Alright, I have had my '05MCSC for about three weeks now and it has 240 miles on it. I have driven it in town and on the highway here. I have NOT noticed the Supercharger boost at all.

Now, I have a '00 Buick Regal with a supercharged 6 automatic and when the SC kicks in you can FEEL it. Even if you are on the highway going 70, if I drop the pedal it just JUMPS to 100+. No such thing with the MCSC. Is it because I have a 6 speed in the Mini or is it being governed since it is still being broken in or what is the deal?

Thanks for any help anyone can give.

PS-don't get me wrong I LOVE our little Mini but I was hoping for the same "oomph" from this SC as the stock SC in my Buick.

 

maybe because your buick has like 280+ ft/lb of torque?

 

See, I wasn't sure if that's what it was or not. I hope I didn't come off all smarmy like, "haha look at my giant General Motors Phallus" because I REALLY don't know a lot about cars. I know that both of my cars are supercharged, one of them is really fast and one is quick and fun to drive.

 

The main differnce is that the Regal has a bigger engine, so it has more power to begin with. Compare the engine specs below. Note that the Mini weighs about 1000 pounds less than the Regal, which is probably what helps make it so nimble.

Buick Regal:

Base Engine Size: 3.8 liters Base Engine Type: V6 Horsepower: 240 hp Max Horsepower: 5200 rpm Torque: 280 ft-lbs. Max Torque: 3600 rpm Drive Type: FWD Turning Circle: 37.5 ft.
Compare this to the Mini:

Base Engine Size: 1.6 liters Base Engine Type: Inline 4 Horsepower: 163 hp Max Horsepower: 6000 rpm Torque: 155 ft-lbs. Max Torque: 4000 rpm Drive Type: FWD Turning Circle: 35 ft.
What I would point out is that the Mini engine is more efficient from a displacement and power perspective. The Regal get its power from a bigger supercharged engine, the Mini gets it's power from a more efficient, smaller supercharged engine:

Regal 1L gets you 63 hp & 74 lbs torque

Mini 1L gets you 101 hp & 97 lbs torque

 

Hoopi,

Now I'm even more confused...

Regal 1L gets you 63 hp & 74 lbs torque
Mini 1L gets you 101 hp & 97 lbs torque

I thought more HP and Torque were better.

Seriously why am I so dumb when it comes to this gear stuff? However, I'm really good with a Submarine SONAR system (or building a PC).

(also, are those numbers for a regular MC? I thought the S had 170 HP but I am usually wrong)

Again, as always, thanks for helping the slow kid.

 

Cooper S has 170hp from MY 2005 and on.
Once you break-in your engine, get a smaller pulley which will make your supercharger to spin faster, making more power at lower rpms.

 

Regarding the "boost"

As it is a belt driven super charger, not an exhaust driven turbo charger, it is always under boost, there is no time that it "kicks in", so you won't notice a sudden power increase.

At low revs there is no effective boost, and there is a bypass valve (different from a relief valve) that bypasses the SC under vacuum conditions.

John

 

MORE is better....difference is that depending on the weight of the car, your "experience" will be different. Those numbers above are for an MCS.

 

OK well I have to disagree wholeheartedly based on my last fours years of experience with the Regal. There is a definite "kick" and a diference between normal acceleration and when the SC fires up (as seen on my boost gauge).

I understand the diference between SC and Turbo but I also know what I feel when I drive. I ws hoping for the same results from the MCSC, but I guess this gives me an excuse to start with the mods

As for a new pulley, I will have to wait about two years for that...would rather have a US mechanic do it than an Italian mechanic, if only for the language barrier issues. Besides, there is a real strong chance I will be stationed in CT again and I have read some good things about pulley parties there.

Thanks again for everyone who has the patience to explain this stuff to me.

 

Just to make sure, when you "floor it" in your MINI, are you hearing the supercharger whine, especially up past 4k RPM's? Because if you're not hearing any whine, I'm wondering if there isn't something wrong.

Once you pass 3 or 4k RPM, there should be no doubt that the supercharger's working.

Secondly, I have to agree with the earlier post. The MCS's engine is a measly 1.6 liters, man! Even with a supercharger, and a car weighing nearly 1000 lbs. less, that cannot compete with a honkin' 3.8 liter supercharged V6 engine from the General.

"There's no replacement for displacement"
-truer words were never spoken.

I'm not sure about YOUR specific MINI, but in general, if you expected the kind of straight-line acceleration as your previous Buick, perhaps the MINI wasn't the best choice, or maybe its' time for the JCW kit...

 

Well, looks like I will have to take 'er out for a spin today. Since it is brand new I haven't been revving it up past 4K very much, but I will today

The Mini is still the best choice for our second car...besides, "technically" it is my wife's car so I'm not disappointed or anything. I just kept reading people here talking about the whine of the SC and I was like, "hmmm...." So anyway when I get off work I will have to find that one mile straightaway on the island and see which end is up.

 

The SC is pretty quiet up to 4 k rpm.

With the stock air intake, and the windows closed, you will have to listen for the SC whine in normal street driving.

There is a 1 inch hole from the stock air box to the hood cowl, so that you can hear it make some noise when you stick your foot in it. You will hear it between 4 and 6 K.

If you go to one of the Cold Air Intakes that is open to the vents below the windshield, you will have lots of SC noise. I find it annoying in a daily driver so I have two air box covers. One set up for windshield intake, and one stock. I only put the high flow on the car for certain events that I attend.

John