So, I just got my new mini on Friday (hooray)! I was loving the driving experience until this afternoon when I had some big problems on an extremely steep hill. I have a stick shift and consider myself a pretty proficient driver. I was stopped and tried to go up the steep hill in first and kept stalling out. I tried with the emergency brake on - stalled again. A guy stopped and came over to help me and he had trouble getting it to go without stalling out. Finally he got it moving but kept saying that it felt like it had no power.

Has anyone else had this experience?? Very scary. Is it normal for minis to have this problem or do I need to bring it in?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

--Amy

 

leave the sport button on. It feels like it will stall even on a mild incline if I don't have the botton on. Pushing the sport button is my start up routine along with putting my seatbelt on. Do MC's have sport button BTW?

 

do you have a MCS? or just MC?

I would say that is very odd atleast to me. I live in LA and some places in Hollywood can be steep and im a good at driving stick (hate hills) but witht he E-brake trick, ive never had that problem (but then again, I avoid all steep hills like their cancer)

 

Yes, the MC has a sport button.

 

I always have to use the sport button on my MCS or it does the same thing. I'll be installing the auto-sport button mod soon.

 

Are you sure that given the stress of the hill challenge and your minimal experience with this car that you weren't trying to start out in 3rd gear? That's what I did on my test drive.

 

If you need the sport button, you're not driving it properly since all it does is change the sensitivity of the throttle.

 

I had this trouble the other day im my mcs. granted i am new to a manual it was on a hill that i have done several times but i stalled like 5 times until i could finally get it going. i dont know how to do the ebrake trick yet. next time i will try to hit the sport button to see if it helps.

 

Do you guys have the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) option?

If so, then the DSC feature in the new 2nd gen MINIs has a "hill assist" feature that is supposed to help with EXACTLY this situation (i.e. it holds the car on the hill and prevents it from rolling backwards allowing you to get it going without stalling it). Perhaps there's something wrong with the system (assuming you do have DSC) and it is applying too much brake (or something like that) and causing the motor to bog down too much. I guess you could do a test of this by simply turning off the DCS feature (by holding down the DSC button for an extended time).

EDIT: Note that the standard ASC (All Season Traction Control) does not have the hill assist feature.

 

Very True Office Maven.. the DSC has the Hill Assist and should take care of that problem..
On another note - I have heard many NAMers say that driving the 6sp M is much easier to start with the Sport Button on, so maybe that would help in taking off from a hill.
I'm still waiting for my Week 39..

 

Sorry, but it sounds like neither one of you knows how to drive a stick very well (not trying to be mean). Unless something is wrong with the car, there is no way you should be stalling out. The sport button has nothing to do with it. I don't even use my sport button that much. It's all driver experience. You'll get the hang of it the more you drive it. Hopefully.

 

I agree, the sport button sounds more like a crutch and not needed if you take advantage of the hill-holding feature and give that shy little Cooper the GAS, baby....

 

Ooooooooooh Amy Amy Amy....

Your Mini sounds just a little shy. I see you joined NAM in July and this is your first post? Heh heh heh... c'mon now... you & your Mini just need a little more "Umpppph"

 

No DSC here. I'm not very good at driving a stick yet (only 22 days in) so that could have been the problem. I do however feel like the car has no power going from first to second sometimes though (even on flat surfaces). Again all of this could be attributed to being new at driving a stick.

 

what happens when you stall? do you have to press the start/stop button twice? ... once to turn off the car, then again to restart the engine?

 

I have to agree with those who view the sport button as something of a crutch in this situation. I don't use the sport button for the acceleration, only once in awhile for the twisties because I sometimes like the heavier steering. Off the line, I've never had any issue with acceleration with the sport button in it's default position.
As for going up hills, I've taken mine up some steep hills in San Francisco and as long as the rev's are up around 3k-4k, I never have had an issue. I do, however have DSC, so the hill assist helps alot.

 

I never use the sport button, so I wasn't using it as a crutch, just maybe something to try the next time. When you are new to driving a stick and you have stalled out 5 times and someone is honking their horn at you because they missed the light, its a good idea to try anything at that point. Even if it doesn't particularly do anything, it still gives your mind something else to think about instead of the situation, which is why I noted it.

 

use sport button(more fun anyway) and use the hill assist, it works perfectly......when your foot is on the brake, push in the clutch and then let out the brake and put it into gear and the car won't roll back for like 3 seconds.

 

No, just once because the engine is already off.

 

By using the sport button you don't have to rev it up as much ....will prolong the clutch life. If you have DSC, hill assist will help you. I don't need a hill assist. I do just fine in any grade.

 

ooo... icic, i wasnt sure if pressing the button again would just turn the accessories off. Thanks!

 

Yessss when that horn-honking begins... I understand your idea!

I'd do the same probably!

 

You have to rev it up just as much, you just don't have to press the gas pedal as far for the same effect ...maybe prolongs the life of the gas pedal .

 

Hi Schmumbler (Amy) - Try engaging the Sport button on the hill you're having issues with. Contrary to what others have said about the usability of the Sport button vs. normal mode - I find the clutch engagement and throttle tip in more effective in Sport mode especially with the AC on.

 

I guess I can't fool everyone.