Hahahaha. I may or may not dyno. We'll see lol

 

Anyone have this on their 2011 MCS (only interested in feedback from people with an N18 powered 2011 Mini Cooper-S).

If yes... what did you do (cai, intercooler, turbo, injectors etc etc).



.

 

I have an RPM Stage 2 for my 2012 MCS. Same car. I have a CNT catless DP and exhaust, ebay FMIC, K&N Typhoon and NGK 2 step colder plugs.

 

Put a torch on that, you should be able to get that out.

 

Mario is the man! Even beyond initially getting parts or a tune, he's always willing to chat and answer any questions.

 

I wanted to share my experience with Mario and the RPM tune. Mario is a wealth of mini knowledge and will take a ton of time and answer questions. I have a gp2 and previously had 2 plug in tunes. Both of which had issues when pushed hard and I had to remove. The power was ok.

Now the real deal! The rpm stage 1 tune makes a ton more power. Power comes on very linear and plus through the whole range. Completely transformed the car!

Thank you Mario!

 

Talked to Mario on Wednesday about questions I had regarding tuning and suspension. What a great guy! Thanks for taking to the time to answer my questions Mario. I appreciate it.

 

Hello all, long time lurker, first post. I rarely post on forums, I typically just use the “search” function and get all the info I need. I have a 2008 R55, which I’ve only had for about 6 months. I bought it with the intention of modding it, not for racing, just to make it more fun to drive. Searching the forums one name kept coming up, Mario. I contacted him with questions about what I thought I wanted, and he took a great deal of time to help me sort out what would best give me the results I was looking for. His help went way beyond what I would consider customer service, he spent hours helping me before I spent a dime. Ultimately I went for an IC, Catless DP, RPM stage 2 tune, and plugs. I had already done catch cans and an intake. I took my car for the first drive today, and wow. It feels like a different car. Throughout the install process I texted or called Mario several times just to make sure I was on the right track, and he answered all questions as well as providing related info I hadn’t even thought to ask. Next I’ll be doing ARP rod bolts, then eventually a turbo, and without a doubt I’ll deal with Mario again. I just wanted to share my experience for the community. Thanks Mario!

 

I have had the pleasant experience of dealing with Mario on 2 n occasions now. He has taken my 2008 r56 S to the next level with his stage 2 phase. We all know what the stages feel like so I won't bother getting into how awesome the car drives. A cpl of my boys at work have driven my car n now 2 of them have bought r56s as a second car for fun. We all ride streetbikes n the mini feels like one with the RPM tune from Mario.

But let me tell you about my experience. I sent my ecu out to Mario in the middle of March bcus I had my car in the shop at Helix Motorsports for sum leaking oil seals. It was a $$$$ job n mostly due to labor and sum other pre maintenance work I wanted to do bcus I was trying to avoid downtime. I had Mario's DP n bottom engine mount for months so Helix put them on as well as the upgraded turbo lines. I gave Mario a call bcus I wasn't sure how the car would run with the DP installed w/o a tune. I DIDN'T HAVE the extra money at the time for the tune even tho I was putting the parts on. Mario assured me the car would run fine even tho it would have the CEL light on. We hung up n then I thought about the downtime again n called Mario up to see if he would me a favor. I asked Mario if he would put the tune on the ecu if i had Helix send it to him. I also asked Mario if I could pay him back in 2 wks! The man said yes..I'm all the way on the east coast n we've never meant n he trusted me to pay him later. There's not a lot of business owners I've met that would do that for someone...I assured him he'd get the money n he was gd with it.

Now the story gets better.....my ecu had issues. ..but it came back n the car wasn't running right....Tim at Helix said that he n Mario were working it out n it would get fixed. ...well within that week I had to go to the hospital for a surgery n I was out for a ltl over a week. When I finally called the Helix the car was done. Mario had the car towed to Mini, he had the ecu wiped n restored n then had Tim re ship my ecu to him to put the stage 2 map on. The total cost for everything was about 600 dollars out of HIS pocket to get it right n I hadn't even paid him yet! This guy is TOP NOTCH! I got it back n told Helix to keep it n make sure EVERYTHING was right on it b4 I went to get it. I had got sum errors on the car when I test drove it n sent screen shots to Mario, he told me what to look for. I needed a new thermostat/thermostat housing n a new turbo inlet tube. The tune is aggressive so I guess the weak links of Original parts especially will show their flaws. All fixed n I can't stop smiling every time I drive it n my wife try to take it everywhere now over her Infinity. Mario had checked in on me to see if things were well n now I'm on the hook for his stage 3 turbo at the end of the month.....lol. ...he's a great guy n the devil at the same time. .... I gotta stay at work to pay the bills n keep modifying this new toy....my bike not get ridden anytime soon lol

 

It’s awesome to see so many people who feel the need to speak out on what great service and products Mario has, as well as being a helluva good dude to boot!
Ive had his stage 3 RPM on my ‘12 R60 for a while now and I still love it every day! I smile every time I hit the gas pedal!
If anyone is on the fence, just pull the trigger and do it! You will not regret it. In fact you will probably kick yourself for waiting so long!
Still a very happy customer! And part time shill, lol.

 

Although I've not made a purchase with Mario, YET, he has given me more than an hour of his time filling me in on the details and considerations with his tuning and other products....He even followed up with me on many other occasions to see if I needed any more info.

Once thing settle down for me this summer... Mario will have my money for some good tuning.




.

 

Seriously, you can’t go wrong with him. An hour on the phone and he feels like an old friend, lol. The guy has a way of conveying information in a way that makes it obvious that he is extremely knowledgeable, but not in a superior way, if you know what I mean.
He spoke to me for an hour after my first email to him, and by the end of the conversation, I knew without a doubt that he was the only guy I trusted to tinker with my ECU

Edit to add:
My only recommendation to you, just going by comments from others...... if you are only thinking of doing stage 1, do yourself a favor and save or fork out for the extra mods and go stage 2. It seems like everyone who gets a tune loves it, but...... they quickly want more! Lol. I know several folks in this boat or that have gone up to stage 2 or higher.
Heck I started at stage 3 because of a turbo upgrade, and I’m now craving even more power that I’ll never really use! Ha ha!

 

In addition to making my JCW runs like a little beast, reliably, he also managed to save my marriage.....twice, I kid u not, met him having my car tuned in person, he missed his flight, ended up staying w us. Somehow she changed her mind after he chatted w her for a couple hours.

Second time, we chatted w him during a fight (bad one). We piped down after chatting w him for a good hour.

The man is a RPM tuner, devil, n wife-whisperer! Lol

 

I first would like to state my nervousness to having this done and took me going back and fourth speaking to Mario about this for over month before we made it happen. He has been nothing but up front and professional the entire way. Never felt pressure of any sort to do anything. It’s all about the questions you ask and or have for the man!
He is very knowledgeable not only with what things do what but how they work.
I was able to team up with a co-worker and send Mario 2 ECU’s shipped overnight. He received it the next day. Finished mine that evening he received and then started my co workers. Next day it was shipped back to us overnight. And we received them the next morning around noon time. As much of pain as it was for me to be out of a car for a few days. This process made this way more convenient. I would highly recommend this if you are in this similar situation.
Mario recommended new spark plugs to gap. If Mario doesn’t have them already then pick some up and have them gapped.

Now for the tune vs. NM:
I had the NM Power Module since 2016 on my first F56 Cooper S. You can never upgrade to early lol I think I had it the week after I got the car. Pretty much had the NM on high always and honestly was impressed with the power I received from it. I would actually suggest this power module if you are on the fence with a tune or piggyback module.
I recently purchased a 2018 JCW F56 and put the NM power module on this for almost 9,000 miles.
So Marios tune can be tuned to fit your needs but he’s done so many that he knows what’s safe a what’s not. So I let him do his thing as I of course wanted it aggressive but also very safe for the car.
After install the test drive still with stock spark plugs was a entire different Mini.
After having the NM for so long you can 100% feel the difference!
The NM module yes gives you power but a little low end/ high mid and.... then it dies, ok not dies it just gives up.
With Mario’s RPM tune the boost/power is progressive throughout each gear. More noticeable at 2nd and on.
But that’s where you want it. You don’t want to chirp your tires losing traction. Maybe that’s just how I drive and prefer to drive. Don’t get me wrong there’s still power in 1st for sure.
The power in every other gear honest to god pulls all the way through and pulls hard.
Its very cool to notice this in particular between RPM and NM.
Its feels as if the car is finally showing its real power! With the gapped sparks plugs, knowing the old ones would give out after a week. I also am feeling a slight difference in power or the car running smoother.
Getting up to 120...shhh don’t tell the wife, felt like butter. I didn’t even have to look at my speed it was just there and there fast.
I have the JCW Exhaust, Catless DP, intake and all this combined with the new tune is truly amazing. I was shaking after the first test run it was that good haha

Im pretty damn satisfied with the tune and how everything was handled. Also happy that I feel the power I was missing with NM. I would also never know if I never purchased the NM, but now you know!

Thank you Mario for this smooth experience for both me and my JCW.
Appreciate the goodie bag as well that was sent!

 

Hey Guys,

Thought i'd add to this thread. After running an Accessport on my R55 FJCW for a little over a year, I felt like giving some more contemporary tunes a go. While the Accessport was working OK, it just felt like there was more untapped polished potential from the car, not to mention, I found myself going back and forth between Stage 1 and 3 on the Accessport frequently, as neither was "perfect". I'm currently running K&N intake, ALTA hardpipe, Forge FMIC, ALTA IC hoses, colder plugs, catless DP, resonator delete, and OEM FJCW mufflers. 42mm or 43mm turbo is in my near future.

I had been looking at Manic for sometime now, and based on these threads, reached out to Mario to discuss tune options. We quickly settled on an RPM Stage 2 tune, with the option to come back for Stage 3 a bit later. Being in Canada the option of handling the tunes via the Powergate is a no-brainer. It can be tough up here sometimes, so the ability to this via email and not risk having your ECU get trapped in customs is a relief. We settled up and I sent him an overnight Fedex label. I then set off on Kijiji to find an old PC Laptop to run the Powergate. Found a 2016 Thinkpad for $100! As planned the Powergate arrived the following day at lunch time, and shortly after had my OEM map pulled and emailed to Mario. Throughout this process, Mario and I had chatted a couple times about what to expect etc. He was surprised the Powergate made it to Ottawa Canada so quickly, but said he'd do his best to get me setup with a tune. Low and behold, by supper time I was skulking out to the garage to update the tune. So, from the time I flipped him funds and a shipping label, to the time I had a new tune in my car was just over 27 hours. Can't beat that!

As for the tune, what a difference. As soon as I started the car, you could tell this was a much more polished product. With the AP, my car sounded like a dump truck for the first 30 seconds after startup, the RPM tune sorted that out. As for the performance... just smooth, polished and powerful. While the car was certainly quick with the AP tunes, this was on a whole new level. It feels like a factory created high performance map. Everything works so well together. The AP tended to bog and surge, where as the RPM tune is just plain smooth and fast. Feedback is excellent, with popcorn and bangs all where they should be, obnoxious when you want it to be, and a refined sleeper when you need it to be.

Thanks Mario, and definitely more to come!

 

I have a 2012 MCS and had it previously tuned by a local shop, the car had lots of turbo lag and was slower than the nm power module, almost like stock. After a few months of that I sent my ecu to Mario for the RPM stage 2 and all I can say is WOW! It feels like totally new car, no more lag and smooth abundance of power all around! I wish I would of sent it sooner! Mario was super helpful and I would definitely recommend him to anyone looking to upgrade their Mini!

 

Im glad we got it all straightened out. It’s a bummer you paid all that money for a tune that was worse that stock. When reading your ECU it was bazaar to see the adjustment the other shop changed
Enjoy your new power and let me when you are ready for stage 3
Mario

mQubed Motorsport Manic & RPM Power Tuning

 

Hi folks, I finally got the chance to load up an RPM tune from Mario. I am going to write my long review here and also want to give Mario a big thumbs-up!

My car:
2009 MCS

Mods:
- K&N Typhoon intake
- JCW turbo (40mm compressor) (stock compressor = 37mm)
- JCW exhaust manifold (square tube headers)
- CNT Catless DP
- Ebay Knock-off FMIC
- Noisemaker delete, discharge section delete
- Alta diverter valve spring
- NGK1422 colder sparkplugs

I originally want to go straight to JMTC S42 turbo and a stage 3 tune, but because I didn't do anything to change out my stock exhaust, I opted for JCW turbo to stay in-class with the correct mods to avoid burning some exhaust valves. I'm afraid if I pump JMTC S42 turbo with stage 3 tune into the stock exhaust, I risk higher chance of poor flow and burn an exhaust valve or two. And the reason I remain with stock exhaust is mainly for sound suppression. Really don't want it to get any louder or have any highway droning. If any of you have an idea of a better flowing exhaust which will purr quietly, please let me know. I even thought about piecing together my E90 335i stock exhaust into this MCS to see if it can run good and quiet, it's just a thought, though, I'd have to learn precision welding and all. And I'll have to change out the rear bumper as well, so no go and therefore Stage 2 tune with JCW turbo it is.


RPM stage 2 tune review:
I loaded the RPM stage 2 tune immediately after I install the CNT catless DP, JCW turbo, and JCW exhaust manifold. Therefore I won't be able to describe the progressive difference from one mod to the next, it's 3 mods and a tune altogether onto an otherwise stock MCS. And boy, WHAT A KICK IN THE PANTS!!!

Upon startup, I am surprised at how little elevated noise it made from the catless DP, so that's a plus, I was really worried at how this DP will just make it sound like my friend's Honda Rice Cannon. It doesn't sound bad at all. I took it out for warm-up run, not throttling it up while watching the boost level and engine temperature. Between stop and go (under low rpms, no boost) the car has this sophisticated gradual power feel. It's hard to describe, but the difference is clear. Back in stock days, there's a lag when I get on that throttle slightly from a dead stop, now when I give it the same pedal step, it picks up very freely, yet, with a gradual sense of acceleration. This is a big plus for me because the stock mini just feels like a slug at low rpms. With this stage 2 tune, it made the car feel much lighter and readily accelerate if I just tap further on the throttle.

After the engine gets warm to 215 deg F, I throttle it all the way down, and boy, this thing just pulls and pulls!!! It spun the wheels upon shifting (my MCS is automatic, by the way).

The biggest difference is apparent. On the stock turbo and stock tune gives it a lackluster feel between idle to 2k-rpms. between 2k-rpm to 3k-rpm when it's building boost, I get this BAM in the face pick up (between 3k-5k), but it immediately dies out and there's no power felt anywhere in the upper range. So there's that obvious decrease in boost in the upper rpms with stock tune.

Now with RPM stage 2 tune, it's just a totally different feel. I get on that pedal and receive this quick response, like the car feels a whole lot lighter Then there's this smooth and gradual transition from no boost going to max boost in which the boost just remains all the way to redline before shift. Unlike stock, the RPM tune satiates the acceleration feel with confident power all through the rpm range. The part I like most about this tune is that there's no slamming upon achieving full boost like the stock tune does. I really hate the stock tune because it drives like a shitty broken boost switch where you hit the gas, it boosts, then dies out right away. The RPM tune has this sophisticated feel that the entire power band is refined and redistributed to shave off the peaks and fill in the gaps where the stock tune just didn't handle well at.

Very simple description to what the RPM tune is: "SMOOTH POWER ALL THE WAY TO REDLINE"



If you're thinking about tuning your cooper, I would suggest you talk to Mario in length, he's a true subject matter expert on our MINI's. And I would also suggest that you do some research and learn about classing your modifications properly with the intending turbo sizes and tune options. Each turbo size/type requires a class of mods and tune to optimize its outcome. So do your due diligence on what you want and properly support your modifications to appropriate the turbocharger of your choice. And luckily for our MCS, Mario is a very knowledgeable guidance for this. If you haven't spoken to him and you're thinking about upgrading, do yourself a favor, speak with him. He listens to your needs very well and in the back of his head when listening to you, he's already classing and piecing together all the supporting mods and pros/cons for you. I"ve never found a resrouceful guy like this in my other car's forums. In fact, there are plenty of flammers out there in other forums. NAM, however, has been a very friendly, informative, and supportive forum to be a member in.

Happy Motoring Everyone!

 

Mario was very helpful and took his time with my mini, you can tell off the bat that he knows exactly what he is doing. Around 230WHP/210FTLBs runs at best potential with 3 gallons of e85 mixed with the rest of the tank being 91, I have an oil catch can system, upgraded intercooler, new turbo (oem replacement), M7 speed air intake system, I also deleted noise maker/intercooler piping with muffler with straight silicone piping but honestly I recommend solid piping I will have to replace my silicone hoses with hard piping its more efficient because silicone hoses collapse it sounds like its sucking from a straw under power. Thats pretty much all the upgrades I have my engine is in great condition as well I know the n14 are more delicate than n18 and up. Thanks Mario! Hopefully big turbo next.

 

my turbo blew mid pull 2 months ago and when I needed to source a new turbo for my shop to put in this man came through! supplied a great condition jmtc s42 thats running great and pushes a lot of power ( 21 psi, 282hp at 7k rpm with a tune and some other stuff ). Only issue was the oil line provided was a little weak, but the shop had other options so that was no biggie

would definitely recommend!

 

Not sure where to begin.. except to say a journey began to perform a full round of ~100K mileage maintenance - and to perform updates that increased reliability, longevity, efficiency, and performance "while I was at it".

Car [was] a bone-stock, '07 R56/MCS purchased ~7 months ago with ~86K miles (now has ~92K). I was the FIFTH owner ! .. I was happy to have the car - but also nervous AF! after a bunch of research.. I felt I REALLY needed to take full-on "ownership" of this car's maintenance history - so taking care of "everything" SHOULD result in a car much less-likely to break down roadside, and cost way, Way, WAY more than it needed to.

Engine heat was my primary enemy. Cooler engines live longer - and watching those ~220 F temps day in and day out gave me anxiety. What was normally a ~100K service interval, became ~40-60K service intervals due to those HIGH heat cycles on all those mother-flippin plastic parts.

Because throwing a $12, lower-temp, T-Stat into the cooling system isn't an option on a N14 engine - an ECU tuning/flash became the [only?] ticket available.

Research led me here.. to NAM.. and to Mario. After reaching out to him - and some correspondence, a Stage Two RPM with cooler temps was the ticket for me. After investing something like ~$3K in preventative maintenance & update parts, the idea of having a tune that optimized it all together was something that kept me up at night. Like it was too good to be true..


In one of the boldest, bravest, and craziest things I [have ever felt I have] ever done, I pulled and sent the ECU to Mario on a Sunday.. then proceeded to put the car into Service Mode, and perform the following:
- walnut blast/de-coke intake ports (which it certainly needed ! ), fuel evap valve, valve cover, GTT [vac & boost] OCCs, GTT Intake (air filter) system, colder spark plugs, Cravenspeed short shifter, coolant reservoir, serpentine belt, [Bremi] ignition coils, oil/filter, fuel filter, cabin filter, [BMW/MINI] coolant, transmission fluid, brake/vacuum pump, VANOS solenoid, thermostat [housing.. or w/e the F you call that whole contraption, [metal/tig-welded] MotorTek (Italian company) (found them on FB..) (because holy ****, F that $80 plastic) water pipe, GFB boost spring & diaphragm diverter valve update, Optima (non-acid/rust-inducing) battery, WMW turbo blanket (hallelujah to reducing under-hood engine temps !! ), upper [Bosch] O2 sensor, Detroit Tuned kits for the turbo lines - and timing chain/guides, oil filter housing seals, PaceSetter (stainless/49-state-legal) Catalytic Down Pipe, 2-1/2" CNT Cat-back exhaust system (still struggling with fitment - but otherwise super-happy with sound), Forge Intercooler, Sneed4speed intercooler muffler delete, water pump, water pump pulley, etc., etc..

So in any event, I received the ECU back from Mario on the following Tuesday. (very cool. was stressed enough as is..)

Very-to-EXTREMELY ! nervous about doing ALL that work with ALL those new parts.. but I got through it - and overcame many challenges keeping a calm mind-set.

Endgame:
- Confess ~4-10 minute times when engine temps hovered ~260 F while getting the coolant system bled or "burped" .. so, SO nerve-wracking ! .. again, patience, and continued monitoring/topping off got it sorted after a day or two..
- Very important I acknowledge I had "touched" SO many systems. Something like 99% of the time something goes wrong with a project endeavor - it's because of something I did. If you do things "one-at-a-time", troubleshooting becomes a no-brainer (it's the last thing you did stupid ! ).. but jack up the number of things you touch - then.. yeah.. good luck with that mate !!
- Went through like ~3 days of "OH **** ! .. does this feel right ?! .. and ~2 weeks of .. "wow, it's like everything is fixing itself !!(?)".. random engine stumbles and thrown codes dropped off the more she was driven. I feel/think/believe engine coding goes through a learning/adapting stage - and by golly did I give the car a lot of new things to digest/learn..

I was meticulous, calm, and slow with all my work.. sometimes you just need to breathe, and let it go - to a degree..
Afterward, wife and I took a ~9 hour (round-trip) drive through 90 F degree+ humid July heat - something that should be "grueling" for a N14 engine(?) - and it performed flawlessly.. at ~80mph+ speeds with the A/C on for hours on end.. returning ~35mpg and ~188 F consistent engine temps.. which I'm TOTALLY fine with !


Sorry.. where was I ? ..
Wow. This is the fastest car I've ever driven - and I "built" it .. and you just can't put a price on the satisfaction levels there.. you either get it - or you don't.

Thank you Mario for helping me on my journey. Your Stage 2 RPM tune on my car really, REALLY "woke it up proper !" So happy.

4 cylinder torque ? (a concept my brain has a hard time wrapping itself around).. yep - and like WOW !! .. at any RPM.. and at ANY time.. put your foot down, and by golly - you'll be pulled back hard into your seat. (really addictive feeling.. )

I feel like I just barely skimmed the low-end of Stage 2 "eligibility" with the PaceSetter cat - but it works and the car isn't obnoxious-loud. While I want those extra ~10 (?) ponies a cat-less DP could provide - I'm super happy as is. (don't want neighbors to hate me..)

I assumed a Stage 2 [w/e tune] would not acknowledge the second [bank 2?] O2 sensor. Car threw the P0036 code until I put a new O2 sensor on it. Initially just plugged it thinking the S2 just "wouldn't care" if it had a Cat or no.. This is ON ME. I informed Mario I was rocking the PaceSetter Cat/DP.

No "pops or burbles" upon decel. Another regret on my part. (i didn't indicate to Mario I'd be interested in that) Gathering the early R56 cars didn't incorporate that - something adding character to the driving. No [notable?] difference between standard and Sport "modes".. other than the steering and throttle response (?) . Like I gather I * could * induce "pops and burbles * in Sport mode - but doing so would be somewhat of a hardship on drivetrain and clutch-wear being so "hard" on it..

At the end of the day .. after all that work - most of it maintenance in nature - the car flippin' HAULS THE MAIL NOW.. wow..

Super-happy with my experience dealing with Mario and his tuning abilities. I'd do it again without batting an eyelash.

 

""No "pops or burbles" upon decel. Another regret on my part. (i didn't indicate to Mario I'd be interested in that) "

Try BBQ mode, lol.

i had the tune for a year now. I don't accelerate aggressively WOT on first gear, but do occasionally enjoy "taking off" on any gear n white knuckle thru torque steering on a straight road to "slightly" over speed limit.

My Indy went over her and found one seepage each on transmission and main seal, I can't even spot on my garage floor. No need to worry, will keep an eye on it. Considering the amount of fun I ve been having every weekend, this is totally worth it, have the man to thank !

I should have him tinker with my future alltrack ecu....

 

It all started with a CAI, for the cool sounds, then a Remus Catback Exhaust for more pops, then a Catless down pipe from Mario for even more pops. Then after about a year of having that setup I was going for a 10 day trip to California and driving my 2015 F56s. I contacted Mario a couple weeks ahead to meetup and get the stage two tune.

Met him at his house and after reading the ECU, I went on some awesome driving roads right across from his house as he changed the files. One of the best two hours spent ever, stage two tune has been so much of an upgrade from stock ECU and couldn't have been an easier process. I didn't do any of the NM or Burger tunes previously, from reading this exact forum I made up my mind at the beginning to go with Mario and get it done right the first time.

Can't say anything better, hoping in the next few weeks to get it back on a Dyno before going to a full straight pipe. Really wanting to see what the number difference has been.

Dyno numbers with the CAI were at 192HP and 239 Ft-Lbs of Torque.
With the downpipe/catback exhaust numbers went up to 229HP and 257 Ft-Lbs of Torque


I've had the Stage 2 RPM tune for about a month and can't throw any more praises to Mario and how easy the process truly has been.

 

I don't typically post things, but i thought id add to this and share my experience with a great product and great service. I'm not new to the automotive world as i work on cars for a living and have a built rx-7 for a toy. My 08 r55 was my daily but ultimately i wanted a more enjoyable but balanced car. Coming from the VW world tunes and flashes weren't new to me, but with mini i didnt know which to trust or go with. I was looking at manic tunes as there's a shop local to install them and having previously worked on minis and installing rmw and alta flashes i knew i wanted something a little different. After servicing a GP i noticed he had Mariokarts downpipe so i had to ask him what he had done and his thoughts, he had previously had manic and couldn't say enough good things about rpm tunes and his dealings with Mario. So at this point my r55 had the typical intake, hoses, boost spring catless downpipe flywheel, cltuch, manifold mods with suspension so i knew a tunewas in order. I made an account on here, and sent a pm to Mario, almost instantly he responded and we set up a time to talk, we spent about an hour on the phone only because i was all set with questions, he was prepared to talk as much as i felt needed or comfortable, very honest discussion about options what would work what i wouldnt like. I sent my dme to him Tues by Thursday morning i had it back installed with colder plugs as well, all while receiving updates about and another phone call to touch base! I can not stress how impressed and happy i am with Mario's customer service, response times, attitude, what a stand up guy the whole step of the way.
Now onto the tune, i went with a rpm stage 2 tune, what a difference in feel sound and obviously power. Its very linear and smooth through out the powerband, it doesnt just dump the power on you and breaks tires loose, it still feels like a well balanced car, i think the tune just enhances the factories goal of a balanced track car, i'm definitely happy with the stage two tune for my daily and all of my dealings with Mario. I would definitely recommend him to all of my mini owners looking for something like this.

 

I just got my 2010 JCW Stage 2 RPM tune back from Mario. Wow, I'm very impressed!! The car feels solid and reliable, but so much faster than before! Even in 6th gear, it moves! I also asked for the pops and bangs feature, and it is exactly what I hoped for. Very entertaining..

Right after receiving the ECU, my girlfriend and I hopped in the car and made a 7 hour trip without a hiccup. It got 33mpg, actually slightly better than it used to. Even with random pulls and making it backfire like a mad mini!

Mario answered every question in detail that I could think of, and was absolutely great to talk with over the phone. And after receiving the ECU back, he is still extremely helpful and will not dip out once his job is done. Well worth the money and time!!

Thanks Mario!