Mini handling

thepharcyde

thepharcyde

thepharcyde

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17 Mar 2004
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Everyone rages at the handling of the Mini Cooper, but what makes it so special, does it have the best handling in its class, or is it comparible to say a Boxter, Clio Cup etc?

Reason I ask, is I find it twitchy and not as surefooted on the road to my previous ST170, which I had more confidence to give it some on country roads, I find myself holding back with the Mini because every bump in the road seems to make it loose its stance on the road as if its going to hop off the road and into a tree.
 
My Parents Mini one on 15 inch wheels is very very planted through country lanes, bumps don't do anything to it. Maybe the one you drove had 17"s or even worse, those horrid Run Flat tyres ?
 
It's not set up for back roads.

This is something I learned with Integra real quick. It's very skittish over lumpy surfaces, however, show it a smooth surface and it's a totally different kettle of fishies.

I could hardly keep up with my Brothers 1.6 Focus down the back roads - impossible to keep the wheels on the ground, very snappy, very nervous, tramlining, torque steer - total and utter mess. But then on smooth surfaces it bites the ground like george michael bites the pillow.

Can't have your cake and eat it I'm afraid. Unless you have money for an M3, or an M5, maybe.
 
Yeah Ive been in a couple of new Minis - very hard suspension for a standard road car.
 
Drove the Cooper at Prestwold on a track day - handled just fine, but the surface is fairly smooth there. I suspect that on a very bumpy and undulating surface I'd have had the same kind of ride that merlin describes.
 
Theyve got some trick rear axle (cant remember what it is called), that makes the car quite expensive to build. Hence BMW dont actually make much money on each car sold.
 
The runflat tyres are far too stiff and hence don't deal with bumps.

They have to be very stiff sidewalls as when the tyre goes thats all that you're driving on. Changing to normal tyres will help but then you're screwed if u get a punchure. Mind you the One has 15" non run flats, tyre weld and a compressor in the boot.
 
merlin said:
Unless you have money for an M3, or an M5, maybe.
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No! but even if I did these would not be my choice, certainly not the M3.

So the handlings carp on these then. All this its "great on the twisties" err no it aint its almost dangerous. In the wet its even more predictable.
 
How about not asking the car to perform the equivalent of ballet on an ice rink?

It's just not going to do what you want it to do down backroads/lanes. :/
 
thepharcyde said:
So the handlings carp on these then. All this its "great on the twisties" err no it aint its almost dangerous. In the wet its even more predictable.
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The handling is fine....the tyres are fairly cruddy.

Prestold run theirs on a set of decent Pirellis which are great in dry weather. Mind, anything has to be better than those damn run-flats....
 
thepharcyde said:
Everyone rages at the handling of the Mini Cooper, but what makes it so special, does it have the best handling in its class, or is it comparible to say a Boxter, Clio Cup etc?

Reason I ask, is I find it twitchy and not as surefooted on the road to my previous ST170, which I had more confidence to give it some on country roads, I find myself holding back with the Mini because every bump in the road seems to make it loose its stance on the road as if its going to hop off the road and into a tree.
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The clios are the king of skitish on B roads btw. There are few cars that are truely smooth to drive on dodgey b-roads which actually offer a serious grin factor.

It depends on the road though, if they are rutted and not well surfaced most hot hatches will suffer. What is good on a track does not always equate to the same on real roads.

I take the mini has not suffered from any accident damage btw? Its tracking is all ok etc. Also how low pro are the tyres? All makes a difference.
 
mrk1@1 said:
The clios are the king of skitish on B roads btw. There are few cars that are truely smooth to drive on dodgey b-roads which actually offer a serious grin factor.

It depends on the road though, if they are rutted and not well surfaced most hot hatches will suffer. What is good on a track does not always equate to the same on real roads.

I take the mini has not suffered from any accident damage btw? Its tracking is all ok etc. Also how low pro are the tyres? All makes a difference.
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Mini in general I have driven 2 mine and the sales managers which was brand new.
 
mrk1@1 said:
It depends on the road though, if they are rutted and not well surfaced most hot hatches will suffer. What is good on a track does not always equate to the same on real roads.
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Indeed. The very first road tests on German roads (smooth as a billiard table) of the old shape Focus in RS guise showed a car that was planted, sure-footed, handled beautifully, oodles of grip. Came over to Britain (bumpy roads that wouldn't be out of place in most 3rd World countries), and it wasn't the same car - tramlining, skittish, all kinds of trouble.

With the Mini, BMW have a great chassis let down by the **** rubber they mount at each corner. Damn shame.
 
thepharcyde - I feel the same thing. My mate's one on 15" alloys feels far more planted than mine on the 17" S-Spokes with the (horrendous) runflats.
 
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