stop musing start spending....lol

:p That'll have to wait until into next year. I'm currently finishing a PhD and need to start my first proper job in Spring/Summer (when my paychecks should resume). It'll also likely be in the United States - hence the current lack of expenditure and continued musing.

I really think the idea is novel. it would not only look awesome, but it would sound neat:
I recently heard a honda fit with trumpeted ITBs and a K24 engine. That thing sounded amazing, the first honda in a long time that had more noise coming from the front of the car than behind it (reference to coffee can exhausts and the ricer epidemic). If it wasn't so illegal in good ol' california, I'd probably do it too.

Yea, I need to really look into the legality of it all though. :o

Like for instance, will it be legal in the states I might wind up living in? Then furthermore, if the car is registered in the state I'm living in and I need to go on a trip... am I able to drive it through all the other states or would I have to drive around some? Etc...

P.S. i do believe he's after engine noise not chavvy backbox ROAR!!!!!

:D That's the one - it's induction noise we're after, rather than bellows from the exhaust. ;)

i know and do agree to an extent as a fellow cooper driver :D but if you weigh up the costs of it race engine £8k + shipping and install cooper S 6 speed £ about 1800 give or take (inc LSD flywheels and install etc)

on top of all that youll need to budget for suspension and brakes etc, and more frequent maintenance of the race engine

That's why starting with a Cooper S and then changing the engine might be good.... the gearbox and suspension are already in place then. :)

And of course, any tuned engine needs more frequent maintenance - whether you go this route or the route of tuning a forced induction engine. It's just something you need to accept if you're going to tune, I suppose... otherwise, it'd probably be best to stick with a standard car.

all in to make JUST the same power as a cooper S youll need to spend more than a cooper S LOGIC = NONE imo

sorry to be blunt but the old equation of Bang for Buck fails on this front

Sometimes people don't do things because they're "logical" - they do it because they'd enjoy it. Otherwise, why would people leap out of perfectly good aeroplanes with only a bit of cloth folded up in a backpack to prevent them from being killed? :p

but that invites issue no2 ;) simply whipping of the supercharger is going to leave you with less power than a stock one, as not only does it power the water pump on the S, you would have to have the entire induction system (I/C pipes, horns etc) removed and you would be left with a very low compression 1.6 engine albeit with a very good gear box, but the custom work needed would out weight the gains still the old factor of bang for buck is the most vital to keep in mind

the diff from cooper to s is this The compression ratio is reduced from 10.5:1 to 8.3:1

as not only does it power the water pump on the S, you would have to have the entire induction system (I/C pipes, horns etc) removed and you would be left with a very low compression 1.6 engine albeit with a very good gear box

Hmmm, I hadn't thought of water pumps, etc... :o Though I imagine electrically driven pumps would be cheaper to fit than an R53 gearbox to an R50, right? :confused: Or am I just massively underestimating the work involved in either path?

Although, we did discuss compression ratios earlier in the thread and I knew this would need to be changed.

I've had a read through this thread, and don't see what the huge discussion is over....

The goal is to have a moderately powerful normally aspirated MINI, so there are only two options....

1. Start with a Cooper, fit a stroker kit to it to increase capacity and power potential. Upgrade gearbox, clutch, drivetrain, brakes, suspension and chassis to suit. Add as much power as funds allow through throttle bodies, heads, cams etc.

2. Start with a Cooper S, remove supercharger and intercooler assembly. Source electric water pump. Fit a stroker kit to it to increase capacity and power potential. Upgrade gearbox, clutch, drivetrain, brakes, suspension and chassis to suit. Add as much power as funds allow through throttle bodies, heads, cams etc.

I've had a read through this thread, and don't see what the huge discussion is over....

The goal is to have a moderately powerful normally aspirated MINI, so there are only two options....

1. Start with a Cooper, fit a stroker kit to it to increase capacity and power potential. Upgrade gearbox, clutch, drivetrain, brakes, suspension and chassis to suit. Add as much power as funds allow through throttle bodies, heads, cams etc.

2. Start with a Cooper S, remove supercharger and intercooler assembly. Source electric water pump. Fit a stroker kit to it to increase capacity and power potential. Upgrade gearbox, clutch, drivetrain, brakes, suspension and chassis to suit. Add as much power as funds allow through throttle bodies, heads, cams etc.

Ah... so succinct. :cool:

And with the goal in mind, which of the two options do you reckon would be the least expensive route? :confused:

All the best,
Andrew.

erm as you have the cooper engine, could you not just get the cooper S gear box, there on ebay all the time from breakers??

does it fit???

surely that would be cheaper than buying a full cooper s engine throwing your cooper engine then stripping the S engine to re-build it without the supercharger thus loosing anything up to 70 bhp to start building it back up then throwing money at the engine to make it as fast as it was before you stripped it???

so surely the cheepest option if it works is fitting just the box, if your adimant you dont want forced induction??

erm as you have the cooper engine, could you not just get the cooper S gear box, there on ebay all the time from breakers??

I'll be changing cars in 2009 anyway, as I'm moving overseas (edit: to the United States) and can't take my ONE with me. :redface:

I'm trying to figure out what the best starting point would be for my next purchase - given that I quite enjoy the sound of naturally aspirated induction. :D

Ah... so succinct. :cool:

And with the goal in mind, which of the two options do you reckon would be the least expensive route? :confused:

All the best,
Andrew.

I'd start with an S..... it has the stronger gearbox, driveshafts, clutch, suspension.... all you'd be looking at in reality is a strip down, stroker kit, and probably a brake upgrade. With the battery in the boot it also gives you a bit more room under the bonnet for tweakery.

Roland might be able to help on the water pump front - he does the turbo conversions for the S, so must have a water pump solution pre-fab ;)

Roland might be able to help on the water pump front - he does the turbo conversions for the S, so must have a water pump solution pre-fab ;)

True - he must do. However, as the next car will be in the US, it'd be difficult to get him over there to fit it for me. :o

Unless I offer him a free B&B for his US holiday. :D I just have to place my house somewhere within a stone's throw of a touristy-sort of place.... :p

I'd start with an S..... it has the stronger gearbox, driveshafts, clutch, suspension.... all you'd be looking at in reality is a strip down, stroker kit, and probably a brake upgrade. With the battery in the boot it also gives you a bit more room under the bonnet for tweakery.

isn't the battery in the boot anyway???? or is that just the s'????

isn't the battery in the boot anyway???? or is that just the s'????

It's on the passenger side, next to the strut tower in the ONE. Kinda gets in the way with strut braces and what-not...

I'll be changing cars in 2009 anyway, as I'm moving overseas (edit: to the United States) and can't take my ONE with me. :redface:

I'm trying to figure out what the best starting point would be for my next purchase - given that I quite enjoy the sound of naturally aspirated induction. :D

and would you stay with a little 1.6 four pot??? coz i'm sure america do some cars that are NA with a nicer tone than that lol!!!

you throwing in the towel with the mini's then??

and would you stay with a little 1.6 four pot??? coz i'm sure america do some cars that are NA with a nicer tone than that lol!!!

you throwing in the towel with the mini's then??

:rolleyes: Of course I'm not throwing in the towel with the MINIs! It's just I can't take my UK-spec MINI with me to the USA.

The whole point of the thread is to find out how best to get a high-power naturally aspirated MINI so that I can make an informed starting-point purchase in the United States. I need to make all the right decisions early on so that I'm on a good route to getting what I want without reliability problems down the road. ;)

And, of course induction noise on some US cars can be nice - but it seems you get a surprisingly little amount of horsepower per litre and poor mileage from those engines. :confused: Furthermore, the car would weigh as much as a house and handle about as well as one too. :p No, no... I need a car that corners well and can be flung about.

Throw in the towel with the MINI? :hmph: Preposterous thought!

:rolleyes: Of course I'm not throwing in the towel with the MINIs! It's just I can't take my UK-spec MINI with me to the USA.

The whole point of the thread is to find out how best to get a high-power naturally aspirated MINI so that I can make an informed starting-point purchase in the United States. I need to make all the right decisions early on so that I'm on a good route to getting what I want without reliability problems down the road. ;)

And, of course induction noise on some US cars can be nice - but it seems you get a surprisingly little amount of horsepower per litre and poor mileage from those engines. :confused: Furthermore, the car would weigh as much as a house and handle about as well as one too. :p No, no... I need a car that corners well and can be flung about.

Throw in the towel with the MINI? :hmph: Preposterous thought!

hahahaa lol good man!!!!
yes but there aren't any corners in america!!! lol

best of luck with it anyway matey!
and a merry christmas too x

You obviously haven't been on the backroads of Alabama. ;) There are corners if you know where to look. :D

And obviously, I'd be thinking about trackday events too. Not looking to impress anyone else (like blowing away Evos, etc...), just want a nice set up for pounding out a few laps in a fun and rewarding way. ;)

Ta - Merry Christmas to you too. :D

I think in most states, if you're drivign through with your out of state vehicle, it doesn't need to meet that states standards so long as you haven't been in the state for more than 30 days, but I don't think states can check the registration information of out of state vehicles. Even then, there is little evidence to prove you haven't been in the state for 30 days. A perfect example is someone in my hometown in NorCal was driving around with Hawaiian plates X_X!! I know a few people that register their cars (12 second porches, etc.) in certain parts of nevada (where there is no smog or annual inspection) and then they use it as their daily driver in california (with probably the strictest smogs standards in the US). Fortunately smog technicians here are not uber-experts in cars, so he didn't detect my 15% pulley, but I had to swap out my non-CARB approved induction for the stock one before the test.

now in parts of sacremento, police officers have the authority to pull you over and check the legality of your car, and can impound your car for any illegal mods. This is mostly meant to keep an eye on street racing.

I've had a read through this thread, and don't see what the huge discussion is over....

The goal is to have a moderately powerful normally aspirated MINI, so there are only two options....

1. Start with a Cooper, fit a stroker kit to it to increase capacity and power potential. Upgrade gearbox, clutch, drivetrain, brakes, suspension and chassis to suit. Add as much power as funds allow through throttle bodies, heads, cams etc.

2. Start with a Cooper S, remove supercharger and intercooler assembly. Source electric water pump. Fit a stroker kit to it to increase capacity and power potential. Upgrade gearbox, clutch, drivetrain, brakes, suspension and chassis to suit. Add as much power as funds allow through throttle bodies, heads, cams etc.

the HUGE cost for both options when, head, cam, 17% header and tune will net more bhp out of a cooper S ;)