Okay, so I'm coming from owning cars that have never had Turbochargers. Reading articles, I heard the term "turbo lag" and how much that has improved since turbos first were introduced.

The Miini S we test drove had, at least it seems to me a little "bog" when first starting out. Not the smooth acceleration I'm accustom to in my other cars. The "bog" or "lag" isn't huge, but noticeable. Once the car gets rolling everything works great, just noticed this on accelerating from a stop (not hard acceleration just normal gas pedal application, a slight hesitation before the car gets rolling). Our new Mini displays this same characteristic.

Is this something found in all Turbo cars?

 

To varying degrees all the Turbos I've had exhibit this. With sport button on it isn't much of an issue in my car, otherwise it sucks.

 

Thanks for the reply MTM. Have been running ours in "Mid" mode and it's pretty evident on start out. I'll switch to Sport and see if I can discern a difference. Not a big issue if that is normal behavior. I'm pretty adaptable once I understand a car's traits.

 

the newer twin scroll turbos are way better than the older turbos. i had a 2005 wrx that had a severe case of lag.

 

these cars have pretty much zero lag- peak torque is listed at 1,250rpm!!!
my 2012 Golf TDI didn't hit peak torque until 1,750.

Having a better torque spread and less lag is definitely nicer for driving around, but the serious lag my 2011 WRX had made it feel even faster!

 

I noticed this a bit too when I first started driving as well, but if you've mostly been in Mid mode, that would explain what you're seeing I believe. The throttle response improves just enough to notice that initial hesitation vanish (at least from what I've seen so far). As long as you're prepared for that slight sluggishness in Mid mode, it's not as big of an issue. I would say that so far I've been in Sport mode about 75% of the time and Mid mode the rest. Someone else might be able to comment about how Sport mode actually 'improves throttle response' if you're interested in a more technical explanation, but at least from what I've observed, that seems to be the 'fix'.

As far as I know, and from what my MA said, there's no way to remember sport mode from when you last powered the car off like you can with the Auto Start/Stop feature.

It's fun getting to know all the little quirks, no?

 

Did you test drive an automatic? You may be experiencing the annoying drive by wire delay that most newer automatic cars have. The computer takes a second to realize you want to floor it and there is a delay before it gives you the power.

If you drive a manual, there isn't a noticeable delay in that sense.

 

Yes we test drove the auto and also bought one. This is not a flooring issue, just normal gas peddle depression to pull away from a light or a stop sign, just a slight bog down or lag/ hesitation in acceleration after peddle is depressed before engine responds.

to explain as best I can, as gas is applied cars starts to move then, for an instant there is a bog down or lag, then the car resumes accelerating.

Again, not a huge deal but quite noticeable coming from cars without turbos (if that is what is causing this). Can only assume it is since both the test drive car and then ours display the same characteristic.

 

Yes, fun and maddening at the same time. I'm going to have to figure out how to set the DDC to 10% softer in sport mode. Hopefully that change will stick when programed in. Would hate to think it reset on shut off and you have to go into the menu to reset each time.

Car is a blast to drive. Already has one coat of Carnauba wax. Edit - make that two.

 

Don't think it's a Turbo thing, more like the electronic throttle. I had the same issue with my R56 non turbo. I put in a Sprint Booster and no more LAG time. Don't think it's available for F56 yet. FWIW

 

I wouldn't go with a sweeping generalization just yet. Without a datalog to put some numbers to what you're claiming to experience it's difficult to make any sort of definitive conclusion. If you have the capability, a log with pedal position, throttle body angle, engine load, MAP, and TIP would be a good start.

By the sounds of it, the most probable explanation would be the drive-by-wire calibration in whatever mode you're driving in. Each mode (green, mid, sport) have different torque request curves versus accelerator pedal angle.

At low loads, the engine does not need boost, so the turbo isn't being used. Turbo lag is most noticeable [in general] when transitioning from low load to high load (e.g. idle to full power), as the turbine needs heat and kinetic [gas] energy to spin up and make the compressor effective. If you're just oozing away from a stop, the turbo likely isn't the "lag" you're experiencing.

You could also be experiencing the DBW's anti-stall feature, assuming you have a manual trans. If you have an automatic, you could be experiencing an imperfection in the automatic trans controller calibration.

 

yeah my wrx was the 2.0 in 2005 and i had full bolt ons with a vf22 turbo and sti pink injectors low boost in 1st 17psi but when i hit 2nd gear i had 21psi and i was gone. 300awhp.

 

Have been playing with the modes and in Sport that hesitation is all but gone. Slight, but much improved to a point where I'd hardly notice it. Has to be the electric throttle rather than the turbo now thaat I've compared the two modes.

Finding that with the DDC and configuring the chassis under "Sport" (checking the box), I get the softer ride (10%) while still having the Sport mode "pep". Niiiiice

 

I had a feeling that's what it was going to be. There's still a fraction of a second's hesitation, but it's barely noticeable. Glad you're back to motoring

 

Automatic's will start out in second gear, if you press a little harder, they will give you first.

Paddle-shift to first before moving or select Sport mode for better response.

I don't know for sure, but expect MINI Turbos would maintain an 'Upper Deck' pressure that's instantly available on throttle valve opening. This would not be full boost, so you still get that 'surge' as the Turbo spools up.
Art

 

It's also in part how they are camed..mines tuned and pulls extremely hard at 1200rpm but there definitely is another surge around 3800rpm's...so much so it yanks the wheel bit I have slot more torque than stock and the soft ware cannot keep up.

 

No, no, and not true. A torque surge sounds like a bug in your JB. As for the factory ECU, it's processing power and speed is far quicker than anything the engine mechanicals can do. There's a DSP circuit just for knock sensing. The ECU is on-the-fly calculating how much torque to provide based on your foot, steering wheel, 3-axis accelerometer and gyroscope. At no time is it "struggling to keep up". You're severely misinformed I'm afraid.

 

Reprising this thread to see how many find this normal in their cars.

First off, we love our MINI. Fun car. I'm guessing the way our car operates is probably like most everyone else'. Just looking for some confirmation.

In Sport mode, not so noticeable, but in mid mode on start (normal gas pedal application away from stop light or sign) the car tends to (for lack of a better description) "bucks" a bit. Almost like one was riding in a car with a stick shift and the clutch is not ridden out completely and you get that little jerky engagement at the very end as the car starts to move and gain speed.

This is the only automatic I've ever owned that behaves this way when driving. I find it quirky if not a bit off-putting. I do realize, it is what it is and I can certainly live with the behavior, bur am curious if everyone with a 2015 MCS and an auto notices this in their cars.

As mentioned, this behavior is nearly gone when vehicle is operated in Sport mode, but is very evident if run in "mid". I wish I could program the car to stay in "Sport" rather than setting it each time I drive it, so I wouldn't be reminded of this quirky behavior when in Mid.

 

Try a sprint booster if they make one yet for your year. That along with my NM tune and the car was a bit too responsive for me.

 

There is a very very minute "bog" in the low rpms but it is gone higher up in the rev range. If you really want a blast then keep your car in sport mode and second gear as you go along and slowly get up to around 2500-3500 rpm and floor it. You really feel the pickup there. It gets me laughing everytime

 

I notice what you are describing when I'm in mid mode and have come to stop on a slight incline. When I take my foot off the brake, the car comes out of hill hold, releasing the brakes the same time the idle rpms increase. This combination gives the car a buck. In sports mode, the idle rpms at a light don't decrease after coming to a complete stop like mid mode. Any similarities?

 

There was/is a different thread about this bucking phenomenon recently. It bugged someone a lot. I remember saying I thought it was something wrong with his car. It's been a desire of many for years to be able to program Sport as the default mode. It scares me to think how many times I've hit that button since 2007!

 

In mid regardless of incline, my car displays this "buck" most of the time on start. I guessing it's the nature of the beast and something I'll have to accept as a trait of the MINI.

A few of the cars I've owned in the past have had little quirks you discover after owning, but these tend to be something that isn't as apparent as the stop and go with the MINI in "mid" mode. Guessing a good number of owners use Sport but the majority likely use Mid, since it is a default setting.

I have not tested "green mode" since I plan to never use it. If the behavior was reversed and Sport mode displayed this behavior, I probably wouldn't have been mentioned it since this behavior would be attributed to selecting a mode different than normal driving default.

I'm a creature of habit (not a fiddler). Usually finding settings I like, and then leaving them for as long as I own a car (stereo tone, navigation perspective and zoom, radio presets, driving modes, etc).

Just seems odd that the most used mode (assuming this since it is a set a forget mode) would display this buck on start and MINI/BMW would not have noticed it and addressed it when they tested the cars during development.

I still love driving the car and accept it for what it is, but am left scratching my head with this issue.

 

Have you driven another MINI with the same engine/trans combo to see if it also exhibits the trait you're experiencing?

 

Yes, the short test drive in a MINI S (before we bought) did similar display a similar characteristic, but again, we only did a couple of stop and gos, did mostly motoring to get the feel of the car as a driver. Also during the test drive the Sales-person in the rear seat was telling us to switch modes from mid -sport-green and explaining things so we had a lot going on when we test drove.

Like I mentioned, it's not a huge deal, just rather quirky.