2 Weeks Of F56 Ownership

So far Clark has proven to be one fun ride!!  I am amazed at the amount of torque this MINI has without any noticeable torque steer. Since most of the torque is being produced below 4500 rpm, I am having no trouble staying below the recommended rpm limit during break-in period.  Speaking of which, I am just about at 1250 miles and getting ready to have my first oil change to flush out any break-in residue that may be floating in the oil.  With engines these days, there most likely isn’t anything floating around in there, but I am old school when it comes to the first oil change getting done early.  Can’t hurt…IMG_6428 Continue reading 2 Weeks Of F56 Ownership

SuperMINI Signature Banner

If you have been on any of the MINI forums, you undoubtedly have seen the awesome cartoon MINIs in people’s signatures.  What you may not realize is that most of those signatures were designed by a member of the MINI community “COOPERation” aka Planet Cooper on Facebook.  If you go through his Facebook page, you can spend HOURS just mesmerized by the talent he possesses.  This week, I received an awesome gift of a sampling of new signature banners depicting my new MINI, Clark (aka SuperMINI).  The one below is my favorite!

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Huge thanks to Craig (aka COOPERation) for such an awesome work of art!!

Video: Baseline Dyno Run – 2016 MINI Cooper S w/ JCW Tuning Kit

I brought Clark down to Ft. Lauderdale, FL in 100 degree heat (yea yea I know – not ideal conditions) for his baseline Dyno run this weekend and I was quite impressed with how he performed.  I expect to have the raw data from the dyno shop e-mailed to me tomorrow morning so be on the look-out for a post with SAE corrected graphs and more detail.  Until then, enjoy the video below:

Video: How-To Enable Dyno Mode On An F56 MINI Cooper

Tomorrow I plan on putting Clark, my 2016 MINI Cooper S, on the dyno to obtain some baseline horsepower and torque numbers.  it was brought to my attention that newer MINIs had issues being run on the dyno due to the DSC kicking in.  Apparently the car would cut power around 3,000 rpm.  Thanks to some helpful advice from Jerry over at NM Engineering, he was able to show me how to set the MINI into “Dyno Mode”.  Below is a video I made to demonstrate the process to make it easier for people to see how it is done.

Introducing… Clark!!!

After waiting for 2 months after placing my order at Vista MINI for my 2016 MINI Cooper S, this past Saturday Clark officially became mine!!  Vista MINI and Boca Tint and Wraps did a phenomenal job with the customizations required to transform Kal-El into Clark/SuperMINI!!

Clark / SuperMINI (the Superman MINI Cooper S)

An awesome group of MINIacs from the local Gold Coast MINIs area and even from Jacksonville Area MINI Motorers (JAMM) came out to welcome Clark into the MINI family.

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Continue reading Introducing… Clark!!!

The Arrival Of Kal-El

Earlier today, my 2016 MINI Cooper S arrived at Vista MINI !!  Of course I rushed right over to check him out :).  If you haven’t read my previous posts, I am doing a Superman theme and the car will eventually have a Chili Red roof and other Chili Red accents in addition to the JCW Tuning Kit.  However, until that happens, the car is in the “Kal-El” stage of his Superman journey 😉

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The transformation into “Clark” begun a few hours after he arrived at the dealership:

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IMG_2561I really like how the front end of the car is taking shape.  The gloss black grill surround really does make the front end look much more aggressive and hides that front big pedestrian bumper!

Stay tuned for more updates as the week goes on!

 

Coming Soon: 2016 MINI Cooper S – Clark (aka SuperMINI)

It has been a busy summer so far!  Between trying to find a good home for my 2006 MINI Cooper S, Scooter, and preparing for the arrival of my new 2016 MINI Cooper S, Clark (as in Clark Kent), things have been pretty hectic lately.  I can finally see the end of the tunnel, however.  In just over a week, Scooter’s new owner will be flying down to pick him up and bring him back to his new home in Indiana.

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While that is bittersweet, the arrival of my new MINI is just around the corner.  Just two days ago, my 2016 MINI arrived at the VPC in Brunswick, Georgia aboard the K-Line vessel, Eurasian Highway, and, today, went through vehicle processing.  Unfortunately at this time, 2016 models are being held at the VPC, but hopefully they will be released within the next week so I am not without a car for too long.

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Continue reading Coming Soon: 2016 MINI Cooper S – Clark (aka SuperMINI)