Those of us lucky enough to live in Florida have access to RennTech and the talented tuners there who are able to provide RennTech dyno tunes.

Over the last few weeks, HG Motorsports in San Diego has been in touch with RennTech to develop a system to remote dyno tune cars for RennTech from HG's facility in San Diego. I understand from HG they are willing and able to do it, as is RennTech. The only catch is that HG will have to spend a little money to update their software to make it happen.

Because the remote dyno tuning will be MINI-specific, the big question from HG's perspective is how much interest there might be in RennTech dyno tunes among MINI owners within driving distance of their facility. (If there isn't much interest, they will be unlikely to invest in the upgrades to do remote dyno tuning at their facility.) Accordingly, the reps from HG have asked me if I thought there would be much interest in a remote RennTech dyno tune among the MINI community. I said I'd post up on NAM to find out, so here I am.

As far as I know, RennTech can tune N14- and N18-equipped MINIs, including MINIs built after February 2012. If you would be interested in a RennTech dyno tune for your MINI and are in or near San Diego, please shoot me a PM or post-up in the thread. I understand that price is a factor in whether you'd do it or not, but if it's something you'd do for a reasonable price, please speak up. In the meantime, I'll get in touch with HG to see if I can get more details regarding price, etc.

See more about HG here: http://www.hgmotorsports.com

See more about RennTech here: http://www.renntechmercedes.com/www/

Interested members:

1. hoppes-no9
2. NewCooperFanatic
3. Porthos
4. jomama
5. ncorpuz34
6. RoyalCooper
7. TeddyL
8. Hujan

 

Very interested. I'll be in So Cal in late June and would be willing to drive to SD for the day for a dyno tune, if it's not outrageously expensive. Eager to hear more about cost and timetable.

 

Can't believe I didn't see this...I'm interested.

Just have to drive down the 15 to SD

 

Thanks for posting, fellas. "RoyalCooper" also PM'd me to say he's interested. I'm going to talk to Blake, one of the reps at HG, this week and find out some details to share with you guys.

I can also tell you first hand that the guys at HG are very professional, easy to work with, etc. Like RennTech, HG started as a Mercedes-centric shop, but of course they now do every high-performance car you can think of: M3s, M5s, Porsches, Ferraris, GT-Rs, AMGs, etc. Even so, they never made me feel unimportant even though I'm dealing with "just" a MINI. They took my car very seriously and treated me no differently than if I was bringing in a 911 Turbo.

I say all of the above because if you need any work done, they are excellent at that, too. Installs, fabrication, helping you make selections on mods, they can do it all. I have no interest or association with them other than I've had a great customer service experience.

NewCooperFanatic: You'd be better off heading down the 5 to SD. It's right off of I-5. You guys coming north would take the Carmel Mountain exit.

 

Yea I was just thinking that...I live closer to the 5 anyway.

Well keep us posted, I miss the torque I lost from the catless DP!

 

I might be interested. I just have to check some stuff out.

 

I am pretty sure the guy I was going to do the tune in Miami uses Renntech. I just need to know if this is going to be a go by next weekend. I have sat on my car waiting for a tune for too long and I have got one lined up but, if I can just drive it to SD that would be way more awesome.

 

i'd be interested as well. any idea whether or not renntech can tune out the codes thrown by adding an aftermarket DP? if they can, it'd be even MORE compelling!

 

Thanks for posting, Porthos and jomama.

I think it's unlikely they'll be ready to do this this weekend, but since it only requires a software update, I bet it could happen in pretty short order.

Yes, RennTech can code out a CEL from a DP.

For those of you on the fence about RennTech, you should check out the N18 tuning thread. Lenny, the Mini tuner at RennTech, is posting up dyne charts from some of the work he's done on Minis. Lenny was able to get 235 lb./ft. torque on a bone stock N18 Countryman. Imagine what could be done with an intercooler, downpipe, etc.

 

awesome! given that they can code out a CEL (i assume that means i'll be ok for CA smog?), i prob can't pull the trigger just yet. i'd like to get all my mods in place before getting the tune. i already have a fmic and would like to add a dp and prob some drop in filter. btw, i've read that people use drop in filters with the stock exhaust, but haven't really come across any posts that indicate which one's good/better/best.
also would an exhaust offer much improvements with a tune? i'd like to stay fairly stock/quiet with the exhaust. the only one i really like is the stock jcw exhaust, but purely for cosmetic reasons.

 

Depends, if you go with a high flow cat you might barely be within the legal limit.

Catless will fail with flying colors.

You'll likely fail the visual inspection as well.

 

was thinking akrapovic catted. if it's not high flow, would it be worth switching to?

 

Yes, you definitely want to get your bolt-ons in place before you dyno tune. If you are looking for a high performance but "sleeper" exhaust on an R56, there is nothing better than the Akrapovic system. It is incredible. If anything, people might say it's too quiet, though I think it's just right.

If I were you, I would grab the Akrapovic turbo-back exhaust (DP and full exhaust) and a drop-in (I recommend the aFe ProDry) and call it a day. The FMIC, Akrapovic, and tune will give you a huge performance increase.

HG is an Akrapovic dealer and might be able to get you a good deal on the full system if you call and ask. They are fully capable shop as well with several lifts and excellent mechanics, so they could install the exhaust for you before you tune.

 

Akrapovic is a 100 cell cat, down from 400 cells in the factory DP. IMO, it's a good way to get performance without the downsides of a catless setup. You will still get a lot of power out of the Akrapovic compared to a catless. It's far closer to catless in performance than the factory DP.

Note that in CA it looks like they are going to an OBDII-only smog test instead of a sniffer test. Thus, as long as your emission-control systems report that everything is okay and they can visually see a cat, you should be okay.

The tune will turn off the CEL, but it is an open question whether your second o2 sensor will still show a "not ready" code when scanned via OBDII. If so, that may complicate one's ability to pass the test.

Aside from the tune, there may be other ways to keep the CEL off and pass a readiness test. (No, it doesn't involve using a spacer.)

 

626 area code here. I would be interest as well.

 

My R50 passed the sniffer even with the RMW short headers and high flow cat.

It failed the visual, and it clearly has the cat....CA sucks

 

thanks for the great info hujan! i feel like i walked into the store to buy a shirt and tie and you just sold me an entire suit, haha! =) the only reason i like the jcw exhaust is because of the look of the tips. i know it offers little/no improvement over stock. how much improvement does an aftermarket exhaust offer if you get a tune? is it pretty significant? my understanding has always been that the fmic and dp are the top two mods for a tune. then maybe a drop-in filter and freer flowing exhaust. at $1700, i just feel like the akrapovic exhaust might not be money well spent.
if this HG + RENNTech thing goes down, i *may* spring for all of that at once, esp if i they are willing to do before/after dyno tests with each install. hmm...haha, now you got me thinking.
btw, is there a particular vendor i can buy the afe pro dry filter from? i did a cursory search and didn't quite find one.
and lastly, with regards to smog. i don't imagine changing out the downpipe every 2 years for smog would be THAT big of a pain in the butt, would it?
btw, my mcs is an a/t one - do you know off the top of your head if that raises any additional issues?
thanks again for spearheading all this hujan. i've been sitting on the sidelines waiting for the dust to settle on the n18 tuning. hopefully this works out.

 

i'm pretty new to CA smog tests - is it performed by state run agencies? or is it done privately? don't you just have to know "someone"? haha!

 

It's monitored by the state but it's a private business that does the testing and reports directly to the state via the state computer system. They are all licensed and certified by the state and probably inspected from time to time. The good news is that a new car gets a 6 year pass before it needs to be tested.

 

They are done privately....ever shop is different.

I found 'someone' to pass my R50 today lol.

But yes, that's how it works in Cali, they do the sniffer....some do a visual while others don't.

I don't feel guilty knowing "someone" to pass me...the car is within legal limit lol.

As for the DP, once you do it the 1st time it's not so bad.....but then you look back at the process and just think "Damn, don't want to do that again " lol

Royalcooper gave a better explanation of the smog process.

 

if it's 6 years, i'm golden. i've only owned my car for 2 so far, so i'll have another 4 before i need to think about it. hopefully by then, i'll know "someone", or have an upgraded ride.

 

Well if you don't want to splurge for the whole suit maybe just go with a sport coat...this could save a few $:

http://www.cntracing.com/CNT-Racing-.../cb-07mini.htm

 

In order of importance, I would say:

1. FMIC
2. Downpipe
3. Exhaust
4. Filter/intake

A good, free flowing exhaust, while not as critical as the downpipe, is definitely a big piece of the puzzle, especially on turbo cars. It also has the added benefit of improving the sound of the car, which adds to the enjoyment. The filter/intake is a distant fourth, IMO. The stock airbox with factory filter is probably not a huge restriction, even in higher boost situations.

I bought mine straight from aFe. I'm sure there are deals to be found if you scour the net.

I have an auto as well. The auto does make things a little tougher to get the tune right, but RennTech has been able to eliminate "surging" or issues that have plagued other tuners' tunes. (For example, NM is shying away from tuning autos.) I believe the Aisin auto trans is not as robust as the Getrag manual, but I've seen data to suggest the Aisin can safely handle >300 lb./ft. of torque at the wheels, which none of us will ever see. Lenny dyno tuned a stock Countryman with an auto and got 235 lb./ft. of torque at 2,750 RPMs. Long story short, your auto won't be a problem for RennTech.

My pleasure. I care a great deal about this community. If I can hook us west coasters up with a dyno tuning solution and help out a good local business, it's a win-win.

 

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=tROguV9gQ7U
For those of you that aren't too familiar with RENNtech this video gives a little inside look at what they do. It's a little long and mostly about the Mercedes but still shows what they are all about. And it's just cool to watch a 4 door AMG smoke the tires. Hopefully that links works.

 

you are laying the grease on an already very slippery slope for me, haha! i just want a fun daily drive car. in fact, my wife drives the mini more regularly than i do, for now. we might look into getting another vehicle to replace my daily beater-mobile soon, which then would prob make the mini my primary drive car. but that will likely be 3-6 months down the road. i can see the mods not quite stopping there - once there's more power, there's prob gonna be a need for better suspension and better brakes (at least in my head)! and after that, prob some auto-xing. and only god knows what i'll want after a few sessions on the track, haha!

i did see it on the aFe website, but it looks like it's only available for the justas. or are the intakes of the justa and mcs the same? i don't think there's much need to scour the net for savings on a $60 part. =)

if i get up to 300lb/ft of torque, the tranny breaking prob won't be my biggest issue. the bigger/biggest issue would be staying out of trouble with the law!

hopefully i can develop that same passion! =) right now, i'm just sittin' the pine watching others do their thing, and then cherry picking from the best of the results. if things pan out for me, i wouldn't mind being a "test car" for dyno charts of different add on parts, as long as i'm not paying thru the nose for the dyno sessions. i'm not looking to get any freebies - it'd just be nice to get some hard empirical data for this community. it prob wouldn't be too tough to replace my fmic with the stock one and start from scratch with the dyno charting, right? =)