Category Archives: Modern MINI

Sunshine MINIs Summer Dyno Day 2018

This past weekend we had another Sunshine MINIs Dyno Day and this time around we had everything from an R53 to an R56 to a JCW GP to a F56 JCW!!  In all, 10 cars came out to see what they had under the hood.  The results were quite interesting:

2005 Chili Red / White R53 MINI Cooper S
(power mods: 16% Supercharger pulley, ATE crank pulley)

Continue reading Sunshine MINIs Summer Dyno Day 2018

Clark At MINIs On The Dragon 2016

Last week I took Clark up for MINIs On The Dragon to join about 900 other MINIacs driving the mountain roads of North Carolina and Tennessee.  The previous MINIs On The Dragon events I attended were done in my previous 2006 MINI Cooper S, Scooter, so I was looking forward to bringing my 2016 F56 MINI up there for some comparison.  I have spent quite a bit of time working on setting up Clark to at least match the handling of Scooter and driving the Dragon (US 129) is a sure way to test the setup out.

1122764 Continue reading Clark At MINIs On The Dragon 2016

F56 Key Fob Mod

If there is one thing I would have liked as an option with the F56 is a smaller sized key fob.  The standard key fob is HUGE and oddly shaped.  A few of us over at North American Motoring have been discussing options since last year and thanks to the beauty of 3D printing, a viable solution looks to be available!!dsc_0880_resize_169ad69e8fd507630d4fb48560bae86986bb6322User “devries from the Netherlands designed this key fob cover in his 3D studio and uploaded the design to ShapeWays.com so that we all can order one!  It is available for $7.50 in 11 different colors/finishes and looks to be a pretty good fit.  Screen Shot 2016-04-04 at 10.32.14 PMThere currently is a promo code over at ShapeWays.com that gets you $10 off your first order.  Just use promo code “a9fau” to receive your discount and you pretty much get this key fob for free (just pay a couple dollars in shipping)!

Month Long 2016 MINI Cooper S Clubman Review

Last month I had the privilege of getting a full month of in-depth seat time with MINI’s latest Clubman thanks to my local dealer, Vista MINI in Coconut Creek, FL.  My ride for the month was a 2016 MINI Cooper S Clubman in Midnight Black with 17” Black Net Spoke Wheels, Black Jack mirror caps & side markers and front chrome driving lamps.  Since I was used to driving Clark in Superman colors, it was obvious that I had to name this Clubman, Bruce (as in Bruce Wayne lol).   Continue reading Month Long 2016 MINI Cooper S Clubman Review

Clark Takes Best In Class @ Wheels Across The Pond 2016

This past weekend I entered my first non-MINI-only car show – Wheels Across The Pond 2016.  I have attended the show as a spectator in the past, but never had an entry.  The show draws about 250 registrants showing off their cars in over 30 different classes.  I entered Clark in the Modern MINI class and the competition was fierce.   My good friend, Jackie Hardy, presented her MINI Clubvan, Preston (a Wallace and Gromit Anti Pesto van-themed MINI) – always a crowd favorite.  Michelle and Howie Rosenberg showed off their Green Lantern themed MINI, Kilowog, among other great MINIs.  All in all, there were quite a few MINIs that came to impress so Clark needed to put on his cape and become “SuperMINI”.  After the voting finished and the tallies counted, Jackie Hardy took 3rd place with Preston, Michael Rose took 2nd with his silver R56 Cooper S and Clark took 1st place in the Modern MINI class!!!! 

Is the NM Eng. Power Module The New Pulley?

Back when I owned my 2006 MINI Cooper S, there was one performance upgrade that just about everyone had on their supercharged MINIs that was known as the best “bang for the buck” – the supercharger reduction pulley.  The most common size was the 15% reduction pulley and it delivered about a 25 point increase in horsepower and torque for about $300-$400, including installation.

Fast-forward to today and MINIs are no longer supercharged.  The twin scroll turbo has replaced the supercharger and according to the data from our most recent dyno day, there may just be a mod that delivers about the same, if not more, “bang for the buck” for the new turbo MINIs – the NM Engineering Power Module!

nm-power-module

Continue reading Is the NM Eng. Power Module The New Pulley?

Special Offer: Save $560 On The F56 JCW Pro Tuning Kit

Vista MINI, our local MINI dealer here in South Florida, has done it again!  After a great show of support to the local MINI community this past weekend at our dyno day by showing up with a factory F56 JCW, today they are announcing a special offer to help those on the fence about the F56 JCW Tuning Kit make the decision a little easier for the holiday season.  For the rest of 2015, Vista MINI is offering the John Cooper Works Pro Tuning Kit with chrome exhaust tips and installation for $560 off of their normal price of $2806 bringing the total price of the kit to $2246, including installation!  All you have to do to receive this price is mention the promo code “MF2015” when you call and order!  Huge thanks to Vista MINI for the continued support of our MINI community!vista-jcw-promo

It should also be noted that Vista MINI is not compensating MotoringFun.com in any way for this promotion.