06 R53, new to me in Jan 2019, with 80k on it.

I first noticed issues with throttle response on taking off from stop lights in our downtown district (some of the hills would rival SF). I had to cheat with the handbrake, and attributed it to not having driven a manual for about 3 years.

But I began to notice that the throttle had a serious lag--It was hard to rev match, blipping the throttle accomplished nothing, and if I tried to shoot through a small hole in oncoming traffic when making a left turn, I sometimes was afraid I was going to get t-boned.

I began reading about Pedal Commander, and similar products, and the pages and pages of threads calling everyone hateful things for claiming that they made a difference.

I've driven several throttle-by-wire cars, and never had this kind of problem. The people who were flaming throttle booster product users were all yelling "Just press the peddle faster, you dolt!" Problem was, my car had the throttle response of my dad's old diesel Toronado. You could floor that car, buckle your seatbelt, put your beer in the little plastic cupholder hanging from the window edge, and then it launched... The R53 was the same. Mat the pedal, and there was a perceptible delay before you experienced ANY RPM increase.

I was about ready to pull the trigger on one of the throttle controllers (and not tell anyone on here) when I saw that one of my neighbors had a NIB Detroit Tuned Bypass Valve for sale. Way cheaper solution than a throttle controller, so I thought I'd give it a shot first.

WE HAVE A RESPONSIVE THROTTLE! I highly recommend this mod. I know this is old news for most of you old timers, but those of us new to the MINI world need to hear results that aren't 10 years old.

Much better acceleration (pedal "travel" isn't any different, but I'm getting RPM change as soon as I start pressing the pedal. I CAN rev-match, dammit!!!

Other miscellaneous observations:
-first timer really wrenching under the hood on this car. I know all the places where fasteners and sockets hide on the Windsor block Fords. I have no idea where my 8mm socket disappeared on this car.
-I'm installing a catch can. I could pour oil out of the small IC boot, and the "horn" and throttle butterfly had a coating of residue.

Next up: The long-awaited 15% pulley install!

 

Too bad that you didn't go with a throttle manipulator to prove we the naysayers are baseless idiots. A lost opportunity to prove your points.

 

Had I gone that route, I would have approached my results the same way I did with a similar discussion on chassis stiffening products-

• Here is the problem I was trying to solve
• Here is what I did to try to solve the problem, and my reasoning for choosing that possible solution
• Here is the outcome I experienced, objectively (if I am able to gather objective data) and subjectively.
• Here is what I have learned that I think might be relevant to others.

I am pretty confident I would not have called, or attempted to prove anyone who disagreed with me as "baseless idiots." Quite the contrary - there is absolutely a basis for your position. HOWEVER, dismissing all other positions seems unnecessary.

I actually had you in mind when I was writing this post. I have gleaned a lot from your build thread, and appreciate your willingness to dig into the details of why something works. But I also recognize that you often fail to consider what you don't know that might be relevant. I seriously considered driving down to invite you to experience the throttle response of my car, as I would be very surprised to find someone as interested in setting a car up well for performance driving would tolerate the very real lag I experienced.

I don't care to rehash the whole debate, and I would prefer not to derail this thread. I would encourage all to consider that all of our knowledge is incomplete, that these forums are an incredibly valuable tool for the automotive hobby, and that civility can be fun.

 

Your actual scientific thought process is appreciated, and there are a few people around here who know what actual troubleshooting is. Stick around, but take some members (myself included) with a grain of salt. The Mini chassis is an odd one - it's a splendid FWD platform so it draws the track crowd, but it's also extremely cheap to purchase now so it brings the undesirable crowds like what happened with VW and Honda.