I have now had my new 2015 MINI Paceman for a full week, and I am having a BLAST with her. I traded in my '14 JCW Coupe, which I only had for about 5 months. I truly loved the Coupe, I moved into the JCW from a '12 Coupe S. What changed for me recently was when I needed to take a small Antique Rocking Chair to our Upholsterer and I could not get it in the boot no matter how I tried. I do have a Jeep and even a trailer for larger loads, but hell I would love to be able drive my MINI more often than not.

I had actually considered the Paceman before, my hesitation was due to ignorance. I thought there was no way it would drive and handle like my previous MINIs, even my '05 R53 (so miss the scream of the Supercharger). Boy was I wrong. I have been taking her through some of my favorite local roads, and have been impressed. Cornering is tight, acceleration is peppy in Sport mode, I will have to get use to the extra weight when it comes to the braking. As I get more accustomed to her abilities I will be having even more fun with her.

I have yet to take any pics of her, soon. She is Absolute Black Metallic, with the JCW Exterior Package, Red Copper Lounge Leather, Premium and Tech Packages. LED Daytime and Fog lights. Harmon Kardon. Almost all boxes checked, except heated seats. I live in Texas, but they sure were a nice bonus in my other MINIs.

I have noticed how much quieter and smoother the Paceman is over my previous MINIs. I actually don't have to turn my music up to compensate for the road noise. Although, I have noticed a exhaust "Droning", that I have my music try to hide. It seems to come from under the right rear seat. Mostly noticed at highway cruising speeds. Sunroof is definitely loud at highway speeds too, mostly coming from the floppy mesh deflector.

I have never done any Mods to my previous MINIs other than blacking out chrome with Plasti Dip. I do plan on doing some with the Paceman though, mostly cosmetic. The JB+ has peaked my interest. Seems to be a very popular and easy add. But I have questions...

Burger states that it is for track use only, but I get the impression from most comments that people use it all the time. If you do, and you take it off before taking your MINI in for service, how soon before you take it in do you take it off. My thinking is, if your key fob records driving data, wouldn't it register the "not normal" parameters from the JB+??? Am I wrong here???

I should be receiving my Bluetooth Diagnostic Scanner tomorrow. Plan to pair it with Torque for Android and gather data for a week or so before installing the JB+. Just to get a good benchmark.

Going to change out the orange turn signal bulbs to some stealth silver.

MINI Puddle Lights

Have a couple of sets of wheel spacers ordered. 10mm front, 15mm rear, in anticipation of a taller, wider tire after I wear the run flats off.

Actually thinking I will hold off tinting the windows for a bit, I am enjoying seeing outside right now.

If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read. I have enjoyed reading through the threads on the forum, and have learned a lot from most of them.

scule

 

Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts.

I am checking into the JB+ as well. By saying track use only, I assume Burger avoids some liability and needing to do any CARB testing. I believe the JB+ is "invisible" to the system.

Are you speaking of the side marker bulbs?

 

Are you speaking of the side marker bulbs?[/QUOTE]

Not the side scuttles, but the ones in the front headlamp. The orange bulb just stands out in the HID assembly.

 

I keep the JB+ in all the time. The only time I removed it was when I had a CEL, and then I just popped it out before I left the house. Other than that, it's always plugged in. It does make a nice difference in performance -- not huge, but it brings the Paceman just a little bit closer to the feel of a Cooper S. I'm also thinking of adding a thicker rear sway bar to further that along, but just haven't gotten around to looking at it seriously yet.

Congrats and good luck with your new ride!

 

[QUOTE=scule;4019228]
Burger states that it is for track use only, but I get the impression from most comments that people use it all the time. If you do, and you take it off before taking your MINI in for service, how soon before you take it in do you take it off. My thinking is, if your key fob records driving data, wouldn't it register the "not normal" parameters from the JB+??? Am I wrong here???


The jb+ is a no brainer, it’s the best performance enhancement and bang for the buck in the market place IMO. Basically it's a inline mass flow data modifier that bumps the performance to what a JCW would be without the bolt-ons. The truth is the N18 engine in the S and JCW are “exactly” the same internally, the JCW bolt-ons with little bigger turbo setup and programing actually put more stress on engine than the JB+ (at stock settings). The nice thing about adding a JB+ on a 2wd Paceman S is it’s as quick if not quicker than a JCW, because you lose less BHP in the drivetrain with the 2wd and its lighter. The down side is you will need to add stickier tries to keep the traction control light off, likely why the JCW comes only in 4wd.

 

If you are running 18 inch wheels, you can put 245 45 18's without spacers on the Paceman, but not the Countryman. It totally transforms the traction, handling, ride and looks of the vehicle without altering your suspension geometry with spacers.

 

[QUOTE=HorseWithNoName;4022409]Thanks for your input guys!!! Much appreciated.

Spent the day doing some of the MODS, Wheel Spacers, Chrome-ish Lug covers, MINI Logo puddle light, and last and by no means least the JB+. Very noticeable improvement in throttle response and power. DSC lighting up a lot. May be getting the non-run flats sooner than I would have. So looking forward to spending more time in her now.

Next on tap, lowering springs. Post Holidays I'm sure, but in the near future for sure.

Happy Holidays to All, and All a Good Night!

 

Post some photos when you get time.

 

Some quick shots taken this morning, before getting her dirty after the a.m. showers.

 

Looking good. Like those wheels.

 

+1
Geat looking Paceman...

 

i also just picked up my '15 paceman...two weeks old. I also have an 08 Clubman. Ride is much better on the Paceman but the 18in wheels help. I got a copper All4 with the red copper leather seats with a fully loaded interior except for the connect package. The handling is just as good as the clubman but the zip is better I will post pics this weekend also

 

Congrats Bill

Awesome color combination!!! Loving my Red Copper Lounge Leather too.

I too have been very impressed by the Paceman's abilities. With the addition of the JB+ it has truly been a blast to drive. I have driven just under a week since the addition of the JB+, an observation I have made in this brief amount of time is my MPG has decreased considerably when not in Sport Mode. I prefer Sport Mode of course, and thought "Oh My" what will I be getting for MPG in Sport Mode. The last couple of days I have kept it in Sport Mode and I am seeing the MPG's tick UP. I have a small road trip today that will give me more insight, and then Holiday travel next week. All in All, fuel efficiency has never been a high priority for me, but there were times I was getting 38 mpg on long highway trips in the Coupe S.The best average in the Paceman has been a consistent 28 mpg.

Gotta pay to play. My philosophy towards MPG and Motoring Awards.

 

Trying to understand that your mileage decreased when not in Sport Mode. But in Sport Mode it increased? Any ideas why that is?

 

Honestly I have no clue. Seems reverse logic to me, that was why I was surprised by the increase I noticed in Sport. The only thing that I could think of while in Normal Mode, I was mainly tooling around town. But the drop in MPG was pretty significant.

Today's stats..... I ended up doing around 325 miles, about 90% highway. OBC shows average speed @ 69 mph. I kept it in Sport Mode the whole trip, and average MPG ended up at 28.2. At one point today it had reached 29.5 mpg, but after I filled up (had four chiclets glowing) it began to fall again.

Next week's Holiday travel will be about 1500 miles, so I will probably mix the settings with different tanks. I am able to run 93 octane pretty much all the time locally. Distance travel I may hit some spots of 91.

I left the JB+ at default when I installed it. Maybe I should crank it up a notch??? I may try that this weekend.

 

I would wait to increase the setting until you can monitor A/F ratio, etc.
Did you get your diagnostic scanner setup yet?

 

Not yet, plan to on Sunday. I had the same thought about waiting until I had some parameters set.

Updates to come.....

 

When you say "18 inch wheels" are you referring to the OEM wheels? In order to run 245 45 18's I'm assuming a similar back spacing to OEM has to be maintained. An aftermarket wheel with a back spacing that results in the wheel being pushed out towards the body would not be ideal.

 

I'm running the OEM 18" 5-Star Double Spoke in Anthracite.

 

Thanks for the info. I was planning on purchasing aftermarket wheels with a 40mm offset. I believe MINI OEM wheels have a 52mm offset for the Paceman/Countryman 18". If this is the case the wheel/tires combination will be located closer to the suspension by 12mm or .472". This may be too close or even hit something.


What brand/model tires did you purchase? Can you measure the overall width and diameter? I need to correlate with Tire Rack's website to see what they have for dimensions online match to what you physically measure. I do not trust Tire Rack's info and want to make sure what they list for your specific tire is accurate to what you measure.


Thanks in advance for your help.

 

I'm running Bridgestone S-04 Poles and the numbers are correct on tire rack. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....+Pole+Position

It's easy to get the offsets reversed in our heads, because positive is inward and negative is outwards. Meaning you should have 12mm of extra inter clearance with the 40mm vs. the 52mm at the same rim width. You really have clearance for a half inch wider rim (from 7.5 to 8") with the 40mm offset.

This is a great wheel offset calculator, because it shows you the inner clearance and outer position differences between rim widths and offsets. http://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Wheel-Offset-Calculator

 

Thank you very much for the info and the wheel offset calculator link. Yes it is easy to get the offsets mixed up. After running my wheel width and offset values, I get an extra 4mm or .157" distance from the suspension. Which means I will have even more room than you have between the suspension.


I stated the aftermarket wheel offset I will be purchasing is 40mm it's actually 42mm.


I found a website that sells reconditioned OEM MINI Wheels with all their specs to obtain my OEM wheel offset.
http://www.hubcaphaven.com/mini_wheels.htm

 

How close are your tires to the suspension? How about when you get full suspension compression and maximum steering turn to lock is there any interference?

 

I have minimum clearance at all inflation levels on the shock towers in the front, and the same in the back with the suspension fully extended (the closest point of contact on the inside). With regards to steering lock to lock clearance, I have an inch on the outer side corners of the tires from the fender liner. With a half inch wider rim (that's all outward) I'm thinking you should end up with around three quarters of an inch clearance.

Running the numbers on the wheel offset calculator, going from 7.5” width with a 52mm offset to 8” width with a 42mm offset should give you an extra 4mm on the inner clearance (a good thing) and extending your rims 16mm / .63” outward should look great with the 245 45 18's.

 

Thanks for your input. Another bonus, I live close to a Tire Rack distribution center. I can install the tire/wheel on my car in their parking lot just to be on the safe side to see if there are any interferences. If the unfortunate occurs I will not have to pay anything and just give the tire/wheel package back with no cost on my part.