Scott, thanks for setting this up!
Swift, thanks for letting us use your dyno!
Jan, thanks for tuning my Mini!

I'm a little bummed that I didn't see the power I thought I'd see, but then again, it was 90F in that room, and just extremely hot outside. My final number was 193HP with the setup in my signature. Thanks to everyone who lent a hand in changing out my injectors. I really want you guys to know how much I appreciated the help and advice, especially Zippy for guiding me through it. I was really leaning on you man, so thanks again!

Jan informed me that my header MIGHT be plugged up because of an overboost code he received while plugged into my Mini. I'm guessing that I may need to look into a replacement, but was planning on upgrading the header at some point anyway, but figured I would wait until next year. Now that idea is advancing a bit quicker than before the tune.

Still though, the car pulls away a lot nicer than before. Sadly I couldn't really get on it while on those local roads, police were all over the place. But all in all, I was happy and thankful for everyones efforts to make this event happen. Werd!

 

+1!!!
I've got the bone-stock R56 that saw a +30 WHP gain. (Well, ol' eagle-eye Scott figured out I'm not completely stock when he busted me with the JCW shift ****!!) By the time I rolled up on the dyno, the mercury was tapping 96. It was probably closer to 100 inside. Stock tune showed 158 WHP, the canned tune hit 182, then Jan worked a little more magic and tweaked it up to 188. Torque went from a stock 191 to a final peak of 214.5. Because of the air temp, I wasn't too concerned about the actual numbers. The real story is in the gain, and I'm just flat-out impressed with the results.
Besides Scott, Jan, and the guys at Swift, I met a bunch of other great people that I hope to be able to keep in touch with. All I need now is somebody who can point me in the direction of a JCW intake ....

 

I did some research after the tune (baseline HP was 185!!, after tune was 206hp) and found out that the dyno they were using at swift(Dyno Dynamics) is one of the lowest reading dyno's, some people add 15% to the number they get.

This impresses me even more because I thought my torque number of 193ftlbs was great, but if this is a low reading dyno then that means it could be breaking 200ftlbs on most other dynos!

Btw I dont know much about different dyno's and their different numbers, this was just after some quick research.

 

scottab36
You only have to look in your own backyard for people who want to cause havoc for Jan. Great to see you got 4 full days of tunes. Great job!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I would LOVE to see this done again in the future. I want to wait atleast a year or so before I throw a tune at the car.

 

The Dyno Dynamics historically does have lower hp/tq readings than some other dynos. You have to keep in mind though, the dyno is simply a tuning tool, a very expensive tuning tool, lol. The hp/tq numbers are secondary to a properly tuned car, and that's what most tuning shops strive for. I've seen a few dyno's with very high correction factors to pad the numbers a little, but we refuse to do that, as do most other shops. Also keep in mind, we had a few really hot days in Norwich this week, the 90degree plus days certainly affected the numbers certainly, but I'm sure the difference was felt the next day when the air temps dropped 20 degrees, which is one of the reasons that the water meth systems are effective. I hope I don't sound harsh, or overly defensive here. Yes, our dyno does read somewhat lower than other dynos, and our numbers can vary from day to day based on the atpmospheric conditions, but that's because of the fact that the car will react differently. In short though, I think every Mini that came through this week for a tune left with an incredible tune, so get off the internet and go play!!

 

I would like to thank Jan and Swift Motorshop for troubleshooting my MINI. Now I know what I have to fix and I have better understanding for the MINI engine. Also, the speedshop who made my engine set up screwed out many things. I will be busy on the phone next monday!

 

I would like to thank everyone for coming out for the tune. It was a pleasure meeting you all and thanks again for Scott setting this up. Dan and Sean were 2 great guys that made the 102deg F days bearable. Swift is a top notch group of guys who never stopped helping Mini owners who had car issues. I can't say enough good things about the people I came into contact with. Guys.......top notch job and looking forward to coming back again soon!

 

Thanks again to Scott, Jan and Swift. Money well spent. 33 additional hp, a bunch of torque and the tuning that makes it drivable and safe. I honestly did not expect to feel such a difference. The numbers help quantify, but driving tells the story. Very impressive.

 

I'd just like to throw in here that a car runs like it runs ... as Dan said, the dyno is just a measuring tool that a good tuner will use to give you the best tune possible, but otherwise by itself has absolutely no bearing on how the car runs. If you put your car on a dyno that says it's putting out 250 whp, it still isn't gonna run a quicker quarter mile than if you put it on one that says it's putting out 160. Yeah, it'd be really nice to have a pretty graph that says my little 1.6 is making some insane numbers. But the important measurement is the difference between before and after, not to mention if you're happy with the results. I'm ecstatic with mine.

 

The tune was Great!! My car now runs better, stronger, smoother, and I think I am getting more MPG around town....IF I ever get tired of using the extra power, and more importantly torque, I'll let everybody know by how much!
Knowing it was Very hot, and Very HUMID, both bad for performance, I am pretty pleased with the change in my car. Heck...I might be tempted to run it on a Dino on a cool day, just to see what it can do under more representative conditions!! But 15 HP and a ton of torque over base makes a world of differance!!
Thanks Jan, Great Job!!
Well worth the Money!! Hope this experience inspires you to visit the North East again soon!!


No problem!! Just wish I could have helped you more..but my car was on the Dino getting tunes, so running back and fourth was all I could do between runs!!

Next time, I'll bring my belt tensioner tool...there was 2 maybe 3 Mini's there that could have had quick belt swaps to help out the owners make the best power...but it was sitting back in the Garage......Once you have done the Belt on a MINI once, and have the tool, it is so simple to do, it is a shame to pay $$ to have somebody do it...heck it can be done in 15 minutes!!

Watching folks "SEA-FOAM" their cars for the first time, there was quite a good show going on....I think the local auto places sold about a case in just a day or two!!

Now if we can just get the SOB who keeps trying to get tunes canceled to quit it, all will be great....I would hate to be him when his name gets out...his business could be destroyed!! It is a shame that competition gets so dirty....if somebody can't compete on a level playing field, they just need to stop selling their wares....not play dirty!!

 

If you want to get Jan back to the Boston area for another tuning session then see this NAM thread:

www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/general-mini-talk/193519-do-you-want-to-get-your-car-tuned.html