Driving teqniques

[phazer]

What do you guys do and use when drinvg your Mini's hard?
Me, going fast into a corner, understeer starts, gently lift of the throttle to get the weight distribution to the front of the car and regain traction.
Anyone ever experience heavy oversteer? Seems my Cooper just does not want to break traction on the back wheels.

So what's some of the teqniques you guys use? Any hints for better driving? Let's hear it!

[TomM]

I had my old Cooper at nearly full opposite lock on a back road. I was just testing the limts of the car and found them pretty easily. Just takes a little effort and it'll have no problem.

[Kyle K.]

When you start to experience understeer you can gently lift and open the wheel slightly and you'll regain traction nicely. Even if you're on the gas hard and you completely lift theres no way you'll get oversteer on a stock Cooper... even stabbing the brakes hard at an autox in an attempt to get the rear end to come around I was left with a lesson that stock Cooper simply don't rotate.

[phazer]

I had my old Cooper at nearly full opposite lock on a back road. I was just testing the limts of the car and found them pretty easily. Just takes a little effort and it'll have no problem.

How did you manage to get it so sideways to be on full opposite lock?

[phazer]

When you start to experience understeer you can gently lift and open the wheel slightly and you'll regain traction nicely. Even if you're on the gas hard and you completely lift theres no way you'll get oversteer on a stock Cooper... even stabbing the brakes hard at an autox in an attempt to get the rear end to come around I was left with a lesson that stock Cooper simply don't rotate.

This is what I also found, quite impressive on how the car just grips.

[Kyle K.]

My guess on the opposite lock thing is that he's got an aftermarket rear swaybar... that'll change the characteristics of the car a whole lot.

[TomM]

It was a pretty cold night and I wasnt completely at opposite lock, but if you imagine my hands were at 10 and 2, and I had turned the wheel as far as my arms would allow. No aftermarket swaybar, completely stock with the 15" holeys.

[phazer]

It was a pretty cold night and I wasnt completely at opposite lock, but if you imagine my hands were at 10 and 2, and I had turned the wheel as far as my arms would allow. No aftermarket swaybar, completely stock with the 15" holeys.

Aahh, ok, my mistake, thought you meant full opposite lock. Was yesterday at Kyalami racetrack again, first corner going in, car started to slightly understeer, I lifted off the petrol back-end, started to get loose, quick jab of the gas pedal brought it back, not that it even was really out, felt more of a wiggle in the back, never felt like tail will come around all around.

[b0rderman]

on banked corners my cars butt shifts without too much effort, i was suprised when it first happened, but this car is too easy to regain control of to get worried about it when it happens

[snappermini]

After several attempts I was able to get my MCS completely sideways but I had to use the e-brake to get there.

[phazer]

After several attempts I was able to get my MCS completely sideways but I had to use the e-brake to get there.

Yip using the e-brake it's no problem, I did it a couple of times on the skidpan, in both wet and dry conditions, loads of fun.

Getting the car sideways into a corner without the e-brake now that's a differant story.

[nsk223]

I don't have a mini but I've driven several pretty hard. Trail braking will definatly help to rotate the car. Also, left foot braking mid corner can help to transfer weight up front. Also, being smooth on entry goes a long way in preventing understeer. There's always the skandi flick too....

[bokes]

drove the mini hard for the first time this weekend at a meet. some twisty mountain roads. i didnt have much tire squeeling or anything. had a hard time powering out of the corners to keep up with all the ///m cars in the group. out of the 50 or so cars there, i'd say 40 of them were ///m cars. i was the only mini cooper representin. saw most of them getting sideways on a few corners while i would just smoothly get through, a little understeer and a little squeel and i was through the corner just as fast as they did, it was powering out of the corner that gave me a tough time.

i usually go into the corner with little throttle, never let completely off, then about half way through the corner i give it more gas gradually until it's floored so i dont lose too much speed out of the corner.

[StouffvilleZ3]

FWD= Hot in trailbrake and power out. That puts as much traction on the front outside tire as you can get. (Also leaves the rear end as loose as possible) Most rrack driver's are farmilliar with using brakes to increase traction through the apex.

My .02

[bokes]

FWD= Hot in trailbrake and power out. That puts as much traction on the front outside tire as you can get. (Also leaves the rear end as loose as possible) Most rrack driver's are farmilliar with using brakes to increase traction through the apex.

My .02
i'll have to do that on the next meet. thnx.

[mikeo]

Or, just install a 22mm rear swaybar -- it solves the understeer problem permanently.

[phazer]

drove the mini hard for the first time this weekend at a meet. some twisty mountain roads. i didnt have much tire squeeling or anything. had a hard time powering out of the corners to keep up with all the ///m cars in the group. out of the 50 or so cars there, i'd say 40 of them were ///m cars. i was the only mini cooper representin. saw most of them getting sideways on a few corners while i would just smoothly get through, a little understeer and a little squeel and i was through the corner just as fast as they did, it was powering out of the corner that gave me a tough time.

i usually go into the corner with little throttle, never let completely off, then about half way through the corner i give it more gas gradually until it's floored so i dont lose too much speed out of the corner.

Maybe swapping down to a lower gear just before you enter a corner, and then power out of it hard will help you with powering out of corner's.
The whole, heel-to-toe downshift, slow in fast out thing.

[bokes]

Maybe swapping down to a lower gear just before you enter a corner, and then power out of it hard will help you with powering out of corner's.
The whole, heel-to-toe downshift, slow in fast out thing.
yeah i've been workin on some new stuff. going to a driving school at VIR in August so i'll learn alot there. should be lots of fun.