witch softwear would you get if you had the chance and why?
what are the differances?
i am in the market for ECU upgrade.

 

JCW does not supply just the ECU upgrade. JCW is a total tuning package.

MTH has a tuner file to enhance your current ECU configuration.

I have the MTH Tuner File for my JCW car and it is a nice addition.

MiniBull

 

If you get the MTH tuning package, I believe it makes the same horse power as the JCW but without the factory warranty. If you are going with MTH, go with Don at Precision Mini. MTH USA is unresponsive so you might pay for it and not get your product from them. That kind of what happened to me, I paid for the tuning package, got my wire, and header but no software.

 

There is a different ECU software for the JCW, but as mentioned, it is not sold seperatly. MTH will do wonders for your car and I highly recommend it. Don is a top notch guy (pricision MINI) and canget what you need. There is a HUGE difference in perfomance, even in a stock car like mine.

 

had JCW on my MCS as part of an air intake/injectors package and it works OK. Just about to take delivery of a new JCW to which I will add a few goodies from my old car (OBX Header, K$M air filter and GRS intercooler). My question is....what difference did you notice between the JCW software and the MTH you put on there? Was it worth it? (I race my car in club sprints and will be doing the same with the new car).

 

Don't waste your money on MTH, I just had my ECU reflashed to get MTH off and putting the JCW programming on (also getting injectors) Me and several other members in our club have MTH and have dynoed our cars serveral times and could not find where MTH is giving us more power. I tried to get my MTH updated several times, and got nothing from MTH-USA (I noticed their website no longer comes up) and Don couldn't do anything for me (most likely cause I didn't buy it from him) I'm sure I'll get blasted for poo pooing MTH, but I've done extensive mods to my car, and out of all of those mods, MTH is the only mod I wish I could get my money back on.

 

Alex is right, besides having hands down the worst service EVER, their software has proven to several of us useless for all but the rev limit and DSC changes. I would definitly not do it again.

The only place on our dynos that one can see the power difference is if you consider where we are making power. The rev limit being raised to 7200 is the only thing helping our numbers.

Run without @ 6800 is max HP
Run with @ 7200 is max HP (and looking at the chart, we made within a HP @ 6800 what we did with the stock maps.)

Only change made between runs was wether MTH was loaded or not.

 

What you really mean to say is that service from MTH-USA was the worst ever. See my web site for issues concerning them. But you got something from me which you never even paid for. How's that for customer service?

 

Don you were the exception to this case.

I had crap service from MTH directly before you offered to help.
I had crap service from MTH-USA before you offered to help.

When I asked for the last bit of help you told me to buy a header. While you did not say this verbatim, I felt it was implied.

Whether or not MTH-USA is a now defunct, unauthorized or whatever label applies to them, at one point they were dealing MTH products. Like it or not they represent the company. It is not my fault as a consumer that their poor service represents the manufacturer.

Fact is I still paid for a year of updates and yes via your help I recieved some updates, but otherwise have nothing but hindsight to show for it. Others out there need to know the experiences that the rest of us have had. To say it was all happy days would be bogus.

I know several other people that feel this way. I'd be happy to point them to the forum to vent their frustrations.

 

i guess i will stay with the jcw software

 

Sounds like your beef is with MTH-USA, not MTH. That is the vendor that messed you over. As for the header, kinda messed up to come on here and blast a vendor without the rest of the story. Care to share what you had done to your MINI and what you were trying to achieve?

 

You can't buy just the software. You will have to buy the JCW kit to get the software. I have MTH loaded on my 06 S and can tell you it has made a HUGE difference. The posters above have some gripe that originated with the vendor they bought from. If you go with Don, you won't be dissapointed.

 

Some dealers will do the JCW flash for you.

 

Never found one and the file is setup for al the JCW parts to be installed. This is why it takes a few days to get the MTH file. There is more than just loading a file up. If the file is tuned for parts that are not installed, you will only lose performance, not gain.

 

Nobody is blasting a vendor, I am blasting MTH as a whole. The vendor is just as representative of the product as anyone in the chain. It is not my fault MTH does not have their supply chain (or did not) have their supply chain working properly.

I feel as a whole the MTH product doesnt deliver. I can provide plenty of others who feel the same. Take the "Tuner File" claim of 200hp. That would be great but nobody I know can show a Cooper S before and after with that kind of gain. We even went so far as to remove MTH from our cars, run the dyno, and aside from small gains due to higher rev limits, saw no power increase over stock.

As far as what I requested, I requested to have more fuel dumped between 3K and 4K to help with the lean problem I am having down low. Since I had paid for my year, it is hard when a vendor tells you it wont help (mind you there was no effort put forth to try either) just a suggested "buy our expensive header." Not really an option for me.

People ought to know what they are buying, to be honest, I have been nice in my postings. There are 6 more of us from the local mini club who all have the same complaints. If MTH was worth their salt as a "service provider" they would have helped us out instead our please for help went unnoticed for quite some time.

 

wrong i had JCW flash downloaded with aftermarket pulley+exhaust+ intake and injectors, and the car ran much better than before. Not a whole lot FASTER, but smoother. I have not lost any power or torque at all.

 

Uhhh, you have parts installed that are fairly close or typical of the JCW. What I was referring to was installing just the tuner file without the parts. In this case you gain nothing. Guess you should re-read my post.

If you want just the file without upgrading other parts, JCW is not the way to go.

 

I totally understand your beef with them and I also think that they should remove the 200hp claim. That was made under very controlled conditions and one that you are likely not to replicate anytime soon. If not remove the claim, at least make it clear that results from car to car will vary.

Asking them to tweak your file for the extra fuel dump was probably met with resistance because they have probably tried it before and had poor results. You only paid 300 bucks for the file and for a proper tuning you would pay a lot more.

I just think that the biggest problem is that people are expecting too much for what they are buying. The file does what I was told it would do and I have no beef with the performance. I have a friend out here that has a JCW and it doesn't feel half as aggressive as mine does stock with just the tuner file. Proper tuning is a tedious process and requires more time than just uploading a file but for a simple street solution, this is not a bad option.

 

Oh, and there are other solutions.

http://www.mybluefin.co.uk/

 

And you just repeated daflake's point!

 

--The HP claim is addressed appropriately on my web page.
--The flat spot you are referring to is clearly defined on my web page and numerous posts of mine on NAM. It has nothing to do with tuning. The Stahl header solution is the best available option, bar none.
--My web page also goes into dyno tuning and numbers. Your HP numbers are invalid; most likely for numerous reasons. Read about variable control on my web page. When you can control for variables your numbers will reveal the truth.

 

That is why I went with you Don.

Bottom line is that this is a tweak that may give you great gains or only a little as there are a lot of variables that have to be taken into consideration. My driving realm here in Germany is much different than those in Florida thus we are bound to get vary different tuning and dyno results.

For me, MTH was a solid solution and I don't regret it or working with Don one bit.

Don, FYI the Mrs. is looking at a pully for me for x-mas. I may send her your way.

 

So with my mods pushing 185-190 bhp I can expect 215-220 bhp with your mth tuner file? I am assuming ( and call me an a$$ if I'm wrong...don't worry I'm ready for it...) that your tuner file will provide a 32-37 bhp increase...based off your 200 hp claim from what I am assuming is a stock MCS. Please correct me if I'm wrong because I would love to gain 30+ hp from a tuning solution. Look me in the internet eye and tell me straight up that I will gain 30+ hp from the mth file and I will buy it NOW... that is what you are advertising.

From the Mini Tuning Precision website:
MTH Tuning Software
Air/fuel ratio, ignition timing, and DSC optimization; 7200 RPM rev limit; speed limiter altered; O2 sensor modification, if necessary
Powerful – greater torque and an unparalleled response [/FONT]
Emphasis: maximum driving pleasure and clearly enhanced performance
Includes CarTune (software tuning updates: minimum fee: $60)
COOPER: approx 135HP
COOPER S: approx. 200HP
COOPER S JCW: approx. 230HP
$380.00

 

I wonder how many threads we are going to have about this topic!

You have installed a bunch of great mods that have increased your performance but left your ECU stock, thus you are not getting the most out of those mods. Even the JCW packadge flashes the ECU. The car still thinks that you have standard parts but is being pushed harder. By telling the ECU what you have you will increase performance. Will you get those big numbers? Who knows, as every engine will respond differently. The key word you are missing is "Approximetly". I would say that if you are close to the JCW level of install, you could use the JCW software but getting it could be difficult (unless you have friends in the service department). Either way, it is not a bad mod for the car to help balance the ECU out a bit and make the most of what you have. Add to that it is only 300 bucks compared to the much larger sum for a ride along tuning, it is not a bad deal. If you want a track level tuning, pay the money and go get it done.

 

I've got the JCW flash...$125...