GOT ONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Discussion
i finally got a mini. after waiting since i was ten i'm now the proud owner of a '98 Mini Cooper Sportspack. It's only done 18,000 miles and is red and white. i did plan on getting an old one and doing it up for trackdays and such but this was too good to miss.
anyway, a couple of questions:
1. How much power will it put out ? it's standard but i know that either Cooper Works or 500's were puttin out 90bhp.
2. Can you get a bike rack for them. i've got a feeling it would have to go on the roof but i'll only be hauling round 2 bmxes so i think it should cope. any ideas ?
thanks.
anyway, a couple of questions:
1. How much power will it put out ? it's standard but i know that either Cooper Works or 500's were puttin out 90bhp.
2. Can you get a bike rack for them. i've got a feeling it would have to go on the roof but i'll only be hauling round 2 bmxes so i think it should cope. any ideas ?
thanks.
Good news Beastieboy !!
I would expect a Cooper Sportpack to be in the teritory of 63bhp (as all late model Coopers including the 500 do afaik), although the MG Metro engine used in the late Coopers was always rated at 72bhp, and no-one has been able to explain the reason for the difference to me.........
Bike rack ?? Err, not to my knowledge. I've had two fullsized tourers in back of a mini before..........
Best of luck with it, and feel free to ask anything.
Phil.
I would expect a Cooper Sportpack to be in the teritory of 63bhp (as all late model Coopers including the 500 do afaik), although the MG Metro engine used in the late Coopers was always rated at 72bhp, and no-one has been able to explain the reason for the difference to me.........
Bike rack ?? Err, not to my knowledge. I've had two fullsized tourers in back of a mini before..........
Best of luck with it, and feel free to ask anything.
Phil.
phil hill said:
Good news Beastieboy !!
I would expect a Cooper Sportpack to be in the teritory of 63bhp (as all late model Coopers including the 500 do afaik), although the MG Metro engine used in the late Coopers was always rated at 72bhp, and no-one has been able to explain the reason for the difference to me.........
The cam was different for the MG Metro. In fact the MG cam had the same profiles as the old 997 cooper, but was timed in slightly differently ISTR. The MG had a slightly lumpy idle and getting them past emssisions tests was sometimes fun so I guess a more mild cam was used for the later 1275 A series lumps.
Good answer, from another Jap convert.
Damn I want another mini...
My 1000 felt quicker and handled better than the Sport Pack I test drove the when they first came out....
...so at the time I bought the CRX, which I still have.
Don't let anyone tell you the Min' is not a real car tho'.
IMHO it was the first real car.
One day I will stumble across an Almondand Green and OE White Sport Pack in good nick at the right price....
Do the very last ones last ok? I have seen a few 5,6,7 year old ones that are starting to look well rusted now.
>> Edited by danger mouse to add:I used to carry a full sized road bike in the back of mine too... you don't want a back seat anyway, do you?
>> Edited by danger mouse on Monday 29th March 14:17
Damn I want another mini...
My 1000 felt quicker and handled better than the Sport Pack I test drove the when they first came out....
...so at the time I bought the CRX, which I still have.
Don't let anyone tell you the Min' is not a real car tho'.
IMHO it was the first real car.
One day I will stumble across an Almondand Green and OE White Sport Pack in good nick at the right price....
Do the very last ones last ok? I have seen a few 5,6,7 year old ones that are starting to look well rusted now.
>> Edited by danger mouse to add:I used to carry a full sized road bike in the back of mine too... you don't want a back seat anyway, do you?
>> Edited by danger mouse on Monday 29th March 14:17
mine is fine. not a spot of rust on it. i know what you mean about the sportspack. if i was buildng one from scratch i would definatly put less wide wheels on cos it tram lines like buggery under heavy braking. however it does look the mutt's nuts on sports pack wheels.
i know what you mean about the almond green coopers. there used to be one round our way that looked lovely.
all in all i love the car and i can live with it's little faults.
best of all i love the faces of the "MAX SHOWER" boys in their 1.2 nova's as i blow them away through the twisty bits ! lol
i know what you mean about the almond green coopers. there used to be one round our way that looked lovely.
all in all i love the car and i can live with it's little faults.
best of all i love the faces of the "MAX SHOWER" boys in their 1.2 nova's as i blow them away through the twisty bits ! lol
Congrats on your new car
My wife has a 98 sportpack in volcano orange. Lovely car to drive, and better now we've fiddled with the suspension and all the wheels are pointing where they should
If it's not rusty, can I suggest you get some waxoyl in the sills and doors, valences, A panels, round the rear subframe and check for bare metal around the jacking plates on the floors.
Yucky job, but should only take a day and will save a lot of grief in the future.
My wife has a 98 sportpack in volcano orange. Lovely car to drive, and better now we've fiddled with the suspension and all the wheels are pointing where they should
If it's not rusty, can I suggest you get some waxoyl in the sills and doors, valences, A panels, round the rear subframe and check for bare metal around the jacking plates on the floors.
Yucky job, but should only take a day and will save a lot of grief in the future.
danger mouse said:
Good answer, from another Jap convert.
Damn I want another mini...
Yep..I know that feeling! Had 6 of the beasts, the first of which was an 850 Belgium import my dad bought for me at an auction for the princely sum of £75. It was a bit festering, but came with a set of Cooper S disks/calipers! Had more fun in that car than just about anything I've driven since (bikes excluded!).
The twist in the tale, when it ran out of MOT I put it in the local freeads and got £100 for it (after nicking the disks and fitting drums). The guy that bought it was some kind of scary looking Hells Angel type. A couple of weeks later plod knock at the door and start asking me questions about the mini, which of course the oik hadn't registered. Not surprising though as plod were following up on an armed robbery in which the mini was the getaway car!
MR2 Mike, why not have both a MR2Mini.....
www.mr2mk1club.com/MiniMR2.html
Even better Getaway car.....
>> Edited by gtrclive on Tuesday 30th March 10:28
www.mr2mk1club.com/MiniMR2.html
Even better Getaway car.....
>> Edited by gtrclive on Tuesday 30th March 10:28
Nice one Beastie, and a big congratulations from a fellow B-Boy fan!
You now have the "Coupe de Ville" and the "Skills to Pay the Bills" my friend!
As a previous owner of a Sportpack with the S Works conversion my 2 penneth is....
Std Cooper like yours will be listed stock as 63bhp, that's at the flywheel though and you won't get close to that at the wheels.
S Conversion gives approx 85bhp, S Works approx 90bhp.
The S Works conversion is great, gives loads more torque, makes the thing sound like a TVR and pops and bangs on the overrun gorgeously. However, it will set you back a fair wedge. I think MiniSpeed also do a similar conversion at less cost, though I don't know how good it is or what it's like to drive as I've not experienced one.
Anyway, back to your car. It's hard to mod the Mpi engine to get much more power without work on the engine (new head basically). I'm not sure about cam's because of the ECU, miniman or Cooperman will be better placed to comment.
What you should do though is get a decent airbox and filter and a good exhaust system - having had Janspeed, Playmini and RC40's I can suggest the RC40 as the best for performance. The note when warmed up is phenominal (sets off car alarms) and makes the car feel more revvy and spritely on the throttle. This could add 10% power improvement at a cost of less than £200, which you will notice.
The big wheels on the S'pack do indeed look the nuts but impare handling somewhat - tramlining is especially scary at 70+mph on the inside lane of motorways where the trucks have been and on some country roads. Keep a firm grip on that wheel lad! You do get an incredible amount of grip though and will be amazed at how fast you can corner and do roundabouts. The one thing you need to be careful of though is kerbing them - very easy to do as the rim runs very low. Keep em nice and shiny!
I loved my mini's dearly and as soon as I have more space I'll be getting another one for my first "project". Oh yes!!
Happy motoring dude!
You now have the "Coupe de Ville" and the "Skills to Pay the Bills" my friend!
As a previous owner of a Sportpack with the S Works conversion my 2 penneth is....
Std Cooper like yours will be listed stock as 63bhp, that's at the flywheel though and you won't get close to that at the wheels.
S Conversion gives approx 85bhp, S Works approx 90bhp.
The S Works conversion is great, gives loads more torque, makes the thing sound like a TVR and pops and bangs on the overrun gorgeously. However, it will set you back a fair wedge. I think MiniSpeed also do a similar conversion at less cost, though I don't know how good it is or what it's like to drive as I've not experienced one.
Anyway, back to your car. It's hard to mod the Mpi engine to get much more power without work on the engine (new head basically). I'm not sure about cam's because of the ECU, miniman or Cooperman will be better placed to comment.
What you should do though is get a decent airbox and filter and a good exhaust system - having had Janspeed, Playmini and RC40's I can suggest the RC40 as the best for performance. The note when warmed up is phenominal (sets off car alarms) and makes the car feel more revvy and spritely on the throttle. This could add 10% power improvement at a cost of less than £200, which you will notice.
The big wheels on the S'pack do indeed look the nuts but impare handling somewhat - tramlining is especially scary at 70+mph on the inside lane of motorways where the trucks have been and on some country roads. Keep a firm grip on that wheel lad! You do get an incredible amount of grip though and will be amazed at how fast you can corner and do roundabouts. The one thing you need to be careful of though is kerbing them - very easy to do as the rim runs very low. Keep em nice and shiny!
I loved my mini's dearly and as soon as I have more space I'll be getting another one for my first "project". Oh yes!!
Happy motoring dude!
thanks for that lads.
i've been doing a bit of research and a 1275 clubman was originally quoted as putting out 72bhp so how come i've got less ?
also i was wondering if anyone has any idea's for cheap power mods ? has anyone fitted an induction kit ? as it's on fuel injection can you play with the ecu or chip them ?
any thoughts would be good.
thanks again guys.
i've been doing a bit of research and a 1275 clubman was originally quoted as putting out 72bhp so how come i've got less ?
also i was wondering if anyone has any idea's for cheap power mods ? has anyone fitted an induction kit ? as it's on fuel injection can you play with the ecu or chip them ?
any thoughts would be good.
thanks again guys.
I thought the 1275GT had 56bhp, the original Cooper S had 76bhp. Anyway to answer your questions, yes you can modify and get more power. From experience I'd sort the suspension first. Not very sexy and no increase in horse-power, but you thougth the car handled well before !! The Sportspacks do have some handling issues which you can improve with off-the-shelf parts. For a modest outlay you'll get loads more out of what you've already got.
On the engine front, the problem is the Rover ECU, it cannot be "chipped". So for really wild mods, your stuck with having to fork out for an aftermarked ECU. Not a problem though, as you have to get a fair way down the road before this becomes a major issue. A decent head, filter and exhaust is a good place to start, then you're into high-ratio rockers, a re-worked inlet manifold and some fuel correction. Following that your into cam and ECU changes, although there are some cams now with will work with the Rover ECU.
Changing the Diff. ratio or final drive as its sometimes called will give back some acceleration at the expense of ultimate top speed. It can be done any time, but you have to have the gearbox in bits to change it.
On the engine front, the problem is the Rover ECU, it cannot be "chipped". So for really wild mods, your stuck with having to fork out for an aftermarked ECU. Not a problem though, as you have to get a fair way down the road before this becomes a major issue. A decent head, filter and exhaust is a good place to start, then you're into high-ratio rockers, a re-worked inlet manifold and some fuel correction. Following that your into cam and ECU changes, although there are some cams now with will work with the Rover ECU.
Changing the Diff. ratio or final drive as its sometimes called will give back some acceleration at the expense of ultimate top speed. It can be done any time, but you have to have the gearbox in bits to change it.
beastieboy said:
also i was wondering if anyone has any idea's for cheap power mods ?
stage one kit! 20% power/torque increase for £165! essential initial modification I think. Also, I firmly believe that the RC 40 gives the most power (someone who knows more than me about exhaust dynamics can explain but it's about backpressure I think) and sounds bl00dy gorgeous!
Tom
is it possible to fit a mpi cooper with a stageone kit?
i thought that this kit was only for cars with carbs and that the mpi stage one kit was the only one for my car. But that is £895 ! any ideas ?
whats the craic with RC40 exhausts ? are the side exits and are they a bigger bore ?
i thought that this kit was only for cars with carbs and that the mpi stage one kit was the only one for my car. But that is £895 ! any ideas ?
whats the craic with RC40 exhausts ? are the side exits and are they a bigger bore ?
beastieboy said:
is it possible to fit a mpi cooper with a stageone kit?
i thought that this kit was only for cars with carbs and that the mpi stage one kit was the only one for my car. But that is £895 ! any ideas ?
whats the craic with RC40 exhausts ? are the side exits and are they a bigger bore ?
I don't know about the differences between the carb & MPi kits but I can tell you the RC40 comes as a 1.75 or 2" centre or side exit pipe...mine is stainless
Hey someone else tuning a injection mini!!!
So Rare
Have a look at my profile for things you should be able to do.
I dont think on the tuning side our engines will be much differnt.
The MPI's are two injectors arnt they?
Do you want to see my rolling road figures?
>> Edited by Dodgy Dave on Monday 5th April 13:14
So Rare
Have a look at my profile for things you should be able to do.
I dont think on the tuning side our engines will be much differnt.
The MPI's are two injectors arnt they?
Do you want to see my rolling road figures?
>> Edited by Dodgy Dave on Monday 5th April 13:14
beastieboy said:
is it possible to fit a mpi cooper with a stageone kit?
i thought that this kit was only for cars with carbs and that the mpi stage one kit was the only one for my car. But that is £895 ! any ideas ?
whats the craic with RC40 exhausts ? are the side exits and are they a bigger bore ?
My GF has a 2in side exit (on a std MPi) and I had a 2in twin DTM (on the S Wks) - both sound REALLY good, IMHO the DTM side exit is the best looking and sounds the nuts. It will give you a headache on long journey's though!
Gassing Station | Classic Minis | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff