I'll be taking delivery of a '16 JCW in June-ish, so is it worth it to get the NM Module if we only have access to 93 octane here in Austin? I'm not planning on tracking the car, nor am I overly-concerned with dyno numbers. I want fast, fun, and to not ****** up the car.

 

93 is just fine if you run the module on the low setting. Still plenty fast!

 

It should give you about 30 more horsepower at the wheel and you will go fast faster as it also boosts the torque considerably. To the best of my knowledge no one has reported any adverse effects from installing it. It is a very simple, straightforward procedure that takes about 20 minutes. It is well worth the money. The increased acceleration is very noticeable. You have to drive the car for awhile for the system to reprogram and adjust before you will notice the difference. It took about 30-35 miles of driving before I noticed the difference.

 

So without a higher octane, high setting isn't possible?

Thanks for the insight!

 

All I have to say is hang on after you shift from 3rd to 4th gear! It makes a huge difference across the board in horsepower and torque. There are many online discussions about octane ratings and high/low settings. According to NM, you can run it on high with Premium (91-93 octane) gas. Their dyno testing was done using 91 octane fuel. They state that as long as you are not doing prolonged WOT runs (ie: track), everything will be fine. As a precautionary measure, I add Lucas Oil Octane Booster when I fill up. One bottle treats 25 gallons, but I've been using between 1/4 and 1/3 bottle. No issues with the car at all. The NM Power Module is well worth the investment. The car is a monster with it!

 

There have been mixed results with some reported issues with the high setting and octane rated fuel below 95 octane. I have not run mine in the high setting and have had excellent results as evidenced by the dynamometer printouts earlier in the jetmechanic dyno thread. I may try some 100 octane at some point and the high setting just for fun and if the butt dyno indicates the need I may spring for another dynamometer test. However, I am perfectly happy with the current performance as most of my driving is pleasurable twisties. I imagine it will be a great bit of fun at the MOTD and comparing notes with others after some good runs. If we decide to track the car we will definitely consider the higher octane with the module in the high setting.

 

If you want to try the high setting with 93 or below octane, just do some data logging or monitor with a Scanguage so you can see what is going on... In my experience, I noticed boost levels actually drop with the high setting when using 93 octane. However with octane boost used, it seemed to handle things fine. YMMV

 

The highest we can get in AZ is 91. Where do they have 95 octane, and why would you buy it? I get that Mini "recommends" 91, and some cars "require" 91 but why 95?

 

If you run 95 you can switch to the high setting on the module and get increased horsepower and torque. Faster starts and acceleration, better performance in the twisties and at the track. However, the downside may be that you damage the drive train in the process. So far the with the low setting and the performance exhaust the mini is amazing and most likely will be within the limits of the drive train.

 

I have been running high setting on 91 with no issues. Just recently I've been adding a half can of Royal Purple Octane booster and still trying to decide if I feel an improvement on top end or not... But I'm too spoiled to go back to low setting, it's a pretty significant difference. I trust the ECU will retard the timing as needed if a problem is detected. Either way, it's your personal decision.

 

So what's the update??

 

HEY!!! I am picking mine up in June-ish in Austin as well and like You I would like to do the same with the NM Module. Been trying to read up as much as possible about it. It seems well worth it. Also thinking about the AWE exhaust or maybe the JWC Pro but that one seems a bit pricey.

 

IF you have read this entire thread you should be able to form your opinion from the information provided. It is all a personal judgement. The module will provide about 30 horsepower on the low setting and the exhaust an additional 8 horsepower, all of the exhausts offered seem to be in the same range. Some offer an off/on option for the exhaust and that is purely a personal choice. As far as I know no one has posted any verified dynamometer comparison between the 2 settings on the module, just personal observations.

 

The issue with comparisons on the different modes of the NM Module is that it can take 20-30 miles of driving for the ECU to remap to get accurate results. That is the main reason we were not able to collect comparisons at the last dyno day. Will look at that possibility for our next South Florida dyno day when we do one to see if we can make it happen.

 

It will be interesting to see the results.

 

Installed my NM module yesterday. Drove about 30 miles since then. Initial impressions – – it seems faster, at least from 0-40mph. However, it doesn't feel as boosty as without the module, which is strange to me. Maybe I need to give t more time, or bump it to high.

 

It will give you about 30 more horsepower in the low setting, however, putting it on high with less than 100 octane may not help. I don't remember when I really noticed the increased power, but it does happen. Jet Mechanic's thread has his and my numbers and graphs posted which verify the horsepower and torque increases.

 

Ya must not be holdin' your mouth right.

Not sure what boosty feels like, but mine has enough additional power that it seems like a completely different car.

 

I noticed a significant difference on high vs low. I'm now adding Royal Purple octane boost (so it's 94'ish) on daily driving and it seems good in mid and top end now (top end was lagging a bit with 91). I took it out to the track yesterday and as recommended, ran it at 98 octane with no issues.

 

Maybe they'll be on the same boat!

 

Ah, the excitement of a new toy! Congratulations, we love ours, affectionately known as MITEY 2, Mighty was our first mini JCW, an R56. There are features that I liked better on the R, but the performance of the F makes those seem insignificant. We have the JCW PRO exhaust and love it, we purchased it for the warranty and the ability to turn off the open pipe to eliminate drone during daily drives and long trips. It is overpriced though. We saved a considerable amount of money by going to a certified BMW service shop and ordered it through them and had them install it rather than a mini dealer. There was a very significant difference in the cost. We just returned from the MOTD and no other minis outperformed us on the runs for what that is worth. At some point we are going to put a tank of 100 octane in the little beast and try the module on the high setting on the dynamometer to see how much difference it makes in the numbers.

 

I installed the module this afternoon. After about 20 minutes driving I thought I was driving a totally different Car. It is a lot smoother accelerating now and I can really feel a difference in the way the car takes off and changes gear(Automatic) I tried it in all modes and it is the best mod for the money spent. I also installed an ITG panel filter to let it breathe a wee bit better.

 

Yes, it is and if you add the pro exhaust or equivalent you will realize about 10 more HP and corresponding torque and it sounds like a beast when it is open! Have fun, drive fast, twist and squeal, life is short!

 

Agreed! And I have the JCW tune, the NM exhaust and intake and this power module just makes it even more of a beast!

 

Absolutely agree that it is the best bang for the buck. The car is an absolute monster now!