How the other half lives

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After nearly a year with my Mini, I finally got a drive in a Cooper S with 16" wheels last Friday. I’m now pretty sure that my 17" S Spokes were the wrong choice. Bummer, huh?

Before going for the spin (thanks to Gary of Robertshaw Racing, btw), I was only expecting to be blown away by the car’s 200bhp John Cooper Works conversion. I’d completely forgotten about it having smaller rims than my own car. Admittedly, the extra power was pretty bloody impressive too, but it was the feel through the steering wheel that left the bigger impression. The car felt massively more nimble — exactly as you’d expect a Mini to feel, given its many glowing reviews. By comparison, you have to fight against the steering on 17" rims, but there was no such resistance on 16s. In fact, the response was such a revelation that memories of driving the Puma came flooding back and I had to fight off a silly grin.

So then, what now? It rather looks like it’s time to budget for a full set of wheels and tyres. That’s gonna hurt. And then, maybe, there’ll be a small supercharger pulley — the extra urgency of the JCW was something quite special. And then maybe a One-Click ECU modifier. Hmmm... is this the start of a slippery slope into proper performance mods? Maybe... just maybe. :)

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