Finally got around to getting my downpipes installed, throttle response is amazing , sound is great, only down fall is when I’m in sports mode and stuck at a red light. The downpipes vibrates and bangs against the something underneath when idled and it drives me nuts. Anyone else has this problem? It’s so freaking loud that it becomes embarrassing when people pull up next to me at the light. Do I try to bend the frame underneath? Help!
sounds great tho..

 

I'm in the middle of having the motor taken out to do something and will be putting it back in. In this mean time, I bought a dp from Mario, too. Not sure what package/trim you have, but when I put the dp on, it surely is in contact with the lower heatshield (hot climate version). All this can be seen while the motor is out of the car and as I install the dp and then the heatshields, it's virtually impossible to apply those bolts for the lower heatshied because the dp is in the way. I ended up using a bunch of different breaker bars and hammering to open up a way to free up that contact. Basically, I had to bend the heatshield so it's clear of any contact with the dp. This is on the motor, I haven't gotten it to fit into the car, yet. So don't know what else may be in contact upon actual installation. Hope this can be the culprit for you too.

 

I do not have Marios DP but even the one that I do have needed to have the heat shield massaged so it would not vibrate. I was able to get all of the bolts in though just required to sacrifice my knuckles.

 

I was at the shop earlier, it only rattles when I’m on sports mode. So I was on the lift in my car while the mechanic was underneath trying to see where the dp was hitting the heat shield. I heard lots of banging and then all of a sudden, the noise was gone. I was like cool, thanks guys.. not even 5 minutes on the drive home, freaking rattling comes back.. fml. I wonder if I could just cut the heat shield or just leave it off..

 

Do you have an ecu tune or power module that increases boost?

I'm trying to track down my rattle that doesn't show up with stock boost, only with the ecu mapping extra boost. Mine does not sound "metallic" enough to be a heat shield, but more like it's coming from a plastic housing, like the entire plastic intake, or one of the charge pipes. I've banged around in there with my hand a bunch but can't quite place the sound. Seems like it's from the upper right or middle right (passenger side) of the engine bay. And if I have over 45 MPH and stomp it, no matter what the RPM is, I don't get the rattle, only when stomping it at lower RPM. Makes me think the higher vehicle speed produces a resonance that kinda cancels out the vibration before it starts. Anyway, I'll post if I figure it out.

 

. I didn’t pay all this money for Mario’s DP to get the same problems other people are having with millteks and eBay ones. Could’ve saved myself $300...

 

Now the downpipes are throwing a CEL which they are not suppose to..

 

It's hard to know what the tuners do since they aren't always transparent, but I thought, in general, a Stage 1 tune did not change the ECU software to "code out" the CEL. But, I thought at Stage 2, the tuners did modify the ECU software so it "codes out" (turns off) the CEL.

I started with a Stage 1 on stock DP and fully stock exhaust and didn't get a code. I then added a High Flow downpipe that does have a catalytic converter, it's 200 cell per sq inch, on the Stage 1. Still no codes either.

But then I got the Stage 2 tune, and my understanding was that at that point the Check Engine Light was basically disabled anyway. I know I'm not really helping you out, but I'm also trying to get clarity from any forum members that can verify this about the CEL coding on various stages.

 

Going back into the shop tomorrow to reinstall the downpipe. Hoping it was an error in my end.

 

Do you have a stage tune, or are you still on the OEM ECU calibration? If still on the OEM calibration, then yeah, you're going to get a CEL with a catless downpipe. If you have a stage tune, ask your tuner if the cat code has been modified before you have the pipe taken out.

 

The CEL isn’t really my problem, I can get my tuner to delete that. It’s the fitment itself.. in sports mode this downpipe is rattling all over the place.

 

Finally fixed the problem! The hangers needed to be bent a little and you have to file down the sub frame. Now no more annoying rattling noise..

 

Can you elaborate or take a picture of where on that subframe you did the file down work? this would be a good info to retain and announce for all further pursuants after this DP.

 

I don’t have a picture but I filed down underneath the left hanger of the downpipe. That’s where the loud rattling and vibrations were coming from. On any downpipe there will be a left and a right hanger. Bend the left hanger out a bit and file down on the subframe directly underneath the left hanger. Problem solved! I honestly wished I saved my money and gotten a milltek, but what’s done is done.. this is my $1000 lesson..

 

That’s the hanger you need to bend and file under.

 

I had just successfully fitted a B48 motor into my B46 platform F56. And I also encountered the same rattling issue with Mario's DP during this installation. So I'll also be trying to identify that left hanger to see if it's the problem and seek to bend it and file down the cross member right under. I hope this will resolve my issue too.

The motor runs strong, I fitted the install with upgraded intercooler and aluminum charged pipes. It's read 212 whp and 252 ft-lb torque on the torque fusion app and definitely maxed out the available reading on the Driving Excitement page on the Mini InfoTainment system.

 

Congrats on this! This is definitely an achievement.

 

@gustnyc I went filing down that lower left portion of the cross-member like you mentioned. The hard rattle disappeared, but there still some pretty hard shakes left at idle. Once I get the car in motion, it's smooth like butter. The automatic transmission fluid has been replaced with Redline ATF 6, so even during shifts, it's smooth like butter. It's just at idle that I find the vibration to be pretty evident. It's like there are some resonance occuring during idle rpms. It get's rough and hard to describe. Imagine the sound level is pretty quiet the whole time, but when it gets to idle speed, the shakes come about, and this low frequency shake actually make up for the sound that you hear. I wonder if I need to further dampen anything else to get this thing to smoothen out. The DP I got from Mario is ceramic coated, so I'm thinking if I'd remove all the heat shields, maybe this can help. Other than this, I'm out of tricks, might need to get back to stock DP and suffer the loss of hp.

BTW, after about 30 miles of driving, a check engine like also appeared for the O2 sensor. It appears that the trickery in this DP doesn't work for my car, mine is SULEV, so maybe it's a little more sensitive to these readings. I'll need to code it out with a tune.

 

When was the last time your DME was flashed by MINI?

I have a hunch that this is an issue with the newer software versions.

 

This is a 2015 MCS and I believe the DME was never flashed once it left the dealership. At least from the service records available for this car, I don't see any entry indicating a DME flash. It should still have the older original software.