3 replies to this topic

[Garry]

Hi all,
my first post so please be gentle with me.

I currently have a X (2000) Mini Cooper with a S works conversion. The Car is a MPI model.

Its a great car apart from the odd pond in the passenger foot well.

I'm looking at increasing the performance. I don't really want to drop a Honda or Vauxhall engine I want to stick with an A Series possibly increasing the bore to either 1380 or 1400.

I understand that I need to replace the Rover ECU, I was looking at a Emerald one can anyone recommend this?

With regards to the engine would a 1380 be reliable? I would probably go for a prebuilt engine can anyone recommend a good engine builder?

Also can anyone give me some details of a company in the West Midlands who would be able to bring it all together, fitting and programming the ECU and Engine. I have had good dealings with Derek's Minis in Cradley heath but due the ECU I dont think they could manage this.

Out of interest if a vehicle is fitted with a Cat, are you then governed by emissions? can you move back to carbs and ditch the Cat? I have read somewhere that providing the vehicle passes emissions a cat is not required.

I did briefly look at a company down South Vmax Scart who fit a supercharger to a A series has anyone got any experience with this company ? http://www.vmaxscart.co.uk 140Bhp sounds very tempting but I do fear for my crank shaft and pistons.

Thanks in advance.


Garry

Edited by Garry, 13 March 2007 - 07:08 AM.

[taffy1967]

Out of interest if a vehicle is fitted with a Cat, are you then governed by emissions? can you move back to carbs and ditch the Cat? I have read somewhere that providing the vehicle passes emissions a cat is not required.

If you switched to a carb and ditched the cat then your Mini won't pass the stricter emissions test that applies to all injection and multi injection engines.

Of course you could claim that it's an engine from an older Mini and therefore doesn't have to be tested so strictly, but i'm not absolutely certain that you could get away with it.

But I know that all carburettor equipped later Minis were able to ditch their cats and there's a special section at the back of the MOT testers manual stating that fact and the less strict rules for carburettor equipped models.

[icklemini]

The emissions are tested against the older of either the engine or the car, if you get an old engine and turn it into a fire-breathing 1380 with fat carbs, big pipes etc and you can *prove* that the engine is a 197x or 198x you'll pass the MOT fine!

getting the proof that the engine is indeed old can be the tricky part - you'll need the old engine number and proof or age (old metro haynes manuals listed the engine numbers, or BMH maybe able to provide details)

hth,
Dave

[fikus01]

there is another thread runnig with similar points raised about modifying a tpi mini. emerald is a very good ecu but read their site and maybe contact them about what they would do if u want to go that road, id hate for you to be unimpressed with the emerald ecu.
i think the thread is something about a minisport stage 3 kit on an mpi

Edited by fikus01, 14 March 2007 - 10:30 PM.