One thing that can ruin a track weekend is a broken belt, resulting in your tensioner slamming down on your crank pulley, etc. For this very reason, I have been testing out various tensioner stops that will keep the tensioner from slamming down if the belt were to break. I am currently running the Detroit Tuned tensioner stop, but not sure how long it will stay on due to reports from the MINIs in the Grand Am series having the stop snap upon belt failure (not a good thing). ALTA’s latest tensioner stop looks to be a promising solution (see video below).
My concern with these devices is how bad they rattle or vibrate at wide open throttle. I have had a stop make so much noise in the past that I just had to take it off due to the harmonic resonance. I will see if we can get a unit from ALTA to test with and report back.
It looks as though this weekend now has some good potential for great track time at Sebring International Raceway, thanks to Hurricane Hanna’s latest shift eastward. Team Minspeed will be on the track all weekend long and if you are in the area, we invite you to stop by and say hi. There are a total of 8 MINIs registered and a few of them are even set to compete in the enduro races that will take place this weekend.
As I mentioned in my last post, I went ahead and picked up a set of 17″ Wed Sport TC005’s and Nitto NT01 rubber. The wheels are 14 pounds each! I decided to go with the 215/45ZR17 size to go slightly wider and taller than my current Toyo RA1’s. Another factor was that the Nitto NT01’s do not need to be shaved and cost about $40 less per tire. They come at 6/32 tread depth which is slightly more tread than my RA1s are shaved to. This leaves a shade bit more tread, but given the larger tread blocks, I have read that if the tires are properly heat cycled, they will outlast the Toyo RA1s hands down.
Since these are brand new, my plan is to put the Nitto’s on for the first session Saturday morning to heat cycle them and then let them sit for 24 hours to prepare them for Daytona next month. After the first session on Saturday, I plan on swapping my Toyo RA1s back on and running them for the rest of the Sebring weekend. They should have plenty of tread left for the weekend and still be a good back-up set of tires to take to Daytona in case any issues crop up with the Nitto’s. I will have more feedback after this weekend, including some video. With 4 MINIs running in the Solo group, the footage should be very entertaining!
A couple weeks ago I posted about the ABF Performance Drag MINI on SPEED TV’s Pinks All Out. Well here is an official MINI USA press release on the new venture:
MINI USA Press Release: Woodcliff Lake, NJ - August 15, 2008… After multiple rounds of testing and nail biting qualifying runs for PINKS ALL OUT at Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ, July 25th - 26th, the 650-horsepower MINI Cooper S drag racer, custom built by ABF Performance, emerged a crowd favorite and newly appointed giant killer. Piloted by Vincent Tennessee Kung, MINI USA’s Product Manager, the little “MINI That Could” took down car after car with multiple 10-second passes and trap speeds exceeding 135mph.
Officially the “World’s Quickest and Fastest MINI”, this Cooper S Hardtop has clocked a record-setting 10.48 elapsed time at 135.16 MPH, but not before sending home a Big-Block-equipped Camaro with a blistering start from PINKS ALL OUT host Rich Christensen’s “Arm Drop.” This incredible performance resulted from the collaboration between ABF Performance, MINI USA and MINI Financial Services. With its custom carbon-fiber bodywork and distinctive “Get Your Hands on a MINI” graphics (which shows two hands trying to grab the 1,750-pound race car) there is certainly no mistaking this MINI for any other car on the racetrack. Getting the miracle MINI into 9-second zone is just a few suspension tweaks away. Read the rest of this entry »
A few days ago I posted about the Dynolicious iPhone Performance Meter, available on the iTunes App Store. This $13 app is truly amazing. Check out this video review where it is compared to a $150 dynometer. I am IMPRESSED!
This has to be the coolest thing I have seen in a while and another reason that makes me mad that Apple won’t release the iPhone on the Verizon network! Imagine having a full-functioning automotive performance meter on your cell phone. Yep - complete with the ability to track speed, Lateral Gs, and horsepower. Check out the link below for more information and let me know what you think! Thanks to minilisa for this find.
As many of you know, Team Minspeed likes to get things done on the track. While most of us are happy running around the track in our daily drivers in non-competition-style HPDE sessions, a few of us want to take things to the next level and get the adrenaline rush that comes with actual “racing”. For those who are so inclined, some safety modifications must be made. Here is a video of Team Minspeed member, Greg “beaner” showing off his newly installed custom roll cage in his 2006 MINI Cooper S, “Earl”, which will be ready for competitive racing shortly!
WOW! That is almost all I can say about this past weekend. I had sooooo much fun out there, which is quite a switch from last year’s Homestead event. While I still had fun last year, the frustration level was pretty high due to the fact that in 2007’s event, it was my first time going out there solo. Passing higher horsepower in student classes is one thing, trying to pass higher horsepower in the solo group when the other cars running with you are being driven by instructors, well, that is another story. The point-by’s just don’t come as easy since the cars, not only have more power, but they are being driven by people who know how to use it!
This weekend was all about taking my driving to the next level for me. Applying some skills I touched on at Daytona (and some skills I observed while watching Randy Pobst toss my MINI around the track), I was able to shave 6 seconds off my lap times from last year!! In 2006, which was the first time I had ever been on the Homestead track, I was running 1:59 lap times. In 2007, that number decreased to 1:56. This weekend, I was clicking off 1:50 laps!! Granted, I was running shaved Toyo RA1’s and Hawk HT-10 race pads this time around, but a lot had to do with some new skills I was trying to master, specifically trail braking and modulating the throttle through the turns to make the back end come around just enough to point you in the right direction so you can stomp on the gas and go. What a rush! Needless to say, the point-by’s are starting to be received again, rather than given. Don’t get me wrong, there are still cars running out there that will kick our little MINIs arse out there, but it does feel good to not be the slowest thing out there.
I want to give a huge thanks to my “track junkie crew” - Jamie and Greg - you guys ROCK! To our newest track junkie, Daniel - hope to see you at many more events dude! To Minis of Miami - AWESOME show of support gang - thank you so much for coming out and cheering us on! To our resident MINI instructor, Bill, glad you came to hang with us out there - it sure was fun battling an instructor who drives a MINI! And to Jeff and Phyllis - even though you brought the Porsche instead of the MINI - we’ll still let you hang with us (by the way - thanks for taking the photos! I’ll be posting them soon). Thanks to the entire PBOC/PCA staff for putting on a safe weekend. And last, but not least, a HUGE thanks to Pete over at Minspeed for keeping Team Minspeed flying!
Phew! What a week! I feel like a chicken with my head cut off, running around trying to get stuff done lately. Just glad it is finally pretty much over and I can now relax and head down for a weekend full of fun at the Homestead-Miami Speedway! I like to think of this as the MTTS 2008 preview party! I will be joining the usual suspects down at the track event being put on by PBOC and PCA. I can’t wait to give my new brake pads a run (I have moved up to the Hawk HT-10 compound for some added grip without a BBK). I also recently swapped out my spark plugs for some JCW plugs, thanks to Pete over at Minspeed for offering these to the MINI community for $49 per set. The dealer charges upwards of $55 for ONE plug!!! I’ll let you know how things go when I get back! Enjoy your weekend!
Now that I have been running my BC Racing coilovers for almost a year, I decided to post up a quick update. With three track weekends at three different tracks (Homestead, Sebring and Daytona) under my belt with these coilovers, I can honestly say that I have achieved my goal in finding the perfect compromise between a track and street car. On the track, the BC’s have held up unbelievably. The car feels PLANTED in turns and the built-in camber plates allow for needed camber adjustment (which I have left alone since my one and only alignment last year).
On the street, the car is VERY drivable. I feel the springs have softened up a tad over the past year. This has resulted in a slightly lower ride height. Performance, however, seems to be unaffected. In case you missed it, I had the privilege of having pro-racer Randy Pobst take my car out for a 3 lap session at Daytona International Speedway in December to give me his honest opinion on the car’s setup. Randy thought the car had a very good balance between track and street setups. It was cool to have a pro shake out my car and give me some feedback. The only thing he suggested was more brake - which I am in the process of doing (stay tuned for that write-up on my quest for more stopping power).
After thouroughly putting the BC’s through their paces, I still highly recommend them for anyone interested in improving their MINIs suspension performance. They will TRULY transform your ride into a serious handling machine. Pete @ Minspeed.net currently has the BC’s in stock and I encourage you, if you are in the market for coilovers, to give him a call or e-mail and order a set. At $1100 for a set of 4 coilovers and camber plates - you can’t go wrong!
Our good friends over at ALTA MINI Performance have made a very exciting announcement with regards to their new ECU product. Check out the full press release below:
ALTA Performance is pleased to officially announce the relationship and partnership with UNICHIP of North America! The contracts are finally signed, the vehicle prepped for the SEMA release, dyno results completed, packaging approved, and final approval from UNICHIP North America to make this announcement.
The ALTA Plug-n-Play ECU is a simple half hour installation that is completely reversible at anytime you choose. There are no wires to cut, or sensors to mount. Simply follow the included directions and within minutes you can have LOTS more power.
Essentially, the ALTA Plug-n-Play ECU is a separate computer all its own. It takes signals from both the engine sensors as well as the existing ECU and modifies them to establish changes in ignition timing, boost levels, etc. What ALTA brings is extensive dyno testing and tuning of the mapping to make this power. We offer programming that is specific to the level of performance you desire as well as with the other ALTA components you have added or will add to your vehicle. Thus if you have a bone stock R56 or one that has the entire ALTA catalog added to it already, and you wish to add the ALTA Plug-n-Play ECU you can do so immediately and see significant gains in power. The beauty of this is, that if you change things along the way you can get an updated map from ALTA to match that for a nominal fee, and no downtime. For example if you have a map for a stock R56 with ALTA Cat-Back Exhaust, then add an ALTA Intake you can then call us and request to update your ALTA Plug-N-Play ECU! The possibilities are endless.
Friday, October 17th, 2008
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Posted by Pedro in Modern MINI, Audio & Video, MINI Performance, Track Talk 
