I had read an article somewhere that compared a U.S. Mini with one from someplace else (with much higher gas prices).

The writer said that the U.S. Mini had "performance" ECU programming, and the non-U.S. Mini had "economy" programming, other than that, they wre pretty much identical.

I have an '05 MCSc, and was thinking about trying the "economy" program...(Ideally there would be a switch in the car to choose either program at a moment's notice, but that's another story.)

It just seems like the MINI, for it's size, ought to be able to get high 30's or more MPG no problem.

Anyway, anyone ever heard of "economy ECU programming"...can this be done at the dealer? I wonder what it would cost and how hard it would be to switch back?

Thanks...

 

if there are different maps from Mini, they won't mix and match them for you. If it's not EPA approved, then it can't go in otherwise BMW is violating federal emmissions laws.

But there's nothing to stop you from persuing one of the ECU tuning options, just go for a tune for economy, not power. But then, what's the fun in that?

As far as economy, the blower makes the Mini drink gas like a 3+ liter 6.....

Matt

 

I think your best chances in this endeavor are to contact MTH regarding what they can do in this respect...

 

Thanks guys...MTH it is.

 

You don't need the ecu reprogrammed, just shift short... don't wind out the gears. Also, keep your tires properly inflated.

Vince
Bimmer Lite

 

Oh yeah, I figured I could do that stuff (and I do to a large extent, except when I want to go fast <g>), I just wanted the help of the ECU if I could get it.

It would be great if there were a switch in the car:

Max Economy or Max Power.

 

i think that this map would really only work if the car was an automatic. otherwise the driver has too much control of when to shift.

 

I was thinking more along the lines of boost (less) and mixture (leaner) settings and timing...those thingsI can't control from the driver's seat.

I had a '94 Honda Civic VX once upon a time...it got 54mpg in mixed driving...and that car had some zip to it (VTEC, etc), sat 4 people, etc...it just seems nutty that the Cooper get's half that...I mean, HALF? I know the extra power eats into a lot of that, but 27 mpg worth even when driven moderately?

 

And that car was far from powerful. It had no blower, and the Mini runs so rich that you're really using a lot of gas, not for power, but for making sure the engine runs in a safe regime.

While it's possible to program the ECU for better gas milage, I haven't heard of anyone who's done it. It is possible that if you use the Apexi air fuel controller, and leave the timing stock, you can lean the car and get better milage, and maybe even more power too!

The Honda HX to Mini Cooper S is far from an apples to apples comparison. Really, if gas milage is very important, this is the wrong car. SCs are great at creating torque down low, without any lag, but the are very, very inefficient at higher RPMS. Shoot, if you're running aggressive pulleys on the car, you can be using almost 60 HP to spin the SC at redline. That's just the way Roots boosted cars are.

Matt

 

It

 

It was the VX until '94 (maybe '95), then the HX after that as Honda's high mileage version of the Civic.

I'm not trying to turn the S into a Civic, just trying get as good MPG's as reasonably possible...maybe I should have bought an MC...I was all set to do that, until I drove an MCS <g>.

 

For the record, MTH's standard programing leans out the pig rich fuel mixture and i believe tweaks with the timing, so provided you can keep your foot off the gas (a feat I haven't been able to accomplish) you could theoretically get better gas milage from mth without asking for a special program, however i'm sure they could do something for milage...

 

it gulps air like a 3 liter V6, and the Roots is the least efficient boosting technology available. While I think you can make it better, it's never going to be great.

I'm sure the 07 turbo will be better with regards to gas mileage.

Matt

 

I have a feeling that you would be gaining performance, with economy with the "economy" map.

The MCS runs so rich from the factory, that after a tune on my UniChip I gained HP, and MPG!!! A leaner map will give you more hp, but will also mean that you are using less gas for each compression cycle, hence better mpg.

I'm sure that with a full "economy" tune there would be other parts of the map, and timing that would change. But tuning for HP will net you more MPG either way