I wasnt all to excited that my 2011 mini had hill assist and actually asked my MA if there was a way to disable it or order it without it and he looked at me like i was nuts. Im having issues with the silly thing and its driving me nuts

The Mini NEVER sits for two seconds like it says it does, its a crap shoot of when it will let go and when I let go of the clutch and start going like what you would do on a normal hill start the brakes dont let go immediately so it drags the back tires for a second or so.

This is the absolute most anoying thing on my mini and i cant stand it. does anyone have these kinds of issues or know how to turn off the @#&%$ thing off? i about rolled into someone today because the thing let go too quick as i was letting out the clutch. I cant drive this normally on hills.

(to answer your question before it gets asked, yes i know how to drive stick very well )

 

OOPS, posted it in the wrong section. Maybe a moderator could move it for me?

sorry about that

 

I saw the title and thought it would be quite the undertaking to add hill assist to a 1st gen Thread Moved to 2nd Gen coupe talk, as there seems to be a number of ways this could go.

You may want to take a look at some of the coding that is discussed in the Electrical mods section, and maybe some of the ECU flashes that are being used for extra performance, so much is computer controlled, I'm sure there's a way to do it; it's just a matter of it being worth the effort and risk to figure out how.

 

easy solution is to just use the handbrake when you are on a hill. If you use the handbrake and put the car in neutral the hill assist will never engage.

I personally can not stand the hill assist. I have even taken it as far as calling MINI and speaking to the head of development for that system to report a safety issue regarding the hill assist that they have yet to address.

 

i have noticed that it seems to hold a little longer then it should some times but never enough to cause issues.

I actually find it comes in handy since Richmond is a very hilly city.

 

You want to turn it off It is so handy, I love it. Take you foot off the break and you have a second to move your foot the the gas. Then motor on! Great for stoplights on a hill.

 

Not a big fan either. I am very good at stopping on hills with my manual an didn't need assistants I feel like it complicates things as well.

 

I know the hill assist is there, but I have been driving a stick so long I don't pay attention to it or even depend on it. Just drive like you normally do and you should be fine, unless you normally drive like this . Best of luck.

 

You probably don't "set" the brake by coming to a complete stop. If you hit the brake to stop briefly, and then use the throttle to hold the car it won't "kick in". I know that if I come to a resting stop and apply the brake it will be there when I move. It isn't a full 2 seconds, just enough to hold you until you make the effort to move forward - which shouldn't take a full 2 seconds.

 

Sounds like the OP's assist doesn't work right. If he drags the tires going forward sometimes it sounds like the brake mechanism doesn't release correctly. Is it the ebrake that engages to work the hill assist?

 

I hate it myself because mine works and it's annoying since I'm good enough of a driver to actually get up the hill without any assistance.

The best way to do it without using a handbrake is to know where your bite point is. Then when you're about to release the brake, you just let the clutch almost to the bite point and it will hold the car up long enough for the transition to the gas.

 

The hill assist scares me too. It seems to release as I am releasing the clutch, but before I am in the friction zone to prevent the car from rolling back. It doesn't seem to be part of the 2 second timing thing, because if I hold the clutch in all the way it will not roll back. It's only as I start to release. It hasn't really been a problem, but I do not trust the system.

 

FWIW, this has been my experience as well. At first I didn't like HA as I wasn't used to it, but some of the streets in SF are pretty hilly. Once I learned to "set" the brake, as it were, I actually grew to appreciate it a bit more. But I admit, it's not for everyone.

 

It was a little off-putting at first because the sensation was new and unexpected. Once I got accustomed to it, I decided that I liked it. Still do.

 

I'm good enough stopping/starting on inclines that I never even notice it.

 

i've been driving manuals for most of my life so i do not need it, there should be a en/disable button.

 

It took some getting used to for me as well. I find that sometimes I can fool it tho. Like not having the car in gear when I stop. If it is out of a forward gear, it doesn't come on in my car.
+1 with Motor On tho, with all the work being done with the computer stuffs in these things, someone, somewhere either has or will figure out how to shut it off.

 

Same here. It was strange at first but once you get used to it its second nature.

Also just remember that in some countries it is illegal to roll backward on a hill. I know when I was in the UK on vacation I was talking to a local police officer about the differences in driving laws, this being one of them.

 

It's illegal almost everywhere. In most US states, you are not allowed to roll backward more than 6 inches.

 

I don't have hill hold on my MINI since I don't have DSC, but even on fairly speed grades it doesn't roll back too fast, dunno why it's necessary. Seems like it would be really annoying if it didn't consistently work as it should!

 

Funny its never mentioned on the VA driver test hehe.

 

If Honda, Volkswagen et al had "hill assist" and MINI didn't - - we'd all be slamming BMW for cheaping out by not offering this wonderful thing that everybody else has. There would be 10 posts on how to add "hill assist" to our MINIs.

I'm just sayin'...

BTW - this hill assist gadget is really pretty old automotive technology - anyone here know who invented it?

BTW2 - I've driven manual trans cars all my (driving) life, and I love it.


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I live in a hilly area and love it. Works perfectly for me.

 

Im glad im not the only one that hates this. But, dragging the tires isnt normal and im going to get it in to be looked at. Ive been driving manual all my driving life too and am good enough not to roll back. I think it seems i have issues with it anyway because those of you that do like it, it isnt bad.

I still wish there was an on/off button or within the menu to disable it. It annoys the living **** outa me. It again broke loose before I could get that "friction" point to engage and nearly rolled back into someone &*#^@. The thing is, with this system engaged you cant really treat it like a normal manual on a hill IMHO.

I guess until this gets resolved, or a workaround is found ill have to use the ebrake to disable it

 

[QUOTE=3pedalMINI;3255213]Im glad im not the only one that hates this. But, dragging the tires isnt normal and im going to get it in to be looked at. /QUOTE]

Def sounds like yours has a problem. I don't even notice it on a hill anymore - I just let out the clutch and go. Very unobtrusive.

This hill assist was invented by Studebaker back in the 1930's. They called it "hill holder". I think it was also available on some other cars in the '50's and '60's. I once drove an old '50's era Stude that had 3-on-the-tree and hill holder.

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