I had an experience recently that is greatly troubling. I took off from a green light right behind a Toyota Yaris. We were both turning right onto a 3-lane highway. I stomped on it to pass him, and darned if I couldn't close the gap on him. IN A YARIS.

I bought this MCS in May of last year and it's been great so far, but what gives?

 

Wait so you couldn't pass a Yaris? I must be misunderstanding because the Yaris is horribly slow, I drove one from buffalo to Erie, what a miserable drive.

 

It's not so much that I couldn't pass (was in a 35mph zone) I just could not catch him or get any closer in that 0-35mph range. I'm not a speeder so I didn't feel like doing 55 in a 35. I'm freaking out here.

 

the spoiler would have been a dead giveaway for me...

 

Is your MCS automatic transmission? Heavy 17" OEM wheels and runflat tires?

The newer gen 3 Yaris built from 2011, though far from being "sporty" is not as bad as it used to be-
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...t-drive-review
If he had relatively light wheels, Summer tires, and a 5 speed transmission I am not surprised that 106 HP was enough to keep him ahead of you in a 35 mph zone. It's also possible that it was a modded Yaris but looked like a basic one from the outside- that's what I would do.

 

Manual trans, 6-speed. 17" stock wheels on non-run flats. I guess the 17's can slow me down from a stop.

 

better check your boost levels

 

lack of tq at lower rpms has always been an issue on the r53 and heavy rims make it worse.......i would check the bypass valve...but still....newer cars are getting faster....

 

the Yaris I drove was a 2014 it was absolutely gutless, I'm guessing your mini is down on power for some reason.

 

Right, exactly what I was thinking. Say, just out of curiosity, how would you personally check the bypass valve?

 

bump I'd like to know as well, LINK US

 

Maybe you forgot to disengage the hand brake? Nope, wait, I know, the Yaris must have had one of those internet $50 electric supercharger / boost pump kits installed!! Yes, I'm sure that was it!

 

The bypass valve has a lever of sorts on it...
You can zip tie it to the closed (full boost) and drive a bit...go the wrong way, and it make your car run like a r50....if the spring has failed, this test will help you determine if it is the issue...maybe the same if the vacume line or diagram has failed that aids the spring...if you suddenly gain power from ziptieing it...you found your issue...get a new one....
But the valve itself could be not sealing internally...so yanking it out too look at it is an option...
The purpose of the byass valve on a sc motor is to reduce drag on the motor by venting the boost when not needed...like at idle or low (below 2500 or so rpm..guess, but partially based on vacume so by load)....thereby gaing back mpg, since the sc uses lots of HP.

 

You never know what may be under the hood of any car now days. I have a buddy that dropped a built 2 liter ZR toyota engine that had a supercharger in a 2008 Yaris. It all fit under the hood and he had a somewhat quiet exhaust. He used the same supercharger setup that the Lotus uses with that engine. He was pushing 240 HP in a 2300 pound car. It was a fantastic sleeper.

 

I'm surprised no one thought of this till Tsquared's comments.

 

Despite what most mini owners think....mini's aren't really what I would call "fast" in a straight line drag race. I'm sure there are plenty of 4 door family cars out there that would blow them away in a drag race. But......get on some twisty roads...and that's another story

 

i would guess driver mod, I don't loose at lights if I don't want to. or something is wrong with the mini

 

An average R53 mini weights in at around 2700lbs…..and let’s say it’s making an honest 200hp…that’s 13.5 lbs per HP.

A newer Toyota Camry weights it at around 3,200lbs…and makes 270hp….so that’s 11.8 lbs per HP (similar is weight per/hp to a 225hp mini).

In all probability…..a stock Toyota Camry is going to pound a 200hp mini in a drag race. Plus with the V6 and automatic transmission…the Camry is going to have more power and TQ right off the line at lower RPMs.

Mini’s are not drag cars……lots of “family” cars now days are making close to (or over) 300hp.



And if you have never lost in a drag-race with your mini....you have lucked out

 

in a true drag race yes, im fully aware that many cars will leave me behind. this isn't a v6 camry, its a 4 pot yaris. I have dragged a few cars, but they are buddies, and I do lose since I have the least HP and least driving wheels. this is also simple traffic, not redline launching. normally people are surprised in the acceleration of the mini. but yes some of the newer cars would leave us behind in a drag. the 3.8 CVT nissans is a good one off the top of the head

 

Like others have said....check the bypass valve, they are prone to breaking the spring inside that forces the valve closed when you step on the gas. If the valve doesn't close fully, you don't make much boost.

 

Yaris:

- 2311 lbs.
- 106 hp @ 6000 rpm.
- 103 ft-lbs. @ 4200 rpm

----------------------------

Mini:

- 2679 lbs.
- 168 hp @ 6000 rpm
- 162 ft-lbs. @ 4000 rpm.


You have more power, but you're carrying more weight as well. Like others pointed out, there might be something going on with your car, but weight is a big factor in performance.

 

And don't underestimate the results of "heatsoak" on an intercooler....
And the car is about 10 years old....
My mini could always squeel the tires on start....had r84 x-lites...the lightest 16 OEMS...made a HUGE DIFFERENCE compared to heavy rims...had a set of heavy rims for ONE DAY...car was straight line stable...but slower and handled worse...
And after a tune could smoke them since I did not have a locking differential.....

Any chance the DSC or asc+t kicked in, thus retarding the throttle??
If active, the dsc!/asc would be flashing while acting.

 

When folks not familiar with the Mini ask me, "What does the 'S' stand for?"

I say, "S is for SLOW"... and I mean it literally, especially in a stock R52, R53.

I've never thought of my R52 as being fast. It just feels fast and agile, which is why it's fun. I had more powerful and faster cars that were boring to drive. The Mini is a canyon carver right out of the box.