Bit of Advice on cooper s
Discussion
Hi guys! Thought id introduce myself 
Im 21 and currently own a mrk 2 mx-5 and am thinking of selling it soonish. Reason for selling is mileage and i fancy something a bit different.
So ive allways had a soft spot for the cooper s but would like some advice on the background. Am i right in saying some have a supercharger and some have a turbo??? And is there anything major to look for when viewing one??? People seem so say great things about them
Any advice would be great!
Ben
Im 21 and currently own a mrk 2 mx-5 and am thinking of selling it soonish. Reason for selling is mileage and i fancy something a bit different.
So ive allways had a soft spot for the cooper s but would like some advice on the background. Am i right in saying some have a supercharger and some have a turbo??? And is there anything major to look for when viewing one??? People seem so say great things about them
Any advice would be great!
Ben
Dodd90 said:
Hi guys! Thought id introduce myself
Im 21 and currently own a mrk 2 mx-5 and am thinking of selling it soonish. Reason for selling is mileage and i fancy something a bit different.
So ive allways had a soft spot for the cooper s but would like some advice on the background. Am i right in saying some have a supercharger and some have a turbo??? And is there anything major to look for when viewing one??? People seem so say great things about them
Any advice would be great!
Ben
The original S had a supercharger and the current one has a turbo. Both are 1.6 engines and the turbo car is much better mpg, but is more expensive to buy. Mine is a 2004 R53 JCW which manages 26.9 mpg. Very firm ride partly due to run flat tyres, in fact the Cooper with 16" rims is a beter ride and cheaper to run.Im 21 and currently own a mrk 2 mx-5 and am thinking of selling it soonish. Reason for selling is mileage and i fancy something a bit different.
So ive allways had a soft spot for the cooper s but would like some advice on the background. Am i right in saying some have a supercharger and some have a turbo??? And is there anything major to look for when viewing one??? People seem so say great things about them
Any advice would be great!
Ben
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_MINI
This page has a brief overview of the models and when they were introduced.
Cooper S comes in two main varieties:
There's a big difference between the nature of the two cars as the later ones are less pointy, trading turn-in for a better ride and fuel economy. Depends really on what you are looking for when replacing the MX5; if you are doing lots of motorway miles, the R56 is better suited to long distance cruising.
If you like tuning, there are far more third-party accessories for the earlier models.
One thing you will notice coming from an MX5 is the torque steer.
As a pure driver's car the MX5 is probably more fun, but I can see how you might want a small hatch for the convenience and comfort.
- R50/R53 with a supercharger
- R56 with a turbocharger (September 2006 on)
There's a big difference between the nature of the two cars as the later ones are less pointy, trading turn-in for a better ride and fuel economy. Depends really on what you are looking for when replacing the MX5; if you are doing lots of motorway miles, the R56 is better suited to long distance cruising.
If you like tuning, there are far more third-party accessories for the earlier models.
One thing you will notice coming from an MX5 is the torque steer.
As a pure driver's car the MX5 is probably more fun, but I can see how you might want a small hatch for the convenience and comfort.
RVVUNM said:
I'll second that, or get a Civic Type R.
Totally disagree, the Civic is totally drab and grey in comparison. The Mini would certainly have it covered on the handling front, and if in turbo form, out right pace too.Granted the engine in the CTR is a cracker, but looks and interior are truely second rate IMO.
The Supercharged Mini is fantastic fun, but from experience needs a 15% pulley (if standard 163 or 175bhp form) to give it the pace it should have, in Turbo form they are very quick for what they are.... (our old R56 Cooper S would sit alongside a remapped Focus ST all day long up to 100 leptons), and handled brilliantly. Only criticism I would have for both generations would be the hard ride on the rft's...
Having an ST with 280 bhp and a JCW R53, I would disagree with the claim of keeping up. My ST is ballistic compared to the mini. I have also driven a new R56 S and although quick, nowhere near as grunty. It would run circles round the ST on the twisties though and when the runflats die and normal tyres are fitted even more so......
Justin S said:
Having an ST with 280 bhp and a JCW R53, I would disagree with the claim of keeping up. My ST is ballistic compared to the mini. I have also driven a new R56 S and although quick, nowhere near as grunty. It would run circles round the ST on the twisties though and when the runflats die and normal tyres are fitted even more so......
Have u changed from run flats then? If so is the ride improvement as good as I have read?
SLacKer said:
Have u changed from run flats then? If so is the ride improvement as good as I have
read?
No not on ours. mate has Toyo Tr1's on his and the crashing has gone and some comfort is also there. Ours came with 4 new tyres in the last 4 months fitted wneh we got it. Thought I would just wear them out as a set and change them all at some time.read?
Dodd90 said:
Cheers for the feedback guys! Well ill prob get the spercharged cooper s because i seem to be adicted to the wyne And thats the sort of budget i have. Are they fairly reliable and is there anything i need to watch when or if owning one???
Cheers!
Main things are: Well ill prob get the spercharged cooper s because i seem to be adicted to the wyne And thats the sort of budget i have. Are they fairly reliable and is there anything i need to watch when or if owning one??? Cheers!
- Power steering pump. Motor whine during slow speed manoevering is normal (all part of the charm, sir); failure causes very heavy steering and the car's undriveable for lesser mortals.
- Coolant reservoir. The S system is pressurised and that exposes a weakness in the bottle's seams which tend to split. There are aftermarket tanks in stainless or alloy.
- Clutch bearings. Lots of noise that changes as you press/release the clutch pedal.
- Avoid the CVT auto; when it goes, it's a sealed unit at £000s to replace.
ETA: Here's the expansion tank I was thinking of: http://www.gtt.uk.com/Enginebay.asp Almost prepared to buy an old S just so I can fit these shiny gewgaws under the bonnet
Edited by sad61t on Friday 15th July 08:42
The GTT expansion tank (along with a couple more bits from them too) does the job & looks good too.
I part ex'd my old Civic Type R for my 2003 R53 MINI (which already had the Hartge 200 bhp conversion fitted (15% pulley + re-map) & haven't looked back, the car has been one of the most reliable i've ever had, mpg isn't the best but it's been tuned so that is to be expected. 6 years of ownership & I still have a huge smile on my face;)
.I part ex'd my old Civic Type R for my 2003 R53 MINI (which already had the Hartge 200 bhp conversion fitted (15% pulley + re-map) & haven't looked back, the car has been one of the most reliable i've ever had, mpg isn't the best but it's been tuned so that is to be expected. 6 years of ownership & I still have a huge smile on my face;)
Well I assure you, having seen said ST on a rolling road (it made 255bhp 323lb ft torque) I promise you over a 30 mile drive there is nothing in it.
I'm not into willy waving at all and we don't have the car anymore so I have no allegences, and I guess with 280 yours would be a tad quicker, but our R56 Cooper S was certainly an equal match up to 100mph. Thye are properly fast little cars.
Our current R53 felt slow until we had the 15% pulley, belt, plugs etc etc fitted - that now makes 200ish and feels nicely quick, albeit a totally different power band...
I'm not into willy waving at all and we don't have the car anymore so I have no allegences, and I guess with 280 yours would be a tad quicker, but our R56 Cooper S was certainly an equal match up to 100mph. Thye are properly fast little cars.
Our current R53 felt slow until we had the 15% pulley, belt, plugs etc etc fitted - that now makes 200ish and feels nicely quick, albeit a totally different power band...
Hartge, a very pretty engine bay. Still regret passing on a checkmate when I went in to spec the R56 Cooper. Went for the better mpg and insurance, but given I only do 3k a year the depreciation far offsets a doubled fuel bill. Ho hum, I'd have probably spent the money on tweaking it anyhow. The milled alloy GTT strut brace is fabulous, form and function.
Chr1sch, nearly mentioned the dip-stick (sounds as if you may have been caught out?). Worth changing it every three ?years just in case, cheap compared to the damage it does once it drops into the sump. The R56 solves this by encasing the end in an orange plastic torpedo, but I find that almost impossible to read the level as the oil is so thin it just wets all of it, daft design (must blame the tool...).
Dodd90, think you may have gathered that the R53 is the enthusiasts' preferred choice
Chr1sch, nearly mentioned the dip-stick (sounds as if you may have been caught out?). Worth changing it every three ?years just in case, cheap compared to the damage it does once it drops into the sump. The R56 solves this by encasing the end in an orange plastic torpedo, but I find that almost impossible to read the level as the oil is so thin it just wets all of it, daft design (must blame the tool...).
Dodd90, think you may have gathered that the R53 is the enthusiasts' preferred choice
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