Well, I tried to get it done last week, but I am going to get my ECU tuned by Way Motor Works sometime this week. I had been going back and forth on either having Way tune my car or buying the Bluefin from Europe. I decided that at the end of the day, the Way tune would be the " to go" because of the difference in fuel between the UK and USA. As I drive the car, I will post more info and my thoughts on the programming. What I am hoping for is:

1. Increased throttle response
2. More mid range torque
3. a little more high end pull

If these parameters can be achieved, then I will consider the engine performance of my car officially tuned up. Then, it is time to focus on other aspects of Otis (think Carbon Fiber side splitters, Hood, and perhaps a harness bar to go with my Sparco seat...)



More to come soon

 

Sounds cool!

 

Looking like Thursday, stay tuned...

 

I'm interested in your thoughts as my father has an 06 MC.

 

Now it looks like today! I can't wait for this! From what I have heard the WMW tuning program will achieve what I am looking for. I will get the tune accomplished, then I will be driving around town and the back country so I can better give you all my impressions of the new ride!

 

Well, I just got the ECU tuned up today and I have to say...BIG difference. The car drives completely different now (in a good way) I always thought that my Cooper putted around town just fine and the car has completely woke up now.

1. Throttle response is quicker. Not touchy, but certainly much quicker to respond to input. I had to slow down at one point in a twisty section of back roads by my house. Not a hard learning curve or anything like that, just took it a bit hotter than usual. I will have to get used to that

2. The mid range pull is infinitely harder than before. This has been my biggest observation yet. I can be grabbing through the gears and I don't lose any pull as I gear up. Before, my cooper felt like an economy car in higher gears, set up to cruise the highway but not necessarily at a high speed. I had no problem overtaking another car at 65 MPH on the interstate WITHOUT dropping a gear. Puts a big smile on my face.

3. As far as high end horsepower goes, I haven't noticed much of a difference. However, this tune was about making a daily driven street car more enjoyable to street and I feel like it has accomplished its goal in spades.

I will have more feedback to post in the upcoming weeks but so far, very impressed for the investment.

 

This is awesome, congratulations! Sounds like exactly what I want. I wish Atlanta wasn't so far away. I'd consider a remote tune but it seems expensive and complicated. I'm glad you decided to keep and tune the R50

 

rjtrout, what other mods do you have on your car?

 

Danny, you would absolutely love the way your cooper drives with a tune like this. I still haven't even put on my summer rubber yet! And believe me, this tune made me glad that I didn't buy into the boost idea just yet

Nopistons, ironically our cars seem to be setup very similarly. The only engine mods from stock I have are as follows:

1. DDM intake
2. NGK iridium plugs
3. Apexi N-1 cat-back (kinda pricey but looks sweet)

Pretty basic stuff really. All other mods are either suspension, chassis mods. My goal behind this car was to make it as fun to drive on a back road as I could. The car had excellent turn in, good grip, a nice stance, and some good power to push it down the road. Visually, there is a bit more I would like to do, but that all is $$. Brakes me be the next area to address....

 

Sounds good! Yeah, I would really like to do a tune also. I feel like that is one major thing I'm missing. However, I'm thinking I should get a header and camshaft first so I can officially be done after I would get a tune haha.

So how does the tune process work? Do you take your ECU out and mail it to WMW and let them know what mods you have? How much did the tune cost?

 

That wouldn't be a bad idea nopistons.

Be better off doing your engine mods first then tying it all together with a tune...
At least thats what I'm doing with my R50

 

I would agree. As my car sits, I am completely happy with its performance. Will it ever win a speed contest (minus beating down the occasional Fiat 500) no. However, my car is certainly fun to drive, feels very balanced, and is turn key reliable for daily use. From my understanding, the R50 begins to drastically lose that ability once you start swapping things out like heads, cams, etc... Sure, I may add a header someday but I am assuming that won't really kill the daily drive ability of the car.

Nopistons, I would call Way up and ask him what he thinks of the overall package. He will steer you in the right direction and go over options with you. I know he offers several tuning options, he will help you find the right one for the application for sure

 

The only Fiats that should beat us NON 'S' guys are the Abarth versions hahaha

Handling is the R50's strength vs. the R53...we're lighter
so don't expect crazy gains from camshafts and heads, headers and cat back.
It costs a pretty penny to make a R50 put out as much or more then an S..

In terms of losing reliability, it all depends on the quality of the parts,
buy ebay parts and expect your engine to grenade in no time

but yes....Way can definitely help you with a tune

 

From what I have heard, even the Abarth is questionable. The Fiat I drove handled horribly. Kind of sad because I would love to see the hot hatch war come here! The Ford Focus ST could prove to be some Mini kryptonite.

The tune I am sure will range price wise in what you want. Mine was just a few hundred dollars and it was well worth it.

 

Excellent results, You must be grinning ear to ear! This sounds like one of the most affordable non-canned tunes out there.

 

From my research, this is def. one of the most affordable for sure. It has been a joy to drive around town these past few days. It's exciting because I can now focus on the other aspects of my car. There are a few more visual touches I want to look at adding in the next few months...

I would seriously recommend this for anyone looking to just a little more fun to their justacooper. With the other basic bolt-ons I have added, I couldn't be happier.

 

Where did you hear this? The car isn't even here yet. There is no comparing a Fiat 500 and an Abarth. In Europe, the abarth is it's own brand. A completely different car from the ground up. Not just a tweek like the JCW.

How about waiting until somebody actually drives and reviews the Abarth before offering an opinion?

 

At risk of getting off topic, I will respond to this by saying that when I drive an Abarth coming up, I will let you know what I think

 

All I know is from the numbers that have been shown, the Abarth is putting
out MINI Cooper S numbers....JCW is on a different level then those 2....
we will see in March

 

Yes we will!

 

No this won't likely compete with the JCW, however, at 2500 lbs and 170 lbs torque behind the 160hp it will be compete nicely with the Mini S. When the Esseesse power upgrade comes (200+ HP) it may blow past the JCW with the weight/torque advantage.

I've driven the 500 and beaten the crap out of it. It's a blast and sounds terrific. My pal who was being thrown around in the passenger seat kept saying "I CAN'T IMAGINE THIS WITH 60 MORE HP AND A BETTER SUSPENSION!!"

Asthetically, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I love the retro look Frank Stephenson gave this car just like he did the R53. Mini needs to hire him back to erase to horrid R56.

It takes me back to the excitement of 2005 when I got my first JCW. I think we're gonna be waiting until April to see these in showrooms. I have a feeling I won't get mine in time for the Dragon.

 

You can imagine how my R50 improved with a full JCW Tuning Kit! Same as you described as far as performance. I wonder if Way is basing his tune on my JCW file since I let him read it a while back.

 

Someone had a tuning kit for sale in the marketplace recently (unused.) and I really, really wanted to get it. I think it may even still be available. However, I promised my girlfriend I was "done for awhile" once I finished with my suspension gear this spring and the sub/amp install in March. Something about spending all my money on my hobby, etc etc...

 

Would you recommend this on a stock R50 (suspension only mods)? What kind of price? Sounds very interesting!

 

I don't see where it would hurt anything on a fully stock cooper. For my first power mod though, I would look at an intake like the aFe or the DDM. Both are a solid setup and you will get improved response, more torque, and not to mention a great engine note from installing one of them Oh, and you get a filter that is reusable out of the deal, too.