Great deals on Stage Kits this week!

MINI Cooper Stage Kits on sale this week!

USTCC RACE #2 AND GTS3 THUNDERHILL RACEWAY WILLOWS CA. 5-30/31-9

Vincent Parker driving the MiniMania/ BayBridge Motors #96 Mini Cooper S competed with NASA this weekend in the USTCC (United States Touring Car Championship) and GTS (German Touring Series). The Mini was running stronger than ever since getting an engine management error code fixed with the help of Mini Mania and Niello Mini. Luckily 2 weeks before the race while at the Mini Mania annual “Nevada City Adventure” the car was put on the dyno and showed poor results, down 20-30 whp. Scans showed a fault code and with the help of Hans Dinse, the service manager for Niello Mini in attendance at the event, he offered Niellos assistance by having the car diagnosed at Niello. They found a faulty fuse circuit and were able to repair it quickly. Off to the races.

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Check out my Slide Show!

Save 18% Thru Monday!

NCA ‘09 Photo Galleries!

Nevada City Adventure 2009 Gallery!

buy a print!

See the Slideshow!

Funkhana Video!

Dyno Video!

More Minis From NCA 09 on Mini Mania’s facebook page!

Check out my Slide Show!

Should Mini Mania build an Electric MINI Cooper E+

Just a thought and sure Mini Mania would like your thoughts!
Should Mini Mania finish an experiment of their own?

http://www.minimania.com/web/threadid/98750/msgthread.cfm

Wine Country Classic Sign-Up!

Infineon Raceway is are offering REME and the Mini community a “PRIME” spot in the paddock area, like last year. They would like 40 MINI/Minis (20/20) if possible. Please note while the Porsches, Jaguars, Bentleys, BMWs, Audis, and the rest are parking on the hillside on gravel areas, our Minis will be front & center in the pits, on smooth pavement. We will be next to the food booths, bathrooms, and smack in the middle of all the great vintage racecars and drivers.

Let’s make an effort to get a LARGE group of Minis there. Please contact your freinds and let them know. We need to get as many classic Minis as possible.

We can purchase tickets from Infineon Raceway through Redwood Empire Mini Enthusiasts at a discounted price of $52 per person for a two-day pass which will includes our Mini corral in the paddock area. If we purchase a minimum of 20 tickets, we qualify for a Mini corral. The $52 price is per person, not per Mini. We would like to get 40 MINI/Minis, including at least 20 classics. We need your Paypal payment by May 15. Make Paypal payments to paypal@redwoodempiremini.com note Wine Country Classics on you payment.

Once we have met our minimum 20 tickets for the corral, individuals can purchase tickets directly

Retail tickets are $60 and can be purchased from the track or Ticketmaster.
Ticket master: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1C00417AC3BC4AAA?artistid=1309992

Last year’s event pics here .

10 Stunning MINI Photographs

UFO

Miami MINI - HDR

Sommer 180°

MCS.

Mini Cooper, John Cooper Works Edition

A.A.A // Ausfahrt am Abend in Austria

Mini Challenge Sandown 2008

Parking Garage

Dennis Noten

((MINI))

Help Those In Need: Bring A Bag Of Groceries to NCA!

Every year, the staff at Mini Mania delights in helping a charitable group, and with the difficult economic times upon us, we thought supporting our local food bank and sponsoring a food drive would be a great way to help our community. We know Mini owners have a big heart when it comes to lending a helping hand. So this year we would ask if you could bring one grocery bag of non perishable food to the event where it will be collected and distributed by the Inter Faith food bank in our local area.(suggestions are: cereal, soup, canned goods, etc.) We thank you in advance for your participation and support.

find out more about NCA ‘09!

Mini Mania is having a site-wide 15% off sale Wednesday & Thursday of this week!

This will be a 48 hour sale. If you’ve been waiting for some big savings, this is it!

The sale starts on Tuesday, April 15th and ends April 16th at midnight.

http://www.minimania.com

The MINI Cooper S Automatic is NOT for Wimps!

All I can say is WOW!  I have made it a personal point to never put myself in a position of being called a ‘car salesman’ and thus the following needs to be put into this perspective.  I had my first drive today in a 2009 MINI Cooper S ‘Automatic’!   Now I would like to think that I am perceived as a real car nut!  In fact I have been racing a Mini Cooper of one type or another for the last 35+ years! Yes, that is a long time but then….

While I still occasionally drive one of my classic Minis on my commute to work, my usual daily driver is a ’07 MINI Cooper S.  While the MINI has a few modifications such as the Sprint Booster, performance exhaust, Turbo muffler delete, etc. the MINI Cooper S is close to stock.  As much as I have grown to really appreciate the torque and overall performance of the latest turbo MINI, it has suffered from the well know ‘death rattle’ for some time.  Our local dealer has been great in his best efforts to arrest the problem but alas it has again had to be taken back for what we all hope is the ultimate fix.  The bottom line is that as the problem as now been recognized as a potential warranty issue, a loaner car was established as acceptable.  While in the past the second best car provided as a 3-series BMW, this was a special occasion and a 2009 MINI Cooper S ‘Automatic’ was the loaner of choice.

The bright Yellow MINI Cooper S automatic had all of 17 miles on the odometer as supplied before our 60 mile trip home.  As a fellow gear head and occasional visitor to Mini Mania, the service advisor assumed that no instructions were needed and thus the start of the experience.

While the ‘key’ to start the motor looked similar to the manual MINI Cooper, with no clutch to engage before pressing the start button, the obvious choice of depressing the brake pedal brought it all to life.  The next step was how to move the gear lever from park to drive.  First tried pulling and pushing- nothing worked!  So after a closer look I found an area in front of the gear lever that serves as a lock for lever movement.  Finally got into gear with no clutch I hit the gas!  Ugh! Not a good start.  The engine acted like an old fashion engine that needed a little choke at first.

We’re off!    Still in the parking lot and thus still no feel for the car.  After another stop which felt strange without a clutch pedal, another cold start resulted in yet another engine choke.  But, acceleration was very brisk and before I knew it I was moving fast enough to understand that the road feel was MINI through and through.  So while still on the twisty bits of the road, I spotted the “M/S” on the gear lever housing- it hit the lever to the left and the indicator on the dash changed from “D” to “DS”.  The engine now seemed to really come to life and all of sudden I could not tell it was an automatic.

While still on the twisty bits I spot the strange paddles on the inside edge of the steering wheel- one on the left and one on the right!  My natural tendency was to press them any way I could.  Using my fingers on the back of the paddles had not apparent effect.  Then I realized that the simply process of hitting the front of the paddles with my thumb resulting a very smooth down-gear.  It became clear that hitting one of the paddles resulting in a gear change down while hitting the back of the paddle up-shifted the transmission.

So “experimentation” was for sure the next plan.  Six speeds provide a wide range of choices that are available in either the “D” or “DS” modes.  The design of the automatic is such that you can simply allow it to do its own thing or use the paddles to direct it!  And this is where the “WOW” comes in!  While the automatic clutch is not ultra quick as is it not possible to initiate any wheel squeals upon changing gears, it is possible to scare yourself as to how quick it all happens.  Up-shifting or down-shifting by a tap on the pedal is very, very quick and can be downright exciting.

Once one of the paddles is hit, the manual part of the automatic is engaged and shift activation is in manual control.  This can be both fun and dangerous.  For those of us that are more use to a manual clutch with the finite time required from depressing the clutch to moving the shifter to releasing the clutch, the speed of gear change in the automatic is a bit unnerving.  And most of all it can be done without lifting off the throttle.  While it is possible on the race track to change gears with little or no throttle lift in a manual MINI Cooper, it is never done when driving on the street.  The Automatic MINI Cooper S creates a whole new sense of control and speed.

If someone had asked me a week ago to take an Automatic for a test drive I would have made any excuse to not be bothered!   What a mistake, the best thing you can do as a MINI owner is to try this new experience!  All I can say is the MINI Cooper Automatic is not for wimps!  (Motor-on ladies as most of you are the fortunate ones to have the pleasure of driving one of these daily!)

Latest T-Shirts from Mini Mania

New T-shirts designs from Mini Mania are now available.
Unique and fresh design are available in limited quantity.

MINI Cooper CATALYTIC CONVERTER INFORMATION

The exhaust header for all the new MINI Coopers and MINI Cooper “S” from BMW have the catalytic converter built into them. The replacement of the original stock header with any aftermarket header is limited by the Federal Clean Air act, as outlined below. Thus it must be understood that replacing a stock header with one from any aftermarket supplier, even those with catalytic converters, can only be done if intended for off-road use only. MORE CURRENT INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND HERE!

CONDITIONS FOR REPLACEMENT

To any person repairing or installing any exhaust system, the Clean Air Act, as amended 1990, requires that:

AFTERMARKET CATALYTIC CONVERTERS MAY ONLY BE INSTALLED IN THE FOLLOWING SITUATIONS:

1. If the vehicle is missing a converter; *

2. If a State or local inspection program has determined that the existing converter has been lead-poisoned, damaged, or otherwise rendered ineffective and needs replace-ment. Retain a copy of this statement from any government inspection or enforcement agency for your records;

3. If the vehicle is over five (5) years old, or has more than 50,000 miles, or eight (8) years old or 80,000 miles for 1995 and newer model vehicles, AND a legitimate need for replacement has been established and documented.* This situation normally would include only plugged converters or those damaged to the point where unrepair-able exhaust leaks are present. See * DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS below.

Catalytic converters are emission control devices which are designed to last the life of the vehicle and do not normally require replacement. Furthermore, if the vehicle is properly used and maintained, original converters are covered by the emissions control warranty for 5 years/50,000 miles, or 8 years/80,000 miles for 1995 and newer models. Federal law prohibits any person from replacing these devices except under limited circumstances (listed above).

• DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS

In order to establish and document that the circumstances permitting replacement of an original or missing converter with an aftermarket converter meeting the required performance criteria exist, the Installer must complete the INSTALLER’S WARRANTY SHEET. The installer and the vehicle owner must sign the statement establishing and documenting catalytic converter replacement justification.

- A copy of the completed warranty sheet must be attached to the invoice and retained by the installer for six (6) months.

- Also, the replaced converter(s), if any, must be retained by the installer for at least fifteen (15) days from the date of installation.
- The installer must install each replacement catalytic converter according to EPA policy, as described in the INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS.

Drawing for free Dyno Testing at NCA 2009!

Come and join your friends at the 8th Annual Nevada City Adventure, May 16th and enter a Free drawing to have your Mini/MINI Cooper tested on a Dyno! The Nevada City Adventure is a great annual event , this year in support of the “California Food Bank”! The event this year include a ‘people’s choice’ car show, a ‘Funkana’, Socializing, Local driving tour, Free Lunch AND the opportunity to have your Mini/MINI Cooper tested on a Dyno!

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Mini Cooper 5-speed Transmission

The MINI 5-speed gearbox GS5-65BH found in the Cooper models (non-S) built between 2001 and July 2004 is commonly referred to as the R65 or ‘Midlands 5-speed’ Gearbox.

The front mounted transverse configuration was a major design challenge when it came to the length of the engine/gearbox unit. In designing the MINI, maximum crash safety and therefore optimum configuration of the longitudinal members in the engine compartment and front body section were priorities. This requirement imposed an additional limit on the permitted length of the engine/gearbox assembly. Because the length of the engine is largely fixed, depending on the spacing between the cylinders, the length restriction on the powertrain as a whole determines the length available for the gearbox.

There was therefore no room in the MINI’s engine compartment for a conventional two-shaft gearbox with all the gears arranged one behind the other. BMW had wanted the car to have a Getrag gearbox, but the original UK engineers put in the R65 gearbox instead, because it was $170/car cheaper, more compact with a two-shaft as opposed to a three-shaft layout, and no inherent cyclic vibrations, so a mass damper was not needed.”

The R65 was an existing major component, which was already being manufactured on the Longbridge site, and was in large scale use in other Rover Group front-wheel-drive cars. Originally a PSA (Peugoet-Citroen) design, it was well-proven, and well thought of.

Chris Lee (MINI Product Leader ‘96-’99) and his team stuck to their convictions, produced rafts of evidence regarding costs, performance and service experience. Back-to-back tests, evaluations on the road and comparisons of torque capacities were all made. In addition, major improvements to the R65’s change quality, a reduction of free play and healthy attention to warranty claim records were all needed before Rover’s R65 won the argument.

Although not widespread, there have been numerous reports of failures with the R65 Midlands gearbox over the years. Compounded with MINI USA’s policy to replace instead of repairing these gearboxes with factory rebuilt units, the owners are faced with hefty repair bills from their local MINI service centers.

Fortunately, repair parts are available for the R65 Midlands gearbox from suppliers such as Mini Mania Inc. Qualified independent transmission repair shops are able to repair these gearboxes at a fraction of the cost of replacing the entire gearbox.

Mini Cooper 5 speed transmission

MINI vs. SUV?

Tips for Saving Fuel

By Joe Wiesenfelder

If you’re not ready to buy a more fuel-efficient car, you can still save money in a number of ways in whatever vehicle you drive. Cars.com provides the tips and dispels the myths.

Revive the Classics

The biggest fuel savings comes not from hybrid technology but from the old standards: car pooling and public transportation. If you and just one friend or neighbor trade off commuting to and from work, you cut your fuel …
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This week only! Save 10%*

When you use this Promo Code:FREEMINI
*Not applicable to special order items or items already on sale. Expires 2/14/09

Save 10% now!

Casual Autocrossing the MINI Cooper

Autocrossing has been a popular competitive sports car activity since the earliest days of sports car driving in the United States. Offering a competitive atmosphere and the opportunity to challenge your own driving ability and the car’s capabilities, these events provide adrenalin-boosting excitement and the chance to improve your driving skills under very safe conditions.

An autocross is a race against the clock over a course laid out in a large open, paved area, such as a stadium parking lot, or occasionally on an auto racing track. The course is marked out by plastic traffic cones, and typically will include one or two longer straightaways, often ending in abrupt turns, tight and loose curves, and at least one section that requires the driver to weave in and out of a straight line of cones. Because the cones are plastic, if the driver strays off course, no damage will be done to anything except the driver’s score and ego.

Typically at an autocross, all participants will have the opportunity first to walk through the course to figure out how best to navigate the turns and curves in the most rapid means possible. Then, running one at a time, each participant will have two or three opportuniti…

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New Brake Cooling System under Test

Performance Mini Cooper Brake Cooling System upgrade for your front brakes reduces peak operating temperatures for improved braking performance. Greatly reduces brake fade with stock brakes and lowers peak temperatures on big brake kits. This kit is recommended for track use.

The PBCS diverts high velocity air from under the lower control arms and directs the flow to the rotor. This track proven set-up greatly reduces peak operating temperatures for consistent and predictable braking performance throughout an event.

The PBCS for the MINI uses a design commonly found on Porsche and BMW track cars. Unlike other kits that require ‘cutting’ of the bumper and inner panels, this is a complete ‘bolt-on’ kit that requires NO modifications to your MINI. This is a track set-up due to reduced clearance under the inlet scoop. If the car is driven to the track on the street, we recommend you remove the inlet scoop to prevent possible damage from road debris – you simply remove a hose clamp and zip ties to remove the scoop.

This kit consists of a pair of custom high quality TIG welded black anodized backing plate, a pair of highly durable Polyethylene Intake scoops designed specifically for the MINI, 500°F Silicone ducting, and all hardware for a complete installation.

This product is currently only available for the first generation of the BMW MINI Cooper (2001 thru 2006 models) but the great news is that testing is now under way to provide a kit for our later models!  Keep an eye on the New Products page of Mini Mania.

Celebrating 210 Years of Mardi Gras!

Check out our Mardi Gras Sale!