Can anybody tell me how much horsepower does a mini cooper auto have? I read the specs and feature on the miniusa website, but it just said something like 166/6000. I don't know what that means. Also, is horsepower expressed in the unit "cc"? If so, how many "cc" does a mini cooper have?

Please let me know. Thanks a bunch!:smile:

 

cc is a measure of the 'size' engine - it stands for cubic centimeters of displacement. The displacement of the engine in a Cooper is 1.6 liters, or 1600cc.

As for power, 166/6000 would usually mean 166 horsepower at 6000 RPM. Because the amount of power from the engine varies with RPM, the speicifcation is for the peak power and at a specific RPM. Power is usually measured in, well, horsepower. there are other measures, like those used on parts of Europe where it would be rated in kilowatts.

But, I am pretty sure that the regular MC isn't 166HP - its more like 115HP.

 

115 HP for MC with either CVT or with 5 speed manual.

From edmunds.com-
Performance Base Number of Cylinders: 4 Base Engine Size: 1.6 liters Base Engine Type: Inline 4 Horsepower: 115 hp @ 6000 rpm Torque: 111 ft-lbs. @ 4500 rpm Drive Type: FWD Turning Circle: 34.8 ft.

 

You're absolutely right. I just checked and it's 115 HP. But what is rpm? What does 6000 hp/rpm really mean in terms of the performance of the car?

 

RPM (revolutions per minute) is the speed the engine is spinning at. If you engine is at 1000RPM, the crank is spinning 1000 times per minute.

The engine makes different amounts of power (horsepower) at different speeds. The lower RPM's tend to have less power than the higher ones, up to a peak. For the MC, its peak is at 6000RPM where it produces 115HP. At other RPMs, it will produce less.

As for performance of the car, its kind of a loaded question. If you always want to be able to accelerate as hard as possible, then you should keep the RPMs up around 5000-6500 RPMS. This range is called the 'powerband' for the car. Now, obviously you dont need all the power all the time - just cruising along at 60MPH on the freeway doesn't require much more than about 60 horsepower, so you shift gears (or in the case of the CVT, let the car choose a gearing ratio) to keep the RPMs nice and low to save gas (less power output requires less gas input). But, when you need to pass, you need plenty of HP to accelerate the car, so you rev the car up to 6000 RPM to get all the power you can.

If what you are asking is how does does 115HP compare, then its even harder. 115 HP would be terrible for a big huge car like a Cadillac Escalade. But, 115HP for a small go kart would be insane. So, it all depends on weight. 115HP on a MC is about right for the car to feel like you have the power you need. Its a comfortable amount for the car. Comparably sized cars have comparable horsepower. People like me move up to the Mini Cooper S for the 170HP because we like to have enough power to get pulled over easier, or wel like to race on the track.

 

To make it even more complicated, there is transmission hp/torque
drivetrain loss, and gearing which makes the AT perform differently
from the 5-speed even though they are both 115hp at the crank.

As a summary...typically:

More HP =
More Torque = :smile:
More Torque at lower RPM =
More weight =
More gears = (well, cvt is a little different)

There's heck of a lot more, but something to get you started. :smile: