24 replies to this topic

[minicooperr]

Hi there i am currently re doing all body work on my mini over the winter and i thought whilst i was at it i would at least rebuild the engine, now i only have a 998. What could i do to be producing the figures above, swap for 1275 ? I want it to be for occasional road use as well as track days ?

[nicklouse]

How much have you got to spend?

[minicooperr]

I dont really have a budget yet i just want some ideas of how it would be achievable 

[Daz1968]

To achieve that amount would end up cheaper to transplant a modern engine, then the whole car would need reworking to handle and stop,

[Steve220]

With cost. If you expect to get that figure out of a 1275 you're still going to be spending a lot of money. Maybe even forced induction. It will also make a massive difference to your insurance as you're taking a 998 mini and making the power output 4-5 times higher. You'll need to take into account the brakes, gearbox, drive shafts and potentially electronic engine management.

Edited by Steve220, 06 December 2014 - 01:03 PM.

[SiZT]

K1100 head, turbo, XE, Duratec (are people putting these in yet?) or B16/18.

 

All of them cost a fair bit to do and, bar the full engine conversions at 150bhp or a B18C6, they're not exactly up to daily driver duties

Edited by SiZT, 06 December 2014 - 01:06 PM.

[Cooperman]

To get that sort of power would require serious forced induction plus a much stronger transmission.

Very, very expensive but when done correctly it would be fantastic on track. Not so sure about how it would be on the road, but one doesn't build a car like that for normal road use.

[Artstu]

 Duratec (are people putting these in yet?) 

 

 

 

From what I recall it is the diff on compatible gearboxes that isn't Mini friendly.

Edited by Artstu, 06 December 2014 - 01:32 PM.

[minicooperr]

So nobody would suggest to keep an a series in there, figures would probably lower than 150 then ?

[nicklouse]

So nobody would suggest to keep an a series in there, figures would probably lower than 150 then ?

Not with those figures.

Drop it to something in the 100 region (you don't say flywheel or at the wheels) then sure a hot 1275 (or over bored) Is possible.

But again how much do you want to spend?

3k or 6k? And then some depending on so many things. Gearboxes diffs fancy ignition set ups....

[rally1380]

With all due respect, outright power isn't the figure to be aiming for.  It is power to weight ratio that is king really.  Put the shell (and in my case - me!) on a diet and you will increase the BHP/Ton ratio nicely. Then add a few more horses to the mix and away you go.

 

I realise the mini is a good handling car anyway, but spent time and money on making the car handle really well and you will gain lap time (not that track days are timed or even allow timing) that way also.

 

IMO 200BHP is daft to try and achieve from an A series as you will be rebuilding it every 5 minutes and it won't be reliable.....if even achievable???  Give MED or Swiftune a call and see what they will quote you for 200 BL horsies - I bet they laugh for a few minutes before you get a serious answer.

 

A nice K series or VTEC conversion will give you decent power and reliability and save you a load of cash if doing it yourself....plus loads of people have already done these types of conversions so heaps of info already out there.

 

Best of luck but power cost big bucks!

[Fast Ivan]

http://www.twinkam.c...=12&aid=SCE002

[Cooperman]

With forced induction an A-Series can be persuaded to give a high figure, although the quoted 200 bhp is extremely high and thee engine would need re-building quite often. Also it would probably not be suitable for road use, but on a track where the raw power could be used it would be very exciting and quick. 'GuessWorks' on here could best advise on the optimum transmission and would, I'm sure, build one for you in exchange for cash. His work is excellent and his advice is always sound.

For road use that sort of top-end power is an irrelevance as, for the public roads, torque is what is important. Even with F/I that can be a hard to reach compromise as although turbo-charging can and does produce excellent torque levels, at that sort of required max. power the boost will need to be quite high, which in turn moves the torque band up to higher revs.

Brakes and suspension are not such an issue, as the Mini is a light car and for a track car presumably it will have had a weight reduction exercise done, such as little soundproofing and Perspex windows, etc. So long as the brakes are best quality discs with race pads, comp. brake fluid, and all top condition parts there should be little problem.

Being quite honest, for the very high total cost you might think about building one pure track car with no regard for using it on the road, and buying a basic 998 road Mini for road use only. It would not cost any more and you would have the best of both worlds: a really quick competition car and a nice easy-to-drive road car. In fact why not buy a non-Mini for the road and use it as a tow/service car for the track car?

Edited by Cooperman, 06 December 2014 - 02:38 PM.

[Tupers]

I think you would be surprised at how fast a 100bhp Mini really is. It would also put you into the same sort of power to weight ratio as a S1 Lotus Elise or V6 Audi TT. 

 

If you're building at track focused car I'm guessing you wont be fitting rear seat, carpet, sound deadening or a stereo? These are all things that sill save you a decent chunk of weight and free up a lot of power. 

[Cooperman]

I think you would be surprised at how fast a 100bhp Mini really is. It would also put you into the same sort of power to weight ratio as a S1 Lotus Elise or V6 Audi TT. 

 

If you're building at track focused car I'm guessing you wont be fitting rear seat, carpet, sound deadening or a stereo? These are all things that sill save you a decent chunk of weight and free up a lot of power. 

As an example, my historic rally 'S' has about 110 bhp at 6400 rpm. To build an 'S' engine & suitable transmission to that specification and reliability standard would, as a guess, cost at least £6000 plus the basic engine & gearbox costs. It is not a lightweight car due to the rally equipment, two spare wheels, nav. equipment, twin petrol tanks, spotlights, etc., but an accurately timed 0 - 60 gave 7.3 seconds. Top speed is rev. limited and I don't use over about 7000 rpm which is approximately 100 mph. It is a harsh car to drive and on normal roads is not pleasant. It is very noisy inside and I wear earplugs on road trips over about 12 miles. With a crash helmet it's not a problem.

Now, a Mini with 200 bhp would be a pig to live with on the road and goodness knows how much the engine and power train would cost, plus all the other preparation. Personally I would rather buy, say, a Porsche Boxster or similar for the sort of money a 200 bhp Mini would cost. Now that would be very road-useable and still a good track car and would be eligible for sprints, hill-climbs and racing with the right safety kit fitted. I reckon such a car could be bought and prepared for around £12,000 which is well less than the Mini you are considering.

I hate to dissuade anyone from anything Classic Mini, but the requirements are for a very high bhp car with excellent track performance and some road use and a Mini will have more disadvantages then advantages. If you still want a classic car for this type of application and have the sort of budget you will obviously need, then there are other classics which might prove better. It is also easier to do engine swaps in some other classics. For example, a TR7 is very cheap and will take a bored out Rover V8 engine at around 4 litres giving up to 250 bhp or more on carbs. and still be road-driveable. In relative terms that would be low cost compared to a 200 bhp Mini. Or how about an MGB-GT with the same V8, or a Ford Anglia with a more modern Ford 2-litre Pinto 4-cylinder lump giving around 175 bhp on Weber carbs. I believe a Vauxhall 2.3 litre lump will fit into an Anglia (Wow!).

It's all fun, isn't it  .