Hi
I am concerting switching from a 02 hard top to a 06 convertible.
If anyone has done this I would like to know the pros and cons.
Performance is very important to me. I will probably do some driver schools, and also some performance mods.
Thanks
Lee

 

Convertibles are about 300 pounds heavier than their R50/53 hardtop counterparts.

You have less cargo room and lose the practicallity of the hatchback design.

Rear passengers don't have any sort of side airbag protection, unlike the hardtop that has curtain airbags extending all the way to protect rear seat passengers.

Less shoulder room for rear passengers.

Lots of blind spots (specially in the C-pillar area) with the top up

Claustrophobic feeling for rear passengers with the top up

You lose the rear glass wiper/washer.

Expect some cowl shake.

MCS Convertible models do not come with the SS+ suspension on the MCS hardtop (2002-2006)

U lose the chrome gas cap in favor of a painted lid like the Cooper

If the rear glass breaks or shatters, the entire roof has to be replaced

Potential reliability issues with the top mechanism and the top itself (Leaks, rubbing areas, etc)

Its a great car otherwise. I have driven both the MCC and MCSC extensively and if your primary goal is open top motoring fun and 2+2 convenience, then the MINI convertible is a great choice.

Personally, I prefer the tintop model for many reasons.

 

if you do a search, you'll find several threads discussing the additional weight and loss of body rigidity with the cabrio.
I have a cabrio, and wouldn't trade it for a coupe. I'll be adding a 15% reduction pulley and some other mods to get as much as I can out of it . . . but if performance is your main criteria, don't get one. People drive cabrios for many reasons -- improved performance shouldn't be one of them.
Keep in mind most tracks won't even let you track a cabrio.

 

Good call!

As I understand it, the ragg topps have less room in the back seat, and less luggage capacity than a tin top. I have heard some report that the body is not as stiff on the cabrio, so the boy racers will probably want to stick to a tin top.

On the other side of the equation, with the cabrio you have sunshine, breezes, unlimited headroom, a panoramic vista of the world around you, and the general feeling that you are not in a car any more.

I waited until I was almost 50 to get my first ragg topp, and I am kicking myself for waiting so long. I just took a wonderful drive up to Mt. Palomar near San Diego with the top down both ways, and the grin is just starting to leave my face!

 

Homer I could not agree more. There is a very special feeling about motoring in a ragtop. Opting for a MINI convertible, you are making compromises in other areas such as performance and practicallity for that open top motoring experience.

For someone that cares little about ultra high performance and rear seat/cargo room, the convertible is a fantastic choice.

 

My first MINI was an 05 S hardtop. 1 year later, my husband drove that and I got an 05 S Cabrio. I love them both! It does handle different, and I felt the body wasn't as stiff as the Hardtop. We installed a strut bar in front, and stiffer sway bar in back. Its no longer "leans" as I called it. And with the alta cool air intake and some other minor mods, My Cabrio has good get up and go power and I can stay in front with the others. The Hardtop does have more room for storage. I am participating in the Phil Wicks Driving School in Vegas. It will be fun to see how she handles on the track. Sandy

 

Cabrio pros:
93 million miles of headroom.

Cabrio cons:
Just about everything else.

But you can take my cabrio when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the wheel.

I'm one of the MINI cabrio's biggest advocates - and I agree 100% with C4's analysis. There are LOTS of compromises to build a cabrio version of the MINI. And I'll be enjoying living with those compromises for the next 10+ years - because, for me, the decision went like this:

1) must be a convertible
2) must seat 4 (I have two kids to haul sometimes)
3) must be FUN

After looking at Mercedes, Volvo, Jag, Audi... the MINI is in a class all by itself - price-wise and handling-wise and fun-wise.

The MINI cabrio will NOT perform like the tintop. But the tintop isn't even an option for me as my daily driver - cause I'm a ragtop guy.

But I'm dreaming of someday having a tintop that I can turn into a pure performance BEAST...

By the way - if you want a ragtop and only need to seat 2 max - I'd recommend an MX5 or a Sky...
Or would I? I can't imagine trading Blimey for either of those...

 

Thanks everyone for the help.
Before I bought my Mini I had an 87 325i Convertible. I said I would never own a Mini Cov. Because of the added weight. But today I went to the dealer to look at the 07 minis and while there I sat in a convertible. I really miss having a ragtop. So I am trying to decide if I can live with the performance hit. My wife was with me and kept saying I need a ragtop again. Most of my life I have had some sort of convertible.
I may go back tonight and drive one.
My current Mini has quite a bit done to it and that I will miss. It’s a tough decision.
Thanks for all of your replies
Lee

 

As I noted above:
However, that's only if you care about "ultra high performance" as C4 puts it. You can still get a lot of bang out of a cabrio. The weight difference is not that bad (especially when compared to a coupe with sunroof), and the M7 underbody frame is supposed to do wonders for the cabrio.
So, although I care about car performance, I agree with everything Blimey posted above, and I still say:

 

You really have to drive the MCSc to feel what you'll be missing. Going to college my brother had 4 conv't ... a Jag,911,Dodge Dart,and Alfa... I thought he was crazy. I hated all except for the Dart because to get the roof up and down was a *****... I took a test drive in MCSc and I was sold... 1 button push for the ragtop and windows to go down. I constantly pull the roof down at a traffic stop all the time... The 'S' has plenty enough gusto for me with out any mods.. I drive my "Raider" at night and those cool summer nights are going to be awesome with the top down,I can;t wait....If I could afford many cars I would keep the MCSc as an occasional car and drive a Lexas or something else but since I can't ,my Raider is as good as it gets for the price range you can't beat the fun...

 

Agreed - Blimey has plenty of pep - I mean, the car is QUICK - by the numbers, it's marginally slower than the tintop - but only marginally. And guess what? With the top down, it FEELS faster.

And when I get done with intake, pulley, one-ball and MTH, it will be PLENTY fast for me for the street...

(actually it is already... but, hey, I got the fever.... and my MINI needs more cowbell...)

 

Not at night.

 

OK - so if your neck is 238,000 miles long, you MIGHT have to duck...

 

Hmmm.... now I just need to find a JCW sticker for that cowbell, and we'll really be rockin'

(MCS02, sorry about the hijack of your thread but. . . )
Blimey, who are you having install the pulley? -- or are you doing it yourself?

 

Cabrio issues aside, there will be a performance increase going from an '02 'S' to an '06 'S', since the gearing was revised for the lower gears. Probably no gains in the top end, but the acceleration in the lower gears will be better, all else in the engine being the same.

 

This is true . . . but are you also considering the '07? You mentioned going to the dealer to look at them -- and the 07 tintop to 06 cabrio comparison, as you know, opens up a whole other can of worms.

 

Gromit is my third convertible, and I will only replace it with another convertible. I waited on the MINI Cabrios to come out before I bought a MINI, and have no regrets.

As for the performance, I recently went on a little hilly, curvey road trip with several friends. One of them had a Cooper S tintop, and the only time I really noticed a performance difference was in the straights. In the twisties I was right there with him(and even a couple of times had to lift to maintain safe following distance).

Yes there is a decrease in performance, but is it really that much? One factor of performance driving is HOW you drive, not WHAT you drive.

 

I've got one here for ya if you want a nice one.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t=89959&page=1

 

The nice thing about the MINI to me is that it is performance you can use. There is more power available in many, many other cars. There is speed available in many, many other cars, including the other car in my driveway. The difference in performance between the coupe and the convertible is not nearly that of say, the MINI coupe and my Saab Aero.

That said, just one extra mod on the convertible, well chosen, will make up the difference in weight.

The current cabrio S has a supercharger. The coupe has a turbo. Clearly, to me, the turbo is more efficient and must be faster to drive, due to the broad torque curve. I wonder if that would lead to the same problem I have with the Saab, that of never being able to floor it on public roads for more than a flash. With the supercharged MINI I can pull from a non-optimal rpm and enjoy the supercharger. Yeah, I'm not going that fast . . . which is why I can do it on the highway.

Maybe I'm not making sense.

Fast car, I'd choose a Lotus. . . but the roadster.

 

Real weight difference in cabrio and tintop is 165lbs, not 300. Sure there is a performance difference, MINI claims 0 - 60 in an S to be 6.8 sec and in the S cabrio to be 7.0 sec. 0.2 of a sec to 60 mph is not detectable by 99% of the drivers here other than in their mind, certainly not their butt. Cabrio's do have sport suspension available, mine has it. It's not likely that you will ever top end either MINI on the street or race track so 5 mph difference there means nothing. None of the MINI's are practical or roomy when it comes to people or stuff hauling. Suburbans haul lots of people and lots of stuff in comfort. The hard top makes a better race car with out a doubt. It boils down to you like open top motoring or not. For me, topless on a sunny day over rides any short comming. It has for over 47 years.

 

Plan to have Dan at Grassroots do it along with all my other stuff...

 

Ok last night my younger son and I went back and drove a 07 tin top & a 07 ragtop. Yes the 07 tin top with the turbo is fast but (no offence) it is ugly.
I did not notice a performance difference between my 02 and the ragtop. I was very impressed with how quite it was with the top up. When I got home their was a letter from my dealer that said they would give me above market value for my 02 because they are in high demand. I thought the timing was funny. Tomorrow (Thursday) I plan on seeing what kind offer I can get.
The only problem is I feel like I am trading a member of the family, although there are some family members I would trade
I will let everyone know what happens
Lee

 

Good luck Lee. It seems to me you are set on the convertible.

 

That's probably the cheapest mod for eliminating that 165lb weight differential

 

For anyone considering the cabrio, I'd recommend heated seats. I've had a lot of convertibles, from Spitfires to Samurais, and this is the first I can really enjoy in cold weather. The MINI heater is great, but with the top down 90% of your BTUs are flying out the window. Cranking up those heated seats really makes a difference. When I rode motorcycles I had a heated vest and it was amazing how much warmer my fingers & toes were just from heating up my torso, same principle.
We've had only one problem with our '06 cabrio, a strap broke and was replaced/upgraded under a dealer service bulletin. No leaks, very few squeaks & rattles. Best convertible I've ever had. As mentioned above, the smaller rear seat & C piller blind spot are the worst things I can say about this ride.