View Single Post
Old 09-18-2013, 02:55 AM   #122
EAGLE5
Dismember
 
EAGLE5's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Drives: 2013 Red Scion FR-S
Location: Castro Valley
Posts: 5,562
Thanks: 2,153
Thanked 4,002 Times in 2,157 Posts
Mentioned: 43 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Garage
Quote:
Originally Posted by fatoni View Post
i dont think that its so much of a fwd vs rwd thing. off of the showroom floor the cooper is a car that is relatively balanced and i think balance is what its all about. for me personally, i define handling as doing what i want, when i want it and keeping me informed all along the way. the cooper can be very good at that. on the other hand there is probably a comfort zone type deal going on.
The Mini understeers because it's got 62% of the weight over the front and is FWD. Those front wheels have to pull and turn.

The twins are 53% on the front, I think. Then the front wheels only have to steer, not pull. Better balanced.

Confidence comes from many different places. Lack of roll is one, but the twins don't roll especially much. Grippier tires on the Mini? Familiarity? Seating position? Size versus the width of the road?

After having a Mini Cooper S loaner for a few days, I'm not a fan. I was underwhelmed. Then again, it probably didn't have the sport kit. I suggest a track day. Then you can really learn what you've got.
EAGLE5 is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to EAGLE5 For This Useful Post:
DAEMANO (10-04-2013), WolfpackS2k (09-18-2013)