Who here owns a Mini?

And because it'd be rude not to share pics.

Part of me wants to do a chrome delete, but it's early days before I start screwing it up

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kona786 said:
Looks in great nick, congrats. That version of Oxford Green is a beaut.

Cooper S. Manual?
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yep, 2017 with only 33k miles on it. Most fun car I've ever owned. My wife hogs it if we are together so now I want to get a JCW for me ;) One can dream!
 
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Devrij said:
After a nightmare of a time with an Astra SRI, I've ended up joining the Mini club with a F56, and it is fantastic.

I was expecting it to have very little torque and rely on the turbo, but that is not the case at all and it's actually got a really nice balanced power curve through the revs.

Of course it handles wonderfully, despite being the 5 door, with nice stiff suspension but without feeling crashy and rough. I will note here that the front end really gives up under power though and you just get a lot of understeer if you try to accelerate hard out of a corner. It does turn in nicely though.

Lovely car and I can see why their owners are a bit fanatical
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I'm a big fan of the F platform, so I think you made the right choice. I've had a F56 S, F56 JCW and now I have a F54 (Clubman) JCW. I really enjoyed my F56 S and JCW. Fun to drive when you push them, but I think an LSD would do wonders for the car.

My Clubman is an auto which is a god send when commuting, but I do sometimes miss the manual on the twisty roads. It's a lot quicker in a straight line compared to the F56 JCW for sure, but it's not quite as throwable in the corners due to the extra weight.
 
Mart2912 said:
I'm a big fan of the F platform, so I think you made the right choice. I've had a F56 S, F56 JCW and now I have a F54 (Clubman) JCW. I really enjoyed my F56 S and JCW. Fun to drive when you push them, but I think an LSD would do wonders for the car.

My Clubman is an auto which is a god send when commuting, but I do sometimes miss the manual on the twisty roads. It's a lot quicker in a straight line compared to the F56 JCW for sure, but it's not quite as throwable in the corners due to the extra weight.
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Yeah definitely, putting down power in corners seems to be its weak spot. Still better than what I've had before though!


Stu999 said:
How old was your Astra and what happened with it?

Nice colour on the Mini.
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It was a 2016 with about 50k miles on it, and we bought it in Jan after I force fed my old civic some puddle water. Since then we've had an intermittent lean engine code that won't go away (replaced PCV), failed clutch hydraulics, a weird idle when cold, dip in power around 4k rpm that doesn't feel right at all, and some weird software issues where the entire instrument cluster lights up like a christmas tree and everything stops working. Also had a failed wheel speed sensor that kept putting the engine into limp mode every few miles.

So a bad run and £1.5k of repairs later we are flogging it for £6.5k (bought for £8.5k) just to be rid of it. Shame since it had a great infotainment sytem (carplay etc) and was actually quit decent. Uninspiring to drive, but for the price I couldn't complain. Just got a lemon
 
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Well, part of me was thinking, why not dip the parts and choose any colour I like, like matching the silver on the mirror caps and roof. But tbh I don't mind the chrome either. I think I'd like it blacked out because it does look really nice on the green, but the idea of taping the beltline fills me with dread
 
Copied from another thread, but my Mini got treated this month..











some before / after of the rear







Basically the whole underside of the car removed, shell ground back, treated and painted. Subframes removed, blasted and powder coated. New brake lines, new springs, shocks, upgraded rear arms, front and rear calipers replaced with stripped, rebuilt ones done by Bigg Red, front ones upgraded to JCW calipers in the process. All bushes and drop links and anything that wears, replaced. New heat OE heatshields.

Car feels totally transformed, it handles so precise. All the rattles and clunks have gone. Very pleased with it, and from looking at it on the road.. you'd never know.

Engine work next now I'm confident in the chassis.
 
Owned my SE nearly a year now, lovely car to drive with the almost 50/50 weight distribution even though its nearly 200kg heavier than the ICE version! Lowered on Eibach Pro springs, stock ride height gave me vertigo lol and was a little too harsh.




 
kona786 said:
Nice one @McBain.

Not seen one like that before. Those terrible tyres came with mine too, not even fit for a MINI ONE let alone JCW.

Mine is going soon. 1 last week with it.
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Arguably the best of the F56 JCW. No PPF, you could actually spec the JCW performance exhaust from factory, and they came with those funky dials. :p
 
Mart2912 said:
Arguably the best of the F56 JCW. No PPF, you could actually spec the JCW performance exhaust from factory, and they came with those funky dials. :p
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The exhaust was the first thing a added a month after purchase. It transformed the sound of the car and elevated the fun factor up a few notches. I also removed the boot trim and left one rear seat down which made the sound so... so good.

uc
 
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