Cooper Annihilated !

[aaronc]

Came up against a cooper yesterday at the lights, i was 3 up.....he decided to boot it on the amber light so 2 cars length in front.......so i accepted his challenge and foot planted shot past him coming out of 2nd slammed into 3rd now about half a cars length infront, then into 4th at 91 to see him about 4 cars lengths behind me!

Obviously those coopers aint that fast?

what sort of power these pushing out?.....dint think it was a cooper s

aaronc

 

[R3OBC]

115-120bhp i think............... 1.6 16v. Cooper S has a big scoop in the bonnet.

 

[RobFenn]

I hate the new minis, i ordered my dad to sell my mums a while back! They have no room inside, the switchgear is tacky, not cool! The engine is poo and it maybe good handling but it has too much grip, no fun!

The cooper s is for men wishing to get in touch with their femine side. Its all cute and cuddly with a f**king ugly snout on the bonnet.

 

[clean16v]

ooh, i absoloutely murdered one yesterday!! had my girlfriend in car and he was on his own. i was chilling on bypass and as soon as he overtook i told my GF he will want a race. i murdered him, then chilled out, he shot past again so i killed him AGAIN. he wouldnt leave it till i absoloutely toasted him on a long straight. they are poo slow

 

[RSTDL]

Kinda easy to annihilate a cooper at the end of the day and a cooper s come to think of it! Porsches are the best races and beemers!

 

[Ben H]

I think Aaron that your 16v would have put in a much, much better show than the Cooper if youd had a good start and not had passengers.

The Cooper really isnt any quicker than a 1.8 or 2.0 NA saloon car. So armed with your Valvers low 7s to 60, you would have beaten it to a pulp. I fancy that yours would at least as quick as a Cooper S, since it runs high 7s to 60 and about 22secs to 100. Thats not as good as a 16v, let alone a 172.

 

[rt172]

Cooper-S runs better than "high 7s" to 60. My old 172 would do 60 in low 7s and 100 in about 18.5. I met up with Cooper-S boy and discovered that the performance is nearly identical (to over 100mph). I actually really liked the S. Having said that, the normal Cooper is just 9.6 seconds to 60, so it stands to reason that a Valver would kill it....right?!

Rhys

 

[Ben H]

I guess comparison on the road is the only way to really settle things - which it seems youve done! I was going on what magazines have said really, so what I was saying doesnt hold the weight of real experience - although most of the Cup/Cooper S reviews have said that the Cup (which isnt that much faster than the 172) is a lot faster than the Cooper S.

You must be really lucky to have a 205 GTi and a Williams - two of the finest hot hatches ever. Its hard to look to the future and see whichh of the current crop of hot hatches will be hailed as classics as the 205 and Willy have - but Im sure the 172/Cup has a better chance than the Cooper S.

 

[rt172]

Cooper-S boy gave me a passenger ride in his S and the handling just feels amazing even from the passenger seat. Dont know whether itll be a classic.....I guess well have to wait 10 years and see! My 172 was a MK2, so maybe a MK1 or a Cup will be noticeably quicker than the Cooper-S. Well have to wait for someone else to have a "road test" against one before we find out....My 172 felt much quicker and more nimble with 45kg of weight removed from it....

Not sure whether Im lucky or cursed to have these cars. Due to pick up the Willy on Wednesday now, and the 205 is currently parked up on a friends driveway awaiting an overhaul of its brake system. Cant get the bloody brake caliper piston thingy back in to fit the new pads onto the shiny new discs. Cant wait to get it going though. Handles so well . Dreading the Willy repair bills already!

Rhys

 

[Ben H]

Yeah, youd better get handy with the spanners if my experience with a 16v is anything to go by.

Ive not driven my 16v in a month now, mainly because Ive been treating it to some proper love while also keeping it away from salt/stone chips as much as possible this winter. The wheels are away at the moment being refurbished and I had all the bodywork imperfections seen to a few weeks ago, so it should be perfect soon!

 

[Sangy]

My missus has a Cooper and although they are indeed poo slow, they are very nice inside and not a bad drive as long as you dont wan tto race anything. I like the little thing but for what it is, its a rip off!

 

[RobFenn]

I know once youve specced it up your into real BMW money!

 

[matt_arundale]

it is only a 1.6

 

[Ben H]

When the new Mini first came out, I liked the look of it and I think that a Cooper makes a good companion for life; rather than an out-an-out hot hatch like the 172.

True, its a fairly expensive small car when specd up - but I think they only make minimal profit on them due to the expensive rear suspension. If they were after glory, then they should have found a better engine unit than the Chrysler one (though I bet its very cheap).

My main reason for not being so keen on them now is the buyer profile. Not becuase I would resent buying a car that is the darling of the middle class woman, but becuase it makes residuals rock solid! Not what I expect, unless its a rare car of pedigree and taste - like a Williams, Clio V6 or Delta Integrale.

The Cooper S seems to me to be a car with a confused image: hardcore on the one hand, but too limp wristed on the other. I think hot hatch fans like me prefer their dose of fun served up in a more familiar package!

 

[CooperS-Boy]

Rhys...Cheers for the back up mate and if anyone else fancies a friendly blast I will be up for it as I was the night I met Rhys and the other lad off here.

Rhys...BTW next time we meet I should have 210bhp+ going through the front wheels as the Hartge kit is on its way shortly. There is a nice review of it in EVO this month.

For the record I have murdered many VTSs as every c*nts got one but never come up against a valver as you lads on here call them. Cant see there been an awful lot of difference??

 

[RobFenn]

That hartge pack is very interesting, and cheap for the money..especially since hartge arent known for bargains. The 18s look wicked too, though i already know the ride with 16s is sh*t so i cant imagine how bad 18s would be. I notice almost every S owner has the 17s which dulls the turn in, one of the major pluses of the mini which suggests most owners are posers opposed to enthusiasts?

Your mini would of course beat a VTS and on a B road with two average drivers id expect it would be close between a cup and an S. However the cup is more of a challenging drive and must be hard to get bored of, something in my view which all hot hatches should offer.

 

[Ben H]

Id not under-rate the VTS - I know I used to. Im sure the Cooper S would obliterate it in mid-range acceleration, but it would be a very tough challenge off the mark. Citroen/Peugeot are famously conservative with their bhp and accelerative timings. There are very many VTRs badged up as the VTS out there.

 

[RobFenn]

I feel the opposite, performance of them are overrated, and i believe their lightness and the fact there is little inertia means they give an impression they are faster than what they really are.

 

[Ben H]

The VTS weighs 970kg and does 0-60 in 7.7 and has a top speed of 120mph.

The Clio 16v/Williams weighs about 980kg and has a similar 0-60, though a top speed of 130+ (for the Willy anyway).

AdiClio16vs 16v recently raced Craggys VTS and was beaten fair and square - not by much and there was doubt about Adis gbox. But it was still beaten. There are videos for this.

I still dont really like it, and nor do you, but the VTS is a quick car.

 

[RobFenn]

That could all be down to who got the best start though, those tests are b****cks unless the same driver tests both cars.

 

[rt172]

Cooper-S - When does the Hartge kit arrive? Seen a review in some mag (not evo, cant remember which) and it says the Hartge-S has something like 181bhp/tonne! Think it sounds like a bargin compared to the BMW works package. Will look forward to pitching Williams against Cooper-S, but I dont hold out much hope against 210bhp. Arse....!

Rhys

 

[CooperS-Boy]

At the moment there is a 15 car wait at Birds who fit it. Each car is tipically in for 3 days for fitting and testing according to Birds. (Seems like a long time to me!!) I am trying to sort out a compromise with BMW about warrenty and TLC service pack. Maybe if I offered to purchase there side skirts off them for 450 quid it may help me in my quest!! SO at the moment I am aiming for having it fitted and back on my drive in 6 weeks time. Looking forward to seeing the Williams mate and heating the tyres up a little!!

 

[teady172]

Quote: Originally posted by CooperS-Boy on 21 January 2003


if anyone else fancies a friendly blast I will be up for it





Paddy that sounds like a challenge! If I can keep up with a 200BHP, 240lb//ft chipped Cupra, there no way a lowly 163 BHP is going to scare me!!

I think a modded Cup/172(i.e the mods coming from R-Sports), will keep the cars on an even playing field, when you mod yer Cooper-S!

P.S I may have asked you this before, but are you mn_angrybeats from the EVO forum!

 

[CooperS-Boy]

You have asked me that many times Ted and now I am not mn_angrybeats.

 

[telford_mike]

CSB - you HAVE to bring that thing to York this summer once the mods are done.... We should be having a big day out from here at some point.

 

[CooperS-Boy]

Will do mate.

 

[petes]

I was impressed with the Cooper S when I test drove it. VERY linear power, fantastic driving position, kart-like handling (though bumpy b-roads unsettled it a little).

What put me off? FAR too expensive.