16 replies to this topic

[RobB]

Hey.
I have a 1997 cooper mpi and i am after some power because my girlfriend has just bought a new cooper s and i can't stand it that her's is faster! He he. I have been saving for ages to get money together but have no mechanical idea and have no idea where to start. I use the car daily and can't really do without it for a long period of time so I have been thinking of a complete engine transplant and a company to supply and fit but don't really know who to go to and what sort of thing to look for. Would i be able to just get one plonked in so to speak or would i be looking and a new everything ecu, injection bits, wiring etc. Any help at all would be aapreciated.
Thank you!!!
Rob

[welshdan]

Hey.
I have a 1997 cooper mpi and i am after some power because my girlfriend has just bought a new cooper s and i can't stand it that her's is faster! He he. I have been saving for ages to get money together but have no mechanical idea and have no idea where to start. I use the car daily and can't really do without it for a long period of time so I have been thinking of a complete engine transplant and a company to supply and fit but don't really know who to go to and what sort of thing to look for. Would i be able to just get one plonked in so to speak or would i be looking and a new everything ecu, injection bits, wiring etc. Any help at all would be aapreciated.
Thank you!!!
Rob

you will struggle to get bmw cooper s perfromance fro, an a series engine. a whole new injection system would be needed, as well as a very costly highly tuned engine, gearbox to match, clutch etc. it wont be cheap. if you are looking for that power you might be better at looking at one of the honda conversions.

[samsfern]

throttle bodies, chipping, ecu modding, cylinder heads, to be honest i only know the carb minis

[samsfern]

throttle bodies, chipping, ecu modding, cylinder heads, to be honest i only know the carb minis, a vtec b16 honda lumpll be the nuts though!!

[BoboGib]

could always do a Vmax Scart/Jon speed supercharger conversion.

[RobB]

I have no idea about either to be honest. Haha. I have been looking at companies such as MED engineering and minispeed and looking at their top engine packages with engine, heads gearboxes etc but don't really understand if these are suitable options for me. I want to go all out as only want to do it once in one go which is why i was looking at complete engines! Thanks for your replies!

[BoboGib]

VMAX


Jon Speed do a similar kit to, never had personal experience with either but it would get you a sizeable power increase. Add this to getting some head work done, new cam ect sould make a nice engine.

Edited by BoboGib, 03 June 2009 - 06:25 PM.

[sir Jake the brit]

hahaha mate your in for a haul to beat that new bmw/pug engine
i've spent circa 5K on my mpi engine and still need to fork out for a mapable ecu (near on £1,300!)
and i'll still only be looking about 120bhp at very best 125!

even then, you mini will top out at (despite what a speedo will say!) about 120 and her car will do 140 standard if she wants to push you more, she might not be bothered, but a grand on her engine will see her *yellow human water* past 200bhp and neared 150mph a figure only the bike engined/v-tec mini's will touch, your best option would prob (if you want a quick resolve) would be a 16v specialist components set up. but it costs big money!

i had a cooper S and there a very good little-ish(tho in mini terms quite big) hot hatch, tho the smile of the drive from a propver mini far surpasses
i dare say, if you can out drive her, you'll show it up with around 120bhp but only on a tight track/back road, never a motorway!

good look in MINI beating!
p.s. if you can only afford to run one car (i hate to say this on a mini forum) and you want the reliability and day to day use, a mental tuned mini might not be an answer, get a meggy sport or something!

[RobB]

Thankyou for all your suggestions. i have been looking to start with the Vmax supercharger kits. The only thing that was bothering me was if i would need an upgraded clutch and gearbox etc to take the extra power thats bolted on? This is the first time i've used the mini forum and i can't get over how helpfull everyone is. Thankyou!!

[BoboGib]

it all depends on what your budget is, like others have said before

Fast, Reliable, Cheap


Pick 2 from the list. If you want a fast reliable car then you need to spend the money, as for gearboxes, there are lots of places where you can get good strong boxes from, Guessworks on here does them, although I think he is having technical issues with internet and stuff and he is always busy. a good gearbox will set you back the best part of £1200, then the price of the supercharger kit, then the price of all the other work you want to do. It soon mounts up. Then you have to make the desicion of do you want to keep the a-series engine in your mini? If not then an engine conversion might be the best option for you.

[Dylan8660]

Go with the supercharger even with the std ecu it will give you enough power to cause a row but do upgrade the diff preferably to a quaiff atb as there will be nothing you cant embarress off a roundabout with one of them (plus lifetime guarrentee) 3.1 final drive and a swifttune sw5i duplex kit while your there. Lastly don't ignore geometry and suspension, its no good having the power if you can't put it down. £ 3-4k should do it. Binis are a bit *melon* when driven in anger to tell the truth.

[Twincam]

VTEC may be the route you wish to take... Or maybe a 1380 MPI Supercharged (Upgraded Throttle Body, Injectors, ECU Re-Mapped + Chipped, different cam, lightened, balanced, gas flowed...)

Basically, your looking at a huge amount of money which needs to be spent (and labour), or you could just blow up the Bini!

[sir Jake the brit]

Go with the supercharger even with the std ecu it will give you enough power to cause a row but do upgrade the diff preferably to a quaiff atb as there will be nothing you cant embarress off a roundabout with one of them (plus lifetime guarrentee) 3.1 final drive and a swifttune sw5i duplex kit while your there. Lastly don't ignore geometry and suspension, its no good having the power if you can't put it down. £ 3-4k should do it. Binis are a bit *melon* when driven in anger to tell the truth.

1stly- driven in anger?? if your good at driving you dont drive fast'in anger' you do it smmothly and progressivly.
2ndly- i never had a problem with my tuned cooper S and i dont think a 1380 supercharged mini on a stock mems ecu will run very well at all, as it couldnt handle my 1275 works S when i fitted the sw5 cam you mentioned, let alone fitting a blower??!

dont the kits for the mpi's have a new ecu included in the £3,500ish price tag?? if not dont bother go v-tec...

[Twincam]

dont the kits for the mpi's have a new ecu included in the £3,500ish price tag?? if not dont bother go v-tec...

Well when I worked it out the Supercharger I saw was coming up to about £2.5k mark!

I think you might be able to get more for your money with a Watsons Subframe and a Vtec

[sir Jake the brit]

dont the kits for the mpi's have a new ecu included in the £3,500ish price tag?? if not dont bother go v-tec...

Well when I worked it out the Supercharger I saw was coming up to about £2.5k mark!

I think you might be able to get more for your money with a Watsons Subframe and a Vtec

true, but that, to me, makes it a kit car and not a mini. It needs the A series engine in it to be a mini maybe a k-series or even the MINI cooper S block would be cool. but a non mini/rover engine makes it.... not a mini!

+ v-max scart supercharger kit for mpi mini £3,900!!