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I don't believe the Mini has an ALS, Anti-lag System. ALS is primarily for race applications as they are detrimental to turbos, and exhaust systems in general. Turbo-lag is combatted in our cars with TwinScroll or TwinPower turbochargers. As I understand it pops and gurgles, burbles, serve no purpose, performance or other, than to put a smile on some of our faces.
Am I the only one that can barely hear it ? Yes even in sport mode at above 4000 rpm, that seems to be the only time you can sort of pick it up. Granted I am coming from a M3 with a competition exhaust but I expected a bit more volume out of the JCW.
I have a 2019 JCW with the sport-auto transmission, had it 14 months or so. With the gearbox and engine in normal mode, I get zero burble or pop. Flip the shifter to manual/sport and I get some burble & pop. Flip the toggle to engage Sport and the sound effects become more pronounced. I also noticed more burble & pop as the miles increase. After coming from an R53 that snapped, crackled, and popped all the time, my new JCW is downright tame, but at least the fun noises are still there in certain modes.
I have a 2019 JCW with the sport-auto transmission, had it 14 months or so. With the gearbox and engine in normal mode, I get zero burble or pop. Flip the shifter to manual/sport and I get some burble & pop. Flip the toggle to engage Sport and the sound effects become more pronounced. I also noticed more burble & pop as the miles increase. After coming from an R53 that snapped, crackled, and popped all the time, my new JCW is downright tame, but at least the fun noises are still there in certain modes.
My 2018 JCW with the 6-speed manual behaves similarly.
In "mid" mode there's a bit of popping on closed throttle coasting. RPMs have to be in the 4K range and the popping is rather subdued.
In sport mode there is much more popping and when driven with some spirit the car sounds rather like a rally car. A bit of fun.
Almost certainly the popping and what have you is artificial. That is the noise is real enough but it is not the engine controller injecting fuel to keep the turbo spinning to avoid lag. The reduction of lag is handled by the presence of the MINI TwinPower Turbo Technology which provides for reduced lag, good boost at low RPMs and yet manageable boost at higher engine speeds.
Below is a bit more detail:
"The turbocharging system integrated in the cast steel manifold makes for short ducting of the exhaust gas flow, thereby enabling an early and powerful response. What is more, the turbocharger developed specially for the new MINI John Cooper Works is made of particularly temperature-resilient material. It generates increased charge-air pressure for even, sporty power delivery across a wide engine speed range. The specific pistons are precisely harmonised with this, enabling compression reduction that is adapted to the high level of charge-air pressure. This design produces performance characteristics typical of a sports car: power delivery which sets in early on and is maintained continuously right through to a high load range. The engine of the new MINI John Cooper Works responds spontaneously to the smallest movements of the accelerator pedal. It develops its maximum torque of 320 Newton metres at just 1 250 rpm and puts this on stream over a range going up to 4 800 rpm. At 5 200 rpm the engine supplies its peak output of 170 kW/231 hp which is then maintained at a constant level up to 6 000 rpm."
The video isn't anything to write home about but the details under "SHOW MORE" make for some interesting reading.
While the engine controller is undoubtedly injecting fuel it is doing so only for the noise. For the noise to occur means the fuel has to be injected when the exhaust valves are open so the fuel gets carried out into the exhaust where it ignites. I suspect it is when the intake valves are just opening which provides improved scavenging of the spent exhaust gases and ensures the injected fuel is carried out of the cylinder. Since it is part of the exhaust flow it contributes nothing to spinning the turbine. If it was injected at another time it just puts raw fuel into the cylinder which could wash oil from the cylinder and increase oil dilution with unburned fuel.
Can anyone tell me if the exhaust in a 2023 AUTOMATIC JCW cakles and pop in NORMAL mode? Is the exhaust at least a bit loud with the AUTOMATIC transmission?
Thanks!
No it does not and will not without a software download/change. The software for the emissions must be tweaked for the crackles and pops to be there. This is no different for the automatic or the manual.
Haven't been happy with how the LCI F54 JCW sounds at all versus the pre-LCI. Hopefully this Armytrix cat back exhaust livens things up. Will probably do a DP, CAI and turn next spring. Going to install this on Friday along with a skid plate.
