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

She already has membership in a car sharing program. Most of the cars are Toyota Prius . She absolutely hates the handling of them.

Since she can drive manual, shopping around here, MINIs are probably the best value for money in a market where high mileage beaten up Honda Civics cost more than a low mileage CPO'd MINI Cooper with manual transmission. I recommended a Honda Fit or Mazda 3 Sport. The ones we have seen have fairly high mileage and cost a bit more.

 

My son bought a CPO Fit a couple of months ago. Pretty nice car & as practical as a Swiss Army knife.

 

That's a good starter car. Some of my friends' kids have them too. Since I live out in the burbs, a lot of them complain how noisy their Honda Fits are on the highway after getting a ride in a MINI. :cryin:

But they do run regular gas and have fewer things to go wrong with them.

 

I drove my MINI for the first time in a week. It was 33 degrees out, so no AC compressor drag and 33-degree air blowing through the intercooler -- and into the intake. So, I was enjoying the maximum combustion conditions. Other than wrestling with some torque-steer, it was very pleasant.

CD

 

I installed my methanol upgrade this past weekend. I stepped up to the newer updated HFS-3.

Now my car is sitting in the garage since it is 12 degrees outside and I had to login to work today.

 

My daughter gave me a $100.00 gift card specifically to buy something for my MINI R52. What would you all suggest? Everything I want is significantly more expensive than that, so I am looking for a little something to add. Looking for ideas?????

 

Do you have a "Light in Sight" for when your top is up and you are at a traffic light, craning to see the colors change? It's a prism that reflects the light color downwards and thus allows you to sit and not have to be a contortionist while stopped. They are made in Cincinnati. www.lightinsight.com, I think.

 

+10 for the lightinsight.

 

I have a Light in Sight in each of my MINIs and if feels sooooo good to sit in a normal seating position while at a stoplight. MINI windshields are notoriously almost perpendicular and the driver needs all the help he can get to safely get through stoplights without causing a wreck or spraining one's back or neck in the process.

 

My MCSa is getting new snow tires tomorrow, which is good, since we are getting snow tonight. My Bridgestone Blizzak Revos are 12 years old and have about 3/32s left. The guy who put them on told me that if the tires were not already mounted, he would not have put them on the car due to their age. The car drives okay, but then, knowing that the tires are so old aged, I'm not driving real fast, either, and the wear bars seem to be getting closer with all the dry road Winter driving I've had for the last month. Those tires have been wonderful.

 

What kind of snow tires are you getting Jeff?

 

About tire age. The rubber on the inside of the tire deteriorates from the oxygen in the air inside the tire. It is not visible from the outside and most experts agree that 6 years is the safest life of a tire although some people claim 10 years. One local tire company uses nitrogen instead of air to prevent this damage. Old tires are not to be trusted...

 

Went slot car racing...

 

http://howertonengineering.com

 

Ran errands today in the cold air. It is amazing how much better my MINI runs in weather like this, compared to the 100-plus days of summer. I don't have any times to compare, just the seat-of-the-pants g-force meter. It is basic science. Cold air is denser than hot air. Compressed cold air is even more potent than cold air sucked into an engine with no assistance.

The pull in second and third gears is my favorite feeling on cold days. First winds out so fast, but second and third make that thrust last a while.

I did get to run fast with a BMW 850i for a while, but the driver soon took it as a challenge. Some people like to play, while others see everything as a competition. The 850i driver started doing stupid things, and I backed off.

CD

 

new snows on the S! woohoo...the ride down to the installer was freaky...abs on an off all the way down:frown2:. the new snows are just heavenly.

 

Mine was on backorder since late September. Not Jeff Howerton’s falt but the company that makes them in Europe. (Aquamist )