I finally saved enough to get a limited slip differential installed at Behe Performance. Here’s what it looked like the day after I dropped it off: I was able to get the Quaife LSD through a great group buy on NAM. The price was almost $700 less than I’ve seen it listed at some (unnamed) …
The car is a R56 2008 Cooper S Automatic. The color is Sparkling Silver, not my favorite, but not as bad as most of the press has made it out to be. It seems like a color that belongs on a Camry, not a MINI, but it sort of fits a theme: the Camryzation of …
The new driving season got off to a very good start this past weekend. I participated in the Spring driver’s school with the NCC Chapter BMW CCA at Summit Point, WV. It was my first time in the fastest run group (Group A) and first weekend in the instructor training program. By the end of …
It’s time to start a new year of Autocross and Driver’s Schools. Time for a little Spring maintenance. So before heading back to the track next week I thought I’d switch back to the cold air intake, replace the spark plugs, change the brake fluid, and change the oil. Since I have to get an …
I have always hated exterior bits that serve no real purpose. Faux brake vents; solid grilles — that sort of thing. The stock MCS rear bumper has two fake grilles that have always driven me nuts. With the way the bumper cover is designed, the rear valance hangs down in the airflow coming under the …
I mounted the new autocross wheels stepped back, and it struck me how much darker my car has become. Not that it’s a bad thing, just sort of a slow change over time. Tinted windows, blacked out grille, and now black racing wheels. Add mirror caps and a roof sticker and the change will be …
It turns out that my new Konig Feather wheels won’t work with the stock size lug nuts. They require “tuner” nuts. Who knew such a thing even existed? So now I have my first ever JDM parts. At the widest point, the Muteki nuts are about 1/16 of an inch smaller in diameter than the …
Since I had the respirator out and the garage all in “spray-booth” mode, I went ahead and painted the M7 Extreme Scoop I bought last Fall. I’m not sure it actually improves performance of the inter-cooler at all, but it seems like it does according to the butt-dyno. My cunning plan for this autocross season …
The National Capital Chapter held their last Driver’s School this past weekend at the Jefferson Circuit at Summit Point. The Jefferson is one of my favorite courses — very MINI friendly. The weather was beautiful, and unlike last November, sunny and warm. The GeorgeCo MINI ran like a top. (Watch me chase the M5 in …
The autocross season is winding down. Today the Capital Driving Club held their next to last scheduled event at Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick. It was an interesting course with a figure-eight and a decreasingly spaced slalom leading to a hard right turn into the finish. I did surprisingly well, especially given the fact I …