Drivetrain Evolve Automotive Tune for R56 MCS - Impressions
Evolve Automotive Tune for R56 MCS - Impressions
I’ve finally had some time to dig into my ’09 R56 MCS with Evolve Automotive’s ECU tune, which was downloaded with their Evolve-R OBDII-USB tuning tool. If you haven’t heard of Evolve Automotive, you can read all about them below:
http://www.evolvetuning.us/
In case you don’t want to read through this I’ll just come out and say it. Yes. The car is VERY fast now. I guess this is what it’s like to own a JCW :-P My wife has told me she thinks it might be too fast. Now, back to the details. First of all, it’s important to mention what I’ve upgraded on the powertrain of my MINI. I’ve done what most R56 lovers have done. Cold air intake, hard boost tubes, bigger intercooler, high-flow downpipe, and a free flowing exhaust. No hybrid turbos or water/meth injection here!
At idle the change is barely noticeable. I wouldn’t consider the R56’s idle stability to be an issue with the OEM tune so I wasn’t expecting any different. While driving in light traffic through metropolitan areas, I could feel when I caressed the throttle pedal that torque had increased and the sound of the turbo spooling let me knew the MINI wanted to be let loose. It’s not to the point where the pedal acts like an on & off switch. The progressive feel of the OEM throttle is still maintained, but feels amplified. When I finally got a wide-open stretch of pavement in front of me (and my Valentine V1 wasn’t going bonkers) I ventured into wide-open throttle territory. There seems to be a boost-cut in place in second gear since boost peaks around 13-14 psi. This is probably a good idea since I might have spun the tires a bit on street tires. When hammering into 3rd it’s easy to tell the car has become an animal. My wife told me boost stayed at 17-18 psi. With a stock bottom end, I specifically told Evolve I didn’t want to boost any higher than this until I upgraded my engine internals. It’s good to know it didn’t go any higher. There were no dead spots in the power delivery of the engine or hesitation. It is buttery smooth. My biggest concern is how fast I approach redline now! The difference is extremely noticeable. On the city streets I had to hold back from 4th gear as my Valentine V1 started to detect the blue guys. This afternoon, I was finally able to hit a long swooping entrance ramp onto Northbound M-53. Boost stays the same and the car pulls hard all the way to the natural droop point of the power curve that exists at 5800+ rpm. This droop is a product of the small turbo and has nothing to do with the tune. I won’t specifically say how fast I was going. What I can say without a doubt is that the car approaches it’s top speed ferociously. It is a beast. Overall, the streetability of the tune is fantastic. My only gripe is the boost cut in 2nd gear, however this can probably be revisited by Evolve for those using much stickier tires on the Auto-X course or at the track. All that’s left is to give my Evolved MINI hell at Gingerman Raceway late June. I’ll report back with my impressions from that J
I want to specifically thank Imran and Salman from Evolve for helping me out with some computer issues I had. The customer service I received from them was absolutely terrific. If you’re seeking a source for ECU tuning for your R56 MCS, look no further than Evolve!
http://www.evolvetuning.us/
In case you don’t want to read through this I’ll just come out and say it. Yes. The car is VERY fast now. I guess this is what it’s like to own a JCW :-P My wife has told me she thinks it might be too fast. Now, back to the details. First of all, it’s important to mention what I’ve upgraded on the powertrain of my MINI. I’ve done what most R56 lovers have done. Cold air intake, hard boost tubes, bigger intercooler, high-flow downpipe, and a free flowing exhaust. No hybrid turbos or water/meth injection here!
At idle the change is barely noticeable. I wouldn’t consider the R56’s idle stability to be an issue with the OEM tune so I wasn’t expecting any different. While driving in light traffic through metropolitan areas, I could feel when I caressed the throttle pedal that torque had increased and the sound of the turbo spooling let me knew the MINI wanted to be let loose. It’s not to the point where the pedal acts like an on & off switch. The progressive feel of the OEM throttle is still maintained, but feels amplified. When I finally got a wide-open stretch of pavement in front of me (and my Valentine V1 wasn’t going bonkers) I ventured into wide-open throttle territory. There seems to be a boost-cut in place in second gear since boost peaks around 13-14 psi. This is probably a good idea since I might have spun the tires a bit on street tires. When hammering into 3rd it’s easy to tell the car has become an animal. My wife told me boost stayed at 17-18 psi. With a stock bottom end, I specifically told Evolve I didn’t want to boost any higher than this until I upgraded my engine internals. It’s good to know it didn’t go any higher. There were no dead spots in the power delivery of the engine or hesitation. It is buttery smooth. My biggest concern is how fast I approach redline now! The difference is extremely noticeable. On the city streets I had to hold back from 4th gear as my Valentine V1 started to detect the blue guys. This afternoon, I was finally able to hit a long swooping entrance ramp onto Northbound M-53. Boost stays the same and the car pulls hard all the way to the natural droop point of the power curve that exists at 5800+ rpm. This droop is a product of the small turbo and has nothing to do with the tune. I won’t specifically say how fast I was going. What I can say without a doubt is that the car approaches it’s top speed ferociously. It is a beast. Overall, the streetability of the tune is fantastic. My only gripe is the boost cut in 2nd gear, however this can probably be revisited by Evolve for those using much stickier tires on the Auto-X course or at the track. All that’s left is to give my Evolved MINI hell at Gingerman Raceway late June. I’ll report back with my impressions from that J
I want to specifically thank Imran and Salman from Evolve for helping me out with some computer issues I had. The customer service I received from them was absolutely terrific. If you’re seeking a source for ECU tuning for your R56 MCS, look no further than Evolve!
Good to hear.
As mine is a 2006 build R56, I have been waiting to do my engien tuning last and have always had Evolve in mine for mine as they are probably the highest regarded mini ECU tuner in the UK.
Now that I have just had a decoke done under goodwill (which I never thought I would get) especially after a timing chain replacement under goodwill not that long ago, I am in a position to go ahead with my engine tuning simiar to what Evolve have on their car running 290bhp.
Currently have chassis mods done but next up is Quaife and new JCW DMFW and KAV Motorsport uprated clutch. Then it will be kitted out with the Evolve FMIC, JCW Exhaust Manifold, JCW Turbo, Okada coils and Evolve remap. Already have the Factory JCW airbox and ITG filter in addition to Milltek TBE fitted. Now decoke is done my BSH OCC is going to get fitted.
Will post figures when done but for anyone interested in their work take a look here:
http://www.minitorque.com/forum/f272...ooper-s-13994/
As mine is a 2006 build R56, I have been waiting to do my engien tuning last and have always had Evolve in mine for mine as they are probably the highest regarded mini ECU tuner in the UK.
Now that I have just had a decoke done under goodwill (which I never thought I would get) especially after a timing chain replacement under goodwill not that long ago, I am in a position to go ahead with my engine tuning simiar to what Evolve have on their car running 290bhp.
Currently have chassis mods done but next up is Quaife and new JCW DMFW and KAV Motorsport uprated clutch. Then it will be kitted out with the Evolve FMIC, JCW Exhaust Manifold, JCW Turbo, Okada coils and Evolve remap. Already have the Factory JCW airbox and ITG filter in addition to Milltek TBE fitted. Now decoke is done my BSH OCC is going to get fitted.
Will post figures when done but for anyone interested in their work take a look here:
http://www.minitorque.com/forum/f272...ooper-s-13994/
3rd Gear
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 222
Likes: 2
I second the OP writtings...
This is my project thread: http://www.minitorque.com/forum/f272...nls-r56-25947/
You can find reviews about Evolve there as well as performance data and videos.
Not only their tunes are superb but their performance parts as well. Their FMIC is proven to be the most efficient in the market.
This is my project thread: http://www.minitorque.com/forum/f272...nls-r56-25947/
You can find reviews about Evolve there as well as performance data and videos.
Not only their tunes are superb but their performance parts as well. Their FMIC is proven to be the most efficient in the market.
I'm looking forward to what hardware they develop in the future. The definitely have the resources to do a lot of R&D. Just look at all the stuff they've done for the BMW community!
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Good to hear.
As mine is a 2006 build R56, I have been waiting to do my engien tuning last and have always had Evolve in mine for mine as they are probably the highest regarded mini ECU tuner in the UK.
Now that I have just had a decoke done under goodwill (which I never thought I would get) especially after a timing chain replacement under goodwill not that long ago, I am in a position to go ahead with my engine tuning simiar to what Evolve have on their car running 290bhp.
Currently have chassis mods done but next up is Quaife and new JCW DMFW and KAV Motorsport uprated clutch. Then it will be kitted out with the Evolve FMIC, JCW Exhaust Manifold, JCW Turbo, Okada coils and Evolve remap. Already have the Factory JCW airbox and ITG filter in addition to Milltek TBE fitted. Now decoke is done my BSH OCC is going to get fitted.
Will post figures when done but for anyone interested in their work take a look here:
http://www.minitorque.com/forum/f272...ooper-s-13994/
As mine is a 2006 build R56, I have been waiting to do my engien tuning last and have always had Evolve in mine for mine as they are probably the highest regarded mini ECU tuner in the UK.
Now that I have just had a decoke done under goodwill (which I never thought I would get) especially after a timing chain replacement under goodwill not that long ago, I am in a position to go ahead with my engine tuning simiar to what Evolve have on their car running 290bhp.
Currently have chassis mods done but next up is Quaife and new JCW DMFW and KAV Motorsport uprated clutch. Then it will be kitted out with the Evolve FMIC, JCW Exhaust Manifold, JCW Turbo, Okada coils and Evolve remap. Already have the Factory JCW airbox and ITG filter in addition to Milltek TBE fitted. Now decoke is done my BSH OCC is going to get fitted.
Will post figures when done but for anyone interested in their work take a look here:
http://www.minitorque.com/forum/f272...ooper-s-13994/
Whose is making your pistons and conrods? I hope you're thinking about that going the JCW turbo route on a MCS. It's only a matter of when you're going to have metal in your oilpan, not "if"
I've never heard of KAV Motorsport making a clutch for the R56. Is it a matched set sold with a flywheel?
Whose is making your pistons and conrods? I hope you're thinking about that going the JCW turbo route on a MCS. It's only a matter of when you're going to have metal in your oilpan, not "if"
Whose is making your pistons and conrods? I hope you're thinking about that going the JCW turbo route on a MCS. It's only a matter of when you're going to have metal in your oilpan, not "if"
I’ve finally had some time to dig into my ’09 R56 MCS with Evolve Automotive’s ECU tune, which was downloaded with their Evolve-R OBDII-USB tuning tool. If you haven’t heard of Evolve Automotive, you can read all about them below:
http://www.evolvetuning.us/
In case you don’t want to read through this I’ll just come out and say it. Yes. The car is VERY fast now. I guess this is what it’s like to own a JCW :-P My wife has told me she thinks it might be too fast. Now, back to the details. First of all, it’s important to mention what I’ve upgraded on the powertrain of my MINI. I’ve done what most R56 lovers have done. Cold air intake, hard boost tubes, bigger intercooler, high-flow downpipe, and a free flowing exhaust. No hybrid turbos or water/meth injection here!
At idle the change is barely noticeable. I wouldn’t consider the R56’s idle stability to be an issue with the OEM tune so I wasn’t expecting any different. While driving in light traffic through metropolitan areas, I could feel when I caressed the throttle pedal that torque had increased and the sound of the turbo spooling let me knew the MINI wanted to be let loose. It’s not to the point where the pedal acts like an on & off switch. The progressive feel of the OEM throttle is still maintained, but feels amplified. When I finally got a wide-open stretch of pavement in front of me (and my Valentine V1 wasn’t going bonkers) I ventured into wide-open throttle territory. There seems to be a boost-cut in place in second gear since boost peaks around 13-14 psi. This is probably a good idea since I might have spun the tires a bit on street tires. When hammering into 3rd it’s easy to tell the car has become an animal. My wife told me boost stayed at 17-18 psi. With a stock bottom end, I specifically told Evolve I didn’t want to boost any higher than this until I upgraded my engine internals. It’s good to know it didn’t go any higher. There were no dead spots in the power delivery of the engine or hesitation. It is buttery smooth. My biggest concern is how fast I approach redline now! The difference is extremely noticeable. On the city streets I had to hold back from 4th gear as my Valentine V1 started to detect the blue guys. This afternoon, I was finally able to hit a long swooping entrance ramp onto Northbound M-53. Boost stays the same and the car pulls hard all the way to the natural droop point of the power curve that exists at 5800+ rpm. This droop is a product of the small turbo and has nothing to do with the tune. I won’t specifically say how fast I was going. What I can say without a doubt is that the car approaches it’s top speed ferociously. It is a beast. Overall, the streetability of the tune is fantastic. My only gripe is the boost cut in 2nd gear, however this can probably be revisited by Evolve for those using much stickier tires on the Auto-X course or at the track. All that’s left is to give my Evolved MINI hell at Gingerman Raceway late June. I’ll report back with my impressions from that J
I want to specifically thank Imran and Salman from Evolve for helping me out with some computer issues I had. The customer service I received from them was absolutely terrific. If you’re seeking a source for ECU tuning for your R56 MCS, look no further than Evolve!
http://www.evolvetuning.us/
In case you don’t want to read through this I’ll just come out and say it. Yes. The car is VERY fast now. I guess this is what it’s like to own a JCW :-P My wife has told me she thinks it might be too fast. Now, back to the details. First of all, it’s important to mention what I’ve upgraded on the powertrain of my MINI. I’ve done what most R56 lovers have done. Cold air intake, hard boost tubes, bigger intercooler, high-flow downpipe, and a free flowing exhaust. No hybrid turbos or water/meth injection here!
At idle the change is barely noticeable. I wouldn’t consider the R56’s idle stability to be an issue with the OEM tune so I wasn’t expecting any different. While driving in light traffic through metropolitan areas, I could feel when I caressed the throttle pedal that torque had increased and the sound of the turbo spooling let me knew the MINI wanted to be let loose. It’s not to the point where the pedal acts like an on & off switch. The progressive feel of the OEM throttle is still maintained, but feels amplified. When I finally got a wide-open stretch of pavement in front of me (and my Valentine V1 wasn’t going bonkers) I ventured into wide-open throttle territory. There seems to be a boost-cut in place in second gear since boost peaks around 13-14 psi. This is probably a good idea since I might have spun the tires a bit on street tires. When hammering into 3rd it’s easy to tell the car has become an animal. My wife told me boost stayed at 17-18 psi. With a stock bottom end, I specifically told Evolve I didn’t want to boost any higher than this until I upgraded my engine internals. It’s good to know it didn’t go any higher. There were no dead spots in the power delivery of the engine or hesitation. It is buttery smooth. My biggest concern is how fast I approach redline now! The difference is extremely noticeable. On the city streets I had to hold back from 4th gear as my Valentine V1 started to detect the blue guys. This afternoon, I was finally able to hit a long swooping entrance ramp onto Northbound M-53. Boost stays the same and the car pulls hard all the way to the natural droop point of the power curve that exists at 5800+ rpm. This droop is a product of the small turbo and has nothing to do with the tune. I won’t specifically say how fast I was going. What I can say without a doubt is that the car approaches it’s top speed ferociously. It is a beast. Overall, the streetability of the tune is fantastic. My only gripe is the boost cut in 2nd gear, however this can probably be revisited by Evolve for those using much stickier tires on the Auto-X course or at the track. All that’s left is to give my Evolved MINI hell at Gingerman Raceway late June. I’ll report back with my impressions from that J
I want to specifically thank Imran and Salman from Evolve for helping me out with some computer issues I had. The customer service I received from them was absolutely terrific. If you’re seeking a source for ECU tuning for your R56 MCS, look no further than Evolve!
Is this your first tune ever for the R56? Did you ever have the unichip (oh good ol days), rmw, or alta, or any other tunes?
Also, what are temps like up there, curious if you see any boost creep after the car gets heat soaked from heavy/aggressive driving over time.
No other tunes before. Mynes Tuning came close at a Detroit Tuned tuning party a couple of summers ago but they didn't have the RSA key for my ECU. That was a BAD day!
Being in the metro-Detroit area tuners don't swing around too much. I'm very happy with the tune.
I have a track weekend at Gingerman Raceway in a couple of weeks and will be able to report back with some better observations. There is only so much to report with street driving.
Being in the metro-Detroit area tuners don't swing around too much. I'm very happy with the tune.
I have a track weekend at Gingerman Raceway in a couple of weeks and will be able to report back with some better observations. There is only so much to report with street driving.
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