2009 MINI COOPER wheel

Adjustments
34
Steering wheel
Adjustments
Do not adjust the steering wheel position
while the car is in motion, otherwise there
is a risk of accident due to an unexpected move-
ment.<
1.Fold the lever down.
2.Move the steering wheel to the preferred
distance and angle to suit your seated posi-
tion.
3.Swing the lever back up.
Do not use force to swing the lever
back up, otherwise the mechanism
will be damaged.<
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REFERENCEAT A GLANCE CONTROLS DRIVING TIPS MOBILITY
39
Automatic transmission
1.With the car at a standstill, move the selector
lever to position P.
2.Press the start/stop button.
3.Forcefully apply the parking brake.
Parking brake
The parking brake is primarily intended to pre-
vent the vehicle from rolling while parked; it
brakes the rear wheels.
Applying
The lever locks in position automatically.
Releasing
Pull slightly upwards, press the button and lower
the lever.
In exceptional cases, if the parking brake
has to be used to slow or stop the car, do
not pull the lever up too hard. In doing so, con-
tinuously press the button of the parking brake
lever.
Otherwise, excessive force could lead to over-
braking and loss of traction, i.e. fishtailing, at the
rear axle.<
Manual transmission
When shifting into 5th or 6th gear, press
the gearshift lever to the right. Otherwise
the engine could be damaged if you inadvert-
ently shift into 3rd or 4th gear.<
Reverse gear
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary.
When the gearshift lever is pressed to the left, a
slight resistance has to be overcome.
Automatic transmission*
with Steptronic
In addition to the fully automatic mode, you can
shift gears manually using Steptronic, page40.
Parking the vehicle
To prevent the vehicle from rolling, always
select position P and apply the parking
brake before leaving the vehicle with the engine
running.<
Removing the key
1.Move the selector lever to position P.
2.Switch off the engine.
3.Remove the key.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + –
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Driving
40
Displays in the tachometer
P R N D DS M1 to M6
The selector lever position is displayed, or the
current gear in the manual mode.
Changing selector lever positions
>The selector lever can only be moved out of
p o s i t i o n P i f t h e i g n i t i o n i s s w i t c h e d o n o r t h e
engine is running: interlock.
>Before moving the lever away from P or N
with the vehicle stationary, first depress the
brake; otherwise the selector lever will
refuse to move: shiftlock.
To prevent the vehicle from creeping
after you select a driving position, de-
press the brake until you are ready to start.<
A lock prevents accidental shifting into selector
lever positions R and P.
Overriding the selector lever lock
Press the button on the front of the selector
lever, arrow.
P Park
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary.
The transmission locks to prevent the drive
wheels from turning.
R Reverse
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary.
N Neutral
Select this when you are in a car wash, for exam-
ple. The vehicle can roll.
D Drive, automatic position
Position for normal vehicle operation. All for-
ward gears are selected automatically.
Under normal operation conditions, fuel con-
sumption is lowest when you drive in position D.
Kick-down
Kick-down enables you to achieve maximum
performance.
Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the full-
throttle resistance point.
Sport program and manual operation
M/S
Move the selector lever from position D to the
left into the M/S shifting slot:
The Sport program is activated and DS is dis-
played.
Shifting with the selector lever
Push the selector lever forward or pull it back to
activate manual operation. Steptronic shifts the
gear.
>Pull the selector lever in the + direction.
Transmission shifts up.
>Push the selector lever in the – direction.
Transmission shifts down.
The tachometer displays M1 to M6.
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REFERENCEAT A GLANCE CONTROLS DRIVING TIPS MOBILITY
41
To use the automatic mode again, move the
selector lever to the right into position D.
Upshifts and downshifts are executed only when
they will result in a plausible combination of
engine and vehicle speed; thus, for example, a
downshift that would cause the engine to over-
rev will not be executed by the system. The
selected gear is displayed briefly, followed by
the actual gear.
Shifting on the steering wheel
With the selector lever in position D, automatic
drive, you can shift gears using the shift paddles
on the steering wheel. The transmission auto-
matically switches to manual mode.
If you do not shift gears with the shift paddles or
accelerate for a certain amount of time, the
transmission automatically returns to D, auto-
matic drive.
>Pull one of the shift paddles.
Transmission shifts up.
>Push one of the shift paddles.
Transmission shifts down.
M1 to M6 is displayed in the gear indicator.
Overriding the selector lever lock
Should the selector lever refuse to move out of
position P although the button on the selector
lever is pressed, the selector lever lock can be
overridden:1.Unclip the sleeve of the selector lever.
2.Pull the sleeve up over the selector lever
until the sleeve is inside out. Disconnect the
cable connector if necessary.
3.Take the hub cover remover1 out of the
onboard tool kit and insert it in the loop on
the front passenger side.
4.Pull the loop up.
5.Move the selector lever into the desired
position by pressing the button on the front
of the selector lever.
Turn signals/
headlamp flasher
1Turn signal indicator
2Headlamp flasher
Using turn signals
Press the lever beyond the resistance point.
To turn off manually, press the lever to the resis-
tance point.
Unusually rapid flashing of the indicator
lamp indicates that an indicator bulb has
failed.<
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REFERENCEAT A GLANCE CONTROLS DRIVING TIPS MOBILITY
45
Cruise control*
The concept
Cruise control is available at vehicle speeds of at
least approx. 20 mph or 30 km/h. The car then
stores and maintains the speed that you specify
using the button on the steering wheel.
Do not use cruise control when driving at
constant speed is prevented by adverse
conditions, e.g. winding roads, dense traffic or
poor road conditions due to, e.g., snow, rain, ice
or loose surfaces. Otherwise you could lose con-
trol of the vehicle and cause an accident as a
result.<
Activating
1Resuming cruise control
2Activating/deactivating cruise control
3Maintaining, storing and increasing speed
4Maintaining, storing and decreasing speed
Indicator lamp in the speedometer lights up. The
cruise control system is ready and can be acti-
vated.
Activating/deactivating cruise control
Press button 2.
In addition, the system is automatically deacti-
vated:
>When the brakes are applied
>When the clutch is depressed
>When the automatic transmission is in selec-
tion lever position N
>When the driving stability control system is
activeCruise control is not deactivated by depressing
the accelerator pedal. Once the accelerator
pedal is released, the stored speed is achieved
again and maintained.
The stored speed is cleared when the ignition is
switched off.
Maintaining current speed
Press button3.
The system maintains and stores the current
vehicle speed.
If, on a downhill grade, the engine braking effect
is not sufficient, the controlled speed may be
exceeded. On uphill grades vehicle speed may
drop if the engine output is insufficient.
Increasing speed
Press button3 repeatedly until the desired
speed is reached. Every time you press the but-
ton, the speed increases by approx. 1 mph or
2km/h.
Accelerating using the button
Press and hold button3.
The vehicle accelerates without pressure on the
accelerator pedal. After the button is released,
the driving speed is maintained and stored.
Decreasing speed
Press button4 repeatedly until the desired
speed is reached.
The functions here are the same as for increas-
ing the speed or accelerating, except that the
speed will be decreased.
Resuming a speed stored beforehand
Press button 1.
The last speed stored is achieved again and
maintained.
The stored speed is cleared when the ignition is
switched off.
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REFERENCEAT A GLANCE CONTROLS DRIVING TIPS MOBILITY
57
Antilock Brake System ABS
ABS prevents locking of the wheels during brak-
ing. Safe steering response is maintained even
during full braking. Active safety is thus
increased.
Braking safely, refer to page85.
Among others, ABS includes the following func-
tions:
>Cornering Brake Control CBC
>Electronic brake-force distribution EBV
>Brake Assist
Cornering Brake Control CBC
Driving stability and steering characteristics are
further enhanced while braking in turns or dur-
ing a lane change.
Electronic brake-force distribution EBV
The system controls the brake pressure in the
rear wheels to ensure stable braking behavior.
Brake Assist
Rapidly depressing the brake causes this system
to automatically develop maximum braking
force. Thus, the system helps keep braking dis-
tance to a minimum. At the same time, all the
benefits provided by ABS are exploited.
Do not reduce the pressure on the brake for the
duration of the full braking application.
Dynamic Stability Control DSC
DSC prevents the driving wheels from losing
traction when you pull away from rest or accel-
erate. The system also recognizes unstable driv-
ing conditions, for example if the rear of the car
is about to swerve or if momentum is acting at
an angle past the front wheels. In these cases,
DSC helps the vehicle maintain a safe course
within physical limits by reducing engine output
and through braking actions at the individual
wheels.DSC also encompasses the following functions:
>Antilock Brake System ABS
>Electronic brake-force distribution EBV
>Brake Assist
>Cornering Brake Control CBC
>Hill Start Assist
Deactivating DSC
Press the button repeatedly until the DSC indica-
tor lamps come on. DSC is deactivated. Stabiliz-
ing and propulsion promoting actions are no
longer executed.
When driving with snow chains or to 'rock free'
in snow, it can be helpful to switch off DSC for a
brief period.
To increase vehicle stability, activate DSC again
as soon as possible.
Activating DSC
Press the button again: the DSC indicator lamps
go out.
For better control
If the indicator lamp flashes:
The DSC controls the driving and
breaking forces.
If the indicator lamps are on:
DSC is deactivated.
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Technology for driving comfort and safety
58
Dynamic Traction Control DTC*
DTC is a type of DSC that is propulsion optimized
for special road conditions such as uncleared
snowy roads. The system ensures maximum
propulsion though with restricted driving stabil-
ity. You therefore need to drive with suitable
caution.
In the following exceptional situations, it can be
useful to briefly activate DTC:
>when driving on snow-covered inclines, in
slush, or on uncleared snowy roads
>when rocking the vehicle free, driving out of
deep snow or on loose surfaces
>when driving with snow chains
Activating DTC
Press the button: the DTC indicator lamps come
on.
For better control
If the indicator lamp flashes:
DTC controls the driving and breaking
forces.
If the indicator lamps are on:
DTC is activated.
Deactivating DTC
Press the button again: the DSC indicator lamps
go out.
Deactivating both DTC and DSC
Press the button for at least 3 seconds: the DSC
indicator lamps come on. The dynamic traction
control (DTC) and dynamic stability control (DSC)
are both deactivated. There will be no more sta-
bilizing interventions.
Interventions (differential lock) in braking occur
to improve propulsion when drive wheels are
rotating unevenly, even when the DSC is deacti-
vated.
Activating DSC
Press the button again: the indicator lamps go
out.
Hill Start Assist*
Hill Start Assist aids you in comfortably driving
off on inclines. It is not necessary to use the
parking brake for this.
1.Hold the MINI with the brake.
2.Release the brake and immediately drive
off.
Hill Start Assist holds the car in place for approx.
2 seconds after the brake is released.
Depending on the load and gradient, the
vehicle can roll backward slightly during
this period. After you release the brake, immedi-
ately start driving since the hill start assist only
holds the vehicle for about 2 seconds, and it will
start to roll backwards.<
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REFERENCEAT A GLANCE CONTROLS DRIVING TIPS MOBILITY
59
Sport button*
Pressing the button causes your MINI to respond
even more sportily.
>Engine responds more spontaneously to
movements of the accelerator.
>Steering response is more direct.
With automatic transmission:
>More rapid gear shifting in Sport program.
Activating the system
Press the SPORT button.
The LED lights up.
SPORT is briefly displayed in the tachometer.
Deactivating the system
>Press the SPORT button again.
>Switch off the engine.
Flat Tire Monitor FTM*
The concept
The Flat Tire Monitor detects pressure loss in a
tire by comparing the rotating speeds of the
individual tires while moving.
If a tire loses pressure, its rolling circumference
changes, and this in turn alters the speed of
rotation. This change is detected and is reported
as a flat tire.
Functional requirement
In order to assure the reliable reporting of a flat
tire, the system must be initialized for the cor-
rect tire inflation pressure.Each time you correct the pressure in a
tire, or change a wheel or tire, the system
must be reinitialized.<
System limitations
The Flat Tire Monitor is unable to warn the driver
of sudden, severe tire damage caused by exter-
nal factors, nor can it identify the gradual loss of
pressure that will inevitably occur in all four tires
over a lengthy period of time.
In the following situations, the system could be
delayed or malfunction:
>System has not been initialized
>Driving on snowy or slippery road surface
>Performance-oriented style of driving: slip in
the drive wheels, high lateral acceleration
>Snow chains are attached
When the vehicle is driven with a space-saver
spare tire
*, page120, the Flat Tire Monitor can-
not function.
Initializing the system
The initialization is completed during driv-
ing, which can be interrupted at any time.
When driving resumes, the initialization is con-
tinued automatically.
Do not initialize the system if you are driving
with snow chains or a space-saver spare tire
*.<
1.Start the engine, but do not start driving.
2.Briefly press the button in the turn indicator
lever repeatedly until "SET/INFO" is dis-
played.
3.Press and hold the button until the display
changes.
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