I have been driving with the button on for the last 10 months and this month I turned it off. And I am getting better mpg. Difference? about 3 mpg.

 

Why does that surprise you?

 

I don't have a sport button as I have an R53 but I am getting better gas mileage the past month also. Happens every year due to warmer weather and change in gas mixtures from winter to summer. I'm getting close to 30mpg compared to around 28 prior to early May.

 

I always drive with the sport button on and this past week I averaged 41 mpg on my MCS manual! My commute consists of a 40 mile round trip where I average 50 to 55 mph with only 5 miles worth of stop and go traffic. I'm sure my low speed and "easy" driving style make a big difference. I can't stand driving with the sport button off...

 

I get the same results, but for me it seems no more than 2 mpg. I am in a Cooper, so that might be one difference. I'm looking forward (with the next tank) to investigating how the AC is going to affect my mpg.

 

I will drive with the sport button on next week to see if it is the gas that affected it.

 

I selectively use the sport button. Generally, when I want to take curves at speed, the stiffer steering reduces the amount of driver-induced turbulence and allows me to be smoother.

When I'm in the mood to be sporty, mpg isn't in the equation.

 

Thats weird...

I haven't had the chance to do a hand calculation but with the sport button OFF I'm getting two - three MPG less then I do with it on.


My MINIs been acting weird lately...I haven't heard the whirring noise (the water pump?) run as of late when I switch off my car, and with the MPG thing I'm a little curious.

Not complaining though, I don't like the steering wheel being so loose

any ideas of why? (MPG wise I mean)



maybe I just drive easier with it on

 

ditto

 

Mmmmmmm.....I have my MCS 08 for 5 days now and have not even try the sport button yet...still in the Break-In period. I wonder...can you really tell the different? Is it just the quicker response in shifting and stiffness of the steering or there are something else?

thanks.

 

Could it be your cooling fan you hear?

 

So your planning to drive without AC in Texas. I had a 1968 P1800 S which had no AC and was stuck on heat, so good luck. I did recently hear that there was a study, that said the effects of turning off your AC were offset by the drag when your windows are open. I would wait till the fall. Have fun!

 

I always drive with the sport button on as I like the tighter steering. I think the sport button on (on the manual cooper) has no effect on MPG in fact it may even increase it somewhat. I find throttle response below 2000 rpm poor with the button off. I almost always get over 40 mpg anyways.

 

Ha...no way!!! Just curious to see how much mpg will drop now that summer temps have finally kicked in.

 

I've had my car for 6 weeks and for the last three have been driving with it on. I love it. Tighter, more direct steering and better throttle response, difference of night/day between it beinf on/off.

My MPG has remained the same, 31 mpg, mostly city driving.

 

I'm pretty sure it is. I guess I was just so used to coming home and hearing a louder 'whooooshhhh', but i've learned to take it easy and still have tons of fun


I've had someone tell me "i think your cars trying to turn itself back on" because of the fan running

 

This is a superb result...congrats to you!!!

Yes, a few folks report they actually get better in sport mode. I don't...but it's great if you do!!!

 

if manual, no difference. If auto, then it shifts at higher rpm, so yes.

 

I don't see how you could get BETTER mileage in SPORT mode in an Automatic. It holds each gear longer (higher RPM) before shifting, which is detrimental to good gas mileage.

Anyone with an MCS Auto getter BETTER mpg in Sport?


Mike.

 

By sport button are you referring to the DSC? Mine is always on and I really should pay better attention to these things but i dont have that much time I guess. But I do love my car!

 

The R56s have a button marked "Sport" just in front of the gear stick, it makes the throttle do what it should and gives you steering feel back, in the Autos it (supposedly) holds on to the gears longer.

Your machine looks like a 1st gen S so you wouldn't have the sport button.

 

I believe Mythbusters came to that conclusion.

 

I've been hearing this advice for decades. Don't recall the Mythbusters doing this one, but I might have missed it. I did see them do the pickup truck tailgate down myth. Turns out the mpg gets worse with the tailgate down.

As far as AC and mpg, I wonder if a white roof MINI would get better mpg than a black roof MINI, while using Auto AC. If the AC has more heat from the roof to fight, it seems that it would work harder and longer to maintain a given cabin temp.

 

I think the reasoning behind the "turn the A/C off and roll down the windows to save gas" idea comes from two things, both rooted in the early history of air conditioning in cars:

1) The old V-type A/C compressors could suck up a *lot* of power from the engine.

2) Aerodynamics wasn't much of a concern with older cars, so it's likely that running with the windows open didn't make much of a difference in the car's drag coefficient.

These days, the rotary-type A/C compressors are *much* more efficient. I retrofitted a Sanden compressor into my 1972 Dodge charger, and it only robs 3-5 horsepower from the engine, as opposed to 12-20 horsepower in the case of the factory RV-2 compressor.

Also, modern cars are much more "slippery", drag-wise. Even things like pop-up headlamps or sunroofs can considerably change the drag coefficient. Plus, at highway speeds, drag is a *****, since drag force increases proportional to vehicle speed squared. So if you go from 35 MPH to 70 MPH, the drag force on the car *quadruples*. Going from 25 MPH to 75 MPH, the drag force increases by a factor of nine.

With a modern car, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the extra horsepower required to overcome the additional drag at highway speeds more than offsets anything you might be saving by leaving the A/C off.

 

It's been said that if you drive with your windows down and wave to fellow MINI drivers and they wave back, both of you would save at least 2 mpg because there's a chip inside the on board computer that detects this action and allows the MINI's to actually 'talk' to each other and say 'Yo. What's up? How you doin'?'