Hi Everyone,

I wanted to make a post to provide my experience with Mario Palza, specifically his Stage 2 Tune and Downpipe.

A little background on my car... I have a 2015 R60 S with roughly 130,000 miles on it. It is/was my car majority throughout college and was even considering on selling my Mini after graduation for a higher powered car. When I landed my first job, I decided that instead of selling it off and buying a new one, I chose to keep my Mini and try to make it better. At first, I only dabbled with simple bolt-ons such as NM Engineering's Intake, Power Module, Discharge Pipe, etc. I started with the NM Engineering Power Module, as I wanted something that I could easily remove when taking it to the dealership. While these modifications made the car fun, I always found myself wanting more.

Every now and then, I would see Mario's name pop up on NAM, always recommending to talk to him. Well this year, I decided to pull the trigger and reach out to him. First time reaching out to him, I could immediately tell that he was very kind and knowledgeable individual. I built my way up to his Stage 2 Tune over the next few weeks. First was the downpipe, second was the Intercooler, third was the Tune / Sparkplugs.

The downpipe before the tune felt amazing. I loved the deeper tone it made MoneyPit sound (I nicknamed my car MoneyPit because I'm always putting down money on repairs/modifications). The car felt like it could finally "breathe" easier and could get up to speed much faster. And this is all without the tune, so I was definitely excited to see what the tune would add.

2 weeks later, I made the trip to visit him and got the Stage 2 Tune. Honestly, all I can say is WOW! The car feels SO much smoother when driving and faster when driving. As the car is accelerating up to speed, I get those rollercoaster butterflies in your stomach feel that I just can't ever get over. I love everything that his Stage 2 Tune has done to the car. I've even started planning on saving up for his Stage 3 Tune.

Honestly, if you are considering on getting a tune, I would highly recommend reaching out to Mario. If I knew more people who drove Mini's, I would tell them in a heartbeat to get his tune. Thank you Mario!

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2015 Mini Countryman S

• NM Engineering Intake
• NM Engineering Discharge Pipe
• NM Engineering Charge Pipe
• MarioKart Downpipe
• Forge Turbo Blanket
• Larger Intercooler
• NGK Sparkplugs
• Upgraded OEM Diverter Valve w/ Alta Spring
• NM Engineering Torque Arm Insert
• NM Engineering Rear Sway Bar
• M7 Monster Strut Bar

 

I just had @MarioKart do a stage 1 tune on my R56 2012 MCS. His turn around time and customer service is amazing. I wanted to be able to have a slightly more conservative mode available so I paid of the 'sport button over boost option'. When in non-sport mode the car is pretty normal until you get to 4-5k RPM and then it really starts to pull. It feels a little surgey, but it seems like a very reasonable trade off. It keeps things pretty mild when you are just driving around, but still lets you have access to some extra power when you put your foot down.

Switching over to sport mode it gets much more aggressive! It is consistently more aggressive across the entire rev range and just feels fast. Looking at the car's sensors I can see it is producing a fair amount more boost than in non-sport mode, and my butt dyno agrees that there is a huge difference! Letting off the gas in sport mode one gets the pops and gurgles that every MCS owner knows and loves.

While it is "just a stage 1 tune" it really made the car feel proper quick. I really glad I mailed my ECU into Mario it really added a bit of excitement back into the car for me. I'd 2nd what @FrancisCM said

 

Thanks for the write up. Stage 2 is my next step, i just received the upgraded plugs in. I'm leaning towards MarioKart myself. Is he located in NY?

 

Mario is in Cali. The closest RPM tuner to NY would be detroittuned.com

 

@Lou@Prototype-R will do remote tuning… FYI