11 replies to this topic

[Cabbie998]

Has anyone got any experience in using a 276 Kent in a 998 ? Head is 12G940 by Brian Slarke ,+80 , wedged, lightened & balanced bottom end. Any thoughts appreciated .

[Cooperman]

Use plenty of revs all the time and it will be fine.

[carbon]

Might benefit from a close ratio box. And something like a 3.76 final drive.

[Cooperman]

Agreed, a 3.76:1 would work fine and the original Cooper/Cooper 'S' ratios would be better than the standard gears. With a 276 a different distributor curve will be essential and it will be necessary to rev to about 6300 rpm in the gears for best overall performance. Cruising at 75 mph will require about 4100 rpm in top.

A 266 cam would be better for normal road use IMHO.

[86mayfair]

When I asked the guys at Kent about using a 276 in my car - 1046, 295 head, lightened and balanced, twin HS2, freeflow manifold (so pretty similar really) they said that they wouldn't advise it and to use an SW5 or 266 instead. I've built mine to be fun and nippy,  but also have some road manners

[KernowCooper]

If you want some road manners then a 266 would provide a quick modified 999 (1046) and still go well, nothing worse than  trying to drive round a cammy small bore.

[86mayfair]

I know someone with an SW23 (updated 649) in a 999 Cooper S. Very hard work apparently

[Cooperman]

I put a 286 in a 999cc Cooper 'S' and it did nothing worthwhile below about 5500rpm. But it was a tarmac rally car with a sccr gearbox and a 4.1:1 FDR. It revved to about 8000rpm.
For a 1060cc bored out 998 a 276 can work but gearing will be important and it will not be a nice main road cruiser as it will need a lot of revs all the time.

[Cabbie998]

Thanks for the replys so far. I am using a S box but with 3.4 FD. As the car will(one day ) be used on motorways I am not sure I could stand the noise & lower cruising speed hence the 3.4. Time will tell !!!

[Cooperman]

For motorway driving a 276 cam will be far from ideal. Why not simply fit the right cam for the intended use? In a 998 the 276 is very much a competition cam requiring a 3.76:1 fdr and high revs at all times to get power & torque.

A 276 can work well in a 1275, but the 998 is not ideal for this cam. With the higher revs needed the engine will not last very long in practical terms before needing a re-build.

Why are so many owners tempted to 'over-cam' their engines? Is it because they read either or both of the Mini 'Comics'?

[Mrpeanut]

For motorway driving a 276 cam will be far from ideal. Why not simply fit the right cam for the intended use? In a 998 the 276 is very much a competition cam requiring a 3.76:1 fdr and high revs at all times to get power & torque.
A 276 can work well in a 1275, but the 998 is not ideal for this cam. With the higher revs needed the engine will not last very long in practical terms before needing a re-build.
Why are so many owners tempted to 'over-cam' their engines? Is it because they read either or both of the Mini 'Comics'?

Yep, 276 in a roadgoing / motorway 998 with a 3.4 sounds horrid. I had a 1293 with a 286 and a 3.1 and it was bloody awful. I can't imagine that this proposed set up would be anymore pleasant on the open road.

SW5, Kent 246, 266, AC Dodd RT or possibly RS much more suitable to the application.

[Cooperman]

It comes down to knowing how to choose the right cam for the desired use. It's not correct to ask, for example, will a 276 work in my car?
First of all decide what the car is to be used for and then look at the cam graphs to see which ones will put the power and torque where it is needed. From that start point the rest of the engine spec can be decided and suitable gearing calculated to enable torque and power to be delivered onto the road at the right revs for optimum performance.