Josh Wardell’s MINI Cooper S

This weekend I ripped apart the dash yet again and added another of Ian Cull’s excellent circuits. It allows me to toggle the traction control from my steering wheel.

There are times when your traction control kicks in when you are pulling into traffic and need to get moving but it robs engine power for several seconds even after the tires get traction. You can’t look away from the road to toggle it off. But a quick flick of the steering wheel button would immediately cancel it.

I also suspect that during an AutoX–where I already use Ian’s MINICircuit to permanently keep DSC off for the day–that the DSC’s independent corner brake control might do a better job than a human in holding through a slalom. Speed should be held the same so the lack of engine power should be OK during those few seconds. But you can’t take your eyes off or hands off the wheel during an intense autocross… So on my next one on Oct 1 I will experiment to see if switching DSC on quickly just for the slalom sections and immediately back off on exit will allow for a higher speed through the slalom.

The 2-spoke MFSW has a rear middle button on the left side that isn’t used. The problem is the wheel’s buttons do not have their own wires to splice into, they communicate their presses onto the MINI’s iBus network. The stereo and the engine computer see the messages and change function or cruise control respectively. So it takes Ian’s excellent iBusRemote circuit to decode the signal and watch for that button. I had to solder the output and power wires from this board onto my existing MINICircuit as pictured above. After some Sneakers-like signal searching with an oscilloscope to the connectors behind the Radio, I found and tapped the remaining wire into the iBus.

It is working perfectly. I can toggle the DSC on and off very quickly. I can’t wait to make use of it at the next autocross, and for some fun in the snow too!

I’ve always considered the MCS as “Having your cake and eating it too.”–It can be powerful and sporty, but if you want you can also get great gas milage due to the small car and small engine. For the past two weeks, and especially in the last few days, I have been taking advantage of that, trying as hard as possible to conserve gas, almost as a game.

As you know I log all my gas usage, averaging just under 24mpg. Most of my driving is my commute where I usually get only about 22mpg. I haven’t driven anywhere else in the past week or so, and I’ve been trying to see how much I can stretch my gas on that same commute, half as an experiment, and half to delay my fillup until after Labor Day when prices will hopefully settle down slightly.

I’m now 3/4 of the way through the tank, and have been achieving a constant 29.4-29.7 on the OBC (subtract 2-3 for real); so that is an improvement of about 5mpg. (Keep in mind I have a JCW 210 MCS…others should see much higher milage)

Here is what I have been doing, you may want to keep the same advice in mind during these times:

-Accelerate slowly. Pretend you are a Toyota. In fact, purposely get behind one if you can. Make use of those six close ratio gears to stay under 2k rpm until you’re in 6th.
-Feather the gas pedal lightly. Try to do the same with the brakes if possible as well. Downshift a few times before coming to a stop.
-I’ve been driving 10-15mph slower than my peak highway speeds during my usual commute. Take a break from passing everyone for a while.
-Try to resist the temptation to show up most V8s on the road 🙂

As I have always done I watch and log prices at bostongasprices.com. Their server (which runs all of the gasbuddy.com affiliates) has been taking a hit lately as suddenly many more have discovered it and are joining in. The benefit is that there are price listings for many more stations and they are updated more often. I use them every time I get gas, to know before I head out who is cheapest. I log and analyze my gas usage in their fuel logbook. I’ve also started logging them in myautolog.com, as recently mentioned by Ian, which lets you compare yours to other MINIs and other car models.

And remember, there is no gas shortage. There’s no reason to wait in line or stock up. And keep a smile on your face so all those angry SUV drivers can clearly see how little gas you’re using.

In memory of Ed “MaxaMini” Smith, many of us have been installing rubber duckies on our antennas. As you can see I found the perfect one!

Ed unexpectedly passed away on July 28th. He was one of the most personable MINI fanatics, and spread cheer in every way he could. His signature was leaving rubber duckies everywhere. You’ve probably noticed tons of them in past photo galleries.

We are also trying to develop a duck tracking site in the style of Where’s George, where you can track a duck’s travels. Have a look at maxaminiducks.org. It’s in memory of Ed and will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

I found my duck at ILoveDuckies.com, and snagged a few others for future use. It has a steel plate in the bottom to make it float upright…which unexpectedly lead to hours of drilling so I could mount him on the antenna! But it was well worth it. His checkered flag alone adds a good 5hp. 😉

DBMINI recently posted about detailing and linked to another wax test that I did not know about. Historically I have often referred to the NSX Magazine wax tests when discussing waxes (This shows Zaino trouncing even a $100 bottle of Zymol). But this newer RoadFly Forums test confirms what I have often been telling people: You don’t need to go through the hours of work and multiple steps to see the huge benefits from Zaino.

If you’re confused by all this here’s the simple summary: Most car waxes are just that; wax. The better/more expensive ones use higher percentages of carnuba wax or beeswax. But it is just wax afterall, and wax melts away easily. Zaino was introduced several years ago, and really is not wax. It is a chemical polymer. In fact it’s better to think of it as a protectant. It doesn’t melt away like wax, it lasts for months. It protects your paint better from chemicals, acid rain, ultraviolet light, etc. However it is not sold in stores aside from a few dealers and of course their own web site. Recently, Meguire’s released their NXT Wax, which finally brings a polymer wax to the general public. Many people are impressed as it does beat wax waxes, but all tests have shown it is still no Zaino.

A point I have often made in forums and blog comments is that Zaino can be simple. Many are turned away by the method of achieving the absolute best from it, multiple coats of various zaino products with an hours of drying time etc. The roadfly test illustrates what I have said for a while: You will see most of the benefit of Zaino with just one coat, with just a half hour of your time. Of course, multiple coats and hours detailing will look better, but you don’t have to do that if you aren’t nuts. (Yes, I know, many of us are…)

What I have done with my MINI and my previous car is that for my first wash in the spring, and again late summer, I do the nuts many-hour several-coat zaino detail. Once a month after a normal wash, it is just one coat of Z2. That’s very reasonable.