cmcveay

I learned to drive in a 2 Ton Ford Flatbed truck and graduated to a Caterpillar D-9 Bulldozer and a Massey-Ferguson Tractor. After that, it was anything I sat in! That probably explains many of my driving habits. I usually opt for Neutral with my foot on brake.

I've got all of the supplies needed for the R56 Beltline blackout. I'm not working Friday.

Ali, The "other guy" and Haemish are both right. When you are sitting stationary with the engine running and the clutch depressed, you aren't actually wearing the clutch, you are working the throwout bearing or whatever device your vehicle has in it's place but if you are going to be sitting for a few minutes, I'd let the clutch out and take the pressure off of it. If you did a poll of people who drive standard transmissions and you asked 50 people which is right, you'd probably get 25 for either side of that response. Another issue is accident liability. If your car is in gear and your foot is on the clutch and brake, an investigator will argue that you are at fault if you are hit from behind and hit the car in front of you (the person who hit you would be at fault for your damage/injury). If your car is in neutral and you are on the brake (better yet, with the parking brake set), your car didn't accelerate (when your foot came off of the clutch) to hit the other car. In Most of Europe, drivers are taught to apply the parking brake when they stop at a light or they are stopped in an intersection.

I can only agree with everything that Haemish said. I think a great round of applause should also go out to each and every person who participated. You were all polite and respectful to people who have been working on this event for months (the first

Just packed the car, having some toast and then off to da rally!

The guys at Moss were great today! They were all ready for us and gave a nice tour of the facility. Their upholstery operation was pretty darn neat to see. What a spread of food they put on! Well worth the trip even though I didn't buy anything but

Ummmmm.... A a few...

It's more like rubbing/polishing compound for plastic. I have glass polish, I'll bring it with me this evening.

Marty and I are going to meet in Woodbridge and head down. Meeting at WaWa Store #661 13355 Minnieville Road Woodbridge, VA 22192 Planning on rolling out of there at 7:30 If anyone wants to join up with us, all are welcome!

Math skills? Okay, count me out. I'd have to drive without my shoes on! Can you hear the banjo in the background?????

HEY! THAT'S NIGEL!!!! Before the stripes!

Had a very similar experience when replacing the rotors on Ali's TIGGER. I put some liquid wrench on it and let it sit for a while and then used a propane torch to heat the rotor for expansion. After that, I put my Torx in an impact wrench and it came right out. Best of luck with it!

Chief, I think your choice of wheels on your MINI is AWESOME! Of course, one look at mine and you'll see that I like the blacked out look... Now we just need to work on that beltline chrome! Just kidding, great choice though. What tires did you decide to go with?

That is one NICE looking ride! A member?

I'm with ya JAB. I'm sure "any grease monkey" wouldn't mind jumping under it to have a go but that doesn't mean they have any idea what they are doing. I'm happy to take my free oil change from MINI and I'll have Dan and the guys do one or two between those freebies. As far as synthetic, both of our cars now require it per manufacturer specs so that's what goes in.

Tagged two MINI's at Whole Foods. The first was parked next to us - a CR/B Cooper S with "MINI MYZ" plates. The other was a MY 1st Gen and here's a picture. Love the plates on it!

Ali, Here are a couple of links for programming new keys for 1st Gen MINI's. Doesn't sound all that hard to program the key, Of course, if you only want it for starting the car, you wouldn't have to do all of that, you'd just have to have the key cut to fit. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_program_a_2005_Mini_Cooper_remote_key http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/electrical/97315-program-key-in-r53-how.html http://www.ehow.com/how_5839775_program-keyless-remote-mini-cooper.html

I can't argue the logic of Haemish's post above. The 205/55R-16's that I was running were really comfortable and they handled well but they were just a little "deaf" when it came to listening to what I wanted them to do. Now, I'm running 235/40R-18's I can say that the shorter sidewall/lower profile tire, feels like I've still got that nimble response. Running a 40 profile tire with better than average adhesion has ended up making a difference. I've also played around with the tire pressure and I've found a range (within 2 psi) that gives me that quick response, a more comfortable ride and if I want to go autocross it, I get great handling there too! If I really want to get aggressive in autocross, I have to drop the pressure about 4 psi and it's ready to go. Soooooo much information and sooooooo many choices!

Stopped at the corner of Little River Turnpike and Braddock road this evening. A guy in a red Clubbie made the turn and when he saw us, Lona thought we must have known each other! He got a huge grin and started waving like crazy!

I will vouch for the selection that Dan has and the prices are good too. I've had a couple of sets of tires drop shipped to Mach V so I was able to roll in and out pretty quickly with the new "shoes" on the car. I'll get on the spreadsheet for you as soon as I finish folding laundry! Edit: Okay, laundry is done. The attached PDF lists all of the tires mentioned in previous posts so it includes run flats and non-run flats. I sorted the list based upon the overall diameter. I stayed at 195 and 205 for both 16" and 17" wheels and I listed everything from 40-55 profiles. All of the specs are from Tirerack.com, as are the prices. As far as wheels, I've had a set of the Rota RB's (Black with polished lip) which were stolen and I replaced them with the Rota Torque (gunmetal) because they cleared the brake kit that I installed. I do like the RB's, they have a very classic look to them and a couple of other members have them now. I would have gone with the Team Dynamic wheels but I don't remember what changed my mind - they weren't in stock or something but I was looking for instant gratification so my field of view was pretty narrow. The Rota MC's are also really nice looking and I think Dan still has a set of them on the Mach V mini.

You've got choices in 16" and you'll save money by not having to buy new wheels so that's one advantage. By going to 17 or 18" wheels, you have more options. If you'd like, I can put together a spreadsheet that lists the "specs" on tires and compare them to your originals. I did that when I was deciding what size tires I wanted to go with. More or less, it comes down to what kind of tire you want - Run Flat or Not - Summer or All-Season and then wheel size and then tire size. I'd say you would be very safe in going no larger than 205/50R as it'll keep the diameter close to factory and it shouldn't have any issues with rubbing anywhere. The slightly lower profile will still handle well but you'll notice an improvement in the quality of the ride. The two biggest decisions would be the Run Flat or not and the wheel size as they will have the biggest impact upon the cost of the tire (unless you decide to go with one of the more exotic (expensive) tires.

Soon, I'll have to start charging for my time!

Here's the info on the location: Do It Yourself Mechanics 21606 Cedar Lane Ste 100 Sterling, VA 20166 Phone: 703.421.8855 Fax: 703.421.1896 Email: info@ditymechanics.com

Chief, Do you want to stay with the Runflats? I run non RF all-season tires and they did great in the snow, no problems in the rain and I even auto cross them where they do great so far. Since I don't have a spare, I do have a small 12v compressor, tire plug kit and a bottle of "Slime" that I keep in the boot. It all fits in the cargo net so it's not rolling around. I've also got AAA in case I really can't repair the tire. As far as tire size goes, your options are pretty much limited by the 16" wheels and the kind of tire you decide to go with. Your OEM tire has a section width of 7.9" and a diameter of 24.4 (according to the specs for it). You can go about .5" wider without any worries about rubbing and your diameter can "grow" a little (I'd say no more than 24.9" diameter). My Cooper S is lowered and I'm running 235/45R-18's with no problems. I went with that size to put the most rubber on the road that has the OEM diameter (they are about .2" larger) and substantially wider. I can vouch for the Kumho's, I'm running Ecsta ASX's on the MINI and Lona has the same tires on her 350Z. They seem to be wearing very well with about 8,000 miles on them and 7 days of autocross.

+1 on the DIY shop! The tools are all first rate (mostly Craftsman) and the equipment in the shop is top notch. They do have everything you need for MINI oil changes, tires (change, balance (low profile and run flats)), A/C servicing. The shop is super, super clean as well. I felt bad laying on the floor to do something as I left a bit of "grime" on the floor where I was laying! Ed carries B-12 chemicals and they have their own version of Sea Foam. He's got an outside area and he has no problem with folks doing a "carbon flush" on their engine as long as it's outside of the building. The shop is also less than a 1/4 mile from Mach V if you decided to buy parts and you just can't wait to put 'em on your ride!