Cooper S vs. GT

[quicksilverdon]

Have to put my money on the Mini S.

[robinjoe]

The mini is lighter, but it's not that much lighter. The weight to HP ratio of the Mini S is 2678/163 = 16.4.
For the PT GT its 3182/215 = 14.8.
The PT has a better power to weight ratio, and at lower RPM, so it seems happier about it.

If you put your girl in the passenger seat, the power to weight ratio moves even more to the PT GT's favor. And what's the point of haveing a fast car if you can't impress your girl?

I've heard about a 200 HP mini, but I guess that's with a lot of mods.
I got my data here: http://researchyourcar.com/

PS, I'm a real novice, so please excuse any missteps in this post.

Here's my car:
http://www.pbase.com/robinjoe/pt_cruiser

[RallyDRock]

jramosGT knows whats up. All you 1/4 milers just dont have the skill to know how to turn and stop with finesse, its all about weight transfer. All you do is floor it and bang gears.
Real racers turn left AND right

[KingKole02]

Power to weight ratio.
Do you want higher or lower numbers?
It confused me when robinjoe said "If you put your girl in the passenger seat, the power to weight ratio moves even more to the PT GT's favor."

I would assume that the number would become larger, which I thought was not as good as low numbers? [:I]

Confused [xx(]

[PTGT_Boy]

quote:Originally posted by RallyDRock

jramosGT knows whats up. All you 1/4 milers just dont have the skill to know how to turn and stop with finesse, its all about weight transfer. All you do is floor it and bang gears.
Real racers turn left AND right

It's false to think that all 1/4 milers don't have the skill to know how to turn and stop with finesse. As much as it is false to say all real racers don't understand how to shift in the 1/4 mile. Giving equal skill in drivers, the car becomes the limitation. Everyone knows that a Cooper S is going to win on the twisties as well a PT GT can run straights.

Real races happen on the track, where you need a balance of both worlds. The mini can do exceptionally well given that the track doesn't emphasize alot of straigths. Street races you will see more straights than twisties. This is were the PT GT has advantage on straights.

I disagree on the real racers turn left and right. Rather real racers know their situation, type of car, and skill level.

[robinjoe]

[quote]Originally posted by KingKole02

Power to weight ratio.
Do you want higher or lower numbers?
It confused me when robinjoe said "If you put your girl in the passenger seat, the power to weight ratio moves even more to the PT GT's favor."

I would assume that the number would become larger, which I thought was not as good as low numbers? [:I]

That's correct, but the power to weight ratio of the PT would get worse more than the PT.

Mini S alone is 2678/163 = 16.4
PT GT alone is 3182/215 = 14.8
This means the PT has an 11% better power to weight ratio with two occupants than the Mini (16.4/14.8 = 1.11)

Mini S with 2 people, each weighing 150 lb is 2978/163 = 18.3
PT GT with 2 people, each weighing 150 lb is 3482/215 = 16.2
This means the PT has a 13% better power to weight ratio with two occupants than the Mini (18.3/16.2 = 1.13)

This is because the PT has more weight to begin with. Think of loading a 747 with 5 people. It would hardly notice the difference, but if you put 5 people in a Cessna, it would certainly have to work harder to get off the ground.

[robinjoe]

[quote]Originally posted by KingKole02

Power to weight ratio.
Do you want higher or lower numbers?
It confused me when robinjoe said "If you put your girl in the passenger seat, the power to weight ratio moves even more to the PT GT's favor."

I would assume that the number would become larger, which I thought was not as good as low numbers?

++++++++++++ Reply by Robinjoe+++++++++++++
Sorry for the confusing previous post. hopefully this is a little more readable:

That's correct, but the power to weight ratio of the Mini would get worse to a greater degreee than the PT.

Mini S alone is 2678/163 = 16.4
PT GT alone is 3182/215 = 14.8
This means the PT has an 11% better power to weight ratio with two occupants than the Mini (16.4/14.8 = 1.11)

Mini S with 2 people, each weighing 150 lb is 2978/163 = 18.3
PT GT with 2 people, each weighing 150 lb is 3482/215 = 16.2
This means the PT has a 13% better power to weight ratio with two occupants than the Mini (18.3/16.2 = 1.13)

This is because the PT has more weight to begin with. Think of loading a 747 with 5 people. It would hardly notice the difference, but if you put 5 people in a Cessna, it would certainly have to work harder to get off the ground.

[TaylorMade]

Kinda off topic, but... My friend has a Mini, but with a less powerful engine. The one with less than 120 horses (don't know much about minis) And i own a naturally aspirated cruiser. He says he would smoke me in a race because his car is so much lighter. Is this true? I know he'd beat me, but not by much, right?

[Mike-in-Orange]

quote:TaylorMade Posted - 05/27/2004 : 9:24:19 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kinda off topic, but... My friend has a Mini, but with a less powerful engine. The one with less than 120 horses (don't know much about minis) And i own a naturally aspirated cruiser. He says he would smoke me in a race because his car is so much lighter. Is this true? I know he'd beat me, but not by much, right?

Here's what I'm thinkin.....the PTGT has about 50HP more than the Mini Cooper S and most likely wouldn't beat it by much. You car only has 30HP than your friends Mini.......you'd probably get him off the line as I believe you a have a fair amount more torque than he does, but he'd most likely take you pretty well in the 1/4.

[TaylorMade]

Yeah it sucks