Since I got my car last November I never used the air conditioner until now. Finally it is getting hot in part of the world. I have noticed that with A/C on the car is very sluggish when taking off. Is this normal? I have a Newman cam, tune, injectors, header, 15% pulley, colder plugs and exhaust. Could it be that the power band shifted so much after the cam and tune that I lost some low end torque? It is really starting to bug me!

With the A/C off the car takes off normally and will break lose if I stomp it.

Any ideas here?

 

My 03 was the same, very easy to stall when in first and very little power off the line with AC on. The AC on earlier MINIs is notorious for sapping power, while the 05 and 06 are significantly better, while the R56 is better still.

 

Even on my 05, I feel like that my AC saps so much power that it just isnt worth using. These are tiny little engines, so you are definitely going to notice the compressor running.

 

you should try an r50 with the a/c on...
it sure loves robbing power

but yup it is a normal thing :-/

 

Thats why I rarely drive with the AC. I cannot stand the lose of power and hate trying to downshift/rev match with it causing the rpms to drop almost instantly. Unfortunately it is getting too hot for even open windows lately

 

Thanks for the comments. So it is safe to say that it normal. I was worried!

 

In my case, it is a non-S R52 with manual transmission. With a/c on, modulating the clutch gets really funky in stop-and-go traffic.

An RMW tune helped a lot. The extra torque at low RPMs made the car much more drivable with a/c on. I'm guessing that an S would gain a similar benefit from a custom tune.

 

I don't get the lag with the AC on with mine. Sounds like you need an open air intake,free-er flowing exhaust a p-torque remap. Of course we are 2nd gen and this is 1st Gen territory!

 

Have you replaced the runflats and Stock 17"? My 2002 MCS was like a slug from a standing start w/AC on and stock wheels and tires. My first mod was replacing stock tires and wheels with SSR Type-C 16"x7" and Yokohama AVS ES100. Lightest wheel and tire combo that I could afford. Made a HUGE difference. Quicker with better ride and handling. IMHO, this should be your first mod if you can afford it. Then what ever your next mods, you will get full benefit from that mod.

Just my 2 cents for what it is worth
Kevin

 

I have all that you mentioned. Well....I just got 18" Motegi FF7's but it was the same with 17" S-lites. If I modulate the rpm's with clutch it gets better but it sounds like I am learning to drive.