6 replies to this topic

[jackdmini2k12]

Rover mini 1995 Mayfair 1.3. I'm thinking of upgrading the camshaft on my mini and I was wondering which offers the best performance increase ??

[Carlos W]

It depends what you want to use the car for?

Is the rest of the engine totally standard?

[jackdmini2k12]

Yh the engine is currently standard as I've not owned it long. The car is only used on the road but I still want it to be quick

[mike.]

As above, best performance increase for a fast road engine would probably be something like a kent 276. A 286 would give more power but needs a really good head to work properly and would be a bit much for a daily driven car.

If you want a mild increase in power but still keep good daily drive road manners than something like a kent 266 or swiftune SW5 would be good.

I have a morspeed cam in mine similar to a 276 and its quick, idles ok at 1000rpm and has strong power from 2000rpm an upwards.

[Cooperman]

You won't gain much increase just by changing the cam. If you still have a standard head that is the place to start. Have you head gas-flowed, or get an exchange one properly done with a compression ratio of around 10.2:1 and valve sizes of 35.6 mm inlets and 29.5 mm or 30.5 mm exhausts. Until the head can breath there is no point in doing much else. Once you have a decent head you can start to extract the power the head is capable of providing by changine to a cam which will allow a better peak power to be achieved. If you look at the cam charts on Kent Cams website you will see that the peak power and torque figures are shown. As an example, the 286 cam gives peak power at 6400 rpm, so to run that cam you need an engine which will allow frequent use of about 6800 rpm in order to be 'on the cam' after changing gear upwards. For that you need a balanced bottom end and a centre-main bearing strap (expensive for a road engine).
The Kent 266 cam, which is virtually identical to the MG Metro cam, gives excellent road-driving performance with a good head, a 1.75" carb, alloy inlet manifolod and better exhaust system.
You ask for 'better performance', but that can be in different areas. Better performance can mean better mid-range acceleration through the gears, a better 0 - 60 time, a better top speed, higher cruising speed, but not all the above cna be achieved. You must decide what is most important for your driving needs.
Also, only do the engine after really sorting the suspension and brakes as it's no good if you then have to slow more than necessary for corners. A virtually standard car with really well set-up suspension & brakes is often quicker on a journey than a powerful car with only average suspension/brakes.

[jaydee]

A 95 mayfair is SPi isnt it?
If so the cams above are no good, proven cams are kent 246 and kent 274. Then the ECU wont be capable of the correct fuel delivery for those cams, so you can swap the TPI for a carb setup or swap the standard ECU for a cooper one.
And obviousely you'll need a matched cylinder head to unlock power.

[bmcecosse]

You do realise it's engine out job to change the cam? As above - start with a cylinder head upgrade.