DimON

The current 1.6L MINI engine wasn’t quite born out of the strange bed-fellow partnership that the previous power plant was. The Tritec came to MINI from of Chrysler (where it was engineered and designed in Detroit) via Brazil (where it was produced). It just so happened that it turned out to be a robust and characterful power plant that suited the R50 and R53 rather well. In comparison the Prince family of engines has quite the pedigree. Designed and engineered by key members of the same team that had just finished work on the famed M54 inline six BMW engine, the Prince engines introduced MINI to a number of new technologies. BMW even enlisted the help of the then BMW F1 team and some of their engineers when it came to a few key components within the JCW version. Motorsports and the Prince engine started in 2008 with the updated MINI Challenge car. First shown in the summer of 2007 at MINI United (teased actually) the engine found under the bonnet was essentially a freer breathing version of the forthcoming JCW MINI. In JCW street guise the turbo four made 210 bhp. And while that was down on the Tritec JCW power plant (which made due with 211 bhp) torque was way up. In all it was the fastest MINI made yet. But that wasn’t the end of the Prince’s motorsport involvement. Fast forward to 2010 when both BMW and MINI race cars debuted with the 1.6L turbo Prince under the hood. For the MINI this was in the form of the 300 hp WRC Countryman. However with BMW it was (surprisingly) in the form of a rear wheel drive 310 bhp, 310 lb-ft BMW 320 TC. Yes that means tranverse mounted 1.6L is turned sideways and mounted in typical BMW fashion (longitudinally). BMW then went even further and put the revised MCS Prince engine (code named the N18) into the rear wheel drive F20 1 Series BMW. That engine (using the BMW code-name N13B16), is mounted transversely powering the rear wheels. It features two different tunes: the 116i with 136 hp and the 118i with 170 hp. The engine characteristics are slightly more refined to better suit the BMW brand. What does all of this mean? For starters there will be a greater emphasis at BMW on developing the Prince family of engines in the years ahead. It’s also clear that BMW sees a bright and increasingly high performance future for some Prince engines. Last year the Cooper S turbo got a sizable boost thanks to BMW’s famous variable valve timing. Next year we expect that upgrade to extend to the current JCW power plant in the form of more power across the power-band. How much? Don’t be surprised to see the 2013 JCW (available in Coupe, Roadster, Convertible, Clubman and yes, Countryman) to flirt or even surpass the 220 hp mark. Also under development (likely for 2014) is hybrid version of the engine that will likely make it’s way into the the Countryman and/or Paceman along with BMW’s own front wheel drive MINI based 1 Series. Yes MINI is introducing a 1.5L 3 cylinder engine in the next generation MINI that will wow with it’s efficiency and performance. But it’s clear that the four cylinder Prince will continue to play a very important role for both the BMW and MINI brand on both the road and the track. </img><br/></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

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According to research MINI USA has just received, the number one complaint from US about the MINI Countryman is that it’s too small. Yep, the largest MINI ever made, the one that has caused a huge uproar within the MINI community is apparently not large enough for some within the American market. Sound familiar? It was the same complaint that the US market had about the R50, R53 and R56 hatch. So here are our thoughts; It’s a MINI. That means, if it’s in the crossover segment, it will be the smallest one available. Yes it’s tight with four people and luggage. But it’s doable. And that’s the key with the Countryman. It makes things possible that weren’t when owning a MINI previously while staying true to the brand’s ideology. Does it handle 100% like the hatch? No. Does it out-handle anything else (by a wide margin) within the small cross-over segment? In our experience, yes (the only thing close being the Nissan Juke – if you can get past the pretty much everything else wrong with it) But enough of what we think. Let’s hear your thoughts. Should MINI care that the #1 complaint from the American market is that the Countryman is too small? Should the next generation be larger to accommodate more storage space? Or should MINI stand their ground and be MINI? This news comes from our recent interview with Vinnie Kung at the LA show (which you can hear tomorrow). </img><br/></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

With our own winter tires arriving today we thought it appropriate to talk about why you should consider winter tires if you live in the snow-belt. MINI UK’s program (similar to the one in other parts of Europe) offers owners convenient (retail price: £560) set of tires and steel wheels straight from the dealer. Convenient in that the same dealer will store your summer tires for you. We’ll talking more about our own set-up and choices in the US soon. However in the meantime, if you don’t know why you might need winter tires, check out the videos and read-on. [Official Release] With average British winter temperatures dipping below 7°C, this winter MINI is dedicated to helping drivers stay on the roads, regardless of weather, with its Winter Tyre Programme. All MINIs are fitted with summer tyres as standard, providing excellent levels of grip, acceleration, braking, comfort and fuel economy in normal road conditions. Summer tyres operate best at temperatures above 7°C. However, once the Great British Winter sets in and air temperatures drop to near freezing the rubber in summer tyres hardens, detracting from the summer tyres’ performance. And in true wintry conditions of snow and ice summer tyre performance is even worse. MINI’s winter tyres have been specially engineered to operate much better than summer tyres at temperatures below 7°C. MINI’s winter tyres contain more natural rubber in their compound and a different mix of silica as well as featuring special grooves. This allows them to retain flexibility at much lower temperatures. Research has shown that the difference in breaking distances at 60mph in wet conditions under 7°C on summer and winter tyres is a whopping 4.8m*. Being safe doesn’t mean having to compromise on style; MINI’s winter wheel and tyre packages come in steel or alloy rim designs. A set of winter wheels and tyres is available from £560 RRP per set**, and is by far the safer option in these colder months. To make life easier, MINI dealers will even store customers’ standard wheels and tyres for just £30 until it’s time to switch them back again in spring. </img><br/></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

Сервис для МИНИ и Мини. Мы стараемся держаться этого принципа.

Друзья, спешу сообщить вам, что у нас уже больше недели назад появился шустрый интернет. Мы его оттестили и для почты и интернет серфинга более чем адекватно. Надеюсь, что уже на следующей неделе появяться удобные кресла и столик. До конца месяца, мы планируем разжиться диваном и телевизором, но не всё сразу.

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With MINI adding the Recaro seating option along with the Roadster to the production line at Oxford, we’ll be seeing availability of some options ending with March production. Specifically Laguna Green (just introduced in September) and Laser Blue will be ending production. In addition Hot Chocolate will become unavailable on the convertible. But colors are just the start. MINI will be phasing out the venerable Web Spoke wheels except for the newer black and polished lip combination that came out a couple of years ago. Also going away will be the Pace spokes which are the standard 17″ wheel that comes on the Clubman with the sport package (in the US). They’re also one of our favorite 17″ wheels MINI has ever produced. In fact, aside of the JCW Challenge spokes, we can’t think of a wheel we’d hate to see go more. Finally MINI will be ending production of the rarely chosen Hot Chocolate top on the R57 Convertible. Not surprising since Hot Chocolate as an exterior paint color will be going away at the same time. </img><br/></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

Official Release: The MINI WRC Team’s drivers were fighting to the very end of Wales Rally GB to give the team a great result on the last event of its first year in the World Rally Championship. Kris Meeke (GB) and Paul Nagle (IR) finished the event in fourth, while Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) set the second fastest time in the final test of the day, the Power Stage at Monument, and finished 20th overall. Meeke left Cardiff in the early hours of the morning 45 seconds behind the third placed Ford of Henning Solberg (NO). From the first stage of the day Meeke was determined to do everything he could to snatch a podium on his home event, and by the start of the final stage of the day the gap was down to 1.8 seconds. Unfortunately he hit a rut and had a half spin and this was enough to put paid to his challenge. David Richards, Team Principal: “This event, like so many others, has had its ups and downs. Kris I am sure will reflect on that half spin on the last stage and what might have been, but there have been so many other occasions on the event when we could have also done a little bit better or had a bit better luck. At the end of the day when I look back on this rally and think where we have come in six months – Dani and Kris have achieved five top five positions in only six events – quite honestly the team has come of age and this is only just the beginning for the MINI WRC Team.” Dirk Hollweg, Head of MINI Motorsport:“We are overwhelmed by the success of the team, which is much better than expected. We are very happy with the performance of the whole team and the drivers and we have a great spirit. This is of great benefit to the MINI and the John Cooper Works brand. This is exactly what we wanted.” Dave Wilcock, Technical Director: “It has been a good day. Kris had a big challenge to make up the ground between himself and Henning Solberg , with 45 seconds to find which averaged to just over half a second a kilometre. He was completely on track with that until the Power Stage when he had to find 1.8secs to match Henning’s time and take a podium. Unfortunately a couple of corners in he had a half spin in one of the ruts and it was enough for Henning to secure the podium. Still we are very happy with fourth and Kris’ performance on the event. Dani’s very uncharacteristic mistake on Friday meant he was in the SupeRally. We wanted to build his confidence for the future in these conditions and did this, as he was setting competitive times and second on the Power Stage is something we are very pleased with. We got both cars to the finish, they are in reasonable shape, and we have learnt an awful lot. For the drivers it was difficult physically, as there were some very long road sections to contend with, but they came through it very well. It was a tough rally for the car and we are very pleased with its general reliability. This has been a testing year for us, it has been a good rally to finish on and overall we are very happy with the result as the team has worked extremely hard. Also important to what has happened this year has been our partnership with Michelin. It is a very good relationship and we work together very well. We share all our information with them in order to maximise the performance of our tyre, and the results have proven that the partnership is working very well.” <a href="http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/wilcock_kris_will_continue_to_push_news_full_large_gallery.jpg" rel="lightbox-21319">

After years of US MINI fans asking for them, MINI USA has finally made the business case work and will be bringing a Recaro seat option to the US. The seats will be available on the R55 Clubman, R56 Hatch, R58 Coupe and R59 Roadster (i.e. not the Countryman or Convertible). The seats will come only in one configuration; heated finished in black Dinamica and Leather. Now let’s talk pricing. (more pics after the break) The Recaro Seats (known as option 4FA) will retail for $3,000 on Cooper models and $2750 on MCS and JCWs. Again that includes the price of the heated seat as well. The option will be available starting with March 2012 builds. </img><br/></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

Спасибо за комменты, продолжайте. По сказанному выше - дополнительное чувство клубности нужно не всем, а некоторым. Многим нужна доп атрибутика, фенички, штучки. Пластик - он бездушный и не хранит историю. В паспорте можно ставить штампики, клеить наклеечки и, тем самым, отслеживать активность. Пришёл на 10 завтраков - получи прикольную наклейку. Съездил на МЮ, получил спец визу. Потом можешь сидеть и рассказывать новичку про Детей в Конаково, листая странички. Опять-же, фотки своих предыдущих машин.

With the release of the Coupe and the introduction of the Roadster, it’s a great time to step back and look at the MINI family. And with that, we can’t help but wonder which we’d have if given the chance. While we love the Countryman All4 in our driveway, a Coupe or even a roadster would look great in the MF garage. Then there’s the incredible utility of the Clubman or even the classic hatch. But enough about what we think. What’s your favorite MINI of the moment? Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.Gallery after the break. Gallery </img><br/></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

We’ve always said that the ‘go-fast’ part that counts most is between your ears and not under the hood. Case in point, the video above. While the MINI is mighty, it is on paper slower than many of the cars they pass. But with good car control and an exceptional car underneath, our two unnamed heroes easily dispatch most of what’s in their path. Have your own track-day David vs Goliath stories? Let’s hear them in the comment section below. Via Jalopnik Also, a quick bonus video for those of you who like GPs: </img><br/></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

По цене, VVV скоро ответит, но скажу сразу, колодки НЕ являются гарантийной зап частью. Вы можете менять их где угодно, тем более, если это будет оригинальные ЗЧ. Поменяв их до загорания датчика, вы сэкономите на датчике, но любой профи обратит внимание на то, что за 12000 у вас колодки как новые ;-). Если честно, то 12.000 для передник колодок - это маловато. Предполагаю, что машина на автомате и вы часто стоите в пробке. Добрый совет - при трогании в пробке, отпускайте тормоз полностью, старайтесь меньше "притормаживать". Это продлит срок службы колодок, и, что немаловажно, срок жизни тормозных дисков. Да и масло можно уже поменять с фильтрами. 12.000 по нашим дорогам и с нашим бензином - не супер. Когда вам нужно на ТО по компьютеру?

То что заказал ВБ - это правильно! Потом, замена - ГЕМОР несусветный!!! По ключу, пока прецедентов не было. Придёт машина, можно будет помыкаться, если не получится, всегда сможешь доплатить.

Друзья, советую позвонить Олегу 782-4281 Это давний партнёр Клуба и спец по стартерам и генераторам. У него обычно в наличии есть и стартер и генератор, но самое главное - у него 10 лет опыта именно по этим 2м деталям за спиной. На снять-поставить, прошу к нам в Клубный Сервис.

Всем привет. Уже давно появилась идея создать клубный паспорт. Он может быть похож по размерам и наполнению на обычный Российский, но вместо вашей фотки, туда будет вклеиваться фотка вашей машинки/машинок. Что он будет давать? 1. Дополнительное чувство клубности. Многие спрашивают - а как стать членом клуба? Собственно зарегистрировавшись на форуме, вы уже член клуба. 2. Отметки о посещении всех клубных ивентов, включая завтраки и дальние поездки. 3. Он будет заменять клубную карточку, которых давно уже нет, и давать право на скидки у партнёров клуба. 4. Для держателей паспорта, могут быть организованы отдельные привилегии. В Москве, этот паспорт может быть дополнен, за отдельную плату, специальным штампом клубного сервиса, с возможностью получения СПЕЦИАЛЬНЫХ цен на перечень работ. Цена вопроса: просто паспорт может стоить около 2.000 рублей, со штампом Клубного Сервиса в МСК около 5.000. Цены не низкие, но это за ОЧЕНЬ качественную штуку. Пожалуйста, голосуйте и пишите свои комменты. при голосовании, нужно ответить на оба вопроса - соответственно, если вы в МСК, то в первом вопросе ставите "Я в Москве", а если вы не в МСК, то во втором вопросе голосуете "Я не в Москве."

The MINI brand achieved a new sales record for October. Volumes rose 16.2% to 23,839 units (prev. yr. 20,523). In the year to the end of October, 232,056 units (prev. yr. 188,275/+23.3%) were sold. The MINI Countryman continued to report strong sales with 8,645 vehicles sold last month (prev. yr. 3,525/+145.2%). The newest and fifth member of the MINI family, the MINI Coupé also got off to an excellent start in October. Robertson: “When we launched the new MINI ten years ago, we created the premium small-car segment. Since then, we’ve been busy growing the MINI family. New additions to the line-up have propelled MINI to new sales records. And now with the new MINI Coupé and MINI Roadster, we fully expect MINI’s momentum to continue.” </img><br/></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

First show after White Roof Radio live and it’s a big one! News from MotoringFile like we like to do, which is mostly us talking about the new hotness, also known as the MINI Roadster. As you can already guess, we all like it. Not only that, but we also spend some time talking about db’s time with the MF Countryman. And the overall state of tech in automobiles. And lifting a Countryman. Make sure you listen to the whole thing. Woofcast 402: Download| 58:35 | 28.2MB |WRR @ iTunes | Show Notes </img><br/></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

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