MPG update

Date------------Cost-----Ltrs----Gal----Miles-ltrs/mile-MPG---Total Mileage--Type
22/12/04-£42.42-46.92-10.32---243----0.19-----23.5---------20304---OPTIMAX

Trip Computer 24.5 mpg avg :: 18.8 mph avg spd :: 20 miles to go
cough!!! I guess the mpg whilst commuting is worse than I thought......
thats a drop of 5 MPG , due solely to my changed commuting habits.
(NB : not my new airfilter because more than 3/4 of this tank was done before this conversion)
The bottom line appears to be that the MINI only returns a reasonable gas mileage when allowed to warm up and driven on longer journeys.
Short commuting , start/stop journeys really hit the MPG hard.
To be honest Im really surprised . I dont drive a car hard (only sometimes). This kind of MPG from a 1.6 supercharged car is in my opinion , pretty poor.

Merry Christmas to everyone. J

JCW air filter thoughts part1

Well I got home last night and I looked over the original std airbox assembly that was removed to fit the kit. (remember to ask for it back from the dealer!)

1) It was news to me that the std box ALREADY sucks some air through a small hole in the area beneath the windscreen air vents !!! There is no flap (so its open all the time) and its area is about 50% or less of the opening in the JCW kit.
To me this raises the possibility of modifying the std box to increase this opening , and or add your own manually actuated flap mechanism to achieve a JCW 'like' assembly for a lot less cash. Albeit no warranty but it would be a very stealthy. In fact more so than a JCW which stands out a bit with a damn great badge on the top..........
It surprises me how much louder the whine is above 4500rpm given that the hole has only been enlarged.

2) My car had 20K miles on it and the air filter that came off was FILTHY.
If you have a std car , check it now...

JCW AirFilter is on

Yep , just got the car back from dealership.
They ended up needing 3.5 hrs !!! when the instructions (which I have pre-read off the web) indicate 1hr (for the JCW 210 upgrade inc injectors+remap) or 0.75hrs for just the filter assembly.
Of course I dont have a JCW kit , so it was just the airbox.
Underbonnet , nothing looks disturbed and its all still very neat , so thats a plus for the dealer. Car washed (albeit not to my standards LOL) as well.

So I hear you ask , how much and is it any good.

Initial impressions

1) Its bleeding expensive retaining your warranty. The box was £275 and I paid a further £85 today for 1hrs labour for fitting.
Thats £360 all in , for an airfilter assembly!!!!
Albeit a good quality one.

2)Ive only driven the car for a short distance (had to go back to work to pay it off LOL) , so I only went over 4500 rpm twice. In general the car seems 'perkier' throughout the rev range , with very definite 'whine' past 4500rpm.
I would describe it as 'whine' rather than induction noise.
Im pleased so far , albeit its a bit quieter than I expected , and definitely needs to be open all the time :-)
Im always aware of the 'placebo' factor , so Im trying to be objective!

Need to spend a few more days with the car for a better evaluation.
The good news is that I seem very lucky to have managed to get hold of a JCW air kit at all :-)

Mini Cooper S Autocar Roadtest Download

Well , when buying a new car I tend to always buy lots of associated info.
So heres the 2002 roadtest of the Mini Cooper S. Its a pre-05 spec car , so remember that later cars have more hp and a revised gearbox (lower ratios) amongst other differences.




Recently moved back to our flat in Glasgow , after staying with my parents in law for 8 months! The commute before (Paisley To Glasgow) was averaging around 28MPG , but now from the much closer flat its even worse , down to 22 on the OBC which means its must be around 20 !!!!! The car just isnt getting a chance to warm up at all.
Which for a Cooper S is a killer (the cold start cycle).

Who cares really ... the Air Filter is fitted tommorrow.......

20k milestone / MPG update

Yep its true,20 thousand miles ,thats around 2500 since we bought the car...

Date---------Cost--Litres--Gallons---Mileage--ltr/mil--mpg--TotMiles--Type
06/11/04--£47.56--48.72--10.72-------288----0.17----26.9----20061---OPTIMAX

Trip Com [ 30.3 avg MPG :: 26.3 avg MPH :: 7 miles to go ]

I have definitely driven the car harder on this tank. Lots of 40 mile blasts up and down the Paisley to Ayr Brae's road. Lots of twists and turns.
Have noticed that 'bump steer' when the road is bad is quiet noticable and can easily prevent you getting the power down.
Still haven't fitted the front mudflaps ! Car is absolutely filthy now , so much so that a preparatory jetwash before a had wash is now required to prevent me scratching the paintwork.....

Cant wait for the airbox :-)
Also found a set of vents that replace the pollen vents below the windscreen.
These are like mini subaru air scoops,may help to direct more air into the area the new filter will suck air from.


Also noticed that the sealing strip for the windscreen has come loose at the top and is contributing to excessive wind noise at speed.
My sisters hubby to be , also got an X5 4.4 V8 this week , what a machine !
Waaaay faster than I expected , superb for pimping round Ayr on a Saturday night (joke :-) )

Air Filter : Part 2

Well , contrary to my doubts the part has arrived :-)
Sadly Henry Bros cant fit my car in til 15th Dec !!! and its only a 1 hr job.
Anyway who cares I cant wait ......

JCW AirFilter Part 1 : Buying

Yep , well I couldn't resist and have ordered the air filter kit from John Cooper Works :-) Only just released ...
Heres the spiel off the website.....
"The unforgettably throaty sound of the engine will register instantly in your ears.
There is a second air intake controlled by means of an electronically actuated flap,
which opens during acceleration at 4500 rpm.
The result is a significantly improved performance curve and an even more distinctive sound."


Basically there are lots of options out there but I wanted to retain the warranty so it has to be a JCW part and must be fitted by a BMW dealer.
Part No is M13.72.0.391.513 234.05 (exc VAT) = 275 (incVAT) !!!!
Plus theres the labour still to be added to that.....

Its the same part that is included in the upgrade kit for converting the 200 BHP JCW kit to 210BHP.
The upgrade also adds slightly larger flow injectors and an ECU remap which I wont be getting (although it does seem better value and you could flog the larger injectors on ebay .....)
Reading on the forums the part alone does NOT need a remap for the rpm flap controller to function.
Expected BHP gains on a std S (which mine is) should be around 5bhp in the upper rev range. But Im getting it as much for the supposedly great sound as for power increase.
Next step once its fitted is to look at being able to manually adjust the secondary flap below 4500 rpm :-)

Car is filthy and needs a clean ......

Later