MINI's I've Parked Next To! #5

Found this gorgeous Justa R56 behind Brisby as I left Target today. I really need to fix up the rust on my rear quarter panels...

MINIs I've Parked Next To! #3.. and #4

MINI Coopers tend to park together. It's a strange and mysterious phenomenon. I've decided to start documenting my own parking lot buddies:

Found this Pepper White R56 next to Brisby when I left Best Buy today. It could very well be my Mom's old MINI, Milo.

My friend Lisa caught this R50 outside her dentist's office. I like the plate, though I'd like to think that his/her cat is a doctor, rather than the driver being a veterinarian. "..and this is my cat, Doctor Kitty."

~Ben

BMW MINI Product Numbers Explained

While the rest of the world knows these cars as the Cooper, Clubman, Countryman, Coupe, and Roadster, the industry itself and MINI fans refer to them with their designated model numbers. It can be a bit confusing to newcomers, so here is the complete list as of today:



Generation 1

R50 Hatchback 2002 - 2006
Cooper (normally aspirated non-supercharged W10B16 engine)

R51 Proposed long wheelbase MINI (never released)

R53 Hatchback 2002 - 2006
Cooper S (Supercharged W11B16 Engine)

R52 Convertible 2005 - 2008
Cooper (normally aspirated non-supercharged W10B16 engine)
Cooper S (Supercharged W11B16 Engine)


Generation 2

R56 Hatchback 2007 - 2012
Cooper (non-Turbo N12B16A engine) 2007 - 2010
Cooper S (Turbo N14B16A engine) 2007 - 2010
Cooper (non-Turbo N16B16MO engine) 2011 - 2012
Cooper S (Turbo N18B16MO engine) 2011 - 2012

R55 CLUBMAN 2008 - 2012
Cooper (non-Turbo N12B16A engine) 2008 - 2010
Cooper S (Turbo N14B16A engine) 2008 - 2010
Cooper (non-Turbo N16B16MO engine) 2011 - 2012
Cooper S (Turbo N18B16MO engine) 2011 - 2012

R57 Convertible 2009 - 2012
Cooper (non-Turbo N12B16A engine) 2009 - 2010
Cooper S (Turbo N14B16A engine) 2009 - 2010
Cooper (non-Turbo N16B16MO engine) 2011 - 2012
Cooper S (Turbo N18B16MO engine) 2011 - 2012

R60 COUNTRYMAN, including ALL4 for 2011-2012
Cooper (non-Turbo N16B16MO engine)
Cooper S (Turbo N18B16MO engine)

R58 COUPE (the new 2-seat hardtop) 2012 - current
Cooper (non-Turbo N16B16MO engine)
Cooper S (Turbo N18B16MO engine)

R59 Roadster 2012 - current
Cooper (non-Turbo N16B16MO engine)
Cooper S (Turbo N18B16MO engine)

Still to come
MINI City Car - 2013
MINI Hatchback next Generation - 2013
MINI Clubman next Generation - 2013

Note: Any model without a Supercharger or Turbo is generally referred to as a "Justa" (Just A Cooper).

Hope this helps!

~Ben

MINIs I've Parked Next To! #2

This one comes from my Mom, who has a new Pure Red 2012 Countryman S. She found this Justa R56 inside the Spectrum Complex's parking center:







I do like the look of the second generation Justas, despite the power loss. This one looks a bit like Brisby did with white stripes.

Thanks, Mom!

~Ben

Quad Lock and Gobadges!

I got my Quad Lock set earlier this week, and I couldn't be more impressed! The iPhone case has a great feel to it, is lightweight, and has a low profile. It actually makes the iPhone more comfortable to use, instead of getting in the way like most cases. The wall mounts have a crazy strong adhesive backing, and were simple to install in my MINI Cooper and apartment (they also have a recessed hole in the center for screwing to a wall for even greater stability). Also, even though I ordered the most basic package ($39.95), they sent me the deluxe kit ($69.95)! It could have been a mistake, though I like to think they were just being generous. Either way, it was a very nice surprise. Here is my iPhone and Quad Lock in action in my MINI Cooper S:


Please, check out Quad Lock for yourself and help support a brilliant small company! Again, any of the links to Quad Lock on my blog will net you a 10% off discount on whatever you decide to order.


I also got a few new badges and holders from GoBadges this week. Check them out as well (use code "epminis" for 10% off).



Oh, and I got the giant version of the blue Domo-kun.



He hides out in my glovebox, unlike the smaller blue Domo-kun that shouts at other drivers from the dashboard.



~Ben

MINIs I've Parked Next To! #1

MINI Coopers tend to park together. It's a strange and mysterious phenomenon. I've decided to start documenting my own parking lot buddies:

MINIs I've Parked Next To! #1

I found this fellow R53 in the Wallmart parking lot on Alpine Ave. Yes, I went to Wallmart. Yes, I am ashamed.



It had a cool blacked-out look going.



I liked the plate. Makes me wonder if the owner happens to be a pharmacist.







Here is the Picasa Album for the high res photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/106202409461442915597/MINIsIVeParkedNextTo

Until next time, Happy Motoring!
~Ben

MINI Cooper Upgrade Update Now!

So Brisby is looking pretty good, and I'm really happy with the tweaks and additions I've made recently. I do however have more plans in the works. After all, The Dragon is now less than a year away, and I need to beef up the performance a bit to tackle that run.

First off, is the standard HP upgrade for R53s, the cold air intake and pulley combo:



I'm going with the Craven Speed CAI, which will make my supercharger really scream. It runs right around $250, and I can install it myself.




The silicone intake inlet tubes, from Outmotoring, are not ribbed like the standard OEM tubes, so there's less turbulence and more air moving at a higher velocity into the supercharger. They are about $90.



The Alta V2 Supercharger 15% Pulley will instantly increase Brisby's boost by 15-20 horsepower, and it's a relatively cheap purchase at $130. Unfortunately, this isn't something I can install myself. Estimates are right around $300-400.




Exhaust systems are usually way out of my price range, but the Megan Racing Exhaust System looks like a good deal. It's not annoyingly loud like the higher end systems, but will give that very cool burble sound after letting off the throttle. Plus it's performance more than matches the more expensive brands at 6.1hp and 8Ft-Lbs. I can pick it up for $600ish, and probably a few hundred more for installation. Obviously, I won't be getting this anytime soon, but hopefully I can swing it by next summer. My only worry is the Michigan winter - Can these stand up to it, or will they end up rusting out the following Spring?




Aside from the transmission dropping out, my biggest fear is a tower strut deforming after crossing a railroad or hitting a pot hole, so I'll be getting a pair of CravenSpeed Strut Tower Defenders. $140 for a little peace of mind and they look pretty cool under the bonnet. Going to paint them red, lol.

That's about it for performance upgrades. I'll be cleaning up the interior a bit with some leather wraps from Redline for the downtubes, shifter, ebrake, and armrests. The large blackjack on the side of the car is still tempting, as well. Picking up these new rims would be a dream come true (17" Black Star Bullet), but at $1200, I'll have to keep dreaming for now. Unless someone out there wants to contribute them to the "Help A Poor MINI Cooper Get New Shoes" fund... Yeah, didn't think so.



~Ben

MINI Takes the States!

The MINI Takes the States tour hit Chicago/Joliet this past Sunday! I drove down with my niece, Kendra, in Brisby:



My parents and younger niece, Paige, took my Dad's relatively new 2012 Countryman. This was what we saw of it for most of the trip:



We started by gathering at MINI of Grand Rapids along with close to 100 other MINIs and MOGR's staff all driving MINI's from the lot.



One of the show pieces of the Chicago event was this R56 ArtPrize submission, which started with us at MOGR:



We all got goodie bags, coffee, bagels, and boxed lunches from Panera, then set out for Southern Michigan:



We met MOGR's Southern Alliance in Stevensville, MI. This was the scene behind the McDonalds that we invaded:



All in all, the trip was much slower than I had expected. The caravan of MINIs stayed right around 70mph, which is slow for me and from what others tell me, was a stark contrast to the 90mph+ pace of the 2010 run. Also, I94 was a nightmare in both directions. Very often the freeway would come to a sudden halt, only to just as suddenly start moving again. I really need to get my break pads replaced, heh.



After a strange drive through the middle of nowhere and over some of the worst roads I've dared take Brisby down, we finally arrived at the Joliet Auto Club. MOGR and friends were the first to arrive, but many more were on the way:






The event itself was underwhelming, although I have to admit that we did not take part in the MINIcross, which was clearly the focus of the day. It was still fun though. Checking out the hundreds of different MINIs was great.










Here is the album link for the rest of the photos from our trip.

~Ben

MINI and the Mystery of the 2013 Hardtop

Even though the "new" MINI Cooper line has been around 2001, there have only been two platforms made from which all but the Countryman models were built upon.

For example, here are the two different platforms for the Cooper S model:

R53 - 2001 to 2006









R56 - 2006 to 2012









The R56 platform was longer, taller, and wider than the R53, made significant changes to the interior and exterior, as well as a beefier engine with a turbocharger instead of the R53's supercharger. To this day, gearheads argue over the improvements made between the two. While the R56 offers more interior room and more horsepower, the R53 is more efficient, handles slightly better, and is closer to the classic MINI models.

BMW and MINI have been extremely tight lipped in regards to the new platform being launched this fall. Not much of any news or details have been leaked, other than nebulous comments that make it sound as if the new 2013 MINI Hardtop will make even more significant changes than the previous platform change, including around a 40-50hp difference. During an episode of White Roof Radio, it was also brought up that BMW reps were telling MINI sales people that diehard MINI owners would "probably not like the new platform."

Who knows what the new model will bring, but I'm excited to see it! I was hoping that it would be unveiled during the MINI Takes the States Rally, but so far the only thing announced to be there has been the new GP and the Clubvan (both based on the second platform).

~Ben

MINI of Grand Rapids' Amazing Repair Service!

Now that I own a MINI, I'm all too aware of the impending dents and scratches that mysteriously appear in parking lots. My Mom's R56 got a deep dent in the left rear quarter panel last week. She took it into MINI of Grand Rapids a few days ago and returned with this!:







It's a Pure Red 2012 MINI Countryman S, that she has named, Parker.

~Ben

Brisby Makeover Update Now!

Despite this weekend being crazy hot, I managed to get a few things done.






The stripes were really worrying me. I wasn't sure I'd have the skill to apply them correctly, especially when they arrived and I discovered that the thin white borders were a separate install. I did manage to screw up enough courage to try it out though, and much to my surprise, it was quite easy. Once you soap up the vinyl and the surface area, you can play with the positioning all you want until the fit is perfect.

Removing the "COOPER" letters with dental floss was a bit of a mess, even with the Goo Gone stuff. Though cutting out tiny pieces of double-sided tape to put the letters back on was even more so.

I have to thank MightyStripes.com for the great looking stripes. They also sent me an extra length of stripe and several extra bits of the white border, which managed to relieve stress while applying them.



I also got around to trying out Plasti-Dip this weekend! I blacked-out the grill slats and mirror caps in just a couple hours. It was so easy to work with, I'm still looking to find something else to dip! The grill looks perfect, the mirror caps are a little too rough, but I'll be replacing them with the Blackjack caps soon enough. I was tempted to dip the hood scoop, but after looking at pics of other R53s with black scoops, I decided against it. ..Looks too much like a dog nose, heh.

Here are the before and after shots:






I can't get over how it looks so much better for such a low price point and minimal amount of work. Anyhow, there's more to come! Mostly just waiting for funds. Hmm, wonder if I could start a Kickstarter account for pimping out Brisby...

~Ben

PS - Just ordered a pair of GoBadges badge holders and badges! They should be here sometime this week!