonable person, the first 3-4 track days are safe (you always get a few numbnuts who don't understand limits). I did 6-7 weekends at the track when I lived in Texas. The first 2 weekends were safe as I finished the novice group (green) and they promoted me to beginner (blue). There was a LOT for me to learn in blue... not just learn as in reading in books but LEARN as in being able to apply that knowledge when the back end of the car is stepping out on you at 75+ MPH. I made it into the standard group (yellow) at the end of my last weekend and then wound up selling that car and moving a few times for work.

I'm not sure if I want to make track fun a regular thing... it is exciting and scary all at the same time. I will admit that I am a MUCH better driver on the street after my track experiences. I did make it out to a "Track Night in America" event a year or so ago and it was fun. I was out there to have fun, see a new track and be smooth. I met some nice folks and had an enjoyable day.

 

2 minor tweaks:
Replaced diverter valve with latest version
(116658636606)
Turbo resonator delete (already did the
noisemaker delete a while ago).

Next on the docket is measuring the chain
and replacing the tensioner with the
updated one if it’s not stretched to over 68mm, and checking out the intake
valves and ports with the new Teslong
NTS500 borescope I just got.

 

I want to go back! Lol

 

Hope this is sign you are feeling better Dave.

 

MSSD is back on! Mmmmm, maybe one more Dragon trip this year!

Minis Slay the Sleeping Dragon Oct 9-11. Fontana or whatever it’s called is open!

https://m.facebook.com/HWY129MSSD/

 

Oh it will work great I have no doubt. My Rupes 12 will still be in use also.

I don’t do videos, I will take a few pictures.

 

Not the MINI, but I thought it was worth sharing...

Earlier this year I bought a Uniden R7 radar detector for the MINI. I hard-wired it using an add-a-circuit device and Uniden's hardwire kit. It went as usual and took an hour or two of puttering about in the garage as I like to fish and hide the wires carefully, I had to find a switched power circuit to piggy-back on and had to find a good ground... then make all of the connections securely and tape everything up so nothing I added rattles about behind the dash panels.

We have some road trips coming up and we generally take my wife's car. She is the only one with a daily commute (well... we both WFH due to COVID now, but usually she goes into the office) and gets the shiny new car. I drive the shiny old ones. I wanted to set the radar detector up to work in her car, but it's less than a year old and I really didn't want to do any invasive wiring. In comes this gadget: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PMDWSVD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



It's a 12 wiring connector for my detector (has the appropriate RJ45-looking end on it), but the bits that connect to the car for power are flat spade ends. They give you 2 options, a wider pair and a narrow pair. The spades are made to slide into the back end of wiring harness connectors (the wire-side) to piggy-back on to an existing power line that is already running in the car.

I wanted to use the suction cup mount to put the detector high on the windscreen in my wife's car, so I popped the cover off that covers the base of the rear view mirror and upper toggle switch control. There were 2 or 3 different connectors up there, so I started with the larger one. I found a red/brown pair of wires that looked like they were heading towards the map lights (red/black and red/brown wires are frequently power/ground when run in pairs, so I took a chance), so I slid the spade connectors into the back side of that plug. Poof! I had 12 power! You cover up the unused spade connectors with included rubber bits, secure the new wire to the harness using some included zip ties and you are done! I used a bit of electrical tape to make sure things were good and solid and then put the cover on. 15 minutes later, I was DONE!

Ideally it would have been a switched power line (turns off when the keys are off), but it was constant on (always 12 supply... even more evidence it was heading to the map lights). My detector has a battery saver feature (if it doesn't detect GPS movement for an hour, it turns itself off), so I enabled that feature and I was done!

 

Nice install, neat & tidy.

I stopped using radar detectors when the local police started using lazer beams. Been pulled over twice in the last 20 years. Let go once even though I deserved that one & ticketed once in a BS speed trap set by the local deputy. For me situational awareness is more important that a squawking box.