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OK fellow USA Mini owners. Am I the only one who would LOVE to be able to purchase a Mini with the Diesel engine that is offered in Europe? This would be my dream Mini with huge torque and high fuel economy. I think this advanced common rail Diesel averaging 45-65 mpg would be a strong seller here. I have a feeling it may not meet strict USA emmision standards here, so that may be the reason. I can dream can't I? Here is a pic of the Mini One D engine bay...
Here are the engine details...
The power plant is, of course, the big change. The engine featured in the Mini One D was developed in a cooperative effort covering two years with Toyota. The basic engine is made in Toyota's Japanese engine plant in Kamigo. All Mini-specific pieces and components are added prior to installation at the Mini plant in Oxford.
The Mini One D features a four-cylinder diesel with an output of 75 bhp with a maximum torque of 133 lb.ft. The engine is 1.363L with a bore of 73 mm and stroke of 81.5 mm. Compression ratio is 18.5:1. Weight concerns mandated that the cylinder heads and crankcase are both made of cast aluminum. The overall weight of the diesel versus the normal gasoline engine is only 77 lb. heavier.
The pistons operate in gray cast iron cylinders designed to be wear-proof. Each cylinder features two valves, operated by followers running on an overhead camshaft controlling the charge cycle. The camshaft is driven by the crankshaft by a timing chain.
Two poly V-belts, independent of one another, drive the servo pump on the hydraulic power steering and then the alternator, water pump and conditioning compressor. The front end of the crankshaft features a damper designed to absorb idiosyncratic vibrations and minimize the transmission of vibration to the belt drive. The two-mass flywheel also takes part in damping engine vibrations occurring above all at low engine speeds typical of a diesel While technologies like this are available in higher powered engines in larger vehicles, they are not normally seen in vehicles of this size.
The diesel uses second-generation common rail diesel injection and incorporates computer-controlled fuel injection and high pressure directly into the combustion chamber. The common rail also serves as a pressure reservoir while providing furl to the injection jets. A pump has been engineered to maintain high pressure in excess of 23,000 psi. This pressure level is meant to atomize the fuel into fine particles to ensure clean combustion.
An electronic engine management system facilitates both the timing and duration of both the pilot and main injection process. Pilot injection feeds a small amount of fuel into the combustion chambers prior to the main injection process with its larger volume of furl, keeping the proper fuel/air mixture which allows the engine to burn more smoothly. A smoother rise in the pressure of the combustion chamber also results in a reduction of combustion noise over that of a typical diesel. The biggest gain in this method, however, is the fuel economy.
The Mini One D, according to the company, is capable of running distances of over 600 mi. on one tank, which holds 13.2 gal. Reported fuel consumption is somewhere in the neighborhood of 48.7 mpg in the city and 65.7 on the highway. These numbers make this Mini the most beneficial mpg-wise of all the Mini variants produced by the BMW group.
Having a diesel pickup myself and it's incredible torque and fuel economy (for a 7000 pound 4WD pickup), I would probably rush right out and order a MINI One Diesel if it were available here. Being that it is a modern CRI with electronic control, it should not take much to tweak it to be emissions-ready here in the states; the problem is that the diesel fuel available here is of a far lower quality than is available in Europe (and most other countries for that matter) and running such fuel can be detrimental to these new advanced passenger car diesel engines. Things are changing, and with the growing popularity of modern diesel engines the fuel is slowly being reformulated.
Where do I sign up?
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JCW Intake|15% Alta|Milltek Catback|17x7.5 SSR Comps|215/45-17 GS-D3s|Much More
MMC #28|Motoring ID RAGE666
I have two diesel Land Rovers and wouldn't trade 'em for anything. Let's hope MINI opts to include this in their product offering stateside. Sign me up!
I now that new low sulfur fuel will be mandatory in the USA by the year 2006. Maybe that will change things. Europeans have all these awesome diesels that simply are not available here. Here in So Cal, premium unleaded is roughly $2.40 per gallon. But we do have the incredible Dodge Cummins, Chevy Duramax, and Ford Powerstroke for full size pick-up truck buyers.
__________________ 2004 PW MCS: Magnaflow-Pilo CAI Whalen-PIAA fogs-Tint
In the US, diesel is full of sulfur and other impurities. That's why diesel cars and truck smoke and stink so much. I understand that by 2006 the diesel fuel here will have to be as clean as that in Europe, so perhaps owning one at that time will make more sense. Right now I wouldn't have one.
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2003 MINI Cooper S Electric Blue / White Helix 15% Pulley, Helix Cold Air Intake, Helix Performance Rear Anti-Sway Bar, Texas Racing Rear Control Arms, 17x7 O.Z. Superturismo WRC White Wheels http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h9...tuff/BRT09.jpg
>>In the US, diesel is full of sulfur and other impurities. That's why diesel cars and trucks smoke and stink so much. I understand that by 2006 the diesel fuel here will have to be as clean as that in Europe, so perhaps owning one at that time will make more sense. Right now I wouldn't have one.
I don't know about the differences in diesel between the US and Europe, but there are plenty of diesels cars and pickups around here that don't smell or smoke. I think the newer diesels have greatly reduced the pollution problem. The ones I see smoking are usually older 18 wheelers that probably have 500,000 or more poorly maintained miles on them.
My neighbors new Ford diesel pickup is nice.......of course he only averages about 17MPG, up from 12 or so if it was a gas engine.
I do agree the USA fuel is not the cleanest. I hope after the 2006 mandatory low sulfur diesel arrives that MiniUsa will finally sell the Toyota diesel option here.
But guess what diesel fans. If you need an SUV, consider the VW Touareg with the following option;
5.0 V-10 Tdi with 313 hp and 560 ft. pounds of torque! Talk about a stump puller!!!
Considering I currently own an '03 Jetta TDI wagon, a MINI One D would be very tempting.
And trust me, paying 20-50 cents less per gallon and getting 20 or so more MPG is really nice.
Granted, the 90hp engine is no barn burner when it comes to acceleration and the stock Jetta chassis and brakes are down right scary in the twisties...
__________________ "Market research is bunk... the public don't know what they want, it is my job to tell them" - Sir Alec Issigonis
We just bought a Dodge 3500 dually with the 600 ft/lb of torque Cummins... lemme tell you, different from driving the Mini! I don't think you could stall it if you tried, lol.
I would be interested, tho I still think the Mini One D is low on power, 75HP (even with the 133Ft. Lbs) is a bit slow. From what I've read in Evo, Car Magazine and such
the One D still retains the handling and braking of a Mini... It is, however, slow on the accel curve :smile:
Given that the MINI D has a stout, modern CRD engine, what would stop someone (other than underhood space constraints) from developing a turbo kit for this engine? It would not take much boost and modifications to give that little mill some startling increases in power.
I have a couple friends with slightly modded turbodiesel pickups (one Dodge Cummins, one Chevy Duramax) that will leave me and my MCS in the dust (smoke?). Straight line, of course. It's not uncommon for people to have a mid-14 second diesel truck with very little in the way of modification. The engine itself mostly remains untouched; new turbos and better intakes, intercoolers and exhaust systems are all that is needed. Not bad times for a 7000 pound vehicle, and fuel economy remains the same or in many cases increases (if you can keep your foot out of it)!
With a bit more effort such as propane injection (the diesel equivalent of nitrous), beefing up of transmissions to take the added power/torque, etc, you can have a pickup that will out-accelerate (low 13s or better) just about every 'supercar' made. You just have to remember to keep it in 4wd to get all that power to the ground. Unlike trying to get a gas engine to perform similarly, the diesel engine remains as streetable as stock, no high octane fuels, overheating, lousy mileage, etc.
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JCW Intake|15% Alta|Milltek Catback|17x7.5 SSR Comps|215/45-17 GS-D3s|Much More
MMC #28|Motoring ID RAGE666
Ditto to greatbear- my friend just chipped his 2004 Golf TDI, bigger injectors and put on some nice 17" wheels with good tires. We "Raced" a Golf GTI, while we lost, it wasn't by much at all. Passing accel would probably surpass it!
Of course now he'll need to upgrade the clutch Nope... In a 2002 Chevy 2500HD diesel with a 3.73 axle
MiniUSA employees, are you reading these posts? You are right about those full size truck diesels. When modified, they are monsters! The acceleration is incredible...
Now THIS is a diesel crankshaft !!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Most Powerful Diesel Engine in the World!
The Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C turbocharged two-stroke diesel engine is the most powerful and most efficient prime-mover in the world today. The Aioi Works of Japan's Diesel United, Ltd built the first engines and is where some of these pictures were taken.
It is available in 6 through 14 cylinder versions, all are inline engines. These engines were designed primarily for very large container ships. Ship owners like a single engine/single propeller design and the new generation of larger container ships needed a bigger engine to propel them.
The cylinder bore is just under 38" and the stroke is just over 98". Each cylinder displaces 111,143 cubic inches (1820 liters) and produces 7780 horsepower. Total displacement comes out to 1,556,002 cubic inches (25,480 liters) for the fourteen cylinder version.
Some facts on the 14 cylinder version:
Total engine weight: 2300 tons (The crankshaft alone weighs 300 tons.)
Length: 89 feet
Height: 44 feet
Maximum power: 108,920 hp at 102 rpm
Maximum torque: 5,608,312 lb/ft at 102rpm
Fuel consumption at maximum power is 0.278 lbs per hp per hour (Brake Specific Fuel Consumption). Fuel consumption at maximum economy is 0.260 lbs/hp/hour. At maximum economy the engine exceeds 50% thermal efficiency. That is, more than 50% of the energy in the fuel in converted to motion.
For comparison, most automotive and small aircraft engines have BSFC figures in the 0.40-0.60 lbs/hp/hr range and 25-30% thermal efficiency range. Installing the thin shell bearings...
__________________ 2004 PW MCS: Magnaflow-Pilo CAI Whalen-PIAA fogs-Tint
That Sulzer engine is amazing. All the reading I have done on it and it's variants rock. "Huge" engines like this, and old steam engines like Titanic's fascinate me.
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JCW Intake|15% Alta|Milltek Catback|17x7.5 SSR Comps|215/45-17 GS-D3s|Much More
MMC #28|Motoring ID RAGE666
I wish that MINI actually used VW's TDI engines instead of Toyota's. The new 4 cylinder TDI-PD from VW is putting out 100 bhp and 177 ft-lbs of torque. Their new V-10 diesel puts out 310 hp and 533 ft-bls of torque! Alas, we in CA 9And those that follow CA emissions stds) can't get these diesel engines.
-BruinToo
Installing the thin shell bearings...
