Friday, October 3, 2008

Other Upgrades for Your MINI Cooper

There are a number of other upgrades that might be appropriate right now to improve your MINI’s performance on the street. Some of these for you to consider include the following.

Mini Cooper Short shifter kit. Reduces shift lever movement required to change gears, which improves shifting performance and provides more satisfying shift action.

Improved Mini Cooper brake pads. Better brake pads, such as Greenstuff pads, will reduce brake dust, decrease brake pad heat, and provide more brake bite.

• Spark enhancement systems. Various products, such as the Plasma Booster, can improve spark to provide more efficient combustion, increasing horsepower and smoothing out acceleration.

High-performance Mini Cooper street clutch. Provides quicker and more positive clutch take-up, using steel-backed organic clutch disc, high-clamp pressure plate, and modified throw-out bearing. Reduces transition time when shifting gears, increasing acceleration.
We’ll review these additional enhancements in more detail in the next chapter when we discuss upgrades that are appropriate for drivers who occasionally use their cars on the autocross course or on the race track at club track days.

Right now, we’ll suggest that you wait until you’ve had the chance to take a driving course and have had the experience of driving on a closed course, before you think about changing brakes, shifter, or clutch. You may be quite happy with the car’s performance right now, and decide that you don’t need all the thrills that high speed and competition can provide.
However, if you find that you enjoy the time you spend on the track, want to hone your skills further, and are already finding that your clutch, brakes, and shifting aren’t quite what you want, then you can seriously consider these additional upgrades.