Category Archives: Reviews

MINI Performance, MINI Products, Modern MINI, Reviews

Review: Minspeed JCW Resonator Eliminator

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I have now been driving around with the JCW exhaust equipped with the MyMini/Minspeed resonator eliminator for a month and feel I can now give a true assessment of this mod. For those that missed it, check out the MyMini Winter Dyno Day posts (see links below) for information on my installation.

The resonator eliminator gives the JCW exhaust a deeper and throatier sound. It is louder than stock, but ONLY when you get on the gas. I find that the burble is much more pronounced and louder. If you are one of those MINI owners that hates the burble (or ìback-firingî as some call it), than this mod (or most any exhaust mod for that matter) is not for you. I have found a way to control the burble, however. If you keep the revs consistent while shifting (ie. matching revs), you can actually suppress the burble for the most part. If you want more burble, simply press the gas a bit and let off completely. It really is quite a bit of fun playing with this aspect of the exhaust and enhances the motoring experience.

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Modern MINI, Reviews

A Sneak Peak At The R56

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Tonight I got my first look at the R56 in the flesh (or sheet metal as the case may be). And yes – I did get to drive it 😉 Special thanks to Burton Levine of Vista MINI for taking the time out of his busy schedule to give me a personal tour of the new MINI. I must say that when I first walked into the showroom tonight, I almost did not notice the new car at all. The staff at Vista MINI cleverly parked an R56 Cooper alongside a 2006 MINI Cooper and, at a quick glance, you really can’t tell the difference. If it was not for the enlarged fog lights I never would have picked it out without really looking hard. The beltlines are slightly higher and the side markers and side view mirrors are larger as well. But again, none of these details will be apparent to the casual passer-by/non-enthusiast.

R56 Sneak Peak

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MINI Events, MINI Performance, Modern MINI, Reviews

MyMini Dyno Day – Part 2

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If you have not had a chance to check out “MyMini Dyno Day – Part 1“, make sure you take a few minutes to read over it. In today’s article, I compiled all the data from the various cars that attended the MyMini Dyno Day, including mod lists, to give you an idea of what you can expect from certain mods. Unfortunately, I don’t have baseline data for the modded cars (except for mine) so there is no way to tell where they started from. Regardless, it should provide an interesting read. Please note that some runs were done with the famous blue wind tunnel contraption and some were just done with a large fan. If you see a car with one run higher than the other, chances are that run was done with the blue wind tunnel on the intercooler. Make sure you also check out the pictures in the gallery from the dyno day as well. I am working on a short video compilation of the various dyno runs and hope to have that posted soon too! Well enough of all that – now onto the results….

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MINI Events, MINI Performance, MINI Products, Modern MINI, Reviews

MyMini Dyno Day – Part 1

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On January 20, 2007, MotoringFun.com sponsor, MyMini, hosted a “Winter Dyno Day” in South Florida. Granted, most will not consider 68 degrees winter weather, but I’ll take it! We had approximately 15 MINIs come out for this event, inlcluding my own 2006 MINI Cooper S, known as “Scooter”. I had been eagerly anticipating this dyno day for a few months as I wanted to get a baseline dyno reading on my car in stock configuration before the modifications began. The modifications that are planned are not extreme by any means, however, before I started upgrading parts I wanted to see what our friends from Oxford gave me.
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Modern MINI, Reviews

My First Impressions of the R56 MINI

First Impressions
I had the opportunity to see the New “NEW-MINI” at the NAIAS Detroit Auto show this week. First, I have to say I like it. This may seem obvious, but it’s important because that was my first thought the moment I saw it from far away. The exterior appeal of the car remains almost the same which we all know is the best decision MINI had made when they decided to update the very successful R53. I was very interested about the interior. In part, because I was not sure I liked it from the different photos I saw in previous articles.

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