If I remember correctly stock gap from the factory was 0.035" for the S, and 0.032" for the JCW. Higher boost pressures from tuning necessitate a smaller gap to prevent blow out. My last set I ran 0.025" or 0.027". When data logging I would see timing pulled from time to time, but with the Ignition Projects coils and NGK 1422 which comes gapped at 0.022" I haven't.

 

Cool, that gives me something to go off of. I too am tuned with IP Coils but using Brisk Copper plugs. I'll have to see how the .022 runs with those and do some logging with DashCommand.

 

"Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance." - Sun Tzu; The Art of War (circa 400 B.C.)

 

@Tigger, I've had good luck running an E85 mix even with the stock fuel system. You might look into that to get some more power cheaply.

 

Which engine do you have? N14 or N18?

 

I was recently asked a question about using Boostane octane booster instead of 100 octane race fuel for the Manic tunes that require it. So I did a little research. Boostane's website claims that one 32oz can of Boostane when mixed with 20 gal of 93 octane pump gas will give you a fuel mixture with a rating of 100 octane. Which based on the independent studies they have posted on-line, it does...

But... and this is a big BUT. The octane rating listed on the website, and in the independent studies conducted are RON only!!!

Normal pump gas and race fuel octane ratings are derived from a formula ((R+M)/2)=octane rating.
R=RON - Research Octane Number - per ASTM standard D2699
M=MON - Motor Octane Number - per ASTM standard D2700

As an example, 93 octane pump gas has a RON of 98 and a MON of 88. This averages to 93 octane. Most octane boosters, including Boostane only show RON, and would have you believe the one can of whatever it is will go a long way. Sadly, this is not the case. I've run the numbers, and you would need one 32oz can of Boostane per FIVE gallons of 93 octane gas to reach an actual octane rating of 100.

So as a short term solution when 100 octane race fuel is not available it should be a workable solution. Keep in mind when using an additive that you must take into account the 2.1 gallons of reserve fuel that does not show on the fuel gauge.

Think I'll still stick with methanol though. It has an 80 year track record with lots of data demonstrating it's effectiveness. Plus I like the evaporative cooling effects, and the idea of reduced carbon accumulation on the intake valves.

 

I agree with Tigger, I used Torco in my 500HP 335i and it worked, it also worked on other cars at the track. It's cheaper than race gas and is very convenient to carry and the more you buy the cheaper it is. The only real negative I found, is it would leave an orange tint on the exhaust tips and off course the exhaust side of the turbo. mQubed Motorsport, Manic Tuning Dealer

 

Well I finally reached my predetermined 2K breakin point and I gotta say... Stage 4 on Mode A just spit in the face of my old Renntech tune, then biatch slapped it across the room. Had to pull over shortly after I started my first test drive for fear of wrecking because I was laughing so hard. I was having a flash back to the movie Spaceballs when Dark Helmet called for ludicrous speed. We've always been able to flick the Coopers through curves but this adds a whole new dimension of fun, as you can now flick it through velocity changes just as easily. Took Mode B for a short spin as well. I seriously have to spend some time adapting my driving techniques now. Rolling on the throttle too aggressively at 30 or 40 miles an hours and you'll light the tires up, and that's running 235/40's. Next up is an oil change and spending some time data logging the first two modes while I install the meth kit. Somewhere in there I also have to fit in enough time to finish the Proteus intake. Ah... no rest for the wicked I'm afraid.

 

I got the same issues on setting 3 the sps swith. Lit those tire right up at 50mph and traction control starting lighting up in my face. I had to do it. Definitely gotta change how i drive as well. When it comes in, man it really comes in hard. Cant imagine what setting 4 is gonna be like.
Looks like we did it tigger. With the emails Back and forth. We have some pretty good horsepower. Sending a pm about the fuel pump stuff.

 

You 2 just need sticker tires -
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....R888&tab=Sizes

Seriously, though, I just finished reading the whole thread and must say this is quite a read. Very impressed It is a well thought out and "referenced" writeup. It is almost like you are writing a Masters paper. As well as you have explained things, you should be teaching this in some sort of school for this sort of thing.

A question - Why choose a MINI to apply all of this wisdom to? There are much better platforms out there, than a FWD car, that can handle all of the power that you will be making.

And a suggestion - I expect that with the once you "finish" with the engine, you will want to improve the handling of the car. My suggestion, and I know this flies totally in the face of all of the conventional wisdom as to how to make a MINI Cooper handle well but it is intended as "food for thought", is to install a Quaife and a 27 mm front sway bar along with a 22mm solid or 25mm rear sway bar. The sway bar pairing makes for a front to rear balance that should be the same as the JCW suspension (with the RSB on the softest setting which leaves some room for adding stiffness to the rear). My thought in doing this is that BMW has engineered some pretty good suspension for this car. I found the sports suspension to be very neutral around the track, with a touch of understeer at the limits but will rotate with a bit of throttle adjustment. For me, a nice place to be when pushing the limits with ones DD. My objective in doing this Mod was to retain the front to rear balance that BMW designed into it, but to cut down the roll by increasing the roll stiffness at both ends. I used the JCW sway front to rear bar sizing as my model as it has a little more rear to front stiffness than my sports suspension had. I have had little opportunity to test it out (the pond in the park has only just thawed ) but I am finding this makes for a car with very neutral handling in long sweepers and doesn't have the snap rotation that you can get with just a large RSB. Overall I find it to be a much better setup than the S front sway bar and 20 mm solid RSB that my previous Cooper S had. While this setup may not make for a great autoX car, it, along with the Quaife, makes the car very secure, flat and fast around corners on the road...I will soon find how it does on the track.

At any rate, great thread and I will continue to follow it with much interest.

 

The R888's are definitely a sticker compound than the Proxes T1 Sports I've got. The only reason I didn't get them was the road noise. The last set of tires I had on my first Gen "Pepper" were unidirectional and the noise got seriously annoying after a while. Wasn't too bad when they were new, but once they started to wear it got evil. Not sure yet but I think the Toyo RA1 or Potenza RE-11 might fit the bill.

Unfortunately, no one makes an LSD for the automatics. Hmm, that gives me an idea.... Anyone got an old Aisin 6 speed auto laying around??? Doesn't even need to be in working order. Just need it to take dimensions from.

But your right, the suspension is the next thing on the list after I install the meth kit. My schedule is crazy right now so it will probably be next week before I can get it done. The car came with the sports suspension, and I added the 25mm RSB, which I keep at the softest setting for daily driving. After that I'm really leaning towards a set of ST XTA coilovers with WMW drop links front and rear.

Oops. Just realized I didn't answer your question. Why the Mini? Because quite simply there is no other car I have ever driven that can provide the laser sharp handling of the Mini. Also, with the right combination of hardware and software it eats...Camaro's, Mustang's, 370's and more than a few subby's.

P.S. Thanks. I meant for it to be as informative as I could make it. I believe providing people good information allows them to make more informed and hopefully wise decisions. Never meant to be a teacher though. I'm married to one and they don't make anything near what they're worth. Hmm...consultant maybe

 

Ok, maybe not the R888s but not the RE11s, they are heavy and slow.
I hear good things about the RA1s, but for a real street tire the current hot one is the Potenza RE-71R. Here's a post for you:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4068352
Post 209 in particular.

Man, I wish you could have chance to take my MINI for a spin. Same sports suspension, 25mm RSB but with the 27mm solid FSB. The comment (last week) from a friend after a driving each other's car, his a JCW with 258whp new RMW tune and only a 22mm RSB, "On the track I'd have you on the straight but you'd loose me anywhere it turns". On the other hand, the ST coilovers sound really fun, especially with about 1-1/2" drop.

If you "precision" laser (redundant? ) handling, go for a set of Powerflex front lower control arm bushings as long as you are taking things apart anyway.

on the choice of the MINI. Nice complement to the brand.

And best of luck with getting a LSD to fit. I can't imagine the eLSD trying to control the power of your car. On my MINI the eLSD destroyed a rotor and a set of pads in one day on the track before I found what was happening. Then I found that there is factory recoding of the ABS system to make the system compatible with the Brembo style JCW brakes which I needed to do to have it compatible with the Wilwoods I have.

 

Short update as I haven't had time to do much with Tigger other than record some data logs. Meth kit is still sitting on my tool box taunting me. Should have that in next week I hope. Now that the engine is broken in I've notice the piston slap at cold start takes a little longer to disappear but no biggie. Also noticed the Stage 4 tune runs a bit leaner than any of the Manic tunes I've seen or installed. Running lower compression allows the leaner AFR's and more timing. With Map B I'm seeing around 12º of timing. None of the logs I've recorded have shown any timing pull either, so Tigger is pretty happy with this setup.

 

Pistons Slap: It may be a good idea to check the clearance between piston and cylinder wall. If out of spec, may be time to get the skirts knurled. Also check for pistons worn out of round. Short skirted pistons do tend to slap more than full skirts. Hope all is well.

 

Just curious - I have heard the term "piston slap" and have a good idea of what it is. But can you describe what it sounds like? It seems that it would be hard to hear over the other sounds this engine makes, especially the injectors.

 

Piston slap is a normal occurrence when using 2168 alloy pistons. This alloy has a higher thermal expansion ratio compared to 4032 pistons. As such they expand more when heated to the same temperature. So when the engine is cold the piston diameter is less than it would be for a 4032 piston. This allows the piston to rock more in the bore and the skirts will lightly contact the cylinder sleeve near the bottom third of the stroke. This also tends to cause the rings to wear slightly faster and can contribute to oil consumption when the engine is cold. The noise typically subsides when an engine reaches 140º to 170ºF. The reason for this is that once the engine reaches this temperature the piston diameter has grown to that of a 4032 piston. The noise is also considerably louder in aluminum block engines, and sounds a little like a diesel when completely cold, then tapers off. In Chevy builds I've done in the past with cast irons blocks and 2168 pistons you can still hear the noise but it is quieter.

When the engine was built, we mic'ed it with a bore dial indicator and found the diameter to be within specs, even after running a glaze breaker down it. No surprise as the build engine only had 1900 miles on it. I was however pleasantly surprised to find the bores also very true. It has been postulated that the reason the N14 oil consumption was as heavy as it was is because the bores were not true all the way down. So I'd say BMW got a hold of that problem in the manufacturing process. I had a little oil consumption in the first couple of hundred miles but that ceased once the rings set. Something I had thought about during the build was sending the pistons to Swain to have the skirts dry film coated. That would have added a few thousandths to help with cold noise, and the film would also reduce friction to free up a few ponies. But since I wasn't planning on making crazy power I decided it wasn't worth the expense. The only time I usually notice it is first thing in the morning and the piston noise helps serve as a reminder not to beat on the engine yet.

P.S. Did some additional data logs and the highest timing I've seen in map B is 12.5º at 6500 RPM. Hopefully have some dyno runs done in the next couple of weeks on Map C.

 

12 degrees when ? Mines at 1.2-2.3 on boost

 

Thanks for the info on piston slap...

 

Not an update. This is more general information for those considering a Stage 3+ or Stage 4 tune:

Do not be surprised to see higher intake and exhaust temperatures when running a more aggressive tune especially with larger turbo's. The immutable laws of physics tells us that more air + more fuel, means more power and more HEAT. On a Stage 3+ map C without methanol, a big turbo and a Forge type intercooler IAT's can climb to 130, or even as high as 160 degrees (which is not good as the ECU will pull timing). In addition EGT's will also be higher in the 1750º to 1850ºF range. I have mentioned my opinion on the importance of methanol before but will repeat it again in case anyone missed it. Methanol injection will lower both of these figures drastically and make for a happy motor. So please don't skimp out on the meth. If you want to save a few bucks the AEM system is a good basic, no frills system that won't cost an arm and a leg. It is also much easier to install than the Aquamist.

 

Anybody else switch from a stick to an auto and miss the hell out of it? I had to sell my stick and buy Tigger when I ripped my left bicep tendon off the bone at the gym. That kinda sucked... but it's been back to 100% for several months now. Yeah! Anyway, don't get me wrong, it's kinda nice not needing both hands to drive and I've really been trying to let the auto trans grow on me, but I'm just not feeling it. Think I'll look into what it would take to swap them out.

 

Buy a wrecked one. Friend of mine uses this website to buy junk cars to repair others then sell them. Look at buying details tho. Its not as bad as it appears.
Www.copart.com

 

Blimey just did a swap on his Gen 1 cabrio (automatic) with a GP donor car. He has a thread on the other site that shall not be named. It wasn't trivial but he made it look easy. Start with post #179.

http://www.***motoring***alliance***...r-project.html

delete the asterisks

One thing that I wish our auto's could do is the "pipe shot". Porsche's PDK has this feature by pulling both paddles back at the same time. I wonder if it is even remotely possible to enable something like this (pulling both paddles puts it in neutral)?

 

The MINI auto doesn't loose any time to the stick in acceleration according to the road test. So that would not be a reason to switch. I've been out on the track with a MINI driver of an auto and loved it. Shifts were fast and his hands didn't have to leave the steering wheel. He had paddle shifters and would just click up and down through the gears. Much like a Ferrari nowadays Everyone is doing it, so why not you So being better on the track wouldn't be a reason to switch to a stick. So what's left...hmmmm...let me think

Having to constantly having to pay attention to what you are doing? Having to decide what the right gear is? Push that clutch in, shift those gears. Seems like a lot of work to me...

But then again ... I don't need no stinkin' 'puter tellin' me what to do...... I say - "Stick" it to 'em Have some fun

 

On my daily driver map (which is a bit aggressive) I hit 14-15 degrees of timing at 1.6bar on 91 octane, progressive meth at 50% of IDC

 

If you have been driving a manual transmission for a long period of time shifting becomes second nature after 27 years driving manuals.