69 replies to this topic

[Sprocket]

Haha just waiting for someone to bite

Paul

I know exactly what you were doing

[Shifty]

Whilst I can appreciate the good intentions behind this thread I question some of the items on the list and the way in which it has been presented. It always gets my back up when it appears that people try and tell me what I can and can't fit to my car, its my car and I'll do what the hell I want!!!!

My Elfs got quite a few things on that list and I wouldn't change a thing.

Perhaps it would be better to do a list of mods to suit a budget?

ie £100-£250-£500-£1000?

I'd keep these suggestions to brakes, suspension and engine, if you started to try and it for styling then thats a whole can worms you've just opened(hell I may find that theres people out there who don't like poo coloured Elves!!)

[Cooperman]

Again, you have missed the point. No-one is trying to tell you what you can or should fit to your car.
The idea was to define those parts which, if you are on a tight budget, are not really necessary in order to improve the performance of a Mini.
People have been on about quickshifts, bigger brakes, etc, etc. Probably all very desireable IF YOU CAN AFFORD THEM in addition to the necessary parts to improve performance.
A list of improvements against available budget may be an excellent idea, although how that would be agreed is another matter. For example, if you are short of cash, would you think a quick-shift will give a better performance improvement than setting the suspension correctly or re-building your standard braking system with better pads and new discs? If cash is not limited, then do both, but if it's a choice, which is best for performance improvement?
Can you not see where I'm coming from on this? I'm not telling anyone what to fit and what not to fit. I'm saying that some parts are unnecessary in making a Mini go better on the road. Nice they may be, but not absolutely vital.
So, how do 'newbies to Minis' decide what is necessary, with all the sales and marketing hype they are fed via the 'comics'?

Edited by Cooperman, 26 September 2009 - 10:10 AM.

[Shifty]

Of course I see your point and in my own way I was agreeing with you!!

I just saw the response to your list and gave my own impression and tried to offer my advice on a better way of getting your point across.

Most people who post up for advice just want to make their car go faster or make more noise, even better to do both!!

The standard brakes and suspension are usually fine for most peoples mods(assuming they are in good condition)

So there would be a point in the budget that uprated stuff wouldn't be needed till.

A list of mods and their costs, maybe even a star or spanner rating?

[Nightrain]

What Brilliant idea for a thread this is, my addition would be the freeflow manifold. Lets face it, nearly everyone on these forums will do something else to make there mini faster. For any further tuning the LCB would be a more appropriate purchase.

So get the LCB now and save a bit of cash later.

Edited by Nightrain, 26 September 2009 - 11:01 AM.

[Ethel]

I think it's a good thread too.

Performance is not necessarily proportional to the shine or number of socket head screws and more very often is less where speed is concerned.

We could attempt a value rating but even that would depend on what you go faster bit is replacing and what other bits are on the car.

[1275 SPRITE]

For example, if you are short of cash, would you think a quick-shift will give a better performance improvement than setting the suspension correctly or re-building your standard braking system with better pads and new discs? If cash is not limited, then do both, but if it's a choice, which is best for performance improvement?

Which goes back to the point of it depends what people want out of their mini's.

If someone is purely after accaleration and doesn't care how it handles then they are better off getting a quickshift.

Its a good idea for a thread, but as mentioned before I think it could have been worded better at the start to avoid the big arguement that has happened.

A priority list or something would have been better than saying : these bits are useless for your road mini, which is just a plain wrong statement to make.

My mini was used as a daily driver for a year before I took it off the road for a resto, and it has a few of the mentioned bits in your list.

S/C drops
1.5:1 RR's
Hi-Lo's
6x12's
276 cam

And I loved the improvement to how it was before. Much more useable power and handling was brilliant.

[Cooperman]

For example, if you are short of cash, would you think a quick-shift will give a better performance improvement than setting the suspension correctly or re-building your standard braking system with better pads and new discs? If cash is not limited, then do both, but if it's a choice, which is best for performance improvement?

Which goes back to the point of it depends what people want out of their mini's.

If someone is purely after accaleration and doesn't care how it handles then they are better off getting a quickshift.

Its a good idea for a thread, but as mentioned before I think it could have been worded better at the start to avoid the big arguement that has happened.

A priority list or something would have been better than saying : these bits are useless for your road mini, which is just a plain wrong statement to make.

My mini was used as a daily driver for a year before I took it off the road for a resto, and it has a few of the mentioned bits in your list.

S/C drops
1.5:1 RR's
Hi-Lo's
6x12's
276 cam

And I loved the improvement to how it was before. Much more useable power and handling was brilliant.

A Quickshift won't improve your acceleration as the time taken to change gear is governed by the syncro cones, not the speed at which you move the selector shaft. Unless, of course, you use the quickshift to 'beat' the syncros, in which case you'll soon be paying for a load of gearbox parts.

On your engine, your performance improvement is mainly down to the much better cam. I do like the 276. The 1.5 rockers may give you one or two bhp at the top end with a bit of loss at the bottom end. The SC drops will give no performance improvement, just a lot more noise but with reduced wear on the transfer gear and primary gear thrust washers. Hi-lo's are great for raising and lowering the suspension easily, but give no actual performance increase that you could not achieve by other cheaper means, similarly with 6" wheels as you are, presumably, using a 165 section tyre for which a 5" would be just as good, neither better nor worse in terms of roadholding or handling.

You used the word 'useless' which I never even suggested. I simply said that certain parts were UNNECESSARY when trying to improve the performance of a Mini. It was intended as a guide and advice for those who have a Mini but maybe, as is evidenced from some of the posts on here, don't have the experience or knowledge to enable them to spend their budgets wisely from the beginning and get the best performance improvement for their cash.

I don't know many who would just go for out-and-out acceleration without first trying to make the car stop and handle properly. That sounds like the recipe for arriving at a corner too fast to slow down or get around it. Can't see the point of that. My post was for people who are interested in improving the overall performance, not one specialised aspect of it. Just acceleration? It must be a drag strip car. I was talking about road-going Minis.

However, you have bought and fitted the parts you like, so that's great.

[1275 SPRITE]

I wasn't having a go at you, and I'm sorry if it appeared that way. As I said im my previous post, I think its a good idea.

I just think there is going to a lot of friction as people are going to have different opinions about parts they have fitted and have experienced on their car, good and bad. But thats what this forum is about isn't it? To share information from experience etc...

Yes I am using 165's on my 6"ers, and like you said there is probably little or no gain over 5". Although it may actually have a positive gain on the handling as the offset of the wheels is esentially widening the track which in my opinion would improve the handling, but it probably wouldn't be noticeable.

A quickshift would reduce shift time, therefore increasing accaleration, but as you said its probably damaging the box, thus why I haven't got one.

Again lots of it is down to opinion and preferance, but I think this still can be a usefull topic, but if it was more along the lines of 'what to buy' instead of 'what not to buy'

James.

[huw_jenks]

Here's a few more to add to the list...

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...id=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...id=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...id=p3286.c0.m14

As for supply and demand.. Well clearly, people demand some pretty stupid things. It doesn't mean they should be supplied with them.