I installed the bypass valve about 1 week ago. I can imediately notice that it doesnt take much throttle to get into boost (observed from boost gauge). But when you apply moderate steady pressure to the pedal and have the boost increase gradually instead of going from 0 to 15 psi instantly it seems not very smooth, kind of slight hesitations. Is this due to the spring being so tight that it doesnt like smooth steady boost delivery but rather on/off. Also I before installation I was getting around 350-360 miles to 12.5 gallons. Which is about 29mpg. I am not completely done with this tank of gas but I have 1/4 tank left and have logged 230 miles. I did 2 full throttle 1st, 2nd & 3rd gear runs to see if there was any increase in boost (no) but other than that my driving style and highway/town use has not changed either. The last 1/4 of my tank usually lasts me about 50 miles which will put me at 280 miles and will take about 12.5 gallons to fill up...which = 22.4 MPG or a decrease of 6.6 mpg. I know DT says to expect a minor decrease in MPG but almost 7 mpg seems a little much. I am wondering if the intake tube from the bypass valve to the supercharge (the one thats a pain in the A%& to change) was broken thus giving my surging on slow/steady boost building and also the big decrease in MPG? Sorry for the long post.

How can I tell if the intake that goes from the bottom of the bypass valve to the supercharger is broken?

I read on another post when people break the only tab that holds the intake tube to the supercharger that the car is not drivable after that...poor idle, etc...My car idles dead smooth, and is very very responsive to boost, just was wondering about the slight hesitations on smooth steady boost applications and the poor MPG?

Oh as for other mods: 15% Pulley, CAI, Alta exhaust.

 

I had about the same experience a year ago when I did my BPV. The first weeks can be tricky because your getting into higher revs tracking your boost and performance. This hurts your mpg more then the BPV. I get just a tad over 300 miles per tank on the highway now.

 

Ive had mine on for about 2 months it seems it helped make my car more responsive. I think i also found that yoyo everyone has been talkin about though mabye i need to adjust the set screw closer but not to the point it opens it more?

Anyways I feel more response and no aditional jerkyness mabye your getting that yoyo effect?

 

My engine and DSC lights to come on a year ago. The effect was limp mode until a restart. :-( MINI service said that because of my boost gauge tube routing they thought I had a tiny boost/vacuum leak somewhere causing the engine/DSC lights to come on. They did a smoke test(if found to be my fault I pay and if my MINI's fault they pay) and found a hairline crack in the plastic intake tube in between TB and SC. That plastic duct was replaced under warranty!

If you have a boost/vacuum leak you'll throw a code. So just keep on monitoring your feul economy and let us know how you make out!

Even now I throw lean codes(just check engine light=no limp mode) with part throttle at highway speed going down long hills.

Jeremy

 

I installed mine yesterday, reset the ecu and now Im paying attention to the MPG. The power comes on very strong. I also broke the tab on the front of the tube. I was told that the car would act up noticeably if there is a leak. I hope all is well. Im enjoying it so far. I definatly feel more sunken in my seat when I step on it. I noticed my car doesn't wrap out so dramatically in the end but shifting the torque curve earlier and more broad. I think the hesitation is the fact that the engine is getting a bunch more boost more soon, pauses and then launches. Try resetting the ECU and see what happens. Maybe you need more fuel!

 

Replacing the front tube is a *****. If you throw a code it mostly likely be from the broken tube and I think it might come up as un-metered air.

 

I am happy to report that my mpg is back on track @ 29mpg. I am not sure what happened to that first tank of gas after the install but everything is better now.

 

Just like most engine related modifications; the first tank of fuel usually yields poor fuel economy due to that happy right foot!

 

Ryephile, didn't you design the DTBV? I've been averaging about 22.5mpg with mine installed during combination city/highway driving, and not too agressive either. For around town this wouldn't bother me, but even on the highway I can't get anywhere close to 30mpg if I'm going 70mph or more. It's kinka depressing that my wife's much heavier 1.8T Passat gets better mpg than my MINI (both city and highway). Does this seem wrong? I do like the sharp throttle response and the fact that I no longer hear whistling from my intake.

 

In my testing the DTBPV lowered average fuel economy about 10%. Any economy drop more than that and you're most likely driving the car more aggressively than with the stock BPV.

 

I am seeing nearly the same now as before less than 2mpg in reduction. I think the first tank of gas I got was really really bad! I had a decrease in power, the alta exhaust stopped making the crackle/poping sound on deceleration, the exhuast was actually very very very quiet. When I first started the car I actually thought that someone had stuffed something in my tail pipes because it was that noticable...then I got 25 mpg when driving very very conservative. Then I filled up with Shell 91 and the crackle/pop on deceleration/exhaust note and power was back...and my 29 mpg is back too...and this is with aggressive driving as well. Also with the DT BPV I am able to hit 17-18 psi at around 6k rpms.

 

I drive the same everyday to and from work. I noticed just under a mile per gallon difference. About, .8 less than normal. It is a great mod. I love the throttle response.

 

I keep contemplating this mod, but I'm still not sure...

 

Did this issue resolve itself for you? It sounds exactly like the issue I was having when I had the DT bpv installed in my car. At part throttle, when I was between 0 and +4 boost the car felt really uneven. Didn't matter if I was accelerating or deccelerating - that weird flat spot was there. I drove around for a month or two like that and then finally had it swapped out for the stocker.

 

I dont notice is on deceleration, but on acceleration it is there. It is hard to describe but it definately is not smooth. It is only when I SLOWLY increase the boost and when I say slowly I mean very slowly. I think becasue the spring is so tight when increase the boost slowly the valve is having a hard time choosing betwen being closed or open. You can tell that it likes to either be closed or open not in between...I think thats were the uneven feeling comes from???I could be wrong though. Would I buy it again???Probably not. Will I swap it out???Probably not.

 

It is probably a ECU/fuel issue. It really changes the power curve making the map different. Its probably a good idea to incorporate this mod with a custom ECU tune. I am looking into one, the Dinan software on my car probably isnt the best for this mod. My car pulls much harder but falls off in the last 1000 RPMS where it did not before. I really like it but I want my last 1000 back! Definitely not going back to stock though.

 

I ziptied off my stock bypass valve for a week (not far off from the DT BPV) and noticed a substantial lowering of MPG. Coupled with no noticeable performance change, I took it off.

 

My mileage is back to normal. Maybe .2 difference. I think I was a little throttle happy during that first week.

 

Hmm in my case it was regular 40 mile per day back/forth commute. No real pedal stomping in the rainy weather. It would be nice to get actual numbers, cause I don't have them, but I do know i filled my take more than usual those two weeks.

 

You also never really had the DTBV. I have been driving around a but more, your right, when I drive aggressively my MPG is less but Im having so much fun!

 

The DTBV may be a cure for the early 2002-2003 that had the blower pressure/boost surge other wise known as the yoyo effect. In EVERY case were the DTBV was installed on late 2003 and newer it did nothing to improve the performance unless the oem bypass valve it replaced was not adjusted properly or defective. It did however in every case reduced the MPG. If you think you felt a difference then it was more likely the oem valve position set screw was set so the valve was open to far. You could have saved your money and adjusted it closed. For others in the market and have a late 2003 or newer try doing what Omnivector did. Zip tie it from opening and see what the difference if any is? Also Try adjusting the set screw on the OEM bypass valve so it is fully closed. I have run about 15,000 miles now with a block off plate. That is NO OEM BYPASS VALVE. I do run a Type S adjustable blow off valve set at 19.5lbs. Love the sound when it opens

 

Blow of valve? Do you have a turbo?

 

NoTurbo . You are the only one ever to catch that. I have my own designed I/C now and it is mounted to it.

Clint nice Mini you have !

 

Can any of those who have done this install tell me if the highlighted area in red in the attached image is what everyone says is easily broken?

I'm just trying to figure out when I take everything apart where to be very careful.

And to those of you who did this, did you replace any gaskets as well?

Thanks

 

Sorry im bringing this back but id love to know where that screw is too. And it still opens and closes right? or does this adjustment close it fully no matter what RPM's your at? Thanks