Well, I gave in and got the AP today. Actually I drove from Seattle to Portland so I could pick it up and not wait for shipping. Jeff got it installed in no time, and I noticed the difference while pulling out of the Alta driveway.

DNadar: It cleared the CEL caused by my downpipe immediately.

I have put over 200 miles on it already (drove back to Seattle) and it drives so amazingly, and can really feel the power difference, i can't wait to get some more miles on it.

 

Still no news on AP for EU cars?

 

It was nice to have you in the shop! Thanks for coming down! Please continue to keep us posted and we look forward to seeing you again soon!


No news is good news. Part is in EU right now and being used to gather data for us. Once we have it ready to go we will let everyone know.

Thanks as always folks!

 

Well I got my AP yesterday and loaded up the Stage 1 tune on my otherwise stock JCW. It's good... but I'm not as impressed as I was expecting from the reviews. There's nothing to complain about, it's just not as much of a kick in the pants as I thought it would be. It definitely has a bit more pull in the midrange but not a massive improvement from stock. Compared to a relatively equal absolute (but significantly smaller %) HP & torque increase with the tune on my last vehicle, the difference seems less significant. That was a "WOW! this thing is such a beast now" experience while this so far has been an "OK, I guess it feels a bit stronger" experience.

For full disclosure that was on an 6.0 LS2 V8 but it was also in a 4900lb awd SUV. But the increases were dynoed around 40HP and 50 ft lbs, right in the same neighborhood as the AP Stage 1 JCW.

Maybe the increase is deceptive and I'm just not noticing it as much as I should, but from all the hype and buildup, my excitement level was through the roof waiting for it to get here. Now that it's here, I'm questioning if it was really worth it. The tool itself is very nice and its functionality is making me not question the value too much, even if the tune didn't knock my socks off.

 

You got the stage 1 tune. It should make a very noticeable difference. If you want massive gains though, you need an intercooler so Jeff can crank up the boost.

 

Pathy01

What octane fuel are you using and thanks for your review.

 

Today, I spent a while blasting down Mulholland, Encinal Canyon, and Decker Canyon getting a feel for the differences in the car with the AccessPORT tune. I almost didn't need to shift gears with the improved low end torque in 3rd gear. I tried both a preliminary 91 octane map and the standard 92+octane map(with an octane booster added to the gas). I was a little disappointed that the 91 octane map was noticeably tamer than the 92+ octane map. Hopefully Jeff can tweak the 91octane map a little closer in performance to the higher octane map. If not, it will be worth spending a few bucks on an octane booster from time to time to get the extra kick.

 

So with the standard 95 octane fuel we have here in the UK plus Super at anywhere between 97 and 99 octane I presume power figures over here would be better?

 

Any news on the Automatic version being released?
DOES WANT!

 

as usual, you don't measure things the same way we do. your 99 is close to our 93.

 

Probably nothing since they last mentioned it on thursday.

I wonder how much extra time the auto and 91 octane maps are taking due to the Alta folks responding to all the "are we there yet?! huh? huh? huh?" questions.

 

Hmmmm..... Wonder How Long That Will Take ? Hopefully It Will Be By December As I Get Back From Afghanistan Then. Im Planing To Go All Out Since I Want At Least 400 Out Of My JCW Hence Why The Turbo Upgrade And The Builidng Of The Engine As Well To Hold The Power...Dont Think The Transmission Will Hold Up Either Huh ?

 

I'm sure the tranny can take 400...

I'd just say you'd need pistons and rods...and head work.

Then again, everything that holds true on the R53 does not really hold true with this damn car

 

My accessport arrived yesterday. I was excited and flashed it with the stock map. Too bad it happened on the weekend. I am pretty sure I will have to wait till monday to get a modified map. I tested the logging out last night. It was very simple to use! I am very excited to see what happens when I get use a modified map!

 

I should have noted in my previous post that normally you will receive your maps before you Accessport arrives. I wanted to clear this up before any confusion started. My situation is a bit differnt because I am going to be running some of the test maps.

 

Shell 93 V-Power fuel is what I use almost exclusively, and is what is currently in the tank.

 

I read somewhere that the euro versions of the Mini's can turn off the motor when the car is stopped kinda like a hybrid. Can Alta make an "eco" modification that will turn off the motor when the car is not in gear, the clutch is out, and not moving? Then when it's slipped in gear or the clutch goes in the motor would start.

 

I recieved my accessport earlier this week and down loaded the maps from my PC that were e-mailed to me from Alta. Then down loaded them via the AccessPort to the car. Very straight forward and simple to do.
This morning while the air temp was still cool I took the Mini for a test spin. I have a Cat back Nvidia Exhaust and K&N Typhoon CAI on an otherwise stock 2010 S Mini. The map is tuned for 92 octane with 1 to 1 linear throttle.(TPS) Stage -1 . I run Shell 93 octane in the tank.
The tune really woke the car up ! It pulls hard all the way up to red line. And I just love the added torque it has now. The throttle feels so much smoother. To me the stock throttle felt twitchy at low end putting around town and between shifts. No more.
A side note; I Sea Foamed the wife's Mini, an 07 S . The PVC tube popped off just shortly after the cleaning and test run. And the dreaded check engine light popped. I used the AccessPort to clear the codes easily. The code reader that I use on my Mustangs and other domestic's would not read the Mini's code's. In my opinion this tool is a great resource with the added multi fuctions. The tune is awesome and the guys at Alta are just great to work with ! Nothing like picking up the phone calling them. They answer. You ask a question and they deliver an answer on the spot. Service hard to come by these days. I look forward to adding an intercooler from them and then trying the next map available for that upgrade!!

 

does the AP show the code and what it means? or just the code number? just curious...

 

I had 2 codes pop up...the ap was able to show a description for one of the codes the other it could not... it does show code #'s.

 

It may or may not show the description of the code depending on what the code is. I've seen it go either way just as nkatsim indicated.

 

Mine is ordered and I'm really curious to see how it's going to perform.

 

Judging from the fact that you have a TBE, FMIC, CAI, etc.. You'll be stage 3 and hitting 23 lbs boost.. It's gonna be mean when you press the pedal all the way.

 

23lbs on an S?

eek.

 

hmm... maybe not but i wouldn't be surprised.

I could see it being able to push that much - just not as high into the rpm range as a JCW.