Bit of advice please...
Discussion
I am currently in the process of stripping down my mini and doing a full re-build. The aim is to have a quick, fairly reliable and (most importantly) good handling car. The issue though, is that i am not particularly knowledgeable about how much power is too much power. I am not a great fan of the idea of having lots of horsepower, i much prefer the idea of having a car that handles a dream... The engine that i am installing into the car is a race spec 1380, which was built for ex-F1 driver Jonathon Palmer. It has high lift cams etc. but i'm not sure if that will be too much power for the mini, if i wish to maintain good handling... Anyone got any answers for me?
Dave.
Dave.
You may find that your concerns are less to do with out and out power and more focused on the delivery of power and drivability.
If you intend using your Mini day to day and on the road you may find a 'full race spec' engine inflexible and undrivable at low revs and with anything but full throttle input?
Personally I'm a massive fan of the 998 and fully subscribe to the notion that a well maintained, properly set up 998 is more than enough motor for a fun, usable road going Mini.
If you intend using your Mini day to day and on the road you may find a 'full race spec' engine inflexible and undrivable at low revs and with anything but full throttle input?
Personally I'm a massive fan of the 998 and fully subscribe to the notion that a well maintained, properly set up 998 is more than enough motor for a fun, usable road going Mini.
In practice, the only use for a full race engine is for competition: racing, sprinting or hill-climbing.
On the road a race engine is, quite simply, horrible, so if you intend to use your car on the road then modify it with a 'softer' cam and change any straight-cut gears for normal helical ones.
The other problem with a race engine is the need for frequent re-building, and that is very frequent. Mini race engines won't go with less than about 3500 rpm and need to be revved to c.7500+ rpm and at those revs they don't last long.
You mention 'handling'. Now, do you mean 'handling'or 'road-holding'. They are very different.
On the road a race engine is, quite simply, horrible, so if you intend to use your car on the road then modify it with a 'softer' cam and change any straight-cut gears for normal helical ones.
The other problem with a race engine is the need for frequent re-building, and that is very frequent. Mini race engines won't go with less than about 3500 rpm and need to be revved to c.7500+ rpm and at those revs they don't last long.
You mention 'handling'. Now, do you mean 'handling'or 'road-holding'. They are very different.
What cooperman said...........
I've run a 1380cc with all the toys and a 276 cam in a road car. I was prepared to put up with some lumpyness around town, and it was ok to a point, but stop-start traffic wasn't much fun, especially after I fitted 1.5 rockers.
My current trackday build is 1293cc with SW10 cam (with same 1.5 rockers), a more modern interpretation of a 286. This is about a much cam as you'd want in a dual-road/track engine(IMHO). Race cam ?? Not fun in any kind of traffic at all.
My thoughts are, if you've got a 1275 block don't be greedy straight away, and go for smallest oversize you can get away with. If it's already out at 73.5mm then build it up but be realistic with your cam selection. There are some good fast road cams out there.
But as others have said, a cooking thou' is just as much (if not more) fun than a big bore.
Phil.
I've run a 1380cc with all the toys and a 276 cam in a road car. I was prepared to put up with some lumpyness around town, and it was ok to a point, but stop-start traffic wasn't much fun, especially after I fitted 1.5 rockers.
My current trackday build is 1293cc with SW10 cam (with same 1.5 rockers), a more modern interpretation of a 286. This is about a much cam as you'd want in a dual-road/track engine(IMHO). Race cam ?? Not fun in any kind of traffic at all.
My thoughts are, if you've got a 1275 block don't be greedy straight away, and go for smallest oversize you can get away with. If it's already out at 73.5mm then build it up but be realistic with your cam selection. There are some good fast road cams out there.
But as others have said, a cooking thou' is just as much (if not more) fun than a big bore.
Phil.
DaveGedro said:
Thanks. I've decided to just keep the 998 but to properly set it up. As i said before i'm not very clued up about this sort of thing... what sort of things should i be looking into when attempting to set up the engine etc...?
I think the best thing to do is to read the David Vizard 'Bible'It's an increadible read and a real insight into the hours of testing and developement a lot of brilliantly clever engine people have put into the A-series engine!
I spent about 5 or 6 weeks reading it cover to cover in my lunch breaks etc, making notes and really thinking about what I want from my 998 and how I want to use it day to day.
I'm so glad I did before spending any real money on her! (which I haven't done yet, but when I do I'm confident I'm going to have the engine I want and a Mini that will drive the way I want it to.)
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