Hi all. I'm thinking of getting a Manic Stage 1 tune from a local Manic installer. I have an early 2012 Countryman S All4 (sorry, but this mod forum seems more active than R60). I'm not looking for anything extreme, just something to make my daily driver a little more fun, and hopefully not do any damage . The car has about 36K miles on it, manual transmission, with the JCW clutch (I got dealer to put it in right before warranty expired). Anyway, if anyone has information re: some of the questions that came up after some research, it would be great to hear them:

1) My 2012 has the old High Pressure Fuel Pump. Haven't had any problems in the first 36K miles. Should I worry that the stage 1 tune might induce that to fail? Or maybe it's good that it fails before the extended 10 year warranty on it expires, so I can get a new one from the dealer . If it did fail and I got a new one, would the new one have a longer life span (I.e. is it a wear and tear problem that is more likely to fail with age, or do the HPFPs just fail more or less randomly).

2) Can the SPS switch really make it indistinguishable from factory ECU? Or is it detectable, but just something a dealer would be unlikely to check? (I'm worried that if the HPFP fails and I bring it in under the extended warranty, they check this).

3) Does the Manic Stage 1 tune work any differently for Pre 3/2012 N18's vs Post 3/2012 N18's? Is it the same ECU programming? Do I need to worry that mine is Pre 3/2012?

4) I'm used to driving in Sport mode, mainly because the more sensitive throttle response makes the clutch much easier to live with. Would the ECU tuning change that?

5) Are there other things I should think about adding to the Stage 1 tune that aren't too expensive, that either would slightly increase performance, or lower risks of problems? What I have seen are new air intake filter, new plugs, intercooler as possibilities. Any thoughts on these as additions?

Thanks!

 

I've done more stage 1 tunes than I can count right now so happy to help.

If the fuel pump is going to fail it will fail with or without the tune. The tune isn't going to cause it so I wouldn't worry that way.

If the dealer knows what to look for they will know it has a tune. The best thing to do is to talk to the tech and let him know and not to flash the ecu. Your MINI is out of the factory warranty so a good tech should be understanding and work with you for an ext warranty.
So the SPS switch won't hide the tune it just allows you to set back to the stock settings and switch between the low,med,high settings of the tune you have.

The tune isn't specific on the production dates it's more based on the hardware and software program the ECU came with then the tune is matched for each ECU.

The tune will make the throttle more responsive. So you may not need to even use the sport for that reason, but if you use the sport it will be even more responsive.

We always recommend a bigger Intercooler and cold heat range spark plugs with the Stg 1 as these will help the car run better, but also make more power with the tune.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/forge-...r-s-turbo.html
https://www.waymotorworks.com/cold-h...-cooper-s.html

We are also happy to do the tune for you if you want to send the ECU or bring the car to us.

 

Thanks for the useful info. What do you mean when you say don't flash the ecu? I thought that is what the tuning does, i.e. flash the ecu.

 

He means that when you go to the dealer they don't overwrite your tune by flashing a new software update. Going to be a rare occurrence with a 2012 anyway.

 

I had Waymotorworks do a stage 1 manic tune. I'm pretty happy with it, but there is a couple of stumbles and flat spots I haven't worked thru yet. Manic recommends colder plugs with their tunes. 3 tunes are included, changed with the SPS switch. The B tune has more aggressive throttle mapping and is the one I've been running. The A tune is milder but still a nice improvement over stock. It was recommended to me not to run the C tune without higher octane fuel.

I don't regret doing this, but I'm not sure if there is anything better out there now.

Have fun,
Mike