Category Archives: Reviews

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.

IMG_4768

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.

Screen Shot 2015-07-29 at 4.44.29 PM

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

Which John Cooper Works F56 MINI Is The Most Fun?

Things may have been quiet on the MotoringFun.com site, but over the past several months, I have been busy doing my homework trying to decide which configuration my next MINI would come in.  For the record, I love my 2006 MINI Cooper S.  It is a GREAT car and I have had a lot of fun memories in that car.  If it was up to me and money was no object, I would get a new MINI and keep my 2006 as well!  I just love the R53 and I do consider it the next classic MINI.  Unfortunately, my wife does not share my desire to keep 3 MINIs in the family at this time and my 2006 will most likely be going to a new home soon :(.

IMG_0122

So what MINI could possibly make we want to part with my 2006?  It turns out that the new F56 MINIs are quite a blast to drive.  I will be the first to admit that visually, the R53 is simply beautiful design, free of European pedestrian regulation.  The F56 is, unfortunately, visually constrained due to newer pedestrian crash standards.  I think BMW has done the best that they could with what they had to work with and, when configured properly, the car can look very attractive as well.

IMG_4642

Visual aesthetics aside, the F56 is a beast of a machine!!  Even the standard Cooper with its 3 cylinder turbo engine is whoot and a half!  The Cooper S has way more torque and power than my 2006 Cooper S and puts a smile on your face each time you stomp on the gas.  The factory John Cooper Works model brings the enjoyment to a new level with even more acceleration power and way more stopping power.  I had pretty much made up my mind to go for the manual transmission 6 speed factory John Cooper Works configuration until this weekend I was given the opportunity to play with the new John Cooper Works Tuning Kit for the F56 MINI Cooper S while visiting a buddy of mine who happens to be the Sales Manager at Tom Bush MINI in Jacksonville, Florida.

IMG_4638

To say I was impressed is an understatement.  The John Cooper Works exhaust and ECU tune that comprise the tuning kit simply bring to life the regular F56 Cooper S and turns it into a MINI that I boldly say is MORE fun than the factory John Cooper Works MINI!!  Why did MINI decide not to make the tuning kit exhaust available on the factory John Cooper Works is beyond my understanding.  I am told you can’t even add it later because the tuning kit is designed to be comprised of the exhaust and ECU tune that is not compatible with the tune that is on the factory John Cooper Works cars.  Unfortunate for MINI, but fortunate for buyers like me who can actually get a more fun car for less money!

IMG_4640

Sure, the factory John Cooper Works has about 24 more horsepower than the Cooper S with the tuning kit (the tuning kit adds 15 horsepower to the standard Cooper S for roughly 204 horsepower).  So what??  As someone I met at the Dragon said very wisely, “you drive TORQUE and sell horsepower”.  Believe me – the tuning kit produces plenty of torque to make your face grin from ear to ear.  Not to mention the sound of the exhaust note that is produced with the tuning kit.  It is FAR superior to that of the factory John Cooper Works MINI.  I am currently uploading a video of our test drive from this weekend which should be posted shortly.

 

Free Turn-By-Turn GPS w/ Voice Prompts

Hey gang! Hope you all have been well. Thanks for the kind messages you have sent during my “time off”. It is good to know people actually read this blog :). Aside from the few MINIacs who hang out with me in person or those that I chat with regularly, I haven’t really talked much about my switch to the iPhone late last year. At first, I will admit, I thought the iPhone was stupid. Why? Because you could not add any 3rd party applications. Well once Apple opened up the App Store, the iPhone platform just exploded. There are sooooooo many cool things you can do now on that little device, it is just amazing!

So what does this have to do with motoring? Well Apple allowed the first turn-by-turn application into the App Store in December. The only problem (aside from the more-than-fair $20 price tag)? It is lacking voice prompts. Kinda silly if you ask me (Note: Apple is at fault here as they are the ones who will not allow a GPS app to include voice prompts). Enter the world of Jailbreaking. For those who don’t know, Jailbreaking your iPhone basically opens up the phone to allow the owner to install applications that are not in the Apple App Store. I refused to “jailbreak” my phone for ages, until recently. If you have a jailbroken iPhone, you are in for a treat.

Just a couple of hours ago, the first turn-by-turn GPS app with voice prompts was released for the iPhone. It is called xGPS and, oh yeah, it is FREE! The developers have done an amazing job so far. The product is in its early stages, but what they have so far is very impressive. It uses Google Maps, but saves map data locally to the phone as you encounter new areas on the map. You can also save map data from where you are going through a “map download” utility included in the application. While you may not want to throw away your Garmin just yet, if you have an iPhone, I highly recommend you check it out at the link below!

[ xGPS Main Website ]

Update: BC Racing Coilovers

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).

MotoringFun Suspension Review

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!

[ BC Racing Coilovers @ Minspeed ]

Franklin Mint 1967 Morris Mini Cooper

Franklin Nichols from Slot Car News posted up a cool review of the limited edition Franklin Mint diecast of a 1967 Morris Mini Cooper.

Morris Mini Cooper Franklin Mint Diecast

…this die-cast represents a factory-production Morris Mini for the home market, done up in British Racing Green with offsetting cream roof and wheels. The twin fender mirrors and extra chrome are Cooper-correct. In keeping with Franklin Mint practice, the model’s hood, doors, and deck lid all open, revealing solid interior detail and an excellent representation of the 1,275 cc Mini-Cooper engine…

Morris Mini Cooper Franklin Mint Diecast

…Franklin Mint is known for their fine attention to detail under the bonnet this car is no different. The motor is wired and in high detail. The interior is also of fine quality, although the instrument cluster is a little hard to read with the warning lights almost illegible…
Morris Mini Cooper Franklin Mint Diecast

For the full review, including more photos, make sure you check out the link below!

[ Full review @ Slot Car News ]

Video: MINI Clubman Review

Fifth Gear is at it again with another review of the MINI. This time they tackle the MINI Clubman. I have to agree with Johnny on several points. First off – why the heck is the car badged with a Cooper name?? A MINI Cooper is a specific model (so I thought). And where does it say Clubman on the vehicle?? Sorry but that just bothers me. Also, the start/stop function seems to be a joke. I guess technically my 1979 Datsun 210 was WAY ahead of its time because it did the same thing when I came up to a stop light! I still can’t wait to test drive one to get a first-hand account of the car, but it almost seems that the MINI SUV/SAV may be a better fit for someone looking for more room, making the Clubman kind of pointless. I guess until I drive both I will have to keep an open mind.

Scooter’s New Shoes: Part 2

When we left our hero yesterday… (yeah, yeah – I know – I watched WAY too much 1970’s Batman growing up). Anyways… in part 1 of “Scooter’s New Shoes” we discussed the reason for the new shoes in the first place. While I hope you actually click the link to read part 1 if you missed it, in a nutshell, my daily drivers that I also used on the track were shot to “you know where” and I decided to mount some Toyo RA1’s (an R-comp tire) on my Enkei rims for track use only. So after searching dozens of wheel and tire sites and using Photoshop to see what each design might look like on Scooter, I finally decided on ASA’s 17 inch AR2 wheels and the Kumho Ecsta SPT’s in a 215/40/17 configuration (I really did like the wide-stanced 215/40/17 size of my Hankooks, so I figured why not get that size on the Kumho’s).

ASA AR2 MINI Cooper Wheels

Scooter's New Shoes: ASA AR2 MINI Cooper Wheels Scooter's New Shoes: ASA AR2 MINI Cooper Wheels Scooter's New Shoes: ASA AR2 MINI Cooper Wheels

Continue reading Scooter’s New Shoes: Part 2

Scooter’s New Shoes: Part 1

Well after 2 track weeekends and 15,000 miles of daily driving, my Hankook Rs2 Z212’s are finally shot. Last weekend driving up to Mickey & MINI 3 was the last trip they would see. Considering that I only expected to get 12,000 miles out of them – I am tickled to reach 15,000 miles without a problem! I must admit, however, towards the end there, the Hankook’s handled like crap. To be fair though, the tread was at the point that it did not pass the “penny test” so I really can’t complain. They served me well and handled like a dream when they still had some thickness to them!

Sooooo what now? Do I go out and pick up another set of Hankooks? Or do I take this opportunity to take my on-track traction to the next level? I did some research and spoke to many people who track their cars regularly and the logical choice that sits between a street tire like the Hankooks and a slick track tire like a set of Hoosiers is the Toyo RA1’s. The RA1’s are an R-compound tire, designed strictly for track use and seem to be the best choice for someone transitioning from a street tire. They are available with minimal tread or you can have a race shop shave them to enhance their dry traction performance (essentially making them *almost* slicks). I know what you are asking – why the heck would you shave OFF tread!?!? Doesn’t that shorten the life of the tire??? Well – not really. You see by shaving the tread, you are actually helping the tire heat up more evenly when on the track. Many individuals have noticed that by not shaving their RA1’s, they were only able to get 2-3 track weekends out of a set of tires. I am hoping to double that to 4-6 weekends by shaving mine. I will keep you posted on this of course!

Continue reading Scooter’s New Shoes: Part 1