Be sure to post the results!

And it's probably best that you posted here...the 1st gen section is sort of a ghost town lol

 

Haha, true enough. I'll report back on Sunday!

 

Well, I'm back! The tune is great. It certainly pulls harder, smoother, and all the way to redline now... seems more linear than before. Seems to scoot around faster and more eager to accelerate, and passing on the freeway now means shifting into 4th rather than slamming into 3rd, turning off the AC, and saying a little prayer.

I still want to sell it and get a 335i, but I'm definitely having more fun in the mean time now. Thanks Jan

Here's a dyno sheet for anyone who's curious:

 

So Jan you are say an extra 4hp and 7 ftlbs of torque compared to your current setup before the tune (assume CAI? other mods - exhaust?). cost of tune?

Can u give us a hp/lb so we can compare to our mods (e.g. i removed weight and reduced unsprung weight so can estimate a hp/lb figure for my mods which i might have done somewhere already?).

Thanks,

Tim

 

Oh I'm not Jan, Jan is the tuner. I'm Dan

Yeah, that's correct. The cost of the tune for R50/53 models is $350. My power related mods are just an aFe CAI and a Borla cat back exhaust.

I can't give a power:weight since I don't have an exact weight for my car.

 

Love those numbers haha.

My R50 basically got the same results....straight NA!

Car is all about momentum =D

 

Honestly when I saw the dyno sheet I was disappointed, but I'm surprised by how much of a practical difference a little more torque and having access to it lower in the rev range makes.

 

Yea, you might find yourself having just enough ooomph to get by without having to downshift.


Keep in mind it's a 1.6.....and that is it.
I remember a few years back many (now a rare breed) R50 folks were always asking, 'how can I get 120...no 135hp. I was practical enough to say, 'there's just no way'. =[

And I'm sure you remember that old line that we were always told.

'You should have got an S'

Best mods for the R50 are light weight wheels, sticky tires, some suspension upgrades.....then just drive that sucker like you stole it..handles very well....it's a momentum car.

Sprint booster is actually a great option for the R50 as well!

 

That's exactly it. Now I can pass sitting at ~3500RPM rather than having to drop a gear.


Agreed! As you can see in my sig I've done all that

The only way to squeeze out more power now is cam/head/headers, and it's tempting! However it's also insane.

I think I'm going to keep it as it is. I may start looking at a 330/335i in the future if I really want more power... I'm going to want RWD and a more "GT Car" feel in my next toy, I think

 

Oh sorry lol, I can't see sigs on the app! I say keep it as is and let it be your fun economical car and move on to the Beemer.

But go with the turbo!
The 335 is just a whole other animal!
Suckers have more torque then the M3's

 

DDM intake.

 

Ahh, the app! Yeah, I've got konig feathers, yokohama s.drives, a sprint booster, ST coilovers, 19mm rear sway bar, afe intake, and borla exhaust... also stereo goodies, so it's loud too.

I've driven a 335i and it was BLAST. Coming from the R50 that thing really pulled like a freight train. I'm worried about reliability/cost on a turbo BMW though.

 

Dan - would you know if Jan has ever tuned an R56?

 

i know, you know, i was waiting for that question... correct?

 

I figured you would beat me to it.

 

There was a guy there with a Straight Cooper R56 that Jan was unable to tune... I believe he's only able to tune the Turbo R56 at this time, but I couldn't say for sure. You could always shoot him an email and check

 

i was waiting for you, sir. i knew you'd come through eventually.

i'm thinking if we start out with 120+...

i was hoping this thread wouldn't turn into another, well, you know what i mean...

 

Shhh, they'll hear you

 

i'm out, i'll check back in tomorrow...

 

It's fun being under the radar... and under estimated.

 

You must admit at this time, the appearance of "The Kid" is far from "under the radar"...

 

dannyhavoc:

I'm glad (and admittedly jealous) you're enjoying your "tune", Dan. Congratulations for being pioneer. (And yes, shhhhhhhhh, let's hope this still doesn't turn into one of "those threads"…)

I am still interested in pursuing a "tune", even if it only yields 5-7 whp in the end (get it, "in the end" or should I say "in the front"), but adds a bit of torque, some increased delivery, and drivability benefit.

I inquired about a "tune" to my R56 Straight Cooper a little more than a year ago with 4-5 vendors (although, surprise!, only 2-3 had the courtesy to respond…), and cannot remember if Jan was one of them, but I believe so if I had to guess.

They all (both?) responded with the same basic information at that time. There is a possibility that some issues might have changed by now, seeing how technology advances so quickly these days. Here is what I remember being told at that time, my .02 cents worth:

:: The ECU/CPU "codes"/configurations for the R56 NA engines had not been officially published by the manufacturer at that time, and they would need them to begin to alter the parameters to change the settings. One said that from what he understands, the settings are, at minimum, different from the 2010 and the 2011, if not more, and the same new program/adjustments most likely could not be used universally across all R56 NA models.

:: The concept that they stressed the most is that the actual horsepower gain, as it so appears, would be very minimal in the R56 NA engines (designed for longevity and fuel efficiency), because the available range available is limited mechanically (by cam/valving, injection, header outflow, etc.) as opposed to the high performance "S" engine, whose tolerance is relatively quite broad.

:: I remember they all (both?) said that the ECU/CPU in the new NA Coopers are highly intuitive in nature, and have the ability to adapt themselves without adjustment to run well under a variety of circumstances and changes. This was in response to asking if my MINI would run better if the computer was reset in relation to take advantage of the aftermarket CAI, free flow exhaust, etc., the mods I have done already. So, the answer was that it already is…

:: And last, but not least, none of them (at least those that could take their f'ing precious time [ouch…] to respond to a potential customer…) could "tune" an R56 NA Cooper engine, at that time. (Bummer.)

Personally, I would spend up to $500 to gain a minimum of 5-10 whp from a "tune", but only if it is money back guaranteed in writing and includes dyno pre/post graphs. (And if it ran adversely after in my judgement, they would return it to the original factory settings, no charge.) I must admit though, I know from past experience with 1960-1970s English sports cars that a 1/4 race cam, headers, and "Webers" can make the car turn from just regular fun to downright frightening fun… Hmmmmmm...

I must also honestly admit I enjoy my MINI very much in it's current configuration. With the mods I've done, it is light, poised, agile, sharp, and most of all has an English sports car feeling, all while being just quick/responsive enough to prevent me from losing my driver's license and still, like you, create some "havoc" between the tires and the asphalt…

Oh yeah, and while I'm at it, please repeat after me, everyone together now: STRAIGHT COOPER, STRAIGHT COOPER, STRAIGHT COOPER…. STRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIGH-TAH COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-PERRRRRAH.

(Say with an Elvis voice...) Thankyouverymuch.

 

lol... hear hear!!!!!

 

That may be true. But I was thinking more like, 'no hood scoop, no turbo and a single exhaust outlet' - so the car must be soft. I like when they think that...

 

So....

http://www.brentuning.com/pricing.html

Looks like MI040 would be for us. It's a lot of money for 15 hp. But I do think we would FEEL 15 hp.

Would there be anything we've done that comes close?