14 replies to this topic

[majorj0nny]

I fancied getting my 998 1990 mini fitted with a stage one kit. Now... I'm not imagining it's going to turn the car into a sports car... But some of the power % I've read confused me. The system mini spares sells boasts a 20 % power increase... While the local mini shop I use said they could fit quality parts and tune it up and I'd get about a 5% increase. Is the 5% just a more realistic figure... While the 20 is possibly an absolute best case ?

I've read that I've a certain bore size it no longer makes a difference...

I was going to go for a centre exhaust but the guy was recommending a standard side exit cause the centre ones get battered about...

[maccers]

Those figures are probably the best case, ie if your valves are in good order, springs, electronics are good and the timing is set spot on post stage one upgrade. Its certainly a great upgrade for the £'s per power increase. I am currently doing this for my mates 998cc, and taking the time to get the cylinder head skimmed, new valve inserts, new valves where needed and a general clean up of the existing head. The carb is also be re-furbed, more to give longevtiy than increase in power, but every little bit helps!

[lrostoke]

Was just googling around see what sort of average figures are for 998 stg 1's 48 - 53 seems a common spread.

 

Now standard 998 mini factory fresh is 38 - 42 bhp.. 20% would be and extra 7.6 - 8.4 bhp

 

You add that onto the std factory figures and your not far off the average stg 1 figures banded around

 

as for the center exit, mine hangs no lower than a side exit

Edited by lrostoke, 21 May 2013 - 06:57 PM.

[jaydee]

I was going to go for a centre exhaust but the guy was recommending a standard side exit cause the centre ones get battered about...

 

What a load of BS, if you get a proper RC40 a centre exit will have MORE clearance.

Thats a different thing if you want those rubbish fletcher dtms which have that crappy mountings and are good only at sapping power...

[lrostoke]

i'm guessing from your profile your local mini shop is mini-mine....to be fair good bunch of blokes, I use them regular .

[majorj0nny]

Yeah mini mine... I got no complaints with em... Good guys as you say. And the price they offering for the stage one is attractive. Was just the fact they said 5% while this fictitious 20% figure Is being banded about. Dunno if I could be getting more increase buying online... Or if, at the end of the day, any difference will be negligible ? The attractive aspect of the mini mine price is that they will install and tune the engine for next to nothing... While I could probably install an internet stage one kit... I'm not confident doing the tuning and with the weather how it is, for some stuff it's nice to just be able take my car somewhere I trust and them do it.

[majorj0nny]

Bump.. Any ideas ? 20% ... 5% ?

[majorj0nny]

http://www.minispare...f-e89b6e4989f0. I found this...

[majorj0nny]

http://www.minispare...5f-e89b6e4989f0

[majorj0nny]

Second link .... First is wrong. Once I get on an actual computer I can delete it.

[jaydee]

15-25% is a realistic figure, it depends if your car is well serviced and the cylinder head is not buggered.

5% improvement on a 40 bhp car is NONE and you'll get that improvement simply replacing ignition parts....

[AVV IT]

The general consensus on stage 1 kits from previous threads here, seems to be that they will give you around an extra 10% BHP. Having put my 93 sprite on the rollers after fitting a stage 1 kit, I'd tend to agree with this, as in my case it produced about 60 BHP as opposed to the standard 53 BHP.

But at the end of the day BHP gains are really only any use for boasting and "bar room bullsh*t" purposes. A lot of people tend to think that from the classic mini perspective at least, any increases in "torque" are actually far more important than BHP gains. Figures aside though, with a stage 1 kit fitted you should find a classic mini to be more lively and responsive to drive. There should be a noticeable difference after fitting it, but it certainly won't be an earth shattering one eitner. If you want a significantly noticeable power increase, then you're going to have to invest in cam and head upgrades as well.

Edited by AVV IT, 02 June 2013 - 12:34 PM.

[cal844]

my 998 snd 1275 have stage one kits and to be honest it was the best thing i ever did, that and an electronic dizzy (no points) 

[Stevie W]

Hi,

Stage 1 kits will also offer some increase in torque as well as BHP increases (Minispares item C-STN17 states +12% torque).

Although its been said many times before, stage 1 kits (or any other kit for that matter) need to be set up correctly on a rolling road to gain maximium benefit.
I fitted one many years ago to an otherwise standard 998 and the improvements were quite noticeable after set-up and made the car pull stronger in all gears. I also got a very small improvement in fuel consumption....although that was lost in the use of more right foot using the extra power!!!!!

Cheers,

Steve.

Edited by Stevie W, 02 June 2013 - 04:36 PM.

[ejs-1995]

Just fitted my stage 1 on the weekend, improved my driveability immensely! Best valve for money purchase I've made