Quote:
Originally Posted by BabyDiesel
I speak for everyone here when I say that we avoid idling at all cost. You get 0 mpg when sitting at a stoplight, stop sign, traffic, parking lot, etc. This is where changing routes and timing lights pays big dividends.
The stock weight for your MINI is 2678 lbs. I'm curious to know how you have dropped nearly 400 pounds out of that car.
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Thanks BD. After doing more reading here, you are indeed correct. Idle or die, lol. I can see how some even wish to even cut their engines off at times; seemingly not ideal in all situations, and with certain cars, but I understand the motivation now...
As one might be able to surmise from my initial post, I've modified my MINI (larger injectors), with track performance in mind. Fun little cars, even on the canyon roads where we live. Hoping to hit Laguna Seca at some point, probably after I get the new home remodeled...
That said, the car has been a build of sorts. While I've increased the engine's output, the staple has been a steady diet of weight loss. The figure I have for a starting point is 2,513 pounds (Google that number and MINI Cooper). I confirmed that at a truck scale soon after purchase. Thereafter, I've had a couple corner balances. I'm currently at 2,292 pounds. A target of 2,250 seems doable...
I won't list everything, but wheels and tires alone, a little over 50 pounds. The stock runflats are heavy, and wheels are boat anchors. Within a few weeks after purchase, realizing that none of my friends or family would feel comfortable in the back seat, that was removed and sold. Corresponding hardware, belts, etc removed. Stock battery at 34 pounds replaced with a 12 pounder. Removed the battery box too that the exhaust had to snake around, which paved the way for a straight exhaust. My notes show a 35 pound savings there. Oh, A/C gone too (23 pounds). There are more such changes, but to give an idea as to the extremes, I took-out the interior carpet, and with a heat gun, removed a few pounds of sound deadening material. Same inside the doors too. I of course put everything back so it looks nice of course, not gutted. I temporarily removed the headliner and did some surgery to find and remove heavy brackets in place for a roof rack...
The car currently has a weight to hp (bhp) ratio of about 8.8. It will be around 7 to 7.5 when done, which is pretty good company:
The 2014 Audi TTS is at 12.3, the 2014 Subaru WRX STi is at 11.1, the 2014 Nissan 370Z is at 9.3, 2014 Ford Mustang is at 8.6, 2014 Corvette is 7.6, Chevy Camaro Z28 is at 7.6, the 2014 Porsche GT3 at 6.6, and the 2014 BMW M3 is a little over 8.
Light is good, in many respects. Braking is vastly improved too, as well as the suspension (responds quicker with less mass). There is less wear and tear in general...
To see the car getting about 40+ mpg is not a surprise I suppose, but still great to see, as that is what I had hoped. I originally got the SC2 to monitor water temps (installed an EWP) and intake air temp (a new IC I had designed) and had not made time to look at fuel efficiency until recently...
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the SG clears this data, called recent trip data, after the car has been off for a minimum of 3 minutes. 
you probably already knew that though. I need to get to bed!!
