Thank you for the information

 

Late reply but answered by the others. Sanctioned events will have all sorts of parameters that you should understand and figure out before you do anything as some things you can and can't do. Figure out what you want to do first, then build.

Unsanctioned and just some friendly track days then the stage 4 is fine if that is what you want to do. Other than some extra HP for the straights I would spend my money on suspension, tires and brakes as mentioned. With that and some practice you will give bigger HP cars a run for their money.

 

I agree with what every one else said about probably not getting more than 250hp out of the car, what I would add is remove as much weight as you can, removing weight is like free horse power. rear seat, carpets, radio, interior trim, passenger seat. All are unnecessary for a track day car (though a passenger seat is nice)

I'd also do suspension and brake improvements. If you lower these cars and make them even stiffer, they handle even better, and while the stock brakes are good, I overheat them at some tracks. I'd also look into getting some bridgestone potenza RE-71R tires, they are amazing.

 

There are a PLENTY of RMW powered cars making 250-275 HP with a new, Head, cam, injectors, header, tune...Granted still not cheap but but not too bad if you can do your own install of parts.
Head-$2500 + core
Header-$800-$1000 or so
Cam-$400 or so
Injectors- not sure say $400-600
Tune- $450
and your out driving for around $5000 if free labor..
PS: one of the best CAI for Gen 1 cars is the Factory JCW intake..

 

why has no one mentioned NOS =D


get the BVH and a fully built motor then shove some blue juice through, thatll get ya closer and cheaper than a turbo setup, but yes 400hp will be a handful, granted it wont be that hard with the turbo, straight turbo swap with same psi at 15 will get you around 300, the supercharger does rob quite a bit of power

 

BlimeyCabrio has what is essentially an RMW prototype package that makes 351whp. So that's probably over 400hp and he is still using a supercharger. He has a blog.

 

Thanks for the blog link Sevin, I hadn't seen that before.

I love that guys attitude! This broke and that broke but it can all be fixed

 

If you want a good indication of what it would be like, find someone with a 400+hp Honda and have them take you for a ride. Then take the total cost they spent, multiply that by at least 3 (because Mini), ask them what their reliability is and then however many times it's broken down multiply that by 4 or 5, because well Mini.

I owned an '03 Evo 8 that made 532hp to the wheels, and even with AWD I can't really even say that was streetable, and a Mini is almost half the weight. Not trying to discourage you from your dream or goal, but the car will pretty much be undriveable after that.

 

Depends on the turbo and the amount if flows. Obviously a T25 at 15psi will flow less than a T4 at 15psi. The factory Eaton is well out of its efficiency range at 15psi though, so the biggest gains you see are from reduced IAT's from a turbo setup, and denser air = more power. PV=nRT

 

I left the idea of NOS out because he said he wanted to track the car, while you can make that kind of power, it's not constant/consistent and still requires the motor build to handle enough to get you to that point. (At least if you want to get there more than a couple of times)

 

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

Honestly, we've all been there, esp. if you come from the Asian car community, where HP comes much easier and much cheaper.....
First thing to do is forget about HP #'s esp if you want to track the car. Once you've got a good idea of the amount and type of racing you want to do (esp when it comes to rules and the Do's & Don'ts) we'll be more than happy to help out. But if it allows, start here:
-Better CAI
-15% reduction pulley (15% for Track, 17% for Street)
-Lighter Wheels
-Good Tires
-Bigger Rear Sway Bar
Those are the basics no matter what.

Then it will be decision time...
Track Car You can drive on the street -or- Street Car with good Track manners. This can change your priorities when it comes to where and how to spend your money next.
Good Luck and have fun with it.

 

I've driven an r53 with 270 hp, 400hp without making it awd would be totally stupid. Sorry the car would be un drivable with that much power, get 275 and I'm sure you'll be content.

 

Call RMW and purchase:
2.0 liter long stroke longblock complete with race head, billet rockers, race cam
TVS supercharger system complete with air to water intake manifold
Race longtube header
Big fuel injectors and pump
Vipec ECU and dyno tuning for E85 fuel
Race CV axles
Have a good exhaust shop make you a custom mandrel bent 2.75"+ R50 style exhaust. R50 bumper trim to match your right side exit exhaust. OR even better move your battery and run R56 straight exhaust.

This should get you your 400 crank HP. You're also going to need:

Aftermarket clutch
Aftermarket LSD
Aftermarket engine mounts
Brake and suspension upgrades to cope with all the added power, along with wider wheels and tires to help with traction

 

OP doesn't sound like he turns his own wrenches......

 

Just popped in on this thread because I too am looking for the same thing as the first guy. I have an 2006 R50 Mini Cooper (5-speed) base model. My engine went recently, so I'v been looking at what to do next. I've Googled/Youtube a billion things showing other people making 400+ easily, AND still keeping it aesthetically stock (not track-looking with fat slicks etc). From what I'v seen, a Honda K-series swap (K24a2 with a K20a2 head)(plus turbo) makes this happen EASILY. And it doesn't cost $20k+ like I've read in the thread.
That being said, I'm not undercutting you guys who actually know what you're talking about, but isn't this 400hp Mini actually realistic? And would I be better going forged internals or stick with the swap? Not here to start beef, for all you hotheads... thanks.

 

One persons "Easy" is not the same as someone else's. From the swaps I've seen, you need to have a fair bit of fabrication experience, be a good welder, have the ability and room to pull the entire front end off of the car, possibly stretch the frame rails out a bit, relocated motor mounts, strengthen the frame, custom axles, etc, etc......not to mention the programing, tuning, and wiring/electrical experience to make it all work.

Is this "Easy" for some people? Sure. But I think it would be safe to say that for most people, doing any kind of motor swap in a Mini is not "Easy".....or cheap. You could probably go out and by a nice used R53, mod the heck out of it, and still be money ahead.

 

For that much money. Do a K Swap and all wheel drive. 15k should be plenty. Now you have the power and grip.

 

shiiiiiiiiiiiit , or you build smart like me and get it all parts under 3k INCLUDING sprintex kit and you'll be good... just take time and do your reseach , there ways to budget build buuuuut like me you'll need a used supercharger kit or turbo kit cuz stock isn't cutting it.. I'm running tpr2 head and ns1 cam but cam could be more aggressive.
I actually feel 400hp could be done pretty easy and not too much money. Good head , injectors , cam , turbo and tune...all can be had 2nd hand and or fabbed up

 

lol ille sell him my car then as it sits for 25k and should be happy.