11 replies to this topic

[aarron28]

Hi, could anyone give any suggestions on what i can do to reliable increase the performace/bhp of my 1275 its currently got a stage 1 kit and been rolling road tuned to 71bhp, but i would like to get over 100bhp. Cheers

[Spitz]

Bore, cam, head work, exhaust, ignition, fueling....search and ye shall find on the Mini Forum

[KernowCooper]

As above if your stage one is giving 71bhp thats a very good figure, and the cheapest way bhp per £ you'll get from now on it starts to get expensive.

[Mr Dave]

Can't claim much 1275 specific knowledge, but generally the next things to look at would be the cylinder head (traditionally the next "Stage" levels), and cam/rocker ratio combination.

 

Just bought a copy of Vizard's yellow bible off Amazon - can't recommend it highly enough!

[Cooperman]

It's torque you need for a road car, not ultimate power.

 

To get 100 bhp means either going to forced induction of having a very lumpy & cammy engine which will need to be really revved all the time and which will require different gearing to 'keep it on the cam'.

 

What is the car to be used for? Answer 'for competition' and it's a different matter entirely.

[aarron28]

Thanks for the suggestions, its only used as a road car but i just wanted it to have more poke.

[Cooperman]

Thanks for the suggestions, its only used as a road car but i just wanted it to have more poke.

It's an old classic car. 'Poke' is something it won't ever have in modern terms.

You can, however, make it slightly less slow.

[aarron28]

True, it didnt feel to bad until i got my nurburgring corsa now i need a bit more out of it haha

[Cooperman]

The classic Mini is exactly that, an old classic car with limited performance.

Whilst there are a lot of improvements which can be made, some cheap (like gaining a bit of extra power/torque), to get serious power for competition is very expensive. For a genuine 100 bhp expect to pay out over £2000.

Just enjoy the retro-driving experience and make sure that it is as reliable, rust free and well-maintained as possible.

I was driving on the motorways last Saturday night and my road car was doing 85 mph at 2000 rpm. It occurred to me that my Cooper 'S' with it's 'over 100 bhp engine' would have been doing 5500 rpm at that speed. But it is a classic car, unlike my modern road car. 

[psychobob]

The cheapest option is to just drive on really bendy roads! I find that way, you get the most out of it. Its amazing how many of your new fangled modern cars struggle to keep up on the twisties. I had an audi A8 come up behind me and flash while going through the back roads of the Lakes last summer, and in a bit of a red rag moment, I thought it would be more entertaining to boot it rather than let him pass. Obviously he was virtually pushing me down the straight bits, but every bendy bit, he was nearly in the bushes! After clearly seeing his wife screaming at him from the passenger seat, he backed off and let me go! Made me chuckle for hours. that's the thing with mini's, play to their strengths!

[JetBlackEreg]

I bet your mini would go round corner quicker than your corsa. The A series wont ever be as fast as that in a straight but down country roads the mini would give it a run for its money.

[Mini Manannán]

The cheapest option is to just drive on really bendy roads! I find that way, you get the most out of it. Its amazing how many of your new fangled modern cars struggle to keep up on the twisties. I had an audi A8 come up behind me and flash while going through the back roads of the Lakes last summer, and in a bit of a red rag moment, I thought it would be more entertaining to boot it rather than let him pass. Obviously he was virtually pushing me down the straight bits, but every bendy bit, he was nearly in the bushes! After clearly seeing his wife screaming at him from the passenger seat, he backed off and let me go! Made me chuckle for hours. that's the thing with mini's, play to their strengths!

Brilliant advice and brilliant fun by the sounds of it