I have been running GIAC on a 2003 MCS w/ 15% sc pulley, Alta CAI, UUC exhaust, Nologys and Densos. The car has suspension and wheel and tire upgrades. I am starting to get into more mods - 2% crank pulley soon, header a little while later (hopefully by end of summer) and then, who knows?

I have been very happy with the GIAC w/ the current mods, but worry about what will happen when I add the "more".

What are the best options out there for a MCS with the mods I will soon have? Is there any realistic way of custom tuning the MINI? Can someone custom tune with the GIAC in place or tweak AFRs with the software now on the car? Is MTH or Unichip the only real options for a more modded car?

Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Len

 

My opinion for a person like yourself is to put your funds not into power mods but into an ongoing budget for:

Driving school- really important and much more beneficial than adding more mods.

Good performance tires- suited for the type of driving you wish to do- autocross/track/driving school/or street. There are different tires for each application. You'll wear out your current tires at some point and will need to replace them and plan ahead.

Many of the further mods you can do don't really offer that much more performance that you can sink your teeth into much less notice. They do add a measure of more complexity.

What are you going to use your MINI primarily for?

 

Minihune - You make valid points; I had even thought of posting more info. to sort of foreclose the type of response you've made, not because I discount the points, but because I agree with you. I have gone to two driver's schools (Phil Wicke's and a Solo 2 course) as well as having a little law enforcement type training. I currently run Toyo T1R tires and would like to try Goodyear F1 tires next.

I live in the mountains and commute 50+ miles round-trip on twisties for my work commute. I would like to compete in Solo 2 and will probably run 15" wheels and tires for competition purposes, but my local SCCA (Chattanooga, TN., Region SCCA) lost a site two years ago and has not found a replacement site. I haven't decided if commuting two hours either north or south (Knoxville, TN., or Atlanta, GA.) in order to compete is worth it.

I really do want to wring every bit of hp/torque I can out of my MINI on a reasonable budget (no twincharging here), and believe specific ECU tuning could be a great benefit if available. I do hope to one day get into the tranny and add lsd and perhaps a lightweight flywheel.

I do appreciate your response and totally agree with the way you prioritized things - especially the most critical part - driver's skills.

Len

 

Len,

OK this gives me some background and an idea of where you are and what you've done.

On driving school- you can never do too much driving school. There is just so much to learn and sometimes you can get only so far unless you get to practice more, alot more. I've gone to four 1 or 2 day driving schools sponsored by my local BMW club with many instructors for each day. Some are really good and you can tell that they know how to drive your car much much better than you can, usually by how smooth and effortless they are with all of the controls and how easily the car moves through turns and out at top speed passing everything in site.

Then you ask yourself how come they can do that but I cannot? Well the answer is - YOU CAN. That is why you are there at driving school, to learn how to do like they do and practice. It really boils down to skill with alot of precise driver input based on timing and judgement.

You already have the bulk of the upgrades done. Next thing I would look at is getting maximum traction from the power you have to the ground via a limited slip differential and good sticky rubber. My opinion is that the Goodyear Eagle F1 DS-G3 or Bridgestone Potenza S-03 is the way to go but costs more. I think you will like the DS-G3 better than the light weight Toyo T1Rs. Lightweight flywheel and racing clutch add to cost and do help some but there are tradeoffs (more noise at idle, not as smooth shifting).

I've just completed my 2nd season of Solo II autocross with 11 events per season. I can tell you I'm alot better than when I was in my first season but I have a long way to go. Other drivers with 6 to 20 years of experience show their advanced skill level with consistent results every month. It takes time to learn how to drive your car well and as you tune it, you'll need to adjust to the upgrades to get the most out of them. If you don't upgrade anything and keep driving to gain experience you will likely improve faster than if you upgrade regularly but never really get to know your car or make the necessary adjustments along the way (especially if you have suspension that is adjustable).

Bottlenecks- Sometimes as you do your upgrades you will find that there are some hurdles that limit how much you can gain in power. In theory upgrades to various parts of the engine should yield more power but we don't always see that happen or worse we might see loss or power (HP/torque) as measured by dyno. An example would be all the various intakes and exhausts that are possible for the MINI - giving nearly the same power gains
despite differences in design and cost.

At this point, ask yourself if you did do more upgrades how much more will it cost and how much more HP or torque do you expect to get. Now will that added power make a difference you can measure subjectively or objectively.
I can tell you that on the track and at autocross, more power, less weight, and theoretic advantages vanish when not enough driving skill is applied at the right time.

From experience I have found that tires do make a big difference but some can be over driven and not yield as good results (slower run or lap times).
It makes much more sense to learn when to drive slow vs fast given the track or autocross course you are running on.

An eye opener for me always is getting a better driver to drive my MINI on the same course I have driven, showing me how they drive faster and cleaner than I did it. That gives me a model of how to do it, now I have to learn to do it for myself.


More about mods- If you have a long track you might consider the GRS intercooler. It's not for everyday use but could be good under the right conditions.

Tell me more about your suspension mods- theres alot to be done there to help with handling.

 

I would get rid of the GIAC and go back to your factory flash. Then use either the Apexi AFC or a Greddy emanage ultimate. I tried using an AFC with the GIAC software and found that I was getting way too much ignition advance.

 

Other choices-
Apexi AFC with Unichip (talk to Randy at Webbmotorsports.com)- ask about other customers with 15% reduction pulley and 2% crank pulley vs other pulley combinations like 16 or 17% SC pulley alone.

Apexi AFC with MTH (various software versions available). See the MTH forum for feedback from owners with your proposed pulley combination or similar.

 

Forgive my ignorance, but wouldn’t that be overkill with AFC? I thought MTH, GIAC and Unichip were all supposed to tune the MINI within range. Why would you want/need to use AFC in addition to these? Couldn’t you just get the Unichip or GIAC custom tuned?


Sean

 

There was a used OBX in the marketplace for $90....

I have MTH and the A/Fs are still off. Maybe better, but not optimal. I guess the idea of the AFC on top of a canned tune is that no canned tune takes into account your exact engine configuration and tolerance build up.

Matt

 

Couldnt you just send the file back to MTH and have it modified? Or take the Unichip to a tuner? My GIAC dealer said they could "fine tune" but the canned tune was fine for just basic mods.

 

everything MiniHune said about schools and seat time is right on.

Matt

 

Thanks everybody for the responses. Minihune - I especially appreciate the time taken to respond with such detail. I will never stop looking for and taking as many driving schools as time/money/logistics allow. I agree that you can never do too much by way of schooling. The car currently is set up with H-Sport springs and I am about to add the H-Sport Competition bar.

The MTH "tuner" option seems attractive and is worth looking into - I would love to hear from anybody with personal experience on a similarly set-up car.

As a footnote, I realize the MINI has limitations, but unless I win the lottery, my MCS is my own little "supercar"; I truly love the car, have no plans to part with it, and want to make it as good a car as I can.