It is everytime I talk to Luis it is "fix this, fix that, I am not tuning it until it is fixed".

I took the MINI out to a track day at Streets of Willow. Not once did I get a boost cut or CEL. It was super mad fun and I ended up purchasing 10 more track days.

 

Excellent news

 

I am toying with just going with the Evolve R because of convenience and nothing else.

 

I was looking at that but unfortunately that's not available for my case.

Looks as convenient as the AP and is form a reputable tuner. Might be your best bet.

 

Why would it not work for you?

 

Could you elaborate on "fix this, fix that", cause he didn't tell me to fix anything but obviously get the spark plugs he has and his tune.

 

BS n18 encryption issues

 

Honestly, man? Just drive up to Camarillo, talk to Jerry at NM Engineering. They'll tune your car. Also, that's just a great bunch of people and a fantastic warehouse.

If that doesn't work out, call Waylen at Way Motor Works, send him your ECU. I've shot the **** with him a few times, bought some ****, and am currently running one of his tunes and I don't mind it one bit at all.

 

Porthos is looking for a custom tune though not a canned tune by NM.

 

I know. That's why I said drive up there, talk to Jerry. They have everything at their warehouse to run a custom tune. They were gonna give me a custom tune about a year and a half ago.

 

I know I've spoken to them too. Jerry said that in stage 2 he could squeeze out another 8-9whp with a high-flow DP and 15whp with a catless DP. Not much if you ask me, where as RennTech and PAW can double their stage 1 or 2 that NM advertises. That's one reason I scratched them off my list since I am moving in SF in January.

 

I have been to NM and talked to them many a time. I have a lot of their catalog on my MINI but their tunes don't impress me.

As far as what Luis told me it is kind of specific to me because I was having boost cut issues and not generating enough boost. Things like the vacuum pump, diverter valve, and a handful of other things. I am not knocking him at all because he is competent person and a told scum bag like others in the MINI aftermarket world. I just want my car tuned as you can tell I am 6 months into it and still have nothing to show for all the work done to it. At least it runs right now but, it slower than what it was before and that is not what I wanted.

 

Just curious what's wrong with your diverter valve? Did you upgrade from the stock? Obviously boost cut but I wouldn't have thought cause of the OEM one.

 

It is the Forged one. It comes with 2 springs, one for stock tune and one for a modified tune. Well I have the modified tune spring in their right now because at the time of install I had a tune on it. Since then it has been taken back to stock. I need to swap it out to see if will boost back up to 14lbs, right now it is only going to 10-12lbs. Also all of my boost cut issues were cleared up with remapping it back to stock, a carbon clean, and a few other small odds and ends. So I am not getting boost cut all anymore. I think it might have been the DME fighting to learn the new turbo and other things that happened all at once.

 

Damn, you literally took "playing" with your MINI to a whole bunch of levels haha.

But sounds good, I've been toying with the idea to add an aftermarket spring so I can hold more boost with PAW's tune coming sometime this summer.

Any recommendations? And I don't want the BOV thing, not my interest.

 

Just get the Forge diverter valve Rob. It's what I have on my car and it works perfectly and brings on the boost without delay. You can live without it, that's for sure, it just helps just a little bit with boost response.

http://www.detroittuned.com/forge-blow-off-valve/

Detroit Tuned calls this a "blow off valve" when in fact it's a true diverter valve that diverts excess boost pressure around to the inlet side of the turbo. It won't make any ricer fantastic tweets or whoosh noises either.

If you do decide to get it, make sure you get some vacuum pipe elbows so you don't risk kinking some of the more sharp changes in vacuum pipe direction.

 

I have a question since a few of you have spoken to PAW and RENNtech. Why is RENNtech more expensive if they're the same thing.... Is there a difference in power or what? I know PAW makes you get new spark plugs, does RENN also do this? Sorry, this is for clarification because I'm getting a tune from one of them.

 

No difference really. Only two things is PAW doesn't use JCW spark plugs like RennTech for the MCS and PAW has a one year warranty compared to RennTech's two years.