[Penguinracer]

Quite some time ago Hartge had to ditch their 265 bhp kit because it wouldn't receive TUV approval because the Cooper "S" gearbox wasn't TUV approved to take this power.
I note that while Roland & Adam are offering their 300+ bhp & 265+ bhp turbo & OPCON conversions respectively, neither of them have mentioned the limits of the Mini drive train, specifically:
(1) Hardened gear sets;
(2) Stronger half shafts;
(3) Stronger CV joints;
(4) Stronger engine & gearbox mounts;
(5) Stronger differential;
(6) Uprated clutch assembly.

I take it that neither of these conversions will be TUV approved?
Manufacturers strive to develop their vehicles so that they have a huge durability margin to accommodate mechanically unsympathetic operation, missed service intervals & the operational demands of operating in widely varying climatic conditions both within markets & across global markets. Tuning enthusiasts accept a certain erosion of these margins as the price they pay for affordable performance enhnancement & accept that a certain amount of mechanical sympathy is required to ensure acceptable reliability. But surely there are limits as to what extent a customer must pay out a substantial sum of money for tuning yet still have to treat their machine with kid gloves because all the risk for consequential damage lies with them. Is acceptable for a tuner to release a kit that lunches gearboxes but assume no responsibility?


My question is - how much power/torque can the "S" gearbox & drivetrain take?
Will these tuners standby their product if it starts eating gearboxes & other drivetrain components or will the risk lie entirely with the customer?

[Bhozar]

Quote: Originally Posted by Penguinracer (original)

My question is - how much power/torque can the "S" gearbox & drivetrain take?
Will these tuners standby their product if it starts eating gearboxes & other drivetrain components or will the risk lie entirely with the customer?

That is a fantasic question, and I look forward to hearing some answers to it.

[BigShow]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bhozar (original)

That is a fantasic question, and I look forward to hearing some answers to it.

Ditto... be good to hear from all the tuners inc Lohen as they are soon launching their 300bhp conversion.

When I purchsed an AMD package on a previous Audi it was backed up by the dealer warranty in the same way BMW do with JCW.

[Jove]

Quote: Originally Posted by BigShow (original)

Ditto... be good to hear from all the tuners inc Lohen as they are soon launching their 300bhp conversion.

When I purchsed an AMD package on a previous Audi it was backed up by the dealer warranty in the same way BMW do with JCW.

Yup stock clutch sucks! I have proof

[BigShow]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jove (original)

Yup stock clutch sucks! I have proof

I know, I still taste the smell of your clutch everytime I pick my nose

[NeuroBeaker]

Quote: Originally Posted by BigShow (original)

I know, I still taste the smell of your clutch everytime I pick my nose

One easy way to fix that problem is not to eat the things you find in your nose...

[roland2003]

Hi Guys, fortunatley these items we have found to be very strong. Even the stock clutch worked well on our GTT260 demo car ,though at this power it was nearing its limit. The worst treatment you could give any of these components is very aggressive traffic light grand prix style pulling away. I suppose its a way of finding their limits, but this style of drivimg IMO borders on abuse rather than driving to the limit.
Specifically with our car (33,000miles......about 25000m with 270bhp, and 2000m with 350+ bhp)
this is what we experienced:-
GEARSETS.....no problems so far (stock)
DRIVESHAFTS......no problems so far (stock)
CV JOINTS...no problems so far (stock)
ENGINE & GEARBOX MOUNTS.......only the OS top engine mount replace under warraty at about 25000m , otherwise no other problems
DIFF... No problems. Quaiffe fitted at 5000m. This is no stronger than stock I wouldnt think, BUT you do need this with mega power and is advised for 220+ bhp in your into track days, purely for putting down the power.
CLUTCH....no problems (see above)
Best Regards Roland GTT