Prior to buying the Power Module I couldn't find enough information on it to make me feel like it was 100% worth the money. Therefore I thought I would write a quick review for those looking into purchasing one.

I drove over to NM and met with Jerry who helped me install the module which took all of 5 minutes (Thanks Jerry). I read that it takes 10-15 miles to break in, which I tend to disagree with because I noticed the difference immediately. The difference is night and day, it just feels significantly faster.

Jerry advised me that 91 Gas is perfectly fine for the High Mode as that's what he drives his on and as long as I am not red lining it for too long it's fine; which I don't, because I sit in traffic......a lot.

Here's the bad news, I have my speed warning alert set at 95 mph and the stupid thing keeps going off!! This thing is going to cause me to get a lot more tickets which I think I should just forward on to NM.......thanks a lot Jerry.

So if you're on the fence, get off it and go buy it, it's awesome. I am now looking at what else I can get that will have the same impact at a relatively similar price point. I am thinking the Sway Bar, but we'll see.

 

^^^^ What he said.

Add that to the JCW Pro Tuning Kit. That combination kicks butt.

 

Yeah, had the Jcw Pro Tuning Kit for 24 hours and it's definitely worth it. Vetsvette, get a hold of higher octane gas to give the high setting a go around yet?

 

It'll be springtime before I get out to VIR. That's the only place I can get the racing gas and have a safe place to try it out. Don't want to burn that stuff just tooling around town. Can't afford it.

 

Sounds like NM power module is a really great product and easy to use! One day soon I hope. One day soon. Like this weekend. lol. Maybe....

 

So, JCW engine tune plus the power module outperforms both? Anyone posted any dyno runs yet? (I don't disbelieve you; I just like data. )

 

Browse around this site. There are several dyno runs with many combinations. Good read.
http://www.motoringfun.com/2015/11/1...dule/#more-977

 

Thanks, fantastic info there! I've been mulling trading my R55 Clubman for an F54 Clubman, but all that extra weight would need more power just to deliver the same pick-up I'm used to now. The JCW kit + NM looks like the way to do it.

(I assume there will be a version for the new Clubman sooner or later.)

 

I was at the dealer today, mini of kennesaw and they are selling the NM module as well as NM springs and cold air intake. I asked the service guy about that and he said mini is totally find with the power module. I had taken mine off to bring the car in (leaking oil cap). I am impressed that mini, at least some dealers are totally fine with some of the well know aftermarket parts. Has anyone else had this experience.

as far as the NM, the car is night and day. I would suggest looking into the remus responder (throttle pedal adjuster) as the combination is fantastic. Immediate throttle response!

 

How was the installation of the responder? Easy? Their on-line video instruction is terrible. I cannot see anything in it due to the poor lighting.

That is great news about the MINI accepting the power module. It is on my bucket list and hope my dealer is in the same boat.

 

installation is super easy, the trick is to remove the gas pedal, there is one torx screw holding it in place, then unplug the factory line, put the remus between and reinstall. like 5 minutes. takes longer to figure out where to mount the controller etc.

I dont know if this is a mini usa thing or if mini of kennesaw is just more progressive. I will say, i have had a great experience with those guys, my first car had major engine issues within the first 1k miles, they help me find an identical car and did a courtesy trade in. basically a brand new car 2 months after i bought the first one. i dont usually like dealers but they have been great, i was in and out in about an hour today...

 

Thanks!!

 

Okay. A couple of questions...

What if any is the difference between the Remus Responder and the Srint Booster?
https://www.ecstuning.com/News/MINI_...dule_01252016/

Doesn't selecting sport mode do essentially the same thing?

 

i cannot speak to the sprint booster, will say this, sport mode has nothing on the throttle response you can dial in with the responder. I actually haven't used mine for commuting in awhile as the response and sensitivity is too much for stop and go. you can play around with the settings and go from basically sport + to a point where i think the car is not driveable. more like rev matching for track duty where you want super sensitivity.

does that make sense?

 

Not really, but it's enough to make me want to look into it further. Thanks.

 

Ive used Sprint Booster before. All it does is trick the drive by wire into thinking the throttle is more engaged than it is. Ie half throttle thinks its 3/4 and so on depending on what setting you have it in. Sort of a waste of money.

 

I debated Burger vs. NM for what, almost a year now... finally pulled the trigger on the NM. It's sitting in my garage right now, just burning a hole in the worktable like the acid slicing through the gangplanks in Aliens...

 

I've had the NM module on my F56 since Christmas, on the high setting since installed. I couldn't be happier. The car is so much faster than a stock Cooper S, I just went and drove a 16 F56 and it felt so slow haha. I've been running 90 octane because that's all I've got at the pump up here in Alaska. Knock on wood but I haven't had a single hiccup. To be honest I do drive my car like I stole it, and it has performed flawlessly.

 

Now that I've been running on the low setting for 2 weeks, guess it's time I switched to high as well. At least the fuel here is 93 octane. Guess if it doesn't like it, it's back to the low setting, which has been flawless

 

I will hazard a guess that you'd be better off staying with the low setting on a JCW unless you're running 100+ octane. You can get away with the high setting on the S cars using 93-94 octane because the boost levels are lower than JCW levels to start with. I ran mine on high until I had the JCW Pro tuning kit installed on my car. Now I stick with the low setting. I do plan to try it on 100+ octane this spring or summer, but that is too expensive for everyday driving. When I tried it on high with the tuning kit it felt like it was running out of breath at higher RPM's under medium to hard acceleration. I don't experience this with the low setting. Makes me think the knock sensor is causing the ECU to retard timing or fuel or some combination because it's sensing pre-detonation. YMMV

 

I Get About 200 miles to a tank.. I drive like an *** and live less than 5 miles from work. I do take spirited drives all the time to compensate for the short trips. As well as idle the car for about 10 minutes before I take off when it's cold. I haven't felt any kind of lag or pressure loss. Mine is just an S so maybe you're right. But I did run a 1/4 tank of 110 through it once, holy mini batman.

 

I do notice the lack of power at higher RPMs on freeway speed but attribute it to the lack of HP. I recently removed the power module to take my car in for service, boy was it night and day. I've gotten so accustomed to the setup (tuning kit + PM) that without it it felt like I was driving a non S mini. That said, the minute I got my car back I pulled over and reinstalled it.

 

"Makes me think the knock sensor is causing the ECU to retard timing or fuel or some combination because it's sensing pre-detonation." YMMV

Retarded timing and or fuel = less horsepower.

When I get my car back from the dealer I'm going to have to go through a break-in period with the new engine so I'll wait until I'm done with that and do an oil change at around 1500 miles before re=installing my NM module.

 

Which itself implies the Mini's engine doesn't breathe as freely at high RPM's. Which I suppose makes sense if you are optimizing for low-end torque and mid-range power, but doesn't the engine have variable valve timing that address that? Or am I misremembering?

Admittedly the new engine has larger chambers that take longer to fill and purge than the old 1.6L did, but my Ducati has the same size chambers as the new BMW/MINI engine yet builds power well past 9,000rpm and doesn't redline until 10,250. On the other hand, it's fuel economy is shitty (40 mpg for a 500lb vehicle is poor) and it requires expensive valve adjustments every 6,000mi... So it's probably a poor comparison. :-)

My lack of knowledge about the new BMW engines is really showing.

 

I just put the NM PM on my S and it is crazy fast!!
I thought stock was fast. Now it is stupid fast!!
It is ABSOLUTELY THE BEST $400 I have ever spent on a car.
To see if it affects mpg in normal driving, I patiently drove in Green mode at freeway speed and it was still getting 40+ mpg.
WOW!!

Edit: On the last tank of gas, I got 31mpg.
I accelerate hard whenever the opportunity presents itself. The torque steer is manageable but it is a lot more pronounced than before. It is still mild compared to r56 S torque steer. This car with NM power module is a monster. I have it on the high setting.