Anyone considered 4x4 Mini?

[RickH]

Idle thoughts of an idle mind over the lunch hour.

Having previously looked at Z-cars webpages and noticed a bike engined mini - rear wheel drive single or twin engined.

I then saw the webpage www.lynxae.co.uk/ that does a bike engined mini - front wheel drive using an R1.

Sooo, has anyone considered doing a twin engined mini with one engine driving each set of wheels. The Z-cars twin engine option only drive the rear set.

You could get Z-cars to convert the rear, instal an R1 and remove the front engine. Then troll over to Lynx AE and get them to put in the front sub-frame with another R1.

Or you could go totally bonkers (and spend a wad of cash) and install two turbo-ed Hyabusa at 400bhp each. According to the Z-cars page, the 650kg single turbo Hyabusa mini comes out at 615bhp/tonne. So a twin set-up would be 1300bhp/tonne. ANd you'd be driving around in the most mental 2.3l 4x4 mini the world has ever seen.

Mind you, getting that power onto the tarmac woudl be a challenge in itself. That and stopping yourself dieing while at the wheel.

Appologies to all those who read this and think I'm nuts / not got a clue. I'm just wasting time till the boss gets back with a little blue skies thinking. Along the same lines as the "If you could design your own engine" thread.

Rick

[Kitcarnewbie]

Are you a fellow bored civil servant by any chance?

I would like to see it done. Just so the owner could pull up at the lights next to a Ferrari and out burn him IN A MINI

How many sets of Mini tyres are you gonna get through though?

[RickH]

That was something I had a thought about though.

Imagine it, chav-racer next door, lights go green, you select the two first gears that you have out of the two sets of six, and you light up all four tyres while remaining stationary.

Dunlop/(insert other brand) would love you.

Rick

[mattstead]

John Cooper built a twini (get it?) many many years ago and it nearly killed him.

[eliot]

Have a look on the ultima forum under 1000bhp thread, two turbo'busa engines in an ultima gtr.

[feet]

Kitcarnewbie said:

Are you a fellow bored civil servant by any chance? I would like to see it done. Just so the owner could pull up at the lights next to a Ferrari and out burn him IN A MINI How many sets of Mini tyres are you gonna get through though?

I wouldn't worry about the tyres. At 400bhp each you would need to be replacing engines as often as tyres.

[huwbertus]

There was a kit some years ago called a 4R2 that put a complete mini subframe in the back together with the A series lump. If you also left the engine in the front hey presto four wheel drive! Could also be fun with four wheel steering

[love machine]

My other project is a Twinny. Period style.

If you are going to make a mini have more than about 150 hp driving the front wheels. It is time to get something a bit more up to handling it. Aerodynamically speaking. There is a lot of wanking in mini circles, "Mine has 800hp per tonne". Sadly, it is still a mini at the end of the day, beyond a certain point, when you have a spaceframe and double wishbones with coilovers, it is basically a Caterham in different clothes.

I have a crazy mini and it's my favourite car.

[docevi1]

I remember reading about a "standard" mini which had a 200bhp engine through the front wheels when the turbo boost was turned up. Apparently it was all but undrivable due to the torque steer and the like - it was a case of constantly correcting so it wouldn't drive in a straight line

[huwbertus]

There was an article in one of the mini magazines about a 4X4 moke that was an "in house" development that used a true 4X4 ststem and not just 2 engines. I also remember a mini fitted with full cosworth 4X4, it was a clubman painted in black with massive arches but that is all I can remember. (I was young at the time as it was about 8 to 10 years ago)

Will post the back issue number if I still have the mag's.

Later
Huw

[huwbertus]

You could use one of the current front engine conversions like the one on the link at the start of this thread. and a Z-cars conversion in the back! 2 bike engines!!!