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Owning A Bike Engined Mini


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#1 Quadzilla

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Posted 11 July 2011 - 09:36 AM

Hey guys, been drroling over z-cars for a while now.

But i have never driven one or know anyone with one. I have a efew questions someone who owns them might be able to help.

Reliability, how do the bike engines hold up with the extra weight? Clutches and gear boxes an issue?

Driveability. How are they for everyday driving? Could one use them for a commute? I like to take my toy car to work now and then. Im guessing they are violent enough and lutches could be tricky work?

Finally MPGs. How are they on fuel for driving? I like to take long road trips to shows but are these motors thirsty when they are in a car?


Cheers and sorry for been a noob :thumbsup:

#2 Quadzilla

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Posted 11 July 2011 - 09:05 PM

Anyone? Would really appreciate input

#3 cptkirk

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Posted 12 July 2011 - 07:28 AM

Replying just so you dont feel ingored.

I dont own a bike engined Zcar so cant comment on what a bike engined car is like to live with on a daily basis. My VTEC is brilliant for day to day but then I put in lots of soundproofing which equates to more weight. I am guessing that wanting to use a bike engined car as daily drive is alot like having your cake and eating it......

#4 Quadzilla

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Posted 12 July 2011 - 10:23 AM

Replying just so you dont feel ingored.

I dont own a bike engined Zcar so cant comment on what a bike engined car is like to live with on a daily basis. My VTEC is brilliant for day to day but then I put in lots of soundproofing which equates to more weight. I am guessing that wanting to use a bike engined car as daily drive is alot like having your cake and eating it......




Thanks a mill for the reply!

Well I wouldnt be using it as a daily drive as such, I do have a daily car. But I am the kind of person who uses their toys alot. I dont like a car sitting in a shed only to use it the odd time, defies the point of owning them if you dont use them.

During the summer I do bring what ever car I have (currently a sierra cosworth) to alot of events and would put up say 5k miles in a summer.

Edited by Quadzilla, 12 July 2011 - 10:26 AM.


#5 edsmini

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Posted 12 July 2011 - 10:29 AM

Replying just so you dont feel ingored.

I dont own a bike engined Zcar so cant comment on what a bike engined car is like to live with on a daily basis. My VTEC is brilliant for day to day but then I put in lots of soundproofing which equates to more weight. I am guessing that wanting to use a bike engined car as daily drive is alot like having your cake and eating it......



the bike engined ones could be used as a daily driver, but i like driving my golf during the week and my mini for the weekend toy :D) i went to a car show with the mini 2 weeks ago and it was 70 miles each way the busa engine got 25.9mpg and that was me sitting at 70 mph all the way there. i got less mpg coming hpme as my right foot was planted a bit further into the floor ;) i personally dont see an issue with using it daily, they are comfortable to sit in and with a set of ear plugs in the sky is the limit. they do like a drink of petrol if you give it big **** in every gear but no different to any other car really. my mates impreza gets 16 mpg on a good run and my mini wipes the floor with it 0-60 he get slagged for getting blown away with an old mini LOL

engines are very reliable and clutches are fine for standard busa engine, should you turbo the engine you would have to uprate the clutch

hope that helps. my mini is for sale if you are looking for one :D)

Ed

Edited by edsmini, 12 July 2011 - 10:30 AM.


#6 Quadzilla

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Posted 12 July 2011 - 12:23 PM

Thats exactly what I wanted! Thank you! They sound pretty ok to live with so. What is your car weighing in at?

Was curious on the fuel consumption. My cosworth currently gets 28mpg on a long run doing 70mph. But I know I can fit a lambda sensor and get that into the mid 30s. And driving it hard returns 20mpg. (car is 270 hp 4wd). Those EVOs and impreza's are animals on fuel. I cant understand how my 20 year old ford can return repectable MPG for similar set up (2litre turbo 4wd). I know that even big HP cosworths return 30 mpg with lambda sensor and mixed driving.

Alot of people would say if you have to worry about MPGs you cant afford it. Well I see it as the better the MPGs the more fun I can have :D

Thing is I will be getting rid of my cosworth for any other toy. Im tring to decide if I want to do that or not.

#7 edsmini

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Posted 12 July 2011 - 02:22 PM

Thats exactly what I wanted! Thank you! They sound pretty ok to live with so. What is your car weighing in at?

Was curious on the fuel consumption. My cosworth currently gets 28mpg on a long run doing 70mph. But I know I can fit a lambda sensor and get that into the mid 30s. And driving it hard returns 20mpg. (car is 270 hp 4wd). Those EVOs and impreza's are animals on fuel. I cant understand how my 20 year old ford can return repectable MPG for similar set up (2litre turbo 4wd). I know that even big HP cosworths return 30 mpg with lambda sensor and mixed driving.

Alot of people would say if you have to worry about MPGs you cant afford it. Well I see it as the better the MPGs the more fun I can have :)

Thing is I will be getting rid of my cosworth for any other toy. Im tring to decide if I want to do that or not.



my car weighs 620kg, but i have a shed load of sound deadning to the bulkhead, carpets, glass windows, etc. there are alot of lighter cars but they have fibreglass panels, plastic windows. i prefer to have a bit of tin around me rather than fibreglass or carbon fibre. each to their own is the way zcars are built.

your cozzy sounds not bad on fuel,

the minis can be geared to suit your needs. so if you are a motorway driver you can change the sprokets to take the revs down but it wont be as quick from 0-60 mph. my setup just now gives me 0-60 in 4.3 secs which is quick enough for most people and will cure constipation very rapidly :-

i dont worry about mpg because its only for the weekends but i might bother if i was using it as a daily driver. i would be crying at todays fuel prices. :techsupport:

speaking of nice toys i had a look at a yellow lancia delta evo2. very nice car but left hand drive and too much money in it :D and would deffo cause a divorce.

Ed

#8 cptkirk

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Posted 12 July 2011 - 03:00 PM

I know mines not a BEC but I drove over to Brighton from Chichester area, approx 42miles and used exactly 3 ltrs fuel (taking it steady on the coast road not dual carraigeway, plus know its 3 litres as the digital fuel gauge is in litres) thats roughly 60mpg not bad for a supercharged 2.0L - completely different story if I were to hoon it but still no where near as bad as the afore mentioned scoobies and evos.

#9 cptkirk

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Posted 13 July 2011 - 11:05 AM

I thought about this again last night and thought I had better mention that I didnt go above 3000rpm pretty much all the way, so no VTEC happening but the benefit of supercharger blowinging away happily at those low revs.

#10 Quadzilla

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Posted 13 July 2011 - 11:55 AM

That EVO2 lancia would be a proper iconic motor!

Cheers for replies all the same guys.

Kirk that mini of yours sound like a proper machine! that kind of fuel consumption with normal driving at that kind of power on demand when you want it! I would have thought the supercharger would make it harder on fuel at lower revs due to boost?

#11 cptkirk

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Posted 14 July 2011 - 07:11 AM

Kirk that mini of yours sound like a proper machine! that kind of fuel consumption with normal driving at that kind of power on demand when you want it! I would have thought the supercharger would make it harder on fuel at lower revs due to boost?


On a steady throttle, at those revs, the bypass valve is open so it virtually breathing like an N/A, the benefit is being able to pull away up to 3k with boost from about 1500rpm, so its even quick doing that.

Dont sit on the fence any longer - get involved..............you know you want too....




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