I know somewhere this topic has come up before but sometimes I get ol timers and can't remember. I have an 07 MCSC now with 1100 miles on it. I am trying to keep it down (Rpm's) to around 3000 and no more than 4000 during the breakin period. I can tell, just from the time during this breakin period along with the 168 hp plus another 7 with the JCW air breather/filter that this little booger will scat!
So, is the Turbo charger vs the Supercharger going to be better, about the same or what? If this vehicle takes off any faster I'm not so sure you could keep it on the road! Will the Supercharger mini's be any less a value without a turbo?

 

and each has it's strenghts and weaknesses. Both are good, the turbo will make better gas mileage at the same net power rating. It will be an interesting year or so, as the convertable is still sold with the supercharger, and the coupe isn't (already a turbo). Go take a test drive of the turbo and let us know what you find!

Matt

 

Next trip to Tom Bush mini I will do exactly that.

Obviously, not to much experience with the Turbo vs the Supercharger, since the 07 Sedans are just before coming out with the new Turbo engine. I'm sure more information will be posted later in the year about the Turbo.

Thanks for your input matt, I appreciate it.

Vic

 

so go to Mini2 for more impressions....

Matt

 

Based on the torque curve of the turbo motor versus the super charger motor, I think you'd find that the turbo will pull off the line much quicker. From the best I can tell, the supercharger motor is a much higher reving motor versus the turbo which is in many ways more like a diesel than a traditional gasoline motor.

I have the '03 and with the gearing, the thing didn't really take off until you hit 3k rpm, I put a 15% pulley and MTH tuner software in it and I'm loving the difference!

I think the turbo motor is exciting, but I anticipate that it will drive much differently.

 

Superchargers take horse power to run, belt and pulley. Turbo hp is "free". SC power is there pretty much all the time. T developes more hp as it spools up. The SC should feel more powerful from a low rpm start than the T because the T doesn't develope it's hp untill it gets rpms. The T will give you a strong preceived boost when you hit a certain hp. But, in a 0-60 launch you would never take off at a idle rpm and go for it. I think Mini's launch best between 3500 to 4000 rpm. Both blowers are working at that speed and you probably wouldn't be able to time significant difference. A turbo is more prone to a melt down than a blower is. You can quit driving a SC and not worry about coaking the bearings from a hot turbo if you have been misbehaving. Some of the high dollar turbos have a water and/or oil pump that keeps operating after the engine is turned off to cool the bearings. I don't see a lot of compaints on this forum about blower life. Some turbo auto sites do complain about melt down. I never had a problem with my turbo cars but drove them accordingly. It is kind of like do you like blondes or red heads, both are right nice!

 

The real difference in this case is the change from a homogeneous injection system to a heterogeneous system. The new direct injection allows for a wider AFR range. Also , the new model has no throttle plate and relies on variable valve opening instead. This configuration required a different catalytic converter as well. It's a good thaing that it runs well from the factory as it presents real challenges to the tuner. Let the games begin.

 

I couldnt decide between supercharger or turbocharger so I'm fitting an SPI twincharger kit so I can have both! I'll et you know how it feels when it's fitted.

 

RED HEADS!!!

sorry to be obnoxious

 

It was mentioned that Minis perform at their best between 3500 and 4000 rpm. Do any of you rev way past that very often. Are you still deriving power at the higher rmps? Can the you hurt the engine driving a 6000 rpm occasionally?

 

You're kidding, right?

I know you're not kidding, but I just had to say that...

The car's built to run up to redline. Most ECU tuning raises the redline. People race the cars - hard - at high RPMs for extended periods.

When I'm driving on the highway, I occasionally floor it to pass or get out of a tight spot - and the automatic runs up to redline and then shifts. I have no fear of this harming the engine. When I'm driving "enthusiastically" in manual mode, I routinely run in the 4000-6000 range for extended periods. I'm not worried about cooking the engine.

These cars are engineered to run at autobahn speeds for extended periods. And to do that, you're going to rev it a bit. Ask abuzavi.

Oh yeah, and it just gets better and better as you rev toward redline... especially with a pulley, CAI and exhaust to breathe better...

Take it easy through your break-in period. Then ease into driving it harder and harder. But by 5,000 miles, I would have no fear of driving it HARD (especially if you've changed the oil early by then).

 

Blimey,

Yeah I know it sounds like a stupid question at first.
I am still in the breakin period with my first Mini Cooper (MCSC). I can't wait to run it full out. I've been trying my best to behave. I have had it for a week and I've put almost 1000 miles on her. Even though the car is new, I feel like I've been driving pretty hard through twisties, really leaning on hairpin curves, the car drives like a dream. I just can't wait to get her out of the break in period. The car seems too good to be true so I thought I'd ask about just how hard I can push the Coop.

Jim

 

I read somewhere that the new turbo gets a lot of tq at low rpms (around 2K), which seems to me like MINI has done a good job of toning down the turbo lag. I haven't driven it yet, but just what I've heard. My RDX has a turbo that gets similar low-end. Nothing feels better then a turbo that kicks in!

 

You say potato, I say patatoe..Both are good when applied correctly. A supercharger uses power to make it's power but responds more like a normally aspirated engine, more linear response from the throttle. A turbo gives you a more efficent whoosh of power as it spools up, as the turbo uses the exhaust pressure to spin the rotors. Take your choice and enjoy!

 

If you really want to see a turbo work, drive a Porsche with a turbo. Porsche really knows what turbo's are about!

 

Regarding supercharger vs. turbo, all I can say is that my 2007 with the turbo is much quicker than my 2004 with the supercharger. Of course, given a new engine and redesigned car, I can't say the difference is solely due to the turbo vs. the super.

 

All correct... with one additional caveat... even after break-in, don't start revving it high and redlining it until after the engine warms up! Drive it calmly until you see the oil and/or water temps rise to "normal" levels... THEN you can "let 'er rip". No, a significant part of this (in your case) is the much more conservative gearing used in 2002-2004 MINIs. Drive a stock 05/06 MCS and you'll see what I mean. Drive an 05/06 JCW MCS and you'll really see what I mean.

People so often forget the very significant gearing differences between earlier and later R53s.

Don't get me wrong, even against an 05/06 R53 JCW, the R56 MCS has more punch off the line... but once the R53 gets started, it keeps going... and it feels like the turbo in the R56 peters out at the high end (probably because it's such a small turbo, which is also why the low-end torque is so good).

 

Question, not to put you on the spot. Do you have electronic timing from 0-60 and 1/4 mile timing slips to show the difference in the two MINI's you have owned, or is the "much faster" a seat of the pants feel?

 

Having driven the R56 Turbo, I think the perception of "greater speed" is compounded by the fact that the new engine has much more torque available down low in the RPM range. I agree with Edge that people often forget to make the distinction between the gearing differences on the earlier R53 and Later R53 which are worlds apart from each other. If you are used to driving a '02, '03 or '04 with the old "taller" gearing, the R56 MCS will feel infinitely faster off the line. But if you drive a '05 or '06 stock S or JCW (or even GP), the difference in feel is not quite that dramatic.

 

No, I do not have the figures. But many others do and confirm my seat of the pants observation, which is akin to being able to say that it is much sunnier today than it was last night, without having to consult a meteorologist. Hmmm... perhaps that sounded a little antagonistic. But, I didn't mean it that way. It's just obvious. For one thing, the turbo lag is gone.

 

Not antagonistic, "seat of the pants" is a fair answer. Most of the published test results I can find is only a couple tenths of a second different in the 0 - 60 department. Guess I need to drive one and see what my "seat of the pants" feels like!

 

I love the whine of the supercharger! Reminds me of those old Mad Max movies..

 

I have had three cars with turbos and I feel that it is just slightly easier to control acceleration with a S/C. This is mainly due to turbo lag... Does anyone know about the differences between the heat soak (and overall temp) in the engine bay regarding the turbo and S/C?

 

I'm glad I got an '06 with the supercharger... SC whine sounds much better and feels more fun than then the twin turbo Audi S4 I have. Strangely though, the MINI feels like it has much more "lag" and "peaky" than the Audi, which feels dead linear in acceleration.

Turbos can spin up over 100k RPM whereas I thought I read that SCs stay below 30kRPM. And it's not just the speed they spin - it's that they're also powered by HOT exhaust gas in the first place. On the enthusiasts boards, I'm always reading about people blowing their turbos, but rarely ever see that mentioned with SC cars. Also need to worry about cool down time (idling a minute or two) before shutting down a turbo that's just been run hard. If the turbos spinning fast and the oil stops circulating (from engine shut down), then the oil coaks in the lines and bearings eat themselves.