I have done the common bolt on mods to my Cooper S:

Pulley
Injectors
CAI
Header / Exhaust
ATi Dampener

Its time to do the ECU Flash, I am interested in getting a custom tune, but do not have anyone really near me, so I thought that I might start a thread to help myself and other to find a way to Semi-DIY.

First I am interested in getting a programmer to read my ECU factory code, so that I can send it off to a tuner to have the custom tune made, do all the programer / reader / writers out put the file in the same format?

Is it possible to get a copy of the JCW file and write that yourself?

What hardware has been used to do this by anyone that has done it so far?

I am currently looking at the Dimsport MyGenius or the Alientech KESS using MAGPro2, I am leaning to the KESS/MagPro2 as it does not seem so proprietary.

c0op3r

 

talk to rallinspired. they are in final phases of doing email tunes for the mini and is looking for minis for testing!

https://www.facebook.com/RALLInspired

 

Ok I emailed him about it, has anyone used this unit:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MAG-PRO2-MAGPro2-V4-1-ECU-Tuning-Tool-OBD2-Programming-Tool-/160994783604?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item257c097174&vxp=mtr
Price is right and it has the Mag Pro2 software.

 

I've never tried that. It sounds interesting though. I wonder if it would really work. Are you going to buy that unit?

 

Yes I am going to buy that unit, and maybe another one, and I plan on paying for a tune, when getting the tune I plan on picking the tuners brain as much as I can, even though I expect that they are not going to give up too much information. The tuning of Mini's seems to be a closely guarded secret, but there is alot of very smart people on this board and I am sure that if we put a few of them together and share the information around we can learn how to do this.

 

 

I might jump in with you. Seems to be a very interesting thing to do, as long as the software works. BTW how did you find our about MAG PRO? I like risk takers. A lot of people are going to say it's not a wise idea, but don't get discouraged. I would read up on tuning as much as possible though, before going in too deep.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chip-Tuning-Files-for-Remap-with-Mpps-Kess-Kwp2000-Galletto-Bdm-Genius-Magpro2-/321179821838?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4ac7cf270e
That's a list of tuning files seems like......

 

Yes, like I said there are alot of smart people here, and I am sure with the resources available to us we can figure this out.

I just have to locate a few people with the JCW tunes and also custom tunes( I have access to one of these so far) to compare to, and I have been reading all I can find about the tuning.

We know that the big boys are not going to help as it is a loss of income to them, if this is figured out by the laymen!

But on another thread here, that we started, we now have people working on the fuel injector upgrade, without using the expensive JCW injectors, which I am sure that just about everyone knew could be done, but the naysayers have now been proven WRONG.

 

If you can do this quickly I'd be interested haha

I'm the one that's testing the genesis injectors and they work perfect but I'm goin to get m ecu flashed soon

But if you can develop something rather quickly

 

I am with you on that I also upgraded my injectors, and want a tune, I can put together a tuning party here, but @ $350 a shot, there has to be a better option

 

well keep us up to date... Im thinking this may take some months to do?

 

I think so also, unless someone jumps in here with a good bit of knowledge to help us out.

 

c0op3r -----> Have you looked into WinOLS? I wonder if we could get our hands on that program.



Sent you a PM.

 

Ordered my injectors as I posted on the injector thread. Hopefully they will go in right and work. Next step would be this. Selling some stuff I don't need on ebay so I can buy the MagPRO2 V4.1 tuner and experiment with it (don't really want to use my liquid cash, neither credit on this since it's an experiment). c0op3r, did you put the order in? I'm for real on this, I want to know if it would really work.

 

are you saying your going to get the tuner as well?

so you can experiment as well

 

I think so, it may take some time.... but why not.

 

I have a JCW. If you need my help, I'm down! I'd love to tune my ride some, without forking over 500+ bucks...

 

is there any updates on this?

 

A non tuner experimenting with an ebay tuning device is asking for serious problems. Beware, your motor is at stake, it only takes a few minutes to blow one up. 2cents

 

Even if it is a non fleabay tuning device, you are asking for big trouble when you put it in inexperienced hands.

You simply can not share tunes, especially custom tunes done for one persons car, and expect everything to run well on any other car.

Do you even know what: AFR, MBT, EGT, BTDC, and other common tuning acronyms mean?

 

That...
And if you actually scroll through WHAT the box can do on a MINI...
It is not a tuning devise.... Just a tune upload/download devise...on the mini (unlike many others on the list) the unit does not decrypt the tune, allowing you to adjust the maps, then re-encrypt it...and do the checksum to make sure it will be accepted, thus allow the upload......
Hense the yes, yes, no, no, no, no......so it can do the same as the remote "tools" sold by a few vendors from what I can tell...
Tuners charge $$$ for their skills for a reason....
Mess up BOOM!! $4000+ bill....and most have been doing mini's a long time....seen many maps....from both mini, and all their competors....and learned bit by bit....
Good luck....but what will complicate things is there are MANY different software versions on our ECU's.....so just trading files will not work...much more skill needed here than the injector deal...

 

"Brain surgery self-taught!" I tend to agree with the warnings above. Not sayin' it's impossible but somewhat akin to learning how to do open-heart surgery w/o going to med-school just to save a little money.

 

This is shaky ground with Chinese made ebay stuff, uploading a bad tune can cause you headaches like you would not believe. If you want total control buy a program like Bytetronik from MYNES you can change everything you like with it but you can also blow your MINI up or fry your ECU if you do not know what you are doing.

 

oh for the love of....lets see paying someone about 500 total to properly tune a car to its full potential...putting the risk in the hands of said tuner...or buying a chinese tuning kit which no one has heard of and risking a 4,000+ dollar motor and lets throw in another grand for a replacement DME when you brick the one you have...and ask yourself...is it really worth it?really?i know some tuners actually went to school to learn how to do this...and ask yourself this...if DIY tuning kits were so good...why havent they been a massive hit with everyone having them...and its not because some conspiracy to keep them out of peoples hands