New Mini !

[T&T Mini]

Hi Everyone just thought I would stop by and introduce myself (Tim) and my wife (Tracy) We just purchased a (new to us ) 2005 Mini S, Love it. Still need to learn all the mods and mini lingo but it is gonna be a fun ride, Met Faron at the Mini Store today ( Nice Guy).I will watch the forums for activitys and runs and hope to see yall on the road.

[azuul]

Hi Everyone just thought I would stop by and introduce myself (Tim) and my wife (Tracy) We just purchased a (new to us ) 2005 Mini S, Love it. Still need to learn all the mods and mini lingo but it is gonna be a fun ride, Met Faron at the Mini Store today ( Nice Guy).I will watch the forums for activitys and runs and hope to see yall on the road.Howdy and welcome. I (Steve) and my wife (Kathy) have 2 MINIs; mine is Azuul (Electric Blue/White, MCS) and Kathy's is Ruby (Chili Red/White Cooper). Yes we are a 2 MINI family. Runs and events will come. See you at an event or on the road.

[Will]

Welcome Tim!! Glad to have you onboard. What color did you get? Any planned mods? You'll notice we have a great bunch of people here. Lots of knowledge here so if you have any questions, there are lots of folks that can probably help you out.

Azuul, Its gettting pretty close for another Shiner run!! I'm sure our Houston MINI friends might want to join too.

[T&T Mini]

That sounds Great ! I have been wanting to go there. Hope the timing is right. :thumbsup The Mini is Pure Silver with a Black top, Black Leather interior, Moon Roof,Harmon Kardin Radio, ETC.

For the Beginner What is the first to Mod?

[k-huevo]

Welcome T&T Mini, if you still have the stock brake pads and don’t like the dust on the wheels then a change of pads along with a complete brake fluid flush and refill with ATE 200 brake fluid would be my number one recommendation. Enjoy the ride, the MINI is great out of the box. Be patient, be honest with yourself on the vehicle's intended use, and make your choices based on realistic personal needs & desires.

[T&T Mini]

What type of pads do you recomend? And why the fluid change? Not stupid just curious :eek2

[azuul]

Welcome Tim!! Glad to have you onboard. What color did you get? Any planned mods? You'll notice we have a great bunch of people here. Lots of knowledge here so if you have any questions, there are lots of folks that can probably help you out.

Azuul, Its gettting pretty close for another Shiner run!! I'm sure our Houston MINI friends might want to join too.Shiner, hmmm. Let me ping the Houston MINI group and see. However, believe it or not, my weekends are pretty much packed until July. :eek2

[k-huevo]

T&T Mini, for a brake pad recommendation it would be good to have more information about your driving style, but I will give some choices to consider anyway. Once you’ve put a few thousand miles on the vehicle you will have a better idea about your personal style and the environment in which the car will be used. If you are only planning to drive on the street and don’t push limits often then EBC Greenstuff pads will be ok, also they dust the least. If you plan on doing aggressive driving, track days, or autocross then Ferodo DS 2500 pads. I use the Ferodos and the performance is outstanding on the street. I no longer push limits every time I hit the road anymore but the pads still inspire confidence hot or cold. They dust a little more than the Greenstuff pads. I did not have confidence in EBCs during the first cold brake or after repeated hard stops but these were extremes and others have had more favorable experiences. I have not used the Mintex Red Box pad, however these receive favorable marks from everyone that uses them on the street. I’m kind of stuck in my ways when it comes to a brake pad manufacturer; Ferodo performance pads have always excelled for me.

There are many new pad materials available that I have no experience with so you should do some research before making a final choice. Alex at The Tire Rack is a good source for up-to-date information. A vendor I highly recommend for guidance is Helix Minisports, http://www.helix13.com/html/products/productview.php?p=9&h=m Eric or Dane will give you straight information and they provide great service before, during, and after the sale.

Brake fluid should be changed at the maximum within two years. The brake fluid that is used in the MINI as it comes from the distribution center has a low boiling point and is more hydroscopic (absorbs moisture) than ATE 200. If the operating environment is highly humid and/or the brakes are used hard, then the change interval should be reduced. Braking causes a lot of heat to pass into the fluid, enough to cause boiling and that means air bubbles. Air bubbles can compress causing a spongy feel, at the least, or leave you with a pedal that goes all the way to the floor when you need solid breaking the most. I assume this vehicle is a used one so to be on the safe side put in a quality new fluid. ATE SuperBlue and 200 are the same type of fluid only one is blue; it has a very high boiling point and has very low hydroscopic rates. There are other high performance fluids available with very high boiling points but they are higher in moisture absorption. These are generally used in a competition setting where fluid is changed after every event or session so moisture absorption is not a concern.

[k-huevo]

Another thing I omitted about the brake fluid change and the two-year interval. The clutch slave shares the same fluid master as the brakes. The clutch slave should be bled at least once every two years and the frequency should be more often if the environment or usage dictates. There is a MINI specific tool for compressing the slave arm if any club member needs to borrow it I have one available.

[T&T Mini]

Hey! Thanks for the very inclusive information, I dont think at this time we will be doing any racing or autocross with the new mini. Maybe if you call traversing IH35 at going home traffic simulative racing then ok. I will check into the Brake pad options. The mini has 14,500 miles so I hope the fluid will be ok for now. I not going to be putting it through its moves until the SHINER TRIP right? So with that in my thinking cap how do the pirelle tires hold up? And when is the next mini get together?

:dancing

[weezer2282]

Hey! Thanks for the very inclusive information, I dont think at this time we will be doing any racing or autocross with the new mini. Maybe if you call traversing IH35 at going home traffic simulative racing then ok. I will check into the Brake pad options. The mini has 14,500 miles so I hope the fluid will be ok for now. I not going to be putting it through its moves until the SHINER TRIP right? So with that in my thinking cap how do the pirelle tires hold up? And when is the next mini get together?

:dancing

Welcome T&T Mini. We used to meet fairly regularly at the Starbucks at I10 and Boerne Stage Road. We haven't had one of those in what seems like forever though. Maybe we will have one soon...if not the European auto club, StrictlyEA, meets regularly every third Friday of the month at the Barnes and Noble parking lot at Bandera and 1604. Some of us usually go to that one.

We need to do a run up the batcave to Fredericksburg, then grab a bite to eat at the Fredericksbug Brewery, and motor back the same way. It would be a fantastic little drive. :D :thumbsup

[azuul]

We need to do a run up the batcave to Fredericksburg, then grab a bite to eat at the Fredericksbug Brewery, and motor back the same way. It would be a fantastic little drive. :D :thumbsupGreg, are the bats back up from Mexico yet?

[weezer2282]

Greg, are the bats back up from Mexico yet?

I don't know and it doesn't really matter to me. :p

[T&T Mini]

I have a power question for the motorheads out there. When I take off in first gear getting into it pretty hard everything is fine. When I shift to second and not all the time it seems like the power is shut off or drops off then comes back. Is that the DSC kicking in or do I need to have it checked out?

[k-huevo]

More information please. Wheel spin will activate controls and cut power, yes. Is the hesitation, flat spot, power drop off, rpm specific? Faulty bypass valve operation can cause those symptoms, usually occurring around the 3000 rpm region. The BPV is covered under warranty.

[T&T Mini]

I have had it happen with wheel spin and the wife was on an incline turning. Didnt notice if the DSC light was activated or not. IT seems the RPMs were around 3k when it happend but only when shifting.

[k-huevo]

It’s easy to spin the wheels while on an incline and especially during a turning maneuver at the same time. Keep us posted, at the moment the info points toward “natural causes”.

[T&T Mini]

OK I will do just that. I will keep a close eye on the DSC and RPMs I think you are right it is just the newness and not being acustomed to the beast yet. So how is that Shiner run coming along? Maybe a run to lukenbach could be in order for a quick sat or sunday afternoon?

[harebrain]

My 06 SB/S MCS does what sounds like the same thing. I don't have DSC but I turned off the ASC and drove it hard. No problems with it turned off. It might be worth a little experimenting with the DSC.