| Acknowledgments
Introduction |
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| Part 1 – Buying Your
New MINI |
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| Read Part 1 Intro |
| Chapter 1 It's All in the Breeding |
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Your Basic Compact Front-wheel-drive Economy Car |
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John Cooper Had Another Idea |
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End of the Old; Birth of the New |
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| Chapter 2 What Kind of Motoring Do You Want to
Do |
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A MINI Like No One Else's |
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Where Do You Want to Go in Your MINI? |
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How Fast Do You Want to Get There? |
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| Chapter 3 Tips on Filling Out Your MINI Order
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Cooper or Cooper S? |
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Tintop or Ragtop? |
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Premium, Sport, and Cold Weather Packages |
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John Cooper Works Tuning Kit |
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Getting the Right Rubber for the Road |
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Other Accessories and Choices |
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| Chapter 4 Driving Fast Safely |
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Good Driving Starts Before You Turn the Key |
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Look Ahead, Think Ahead |
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Going Fast Safely is All About Stopping |
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| Part 2 – MINIS
for Streets and Roads |
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| Read Part 2 Intro |
| Chapter 5 Getting to Know Your New Best Friend |
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We're Serious: Read the Manual |
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Take a Course in MINI Motoring |
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Join Your Many MINI Friends |
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| Chapter 6 Improving Your New MINI |
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What's to Improve? |
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The Basics of Internal Combusion |
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The S Should Stand for Supercharger |
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A Shopping List of Basic Improvements |
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Cold Air Intake System |
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Making the Supercharger More Super |
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Electronic Throttles, ECUs, and Fuel |
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Performance Spark Plugs |
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Exhaust Improvements |
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The Total Engine Upgrade Package |
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Improving the Handling |
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Other Upgrades for Your MINI |
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| Chapter 7 Advanced Street Driving Skills |
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Making the Car Do What You Want |
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When the Car Doesn't Go Where It's Pointed |
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Front Wheel Drive |
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The Best Way Around the Corner |
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Smoothness and Focus |
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What About Crisis Situations? |
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| Chapter 8 Taking It to the Track |
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Torque, Power and Gearing |
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Shifting Gears |
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Heel and Toe Downshifting |
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The Cornering Line |
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Motoring On |
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| Part 3 – Serious
MINIS for Track, Autocross and Touring |
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| Read Part 3 Intro |
| Chapter 9 What Can We Do Next? |
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Backroads Touring |
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Club Track Days |
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Casual Autocrossing |
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Just Do It |
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| Chapter 10 Making Your MINI More Responsive |
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Getting More Bite from Your Brakes |
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Getting Faster Response |
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Planning Your Improvements |
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| Chapter 11 Better Handling for Road, Track or
Autocross |
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Performance Spring and Shock Upgrades |
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Ride Height, Camber and Toe |
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Anti-Sway Bars to Reduce Understeer |
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Front and Rear Strut Brace Kits |
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One at a Time or All at Once |
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| Chapter 12 Finding a Few More Horses |
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Getting More Bang for Your Buck - Electrical Upgrades |
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Throttle Body Upgrade |
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Improving the Intercooler |
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What to Do When |
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| Chapter 13 Increasing Reliability and Safety |
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Protecting the Soft Underbelly of Your MINI |
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Making Sure the Engine Stays Cool |
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Protecting the Old Noggin |
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Safety Belts |
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| Chapter 14 Track Day Driving Techniques |
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Before You Come to the Track |
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Types of Corners |
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Stitching the Corners Together |
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Blind Corners |
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Corner Workers and Safety Flags |
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Wet Tracks and Slippery Pavement |
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Track Day Safety |
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When You Get in Trouble |
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If It's Risky, Why Go to a Track Day? |
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| Chapter 15 Basic Autocross Techniques |
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Principles of Autocrossing |
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Finding the Fast Line |
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Starts and Finishes |
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Setting Up the Car |
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You Can Learn a Lot by Watching |
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| Chapter 16 Touring The Back Roads |
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When the Route is Brand-new |
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Be Ready for the Unexpected |
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Emergency Equipment for Your MINI |
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Get Off the Beaten Track |
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| Part 4 – Competitive
Motoring |
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| Read Part 4 Intro |
| Chapter 17 When Going Faster Becomes a Passion
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Class Competition in SCCA Autocross |
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On-Track Time Trials |
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Organized Track Day Programs |
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Club Racing – Almost the Real Thing |
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| Chapter 18 Competition Upgrades for Your MINI |
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Finding Even More Horsepower |
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Snappier Response |
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More Stopping Power |
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Reducing Wheel Spin in Cornering |
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Better Cornering Performance |
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Safety Items for the MINI |
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Driver Safety Equipment |
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| Chapter 19 A Primer for Novice Racers |
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Preparation is Half the Battle |
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When the Green Flag Drops |
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Passing on Corners |
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Track Etiquette and Common Sense |
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Keeping Cool in Chaos |
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