Why is the DSC enabled by a button?

Why is there a "Sport" button?

Why would you want to turn these features off? Is there a downside to having them on all of the time?

Thanks in advance for your help and apologies for covering what may be painfully obvious to most.

dean.

 

DSC is not enabled by button, but disabled by button. It is always on unless disabled.

As far as sport button, that is for extra performance, faster automatic transmission responses, and handling characteristics of the EPS. It is off, unless, commanded by button, the assumption being that using sport mode is not your normal mode of operation.

 

There are no stupid questions.

DSC is "ON" every time you start the engine. The switch allows you to turn it off when you want. Many drivers will turn it off when they drive on the track for fun or racing. Others turn it off because they don't think the system is a benefit. There are some things that make it actively work that can be strange. Example: hard left turn under power.

I don't know about the Sport button, but someone else will.

 

Because of the added response and performance of the sport button, it saps several extra miles per gallon of gasoline.

It has been speculated by others that by having the sport button performance available on demand, Mini could advertise the better gas mileage the cars gets with the button off.

 

So, I had it backwards. No surprise there. Thanks.

Thanks, I appreciate that.

Interesting. Thank you.

dean.

 

reelsmith, sorry to intrude on your thread but I have a question of my own.

Can anyone tell me if the car has a blow off valve? Ive seen only a few pictures of the engine but cant find the thing to save my life. Thanks!

 

Hell, I'll add a few as well:

Does the car have a 12V adapter in the boot?

Do both panes of the sunroof slide back? Simultaneously?

Finally, if a thicker rear sway bar (as sold by many mod shops) provides handling benefits, why doesn't it come standard with the car? What is the tradeoff/downside to it?

Thanks!

 

I only have the answer to this one. Yes, it does have a 12-volt in the boot. I was hoping they'd go for an AC plug, but maybe harder to adjust that for all the different countries.

 

I have a question too.
Wouldn't it make sense to post new questions as a new thread instead on buried in with answers to othe questions?

It would also help others that may have the same question later. Easier to get answers to specific questions that others have already answered. It might help reduce the same questions being asked repeatedly.

 

That's true but I think then there would be so many new threads they'd scroll down the forum in a matter of a day. I mean, would someone really want me to post my three questions as three seperate threads? I somehow doubt it. It's too bad there's not more specific boards in regards to the R56, a la Mini2. Then questions regarding specific topics can be posted without getting in the way of general news or new car reviews, etc.

This one IS titled "A few stupid questions." The title doesn't say they're all from the same person after all!

Ironic that your post doesn't demonstrate the very suggestion it was making, however.

 

1. dunno but probably
2.back pane doesn't slide
3. it is an available option via sports suspension.
3a. stiffer ride, less understeer, possible oversteer if too thick (not necessarily better for the masses)

 

Yes there is a 12v adaptor in the boot.

Both panels of the sunroof will tilt but only the front will slide back.

A thicker sway bar is fitted with the sports suspension. The downside is a harder ride.

 

Ok, so I recieved this response from someone making the case to me on why I would want a rear sway:

"As in any front wheel drive car, it will understeer or, i.e., the front end will "plow" -the front end is heavier and tends to lead the car into a turn.

The rear sway bar on a MINI helps cure some of the inherent understeering on the car. It will help keep the rear wheels firmly planted at the back end, where it tends to get a bit light in turns at speed.

The rear bar will not effect your ride. You'll never notice it until you turn the car at speed or track it. "

along with:

"The Sport Supsenion is much harsher and "will knock your teeth fillings out" as they're saying. I'd suggest getting the standard and adding a rear sway bar (for a lot less than the cost of the Sport Suspension) and your car will handle extremely well, yet give a decent ride. With a short wheelbase car, a stiff suspension can be a real trying experience. Unless you track the car a lot, I'd go with the standard and add a rear sway bar. "


So I'm confused a bit... I'm hearing the rear sway DOESN'T effect the ride from one expert, but others are saying it does.

Thank you, by the way, for the replies. I am, as you can likely tell, investigating my first "mod" for the car.

Part of me is thinking this could be a mod I never see a benefit of though for how I drive my car, but I dunno. I didn't spec the sports suspension in part due to this suggestion, along with others, that for a non-track car the sports will not do a whole lot more than rattle me around a fair amount when I come across any moderately rough road.

 

Sway bars add torsional rigidity and reduce roll (in UK they're called anti-roll bars) this reduces the body roll on the car.

Note that (in the UK at least) the sports suspension is a no cost option on an MCS.

The std suspension is fairly stiff as it is.

 

To expand a bit on what R56MCS said: A sway bar will allow left and right tires to move in the same direction, so the ride over things like speed bumps, expansion joints, driveway entrances, etc. is not much effected by just a sway bar. A single bump on one side of the car only could be felt as a bit harsher.

Springs and dampers will affect the ride at all times though it's not always a case where stiffer is worse than softer. There is a constant interaction between all parts of car and the road. There are only compromises. BMW felt the standard suspension is the best general compromise for performance and comfort on real world roads. The sports suspension is likely to be a bit harsher over bumps and a bit faster on smooth. It would actually be possible for it to be slower on a bumpy surface, if you go with 18" wheels or in other specific scenarios but it's what BMW felt a good performance compromise.

 

As has been hinted at, the rear swaybar reduces understeer by transferring load to the front opposite corner sooner than without, increasing the front coefficient of friction, thereby changing the effective grip ratio front to rear.

This does not effect ride unless under load (turning) and then minimally.

What does change the ride is the spring rate and the compression and rebound of the shock. In addition to the swaybar changes, the Sport Suspension also includes these changes, which is where the ride harshness comes from.

Not that most of the harsh ride from the R53 came from the runflat tires - changing them makes a world of difference. It will be interesting to see what the R56 is like. I wouldn't say anything yet about the ride, as I think they have completely changed the Sport Suspension rates.

Hope that helps!
Randy

 

So it would seem the rear sway bar upgrade would improve the turning only, and is, in essence, a partial "sports suspension" upgrade then? So it would be an upgraded handling without the additional harshness over bumps that the springs/suspension upgrade introduces? Is that accurate?

 

Yep - you have it. I ordered mine with the Sport Suspension, because I think with new tires, the ride will be fine. If you are VERY concerned about harshness, then get the standard suspension and upgrade the rear bar only - if you do both, you end up with a flatter car that still understeers.

Hope that helps!
Randy

 

Here's a total NOOB question: What's understeer vs. oversteer? And are they desireable in any circumstances?

 

The sport mode also effects the steering. Makes it tighter/quicker, and probably heavier at slow speeds. You may want to turn it off when parking, going slow in heavy traffic.

Mark

 

Fortunately, a well designed car does not suddenly break into a skid. As the tyre approach their traction limits, they tend to slip sideways across the road. The angle between the tyres actual path and its natural path is called its slip angle. This gives the driver advance warning that the front/rear of the car is in danger of breaking loose and starting a skid.

If the rear tyres approach their traction limit more rapidly than the front, then the effect is for the rear of the car to steer a wider path than the front wheels. This rotates the car more than the driver intended and, if nothing is done, leads to the car turning a smaller radius corner. When this occurs the car is said to oversteer.

If the front tyre approach the traction limit more rapidly, the effect is that the front of the car takes a wider radius curve than the driver intended. The car is said to understeer. Understeer is safer than oversteer. If the car understeers, and no correction is made the result is a wider corner than intended, but the car remains stable. If the car oversteers, the turn made has smaller radius than intended. The smaller radius produces higher cornering forces bring the required traction even closer to the limit of the rear wheels, and thus causing even more oversteer. The situation becomes worse until the rear wheels lose grip completely; the car spins and all directional control is lost.

 

Wow. That's a great response. Thanks R56!! Makes perfect sense.

So the question I come back to is: For someone who is getting an MCS for a fun car, a daily commuter while also going out for the occasional drive looking for "the twisties" here in Florida (all TWO of them)... how much upgrading would I really want? It sounds more and more like the standard is probably all I'd need, if not already in excess. The Mini will be an upgrade from a Honda Civic, which (while not a BAD handler) is not overly exciting to drive. I'm not sure I'd ever see the benefits of the rear sway bar, or the sports suspension. I un-spec'ed the sports suspension (as I'd heard it was a pretty harsh ride) and it sounds like maybe even the rear sway wouldn't be of much benefit to me aside from braggin' rights. And I think the car itself will provide plenty of those. :-) (Well, it AND the Aero kit!)

 

I would get the car and see what you think, then go from there. If you start to get involved in "spirited" driving on the road, or track days or an occasional auto-x, then you may want to consider the rear bar at that time.

Sounds to me like you may just want to feel out the car as it is first to see if it satisfies your needs in OEM form .

Hope that helps!
Randy

 

Only the front end of the sunroof slides back...also the thicker the swaybar is the heavier it gets and some people choose to have convenience and comfort first before performance.

 

Randy,

I hope the shocks and springs change when you order the sports suspension but I have a feeling they won't. According to the 2007 Product brief which dealers have just now received within the past few days (I'll quote verbatim):

Sports Suspension
MINI Cooper: Optional MINI Cooper S: Optional

In addition to the standard transmissions for the Next Generation MINI, a sports suspension version is available as an option for both models. This suspension features thicker anti-roll bars, which places the Next Generation MINI even closer to the extremely direct driving behavior of a genuine go-kart.

***
That is the total of what is said about the sports suspension. It doesn't mention shocks or springs.