At high RPM's 5000+ it really sounds like the little four banger S is screaming for help. The engine just sounds taxed.... I am thinking I am going crazy though. My BMW (which is probably not a good example) just seems far less taxed sounding (It's a 6cyl.)

Sometimes I swear it is a high pitch rattle, but then again it just MAY BE the little 4 cyl engine is peaking.

Who knows... Does amybody else experience this?

 

I love running this engine at 5k+ RPM's when the roads and traffic are right for it. It has so much nice power there. I don't know how taxed it is as you say, but I just think this is a "high-revving" engine. I know having a better flowing intake and exhaust (especially exhaust) smoothened things out on the top end significantly.

 

..... does your Bm'er have a supercharger? I think that you might be confusing the wonderful 'whine' of the SC with the sound of a 'taxed' out motor. My MCS comes alive at 5000+++!

 

No doesn't have a S/C.
It's a different sound than the S/C whine. It's more of what an engine sounds like when it's peaked.

 

I will agree with you that the MINI's little 4-banger does not sound near as sweet as the E46 3-series's inline 6, it has such a wonderful sound. My brother has one and I only wish the MINI's engine was that refined. Granted I don't have an intake to make the SC whine outdo the engine noise, that doesn't get away from the fact that I don't think ANY 4-cyl can be a smooth as a 6-cyl. But my car is faster than his (they techincally have the same 0-60 time so it is a constant debate btw us)

 

A stock MCS typically makes peak power at 6800 RPM, despite what MINIUSA's spec-sheet says. The stock valvetrain can handle upwards of 7500 RPM with relative reliability, so a "mere" 5k is certainly not hitting its' limit.

Of course no 4-banger will have the inherent balance and smoothness of an inline-6 or 60 degree V-12, so it's unfair to compare them from an NVH standpoint.

 

What is 'NVH'? I should know but...

 

Not often,I tend to motor for MPG,but when I run my MC,no mods,at 5K+ it sounds like it enjoys it,I know I do,and right up to red line+ it keeps pulling until bounce:smile:And it is smooth,very responsive,throtte wise,and will take me to 200km with no problem

 

NOISE/VIBRATION/HARSHNESS

 

Or,NOT VERY HAPPY

 

I don't. My MCS (with mods) sounds best at 5+, all the way to 7+

I run it HARD all the time, except when I see the police, and the only time it sounds taxed is when I go from second to fifth by accident I just hate it when I miss a shift.

Earl

 

Comparing a 6-cyl engine to a high revving 4 banger is like comparing bacon with caviar.


But bacon can be sooo tasty!

 

On my MC the revs want to go up,not down.Hold the throttle when you shift and the engine will hold RPMs not lose them.Worst thing you can do is dog a four banger.Many years ago,BMW did a test of what gets the best MPG.
Short shifting,keeping the RPMs low,turned out not to be the way to go.
Getting up to speed as quickly as possible, then cruising proved to get the best millage.
On a side note,BMW,many,many years ago did testing on guages,and their study found that analog,numbers on a dial,were better for our brains to deal with than digital readouts

 

SoCar S,
If you feel that at 5000+ rpms your engine is screaming for help then just drive it sedately and you will be happier. For the rest of us, there is no problem reving up past 5000 rpm and on up to redline when needed to get the most out of each gear whether on the street, at autocross or on the track.

The engine is designed for high rpm driving no matter what it might sound like. Personally I think it sounds pretty good from 5000 rpms to redline.

The MINI engine is high reving no matter if it has the supercharger or not. You can drive the MC in 5 speed or CVT at high revs and have just as much noise (I mean fun).

 

So if he,I'm just guessing SoCar S is a he,shifting at 4990rpm is still not sedate
Not sure if WOT all the time will make it last longer,but lugging it around WILL not.
Even on my commute,I drop down to 3rd,and cruise at 5500rpm,if it's been a slow day.
Like most small engines I've driven,mid to high RPMs are what the design is made to run at.
I tend to cruise at 3100-3200 most of the time on my commute.But I rarely get out of second gear ,4000rpm in the city.

 

Thanks for all the reponse...
I was just using the BMW 6cyl as an example.
I know they are not really comparable, that's the only thing I had to go off of.

Maybe 5k is being too reserve on my numbers, let's talk 6800. I drive it like I stole it all day long - that's not really the issue. I just notice that well above 5k (6 - 6800) it gets a little whiny, not S/C whine just a little taxed sounding - that's really about it. This is also just me being paranoid probably.

 

You will get over it,let it rev.

 

yea, if you heard the same "music" coming from your inline-6, it would certainly be cause for alarm!

 

At those rpms in stock form, my MCS was begging for more air. So I added an intake and the hesitation dissappeared.

 

Does the mini feature cut gears?

This could also be part of the whine. The getrag in my sunfire has cut gears and at the autox it can be heard loud and clear when I launch.

Also it's a 4-cylinder... that sound is the little horsies starting to run...

 

Not meaning to overplay this clip here, but how could you hear anything over that whine anyway

http://members.tripod.com/rcsail/minimovie1.MPG

This is with the Alta intake and Miltek exhaust.

 

Wow I love the sound on the clip....
Very nice... I need a new exhaust.

 

What do you mean by cut? All gears are "cut" but some more than others. If you are referring to straight cut gears, then no, the MINI doesn't have them. Straight cut gears are very hard to syncronize and are usually used in racing only environments where drivers double clutch. Some old Mini's had straight cut boxes.

 

I got to wondering about the sound of my MINI a couple weeks ago. One of the reasons I had hoped I could ride in MM2 with Ryephile at Fall of the Dragon II.

At 80 MPH, in 6th gear at about 3500-4000RPM (sorry it is not exact. forget where it was at with all the playing I did), the engine sounds rough or taxed. If I shift it back to 5th and let the RPMs jump up, the engine sounds better.

 

80 mph is about 3500 as the MCS is exactly 100 mph at 4k rpm. The engine should not be taxed at all. That's the torque peak.

Make sure the air filter isn't clogged or the intake tract is alright. You should feel the most acceleration around 4k rpm. After that, it'll taper off a bit.