I just recently installed a Craven speed intake on my 04 S. I also just brought a 15% V2 Alta pulley and new wires w/ Screaming daemon coil pack w/ Buru Ultra-x colder plugs.
Do I need an ECU tune cause I don't want a check engine light for my Mini.

What other mod can compliment power mods with out needing an ecu? If I did need an ECU which would you recommend?

Thanks in advance.

 

The first mods I did were pulley and intake. The pulley adds some HP, the intake was for sound really. When you are finished modding the engine etc I HIGHLY suggest you get a dyno tune. It makes ALL the difference in the world

PS- I ran the pulley, intake, 380cc injectors, cat-back exhaust, cam, header for a long time with no tune.

 

I second that! Call Mike at Mynes performance. He can hook you up! Now you need an exhaust, cam, header, injectors and a special tune. I have the same b<E>ru plugs! Good luck with your mod bug! It keeps itching!

Now I need a big valve and ported cylinder head.

 

No tune required. However, a tune will provide better performance.

 

You don't need a tune for these mods. They are very common and the ECU will adapt using its current parameters easily. You might be able to get more out of the engine with a custom tune, but that would be true of a stock car--the factory tune is not custom in any sense other than it's for a Mini, not a Civic.
However, as others have posted, once you start modifying the engine with cam, exhaust, injectors, etc you will really need a tune, and get a large benefit. I don't know if you've read other posts by mdbsat and mininuke, but they both got +40whp out of injectors and a Mynes tune recently---but they have the whole shebang.

 

If you are desperate for a tune you could get a canned tune, but expect to pay 3/4 the price of a custom tune with 1/2 or less of the benefit.

So, make those mods and don't worry about reliability issues at this point.

 

I originally had a canned GIAC tune on my car and it was overly aggressive for my car and actually made my car run like crap. I would recomend just doing a custom tune if you're gonna do any tuning but with your current mods you'll be ok w/out it.

 

Whats a canned tune? Sorry!

 

A "canned" tune is when a tuner modifies the car's computer based on the list of modifications you have (pulley, exhaust, intake, larger injectors etcetera), but doesn't actually run *your* particular car on the dyno to optimize the tune for you. It's kind of a "one size fits most" approach to tuning the computer.

With a custom tune, the tuner puts your specific car on the dyno, tunes the ECU, analyzes the results, tweaks the software a little bit, dynos the car again, and repeats until the tune is optimized for your exact car.

Think of it like buying clothes. Based on my height, weight and measurements, I can go into any clothing store and buy a size 46 Long/Tall suit off the rack and I know it will at least fit "okay" (canned tune), or I can go to my tailor and have a suit custom-made (custom tune). After he makes the suit, I'll try it on and he'll make any little tweaks/adjustments he needs to make until the suit fits perfectly.

 

WOW!
Thanks for the great explanation.

Were would I get a Canned tune from? Also what is your opinion on these ecu systems that you can get from vendors that are plug and play? (example: shark injector)

 

Most of the time a custom tune is also cheaper because you don't need to buy equipment to flash your own ECU. I was told plug and play ecu systems (piggy back systems) aren't very good because their very limited on how much of the ECU you can control. The plug and plays really just tricks the ECU and aren't adjustable.

 

Can the stock ecu be tuned by any dyno tuner or is there a special software the tuner has to have? After the tune can the new custom map be erased?

 

Any dyno facility with tuning capabilites should be able to handle your MINI. There are however, some famed tuners amongst the MINI community that have yielded some impressive results.

 

Is this actually true? I thought that special software was needed to "break" the ECU code, such as Dimsport.

but maybe I'm wrong.

 

Thanks alot for all the info.

OFF TOPIC:

Dr Phil? Were did you get the bottom fog light surround that are black?


I have the Craven Speed CAI system and there's a little hole on the side of the Intake box. It seem like a special tube goes there that connects the front of the small intake scoop to the CAI box. What is the tube called and were can i get it cause Craven doesn't have it listed for sale as a part for the R53 intake system?
Here a pic

 

2 things:
The Craven tube. I've never seen that before, but it's clearly unique to Craven as the stock tube goes to an opening in the airbox below the outlet to the throttle body. You'll have to call Craven and ask about it. It's weird because it looks like it points straight at the ECU--maybe it's designed to cool the ECU?
The other question: I have Way brake ducts which completely replace the fog lights, requiring quite a bit of cutting of the bumper and the stuff behind the bumper. Contact Terry (mini-racer) about some decals that black out the fog lamp surround and look like the ducts.

 

there was a guy,,,, well anyway I talked to a person that had a dyno setup, Port Bryon Ill. and he said he could do Minis, but I never followed it up. So maybe I should get it together and see if he reallly can.

 

1. I damn sure would not trust 'any dyno facility with tuning capabilities' to start hacking at my ECU.

2. The sticky back vinyl fog light blackouts are from Voltage products. They fit the space perfectly and give a nice look. You have to be very deliberate about the installation/application of them and make sure to use plenty of heat.

 

Do NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON A CANNED TUNE ! !

This has got to be the biggest rip off ever. There are many cases of how a canned tune has actually diminished performance or even caused damage.

If/when you decide to get a tune, just try to get to one of the tuning parties offered by Mynes, RMW, or equivalent tuner. They are both travelling around the country doing their magic.

And no......you can't go to just any dyno shop and get a tune. They won't have the software needed to access the ECU.