Hey NAM!

This winter, while the MINI is in the garage, I plan to put a new cam in it. While doing so, I figured that I would also take the head off and get it port and polished. I have the normal mods so far, pulley, exhaust, header, plugs, wire, coil, JCW injectors, intake, intercooler etc...

I guess my question is:

Is there a huge difference in the cams that are out there!? From the research that I've done, there are not a ton of cams offered for the MINI, which makes selecting one pretty limited.

My MINI is not a daily driver. It is a night and weekend car and maybe a 5 minute drive to work on a nice sunny day. It won't be used on the track.

Any input or advice is greatly appreciated, and I thank you in advanced for your response!

Cheers!

 

They have been having pretty good luck in europe with the CAT cam, or there's the NS1 or Newman Schrick, best to stay with something mild for your least chance of troubles.

 

I agree...I don't want a big beefy one...just one that I will notice a difference. Yes I will be getting a tune after the install of the cam and the fresh head What are peoples opinions on a "middle-of-the-road" cam!? Thanks!

 

I highly recommend the Newman street cam, which increases power from 2500 rpm up. Only a very slight lope at idle. Doesn't require ECU tune to run, however there is better gain by getting one.

 

Gotcha! Any idea where to buy one from!?!? The NS1 I have found for around $325...seems reasonable!? Whats the cost on the Newman!?

 

Roughly the same price for a Newman, and it makes more power. Buy it from RMW.

http://www.revolutionmotorworks.com/...&product_id=12

 

If you are just doing the weekend warrior the NS1 or the RMW street cam, the RMW/Newman probably does have a little more power and is not a regrind.

 

I was trying to avoid being "that guy" but I have to be honest, I really would recomend the Mega Mini that I have for sale, in my opinion the best all around you can get, and it's also not a regrind, and unlike the Newman it's a forged core not a cast. Honestly I would recomend it weather I had it or not, they're normally hard to come by, so they really don't come up in conversation much.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...1st-gen&cat=22

 

A cam that :"comes on" at 4800 rpm might be good for the track, but not great for the street. Newman cam comes on at 2500-7000+rpm. Much more tractable for the street.

 

Your right, depending on your driving style & power demands, except for 1st gear, if you make any downshift for power to utilize the lowest gear possible, you will end up between 4700-4900 rpm in that lower gear, anything too much lower and you probably should have gone down 1 more, but of course that's for the more aggressive driver.

Honestly, your best bet is to just spend some time doing your own research, there are many Cam threads, here, ***, M/T, M/U and a few others, then just pick what sounds best for your driving style.

You may also want to look into the Adjusted Cam Gear option too, I saw a decent torque gain through the entire RPM range from just using it, (there was a hp gain as well, but the real "kick in the pants" feel of the car came from the extra torque) and its at least $100.00 cheaper than buying "any" cam.
(my results are here, post #117:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-thread-5.html. )

 

The Mega Mini cam is an awesome cam for sure, was looking for one awhile back but could find nothing. Hubie makes limited batches so they are rare. It wouldnt be a plug and play thing though, it will need a tune.

 

This is good info! And like I said, it'll be a night and weekend car. Meant mostly for zippin around town and having fun! No track! Im still in the thick of my research! Thanks for helping!

 

Since you state you want to upgrade the cylinder head along with adding a cam, I suggest you check out thumper heads for a street setup.
http://www.thumperheads.com/

 

Im not upgrading the head, im just getting it port and polished. No bigger valves or anything like that...

 

Depending on what the port/polish is going to cost. The TPR-1 head with stock size valves with the NS1 cam might be an option to consider:
http://www.thumperheads.com/content/...ou-build-power

 

With what my intent is, do I need any new valve springs!? Anything else you can think of that I would need!? Timing chain!?