Today Jan from RMW tuned my highly modified 2003 MCS, and I must say that the results were most impressive, indeed!! I have previously mentioned on this Forum some of the many modifications that have been made to my car over the past 4 years. The ones relevant to the tune are:

WMS Ram Airflow CAI with 65-to-62mm throttle body
17% reduction pulley with 2006 OEM crank pulley
M45 ported/polished supercharger
Gintani custom intake manifold with integral air-water intercooler
JCW 380cc injectors, changed to Bosch 440cc injectors after baseline run and before tune
NGK iridium IX spark plugs and Nology wires
FB Racing Stage II head, valves and springs
CP Racing custom pistons (78mm)
Schrick racing camshaft
Burns Stainless custom 4-1 header (3"), collector and exhaust

The tuning was done on a Dynapak load control dynamometer at Church Automotive Testing in Wilmington, CA. Ambient temperature was about 65 deg F, relative humidity about 42%, and fuel was 91 octane Chevron.

A baseline run was made (stock software), then the injectors were changed from 380cc to 440cc. The change was made because the car was running "too lean for comfort" with a negligible safety zone, especially since it was planned to raise the rev limiter. Jan then tuned the ECU to optimize the equipment combination that was on my car, as well as to provide a substantial margin of safety with respect to the air:fuel ratios. A very brief summary of the results are as follows:

Baseline (stock software; 380 cc injectors)-peak values:
Power 234 hp
Torque 183 lb-ft

After the RMW tune (440 cc injectors)-peak values:
Power 251 hp
Torque 193 lb-ft

Of note, the power and torque increases were made while having a "richer" and safer air:fuel. Furthermore, there was a marked increase in torque at lower rpm's. The torque values from 3500 to 7200 rpm were above 180 lb-ft!

Since the proof of the pudding is in the tasting, I can tell you that the good ole' butt dyno confirmed the observations above. The car is a very strong puller and it's a challenge to keep from spinning the wheels in 2nd and 3d gear (forget about 1st!). On the way home from the tune, I again had a real grin on my face . I'll try to get files from Church Automotive, and, hopefully, I can post some of the graphs.

All in all, it was a fun and very productive day --- thanks Jan .

 

glad to hear youre happy with it bob

-glen

 

congrats...... I have 380s and Jan has suggested the 440s..... your experience has convinced me......again congrats that is a big number

btw......it has been in the 20s in Atlanta and the streets are dry...... the Mini is running strongest ever

 

Bob, My car was totally changed by Jan's tune. I only have basic mods (no cam or head) and Jan was able to get almost 220 peak whp and 190 ft-lbs of torque. The area under the torque curve increased significantly and the car pulls like all hell at low rpms and doesn't seem to quit. Congrats on your tune and I hope to see you at Santa Anita next Saturday.

 

250+whp is stock Subaru STI territory. Sub 5 second 0-60 times for that car (which benefits from AWD and super sticky tires).

congrats on some nice numbers (even before the tune!). I'm looking forward to Jan touching my car this month.

 

now you can play with evos and stis.., e46 Ms maybe droollllllllllllll

 

Very impressive. Great number indeed.

 

Nice! 250whp is where I hope to be someday, sounds like one badass MINI. Congrats to you & Jan.

 

I am glad to see more 250+ Minis!!!

 

If you guys want Jan to tune your cars, you better get in line early. I spoke to Jan this week and he was telling me that he is getting super busy. People from around the world are inviting he tune their cars. I'm just glad that he has time this coming week to work on my car.

 

we attained these values at 1 to 1.5 richer a/f ratios!

Bob's car is running safe now on pump gas. Bob's car is probably the most CUSTOM modified Mini on the planet still running the M45

It was great fun finally getting it all tied together ..... it's been a long time coming! Have fun with it Bob and start saving for your tire fund!

 

[...Have fun with it Bob and start saving for your tire fund!]


....
After all the mods to my car, I forgot about tyres . Well, I'll just have to put some kind of limiter under the throttle pedal so that I don't get the car into wheel-spin range .

BTW, if anyone wants to buy a nice set of JCW 380cc injectors, send me a pm and make an offer.

 

PM sent!

..and - wow! that is an awesome tune - congrats!

 

congratz on the #s!!!

 

o wait a min, Church Automotive? aren't they well known for higher dyno readings??
thats what I have been seeing in bmw forums.

well its the delta thats important tho

 

AND - doesn't the Subaru weigh in at more than 1000 pounds heavier (stock) than a stock MCS?

That's got to make even more of a difference!

The 250+ arena is where I'd like to be as well someday, or I may buy the new 2008 STI - that's a nice car and without that 6 foot tall wing.

 

not that much, but, yes it's heavier....bigger motor, more doors, AWD system etc.

 

I just returned from a 20' "drive" in the Mini. After letting the oil temp get to about 180 deg F, I began pushing the car, and winding it out to 7500 rpm in 1st through 4th. At that point I got a bit nervous because the gendarmes often have hidden spots. Of course my Escort 8500 could give me an alert, but why chance it?

Well, this car really rocks --- . It's not like my bi-turbo Audi RS6, but this Mini is one very serious automobile. As an analogy to the ole' Timex commercial, "This Mini just keeps on pulling!" While the engine has been made much more efficient, I do think my fuel "economy" will worsen because of the tendency/inclination/desire to "put the pedal to the metal" . As said by a famous British philosopher --- Booyakasha (or something like that).

BTW, the injectors have been sold. Many thanks for all the inquiries....

 

Man, Hp is quite addicting!
Some is never enough!

 

congrats, bravo jan.

 

Congrats on your tune