I've had my F54 since March 1st. I really love it, but while it isn't by any means slow it isn't fast either. After getting my first service interval out of the way I had decided to go with a Dinan Tronics Sport Tuner, then I find lo and behold they have a new Tuner called Elite and it has a warranty the Sport doesn't. I couldn't pass it up.

The unit is waiting at a local shop that is a long time Dinan dealer and should be installed on Thursday afternoon. I'm excited! I was hoping to see some more info here, maybe I wouldn't be the first person to give it a try.

It seems that Dinan has updated their online documentation on the product again, and there is a separate sku for JCW motors. Looks like a 45HP boost and 55lb/ft of torque, Twenty percent or more above stock should be a nice kick in the butt.

Can't wait to give it a try and report back.

 

galahad,

you will be so happy with the Elite. I guess I'm the 1st one has it on a F56 JCW. The torque came much earlier and smoother than the Sport. Did a canyon run last Sunday and I can't even tell it was the same car when I had the Sport. My buddy who drove a RS was having hard time to keep up. BTW, you can also hear the turbo spool up when the window down. You won't regret your new investment!!!

 

this is exciting indeed~

 

This is on a JCW? Picking up my F54 JCW this week and am considering doing this upgrade at some point...

 

You won't be disappointed!

 

Did using the Dinan Elite eliminate the burble and popping when in sport mode? A friend of mine had that happen to his F56 with the Dinan Sport. I really want the elite for my JCW but don't want to lose that quality the exhaust has now.

 

I have the dinan sport on my F54 JCW and it still crackles and pops in sport... if not more so.

Im ordering the new JCW dinan elite asap... will have to advertise the sport module.

Can't wait for the overall improvement... wonder what it will do down the quarter mile since they quote 14.3 stock.

 

Thanks for that info, I really want to order the elite in the spring after I have put in some time with the car in its stock form. The elite unit + Pro exhaust should be nice (when it comes out).

 

Mine goes on tomorrow. Any feedback on the smartphone software? Is there an online manual? Want to read up before I have it to play with. Or heck lets start with which app connects to it? Maybe all of these questions are answered when you get the device.....just seems odd that it feel so poorly documented.

 

There is actually nothing to play with. Just plug it in and that's it. There is only one map, nothing else, no adjustment on Boost setting what so ever. (can't really give you warranty and let you mess with the boost pressure at the same time). They are working on a smartphone app at the moment. So for some reason you want to go back to stock map, it comes with a bypass plug so you don't have to disconnect any wire.

 

how did the install go? car driving well?

 

 

After about 500 miles of driving (long weekend in Northern Michigan) here's my impression.

There is definitely more power everywhere. The tune takes everything you like about the car and turns it up a notch. If you didn't know there was a tune, there is nothing about the way it drives that is quirky or strange just feels like it came form the factory that way.

The install was seamless, of course I had a Dinan dealer do it so anything less would be a disappointment. If your in SE Michigan Nikolas Motorsport is a great shop, MINI's are probably the least expensive cars they work on (there was a sweet M5 parked out front, and a 86 M6 next to it) so they do great work, if not cheap work.

To describe the power change....I'd say in Mid mode it feels better than it did in Sport mode from an acceleration standpoint. So obviously Sport is another step up (side note, I personally wish there weren't modes that affect throttle response but that's just me).

Am I satisfied. Yes, it seems dead nuts reliable and has more power with an install so clean you can't even tell something has been done except for a little box with Dinan's logo hiding underhood. AND I got about the same fuel mileage on the trip as I did in previous trips, I know many may not care about that but to me that's another sign of a quality Tune that doesn't compromise the car otherwise. I haven't really done in town driving yet in it but highway is around 31 which is what I've always managed (75 - 80 )

What didn't blow me away:

This is obviously not a retail packaged product. It came with NOTHING. Okay not nothing, the passthrough plug comes in the box and a piece of paper for the tech to point them to the instructions.....not the actual instructions of any kind. I can't even register for warranty or as a customer? That's odd to me.

Others have characterized the changes as more dramatic then I feel the difference is. So my very first drive felt a bit disappointing to be honest, but I think my expectations were too high. The power delivery is super smooth which I think makes the power deceptive.

This is my daily driver and hopefully will be for a few years at least (unless rumors of a JCW Plus model comes true). The fact that its just as drivable as ever is just as important to me as how much power it adds.

Let me know if you have questions. I'm not going to dyno it or anything. I'm just going to enjoy it. NEXT - SNOW Tires or a set of ALL SEASON's. I don't think the summer tires add much over really good All Seasons....but Winters are great in ya know Winter..... I'm torn.

 

Not much for retail stuff I have to admit. DTC is not really our forte. =)
That said in the lid of the box where the control unit rests there is a link printed as to where you would register for warranty. If you have already tossed the box that link is https://decus.dinancars.com/retail. If it was installed at the dealer chances are they would have done the registering for you but never hurts to check. Would just need the MAC address that is on the sticker on the side of the unit itself or a sticker that should have been placed in the drivers side door jam at time of install (same sticker as whats on the box).

As far as the manual/installation instructions go--- in the early going we typical point to the website to get the most up to date instructions as theres always some minor changes to install instructions in the beginning. The MINI Elite isnt nearly as bad but the BMW install instructions amount to nearly 80 pages so its not exactly environmentally friendly to keep reprinting instructions for all these minor changes.

Put in the bypass box and you will be amazed at the difference. =)

Eventually when the BT app's release this will be a lot easier to play with but for the time being the bypass plug does the job.

 

I look forward to the Bluetooth App, and I'll check to make sure the unit is registered. But I still think its odd that I recieved nothing as the end customer.

I don't plan to install the bypass, as it seems to be a process if you want to avoid issues with codes from the car, similar to the initial install as far as making sure the cars computer isn't awake. I'm quite happy with the purchase.

The F54 is a great car, but has compromises like any car. I don't feel that it gets up out of the hole so to speak. Once it's going, the torque is terrific but it's a heavy car for it's overall size and that's difficult to overcome. But i'd much rather sit in a MINI than in a Focus (RS or not) any day. Which is why this is the 3rd MINI I've owned (2nd JCW). I say this despite a dealer that I don't care for, thank goodness for the local independant shop or I"d have long since given up on them.

 

good to hear the unit is functioning well and you are happy. exciting Dinan is making a push in our market again

 

Yeah really glad to see some activity in the aftermarket. I think the fact that BMW motors are in the MINI now has helped that.

 

Got the Elite for my JCW - delivered 2 days ago. Going to install on Sunday. Does anyone have any pictures of where they mounted the ECU?

Thanks

 

here is what mine looks like

 

Very cool location - is there an existing hole for the wire to go through. I'm away from my car.

 

There are couple plugs that need to removed. One is on the battery cover, 1 on the rubber seal itself. Removed both than you can lift up the seal and expose a channel where the hood release cable goes thru. Feed the plug thru then put everything back

 

That location wouldn't work for me. It would be in the way of my strut tower brace. Didn't realize the box was so big on the Elite. I'm still on the fence about selling my NM and buying an Elite. Waiting for some real world dyno results on an F56 w/JCW Tuning Kit. I've been the guinea pig on several other installs on my car so I'll let someone else try this one out first.

 

Just installed mine on my F54 this morning right before I had to go to work so I didn't really get to put it through its paces. I had the NM Eng module before (which found a good home with a fellow MINI Clubman owner) that I used on HIGH so my comparisons are based on that.

Initial observations:
- Install was easy, especially if you've installed a tuning module before - it's just two extra connections and some wire management, which is easy with the zip ties included. Mounting is easier on a F54 as the battery compartment has a hard plastic top instead of the felt material on the F56/F55/F57, making the locking velcro type strips easier to stick.

- Didn't notice the kind of grunt power the NM Eng module had on HIGH, but the power delivery was much smoother. The air box was much more chatty too. My guess is that there is some adjustment time as it didn't really feel faster out of the gate.

- Watch where those connectors end up after installing. I neglected to tie one down properly and when I went to start my car, I was greeted by a horrible grinding noise that I quickly discovered was from one of the connectors hitting the front fan. Oops. Zip Zip and fixed.

- No check engine lights, but I was very careful to follow instructions regarding opening the hood, locking the doors, giving the computers time to go to sleep, and keeping the key far away from the car so it wouldn't wake. I did not, however disconnect the negative terminal from the battery.

I'll post more impressions and pictures as I drive it a little more!

 

Vetsvette,

since you have tower bar on it, can't you Velcro it underneath the bar and secure it with zip ties? of course given the bar is not round

 

Here is my Dyno chart