MPi Rad - any good?
Turbo Mini Forums

Hi all,

I'm thinking of fitting a new front panel to my Mini - and therefore I have the chance to fit one that takes the MPi front-mounted rad.

Is this rad good enough for souped-up turbo engines?Say a 120bhp setup?

Anyone managed to fit an electric fan onto it without fouling the engine? I'll be trying to fit a distributorlss ignition to gain some space and performance...

Any info would be appreciated!

Cheers,

Mark

I donated, but somehow didn't get the label! :(

The ones I've talked to say it's VERY good! Fit one!

My car has an MPi front panel. The panel alone doesn't give you enough space to get the MPi rad in.......

Just so you know....

I'd say its a touch small...

they struggle on tuned MPis (Fan runs virtually all the itme).


Alex

AlexF

So MPIs actually come with a fan?
Sorry to ask this silly question, but we dont have any mpis in Malta for me to have a peek in.

Mark

I donated, but somehow didn't get the label! :(

Yes, otherwise sat in traffic etc with no air flow through the front of the car, the water temp would get hotter and hotter until it boiled up!

OK, that's good news!

If I remove the distribuot out of the way, will it clear the alternator?

I also need to fit an a/c compressor - heat exchanger going instead of the old rad!

I donated, but somehow didn't get the label! :(

the mpi have the alternator mounted higher up than standard, you'll need to make a new bracket

Team Racing

The fan is on the outside of the radiator between the radiator and the grill. There is a small cutout in the front panel to make space for it.

The bottom radiator mounts are on the subframe.

Malta mini, I can take some pictures of ours for you if you are interested.

Yeah pics would be nice... many thanks!

It'll be a tight fit in the end, but I'm sure that when it's done, it'll be the best Mini Rover (N)ever built! Of course, we all know better then the guys at longbridge! :)

I donated, but somehow didn't get the label! :(

When my mate Graeme did the Vauxhall XE conversion to his mini, he was struggling for frontal area to fit a large rad. I suggested the MPi unit. Four years on, numerous trackdays and Avon parks (including the blistering hot 2003 showdown), and it's never once got over 85 degrees.
This is a 180hp motor on throttle bodies.

Since then, many others have also follwed suit and used the MPi rads on different engines. I used one with the Vauxhall 1600 engine i fitted to my GF's mini last year - again, no problems.

I'd say if the MPi rad isn't upto cooling an a-series, then you need to look into why - as the rad isn't the problem.

In which case I'd say it should work well!

Alex

AlexF

Hi MaltaMini,

Yes fit one, had one on my Turbo for 3 years now and it is far far superior on long high speed runs, temp much lower, also you don't worry about the car in traffic, the fan just cuts in and out when needed.
You will need to bined the dissy and relocated oil filter & alternator.
It is alot of work though, but if you were going to run an ECU anyway then that part is sorted.
This will fit a standard front with a little effort from the grinder/hacksaw.
Make sure you get the 4 rubber mounts with the rad as well..

Cheers

nigel

Nigel

Getting on for a 5 year holy thread revival but never mind!

How many people are running mpi rads on tuned turbos now? Is the cooling adequate? I'm looking to switch to one of these, as there is a fair amount of space up front due to the move to a denso alternator, and I got given one with all the pipes.

Cheers

James

We've got one on the van. Not managed to overheat it yet. But I don't think there is a massive overhead of cooling in there.

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing half of.

plenty of chaps on the 16vminiclub run em without issue. however be warned theres alot for sale that are not genuine units and dont have an alloy core (usually painted black) jury is still out on there effectiveness.

turbo 16v k-series 11.9@118.9 :)

Denis O'Brien.

Well I've nearly finished fitting mine, all removed from an mpi on the chance I may use it one day. It was straight till all the trial fits, and is still fairly straight.

No fan for the moment, but hopefully air through the front at 100mph should sort the cooling. I had just better not leave it standing for a while. There is only about 4mm play between alternator and radiator, so I will ensure the engine is anchored in there.

You need a fan. If you get stuck in traffic you boil in 30seconds.

What is the standard mpi fan size? The only one I can fit will be a 7 inch fan, which I'm concerned may struggle.

Been running one for over 5 years with no problems hope this helps