mini cooper s update

[rmd]

i'd been thinking that i should find a big empty parking lot with snow on the ground to play around with the mini since i haven't really driven it thru winter. and this evening, while driving home, i passed by a big open parking lot on the tufts campus that (unlike most modern parking lots) was not afflicted by an excess of curbs, mid-lot lights, or other impediments to fast driving, attempted skids, and donuts.

it's really hard to get a good skid in this thing -- between the dynamic stability control and the antilock brakes, it's really quite manuverable. it occurred to me once i was home that the one thing i didn't try was a bootlegger-type turn with the hand brake, so i'll have to try that some time. but fast acceleration, fast stops, hard turns both with and without acceleration... i definitely have a better feel for driving it in snow. and my god, it's fun. at least when it's in a parking lot and not the open roads... :-)

Comments

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

one of the office-park parking lots in Waltham near the Westin Hotel served us Biker Skum well when we did a skills training/review session last, um, August or something.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Yah, I wanted to show bedfull_o_books how to do a bootlegger turn yesterday but she politely declined. :)

[aephemera.livejournal.com]

I've been driving my Mini Cooper S Convertible for a few week now. Haven't tried anything crazy, though. Not yet.