I'm putting the finishing touches on the hardware mods necessary to run a "stage 2" tune. I contacted NM yesterday about their stage 2 tune and how it differs from just activating the "Sport" mode on a 2008 MCS. Here's their response:


"Your sport button will work as is but without the increased boost. It will still firm up the steering and get the throttle input more sensitive."


I'm scratching my head a little over this. If I basically get one benefit of the Sport mode with a tune, why spend $500 on the tune instead of just manually activating the Sport mode? I know I'm missing something here, so please enlighten me!!

 

The way I read that is, Normal driving you have stage 2 tune. But if you activate the sport button you will not have the increased boost from stage 2. If I understand correctly, you don't want to hit the sport button. Which seems backwards to me.

That is unless he means you'll have the same boost either way (increased from stock), but the sport button firms up the steering and throttle. This is how the Battle/DNA non-linear tune is. You always have more boost, but the sport button activates the steering and throttle changes.

 

Which also matches the stock behavior

Sent from my Nexus using NAMotoring

 

Call them and clarify what they mean.

 

I'm 99% sure this is what he means - full time boost increase even without the Sport mode engaged, and engaging the Sport mode changes the steering and throttle only. I'm not sure full time boost increase is worth a tune, when all I have to do to achieve that is reach down and press the Sport button. For free.


So, I suppose this continues to beg the question as why a tune is necessary in the first place.

 

When you engage sport mode now, you do not get a boost increase. It is throttle mapping and steering weight only on a '08.

A tune changes the target loads (which are independent of sport mode), which is what your DME uses boost levels, timing, and other adjustments to achieve. A tune may also make other adjustments besides target loads.

Currently, you do not get the same effect of a tune by pressing the sport button.

 

I know group4autosport has the 80% of the tune working without the sport button on and then at 100% when the sport button is on. That's a bit weird if NM indeed did say that.

 

Tunes have been generated for the AccessPort as well that are Stage 0 without the sport button and Stage 1 (or any other Stage) with the Sport mode engaged.

 

i'm sure there's more involved w/ the tune than just that - optimizing timing, a/f ratio, etc.. why dont u do a before and after pull on the dyno w/ sport mode on vs tuned w/o sport mode vs tuned w/ sportmode and see

 

A stage 2 tune will make much more power than stock a tune with sport mode engaged. They were simply stating that pressing sport while running their stage 2 will not add more boost. You will be amazed by how much faster your MINI is with even a stage 1 tune. They are worth every penny.

 

I agree this would be interesting.

 

Thanks for the responses! I think I get it now - once my FMIC here (and installed), I'll go for the stage 2 level tune.