Just bought a 2009 MINI COOPER (non S, nearly bone stock car)
and there is no sport mode button. There is only a DSC button.

I'd love to have sport-mode and am not afraid of wiring.

Is there more to it than (somehow) retrofitting a button?

(ie: do I need to use NCS expert (etc.) to get it to work?
(that scares me!)


My wife's new 2012 does not have sport mode either, not that she cares.

Really, the only reason I would like to have it, is to be able to pull away a little easier from a stop. I find the car nearly wants to stall unless I give it a fair amount of throttle, which seems unatural after driving VW diesels for many years. . . .I can start off in 2nd gear with NO THROTTLE at all in the VW....but lotsa gas needed for the MINI. Nearly to the point I feel I might be slipping the clutch. (not really, but you get the idea)

Thanks !~

 

Easier thing might be to add a Sprint Booster.

Anything can be done but adding the sport button still means having to add aftermarket parts to make it stay on all the time.

 

I think you (may have) missed my point. I have no sport mode button.
IE: It's not there. Evidentally, Canadian Cars that are JUSTA Coopers didn't come with.

I have since found another thread that eludes to how things may be modded and unfortunately, that seems to include using NCS Expert.

 

I do understand your not having a Sport Mode Button. It does two things.

1. Make the throttle more linear so that you dont have to press on it quite so hard at takeoff.

2. Adjusts the steering response.

And that is ALL it does. Nothing else. Oh except give you a little light on the button to tell you it is working. And as i said before without extra aftermarket parts it will NOT stay on and will have to be activated EVERY time you start the car.

So with that in mind what i said was that in place of the throttle issue, which is all you mentioned, you could use a Sprint Booster and that will take car of your throttle response.

Retrofiting the Sport Button in a car with out it is not going to be easy. And yes you will have to have NCS Expert to do so. If the wiring is there or not i can not say but with the way things have been going with MINI the wiring for the switch is probably not there.

Sprint Booster is a plug and play item and if you dont like it it can be easily removed. And it now gives you even more options than the sport button would for throttle control.

http://new.minimania.com/part/SPR209...And-Race-Modes

 

I would agree that something like the Sprint Booster would be a much easier solution to get a different gas pedal feel as opposed to trying to retrofit the Sport button functions. Besides the hardwire part for the button itself, you'll have all the computer programming needed to implement the different throttle and steering maps.

 

The sport button installation is doable, but it will cost you a lot of money. Plus I don't think there many dealers that will do the installation..

I also do not have the Sport button, I'am thinking about the Sprint Booster..

 

I would second this. It's the best part of Sport Mode: improved throttle response. I love it on my '06 (which never had a sport button option.) and personally I don't like the "artificially heavy steering" feel the Sport Button gives the newer MINI's. It's probably the most cost effective option, too.

 

--