Well I've had my '11 MCS 2 weeks and after getting familiar with it I've found the following:

1. I HATE the dual mass flywheel, I can't believe how slowly I have to shift to make it smooth. The second that thing wears out I'm converting it to single mass if possible.
2. I really don't like the surge of power at 3-4k then it falling on it's face. During my test drives it felt quick and powerful because of that surge and I was shifting at 4500. Now that I'm familiar with the car and know the power band it leaves a lot to be desired.

I reached out today to Mario since he's the closest person that does Manic tunes, he's 3 hours away from me and as it so happens is coming through my town tomorrow haha. So it looks like I'm gonna be getting a stage 2 tune thrown on and picking up a cat less downpipe from him. I don't know how much more I'm going to do mod wise since I want to keep it reliable as possible and don't want it super loud.

Is there anything I need to worry about loading up a stage 2 tune that I should look out for as a weak point in the car now? How much is this going to affect the daily drivability of the car and longevity? I don't beat on my vehicles and take very good care of them maintenance wise, but I like the twisties and will definitely be doing an autox or track day in Spring. I don't want this car to become a money pit basically, just make it a bit more fun.

Also considering grabbing a set of RPF1's to shed some wheel weight. On the fence of whether it should be the tune or wheels first.

 

Mario's a good dealer and will be very knowledgeable, so he can answer any questions you have.

If you haven't invested in an intercooler already, that is a must for Stage 2.

I would say definitely keep on top of oil changes. Considering you have a 2011 like me, you have a less reliable fuel pump than the one on the N18s in 2012 and 2013. I've gone through 2 myself already. Also you're going to need the highest grade gas you can, which if you're in Cali it's 91.

 

He did seem very knowledgable when we spoke on the phone although it was briefly. I am in Cali so I'm stuck with 91 at most places. One station around here sells E85 at the pump and Mario suggested running ~3 gallons for the higher maps. For now no intercooler, I may add one later if it's not $1k that's insane, if it means I can't run the higher maps in the summer that's not he end of the world.
I also do my changes every 5k, Mini's claim of 15k baffles my mind. I hope you're not referring to the HPFP as that's a hard hit to take, mine does have the N18 not sure if that's different from the N18S.

 

Well Mario came by my office, great guy by the way. Really knows his stuff, is super knowledgable and is all about sharing that knowledge. It was a great time getting to chat with him for a while about the cars he's built and check out his awesome countryman which speaking of, can hold an astounding amount of parts. As we were talking he kept pulling parts out of the car lol, I ended up grabbing the Stage 2 tune, catless downpipe, titanium heat shield for the turbo and a torque mount insert off him.

I'm just gonna say I couldn't be happier, the drive home from work yesterday didn't really let me play with the car too much as it's mostly freeway but I was no longer struggling to match traffics speed when merging. Today I got to play on some back roads on my way over to a buddies place to bs while I did a long overdue oil change (I hate that filter location by the way....), and install the rest of the goodies I picked up from Mario. The downpipe was surprisingly easy to install, I was expecting much worse with how some of the threads on the net talk about it. Worst part was getting a few of the heat shield bolts back in but other than that it was a breeze. A few hours, and beers later she was running again and we took off for a quick sprint down a good back road. THIS is the car I've been looking for. The exhaust level is perfect, a real nice growl when laying into the throttle and wide open picks it up just enough. I've been bugged lately by the slack in the drivetrain sometimes with a sloppy shift, I come from riding motorcycles so shifting is very quick and now I'm having to force myself to slow down dramatically haha, sometimes I forget and the slack is pretty brutal. The mount insert did increase vibrations at idle quite a bit, hoping it doesn't lead to too many rattles, but other than that it's not bad and the slack is ALL gone, it's great. The pull now is excellent, puts me in my seat and doesn't drop off after 4500, It's not insane but it's perfect for this car and how it's meant to and will be driven. Now when Mario was explaining the pops and burbles I was thinking nah that's not really for me but we'll see. Let me tell you I popped it into Sport and could NOT stop smiling, I still am now that I'm thinking about it again.

If anything the added power has exacerbated the brakes and the fact that I need to get them fixed up, right now at least the fronts are warped so they need to be replaced and I want more bite out of the pads. I don't know if what's currently installed is OEM but they're too soft for me, again this may just be me spoiled by my bikes but they don't bite nearly enough. So I think I'm looking at brakes, suspension and maybe lighter wheels and I'll be exactly where I want to be, well aside from the intercooler I know I'm going to need in a couple months when it starts warming up lol. I may drop it back into map A for now since I have no way to monitor AFR or knock yet but we'll see, was looking at the P3 gauge but I'll have to hold off on that for now, rear tires are shot and take priority.

 

I have the stage 2 tune from Mario and it's been a couple thousand miles of fun already. I'm running an intake, catless dp, and colder plugs. It runs flawless.

The AITs do get up there running the stock intercooler if you push the car a bit. But the car is a daily and doesn't get run that hard most of the time.

Enjoy!

 

Which downpipe did you go with? And where in CA are you?

 

 

Mario nailed it, grabbed the ceramic coated black catless pipe from him. I'm in central cali, right in between SF and LA lol middle of nowhere.

 

Great to know he comes down this far ..just need to order my DP and Im ready for tune myself. Found a good shop in Auburn with an AWD dyno and very reasonable prices for time w/ AFR.

*As suggested.. save for the intercooler next.. and dont be afraid of the China Intercoolers. They are NOT ALL bad. Do your research..find a bar and plate type, pressure test it when it arrives.. save ~400$. I was skeptical .. and checked mine meticulously when it arrived. It fit perfect. Temps are great. It cost ~168$ shipped. Winning!

Glad your happy with your results! Threads like this just make me more anxious about finishing mine!

 

So am I, that is why I asked....I'm 3 hours north of Mario. I'm in Atascadero - in between Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo.

 

Raymond, that's funny I live in Paso and work in Slo. We'll have to grab a beer one of these days and you can see what the stage 2 runs like. I kicked it back to map A to make it easier on everything until I get an intercooler, drop in filter and a gauge to monitor but the difference is negligible for the daily use.

 

I’m running Manic stage 3 with one of the black China intercoolers.
I was skeptical at first and thought at the price point it was worth a try.
They are definitely worth it. Perfect fit.
Like you said do a pressure test and run it if it’s good.

 

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-BMW-Min...53.m1438.l2649

I was surprised with the build quality when I received it.

 

I have that same intercooler. Built similar to the Wagner model.

 

I just bought a 2015 ALL4 and I'm wondering how this intercooler is better than stock at that price? Did BMW drop the ball? I'm thinking Stage 1 for me but not sure where/how to get that done in Denver area yet. I think the car is peppier than I thought but a little extra can't hurt!

 

Simply put.. its faqing way huger than stock..Im not a scientist, but temps are real good.

OEM IC: 2nd run .5mi WOT = 46.4f ambient / IAT 91.4f = 45f delta
China IC: 2nd run .5mi WOT = 62.6f ambient / IAT 78.8f = 16.2f delta

 

The stock intercooler is adequate for regular daily driving but when you start pushing for performance it heat soaks quickly.
As you can see in the pictures I’ve attached the stock intercooler is way smaller than the aftermarket unit.

As far as price is concerned this is a “cheap” high quality China knock off of an expensive aftermarket design. I bought it to test out before committing to a more expensive unit but haven’t really seen a need yet. I will see how it performs in the SoCal summer. It definitely exceeded my expectations and highly would recommend it to anyone.

 

Thanks! That was very helpful!

 

I also have the wagner comp edition... love it! it was a tight fit though but will directly bolt on no cutting. I am also having problems with my HPFP and I don't know how to "Safely brake it" so that i can get the newer and better edition of the fuel pump for free by mini. Has anyone else have the same problem?

 

run some E85 through your next tank of 91oct.. say.. ~2.5ga

the pumps internal seals dont like alcohol when they get old..im pretty sure it bleeds though the cracked seals and starts attacking the oil inside the HPFP. *If its an old pump thats thrown a fit or two already.. the alcohol will help push it over the hill.

*since 91oct has ~10% ethanol at the pump already.. up to a ~30% blend and the dealer wont be able to tell the difference from the ECU.

 

im in NY and my tune is set for 93 this all started happening when i did a pull and blue my thermostat and ignition coil

 

went with Manic stage 2, had Milltek catless pipe, Wagner Competition Intercooler, new charge pipe, and Flo Max Air intake. When all was tuned and ready we put the JCW Countryman AWD on the Dyno and it showed 300 to crank and 242 to the wheels. The exhaust on the JCW was adequate and it has run a year with no issues. Have fun and motor on! The higher the octane the better it runs. The intercooler was a must down here in Florida we have the heat also.