Hi all,

This is my first post in the forum after owning my 2010 Mini R56 for just over a year as a first car. In this time, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the 1.6L mini and have had great help from these forums in odd repairs and modifications.

I come to the forum now as my N14 non-s engine is looking, and sounding, on its last limbs at 131k miles, and am looking to swap it out for a new, lower mileage engine for cheap. I am looking for that extra “oomf” the s will give. Rebuilding and adding a turbo would be too costly and so am wondering what the next best thing to do is.

Am I right in thinking the other engines such as N18 will fit? As many of the others here have, I too have fallen into the mini pit. I want to swap the engine out instead of buying a new car due to the amount of time and effort put into my current mini. I also like the idea of a sleeper build.

BUT, has anyone done this? Are there many complications regarding ECU, engine harness, etc? Should I buy a N14 or N18, with single to double vanos in mind? I’m keen to learn as much as possible regarding the swap, and your opinions and assistance would be greatly appreciated.