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 …
It’s been a while since I’ve posted. I’ve done a couple of CDC events and a CCA event (7 of 24 in X Class) as well a lot of work on the Garage-mahal. Summer is officially over and today was the next to last autocross of the season. This time it was at Baysox Stadium …
I always thought the stock grille on the Cooper S was a bit of a contradiction. It wasn’t all chrome and it wasn’t all painted. It just looked incomplete. I like the look of the grille included with the Aero Kit, but didn’t want to go through the expense of replacing both bumper covers and …
I went in to Behe Performance for a track-day inspection. I got that, but I also got a couple of surprises — one pleasant and one expensive. I knew my car was leaking oil. You could see it dripping at the drain plug. But it turns out the pan seal was going bad and the …
There is a very easy and inexpensive way to get XM radio in your ’02-06 MINI. The install process described below can be done with simple hand tools, and takes less than 20 minutes. I became interested in satellite radio for a couple of reasons: first and foremost, it’s a gadget and I’m weak when …
Driving on the track in the extreme cold, I noticed how the supercharger really responded to the cold. I did some research and found that the stock intercooler and diverter has a thermal efficiency (TE) of only about 65%. Before paying a lot of money for more surface area, why not try to improve TE? …
I finally got around to installing the B&M Short Shifter kit I bought last year. I like this kit because it reduces both the throw and length of the shifter. It is almost 2 inches shorter than the stock one. The install is pretty straight forward, though somewhat time consuming. Instructions. A couple of the …
It’s tough finding the right suspension for autocross, track, and daily driving, but I think I have a good mix right now. To recap: Texas Speedwerks springs (stiffer, linear, lower about 20mm); Ireland Engineering Camber Plates (increase front end negative camber); H-Sport rear lower control arms (correct camber in the rear due to lowering); Alta …
This time last week, I was outside in my t-shirt and shorts starting to get ready for the first CCA driver’s school of the year at Summit Point. This year, the first school was to be on the main circuit, usually everyone’s favorite event. In February as the snow was blowing, we were all a …
Part two of the suspension upgrade brought new springs and adjustable camber plates in the front. This proved too much of a challenge for me to attempt at home so I went to Frederick Motorsports. I hadn’t visited Scott since I had my Alfa four years ago. It was a challenge to wrestle the plates …