Minor Note – Oil Change

Changed the oil @ 3027 miles today. This is the start of what I plan to be a comprehensive engine oil comparison test. OEM fluid is coming out and getting sent to Blackstone, and the next oil I am testing is Pennzoil Ultra 5w30. Also did a transmission fluid change, for which I am making…

Mini UOA #1

Started this test to determine for myself what works for my driving and my Mini. Decided to test various different oils, varying amounts of autox runs and miles, to see if I could determine whether one actually is clearly better than the other. All oil samples are sent to Blackstone Laboratories for testing. I’ll upload…

Advanced AutoX Drivers School – Rantoul

Event 3 was Rantoul’s annual driver’s school, the first of CCSCC’s that I have ever attended. Overall, the event was very well run and very well organized, and I think the students and instructors were paired up well. I was paired up with my codriver from the 3/29 Rantoul event, so we were able to pick up…

Starting the Season On a High Note

The wait is finally over. This weekend was the start of what I’d been waiting for since the end of September, through the bitter cold, all the parts ordered and installed! CCSCC 3/29/2014 First event of the year was a bit of a cold one – probably never broke 40 degrees, and I ran during…

Fat Cat Motorsports Suspension Is In!

As alluded to, I installed a new suspension on Thursday night (3/27) with the help of the St. Louis MINI Club. I wanted to wait on posting until I got some more driving impressions in as well as an autocross event (more on that later). Thanks to a loaner garage, we were able to take…

New Shoes

Got a lot done yesterday, starting the updates slow: Brand new Enkei RPF1s in Silver, wrapped in beefy Dunlop Z2’s! A while back, I was debating between 205/50 & 225/45 – now that I see the 205s on the 16×7 wheel, I’m glad I went with them. There’s not too much bulge, and the fitment…

Dampers are here!

Lot of mini updates, but the dampers are here! Sort of. Just a few last minute adjustments to make on them. Then the struts currently on the MINI will be disassembled, reassembled onto these new springs and dampers, and installed into the MINI. Will be doing the RSB at the same time. May look into…

FSB is IN

Big thanks to the St. Louis MINI Club for helping me out with this – this would have been a terrible (impossible) job on my own. We mainly followed these instructions. Luckily we finished the job in under 5 hours including a nice lunch break. A lot of work just for ~2mm. It feels marginally…