Have 2006 Mini S. I want to install a 15% pulley and CAI. As far as I can determine neither Dinan nor the Sharkinjector offer ECU upgrades for cars make after Dec. 2004 when the engine management software was changed.
Do ECU settings really need to be changed? If so, who makes engine software upgrades that are reliable and properly engineered?

 

but you will get more power with an ECU change, because the factory one is less than ideal....

MTH, UniChip, GIAC and others make tuning aids for the newer ECU. CAll you favorite vendor and talk to them!

Matt

 

Randy Webb explained it to me a couple of months ago like this:

An ECU remap is not at all obligatory with the reduced S/C pulley.

CAI, reduced S/C pulley, exhaust, upgraded crank pulley, and ECU re-mapping are modular upgrades on the MINI that can be effectively done independently of one another.

Fuel injection dictated by the ECU is based on meter and monitoring.
Metering: sensing airflow between the S/C and the cylinders, and injecting fuel based on those measurements.
Monitoring: sensing exhaust gases and changing the injected fuel based on those results.

The additional air cranked out of the S/C due to modifications is accommodated by the MINI's metering and monitoring systems whether you re-map the ECU or not.

This explanation is not trashing ECU mods:

• You can get additional power by correcting the overly-rich OEM ECU settings, a correction which should take into account all the engine mods on the car. And,
• mods are inter-related in many ways. Eg. with the reduced S/C pulley that requires more air, a CAI provides a larger benefit than it would to a car with the stock S/C pulley.

Conclusion -- the additional power produced by a reduced S/C pulley can be enjoyed without an ECU remap.

 

Thank you for your reply. This sounds like and intelligent, well thought out explanation by someone who actually knows what he is talking about.