I know I got a Mini for the "gas mileage" or whatever. But man, sometimes I just can't resist pushing that button just to hear that exhaust.

 

Not me. I think I've only turned mine on 2 or 3 times in the 18 months (17,500 miles) I've owned my R57.

 

I use the sport button 100% of the time!

 

No. 1 insert fob.
No. 2 press start button.
No. 3 press sport button.

 

I, too, bought mine for "mileage". More so for the "most fun behind the wheel" factor and, even with a justa, I think I have only driven mine without the sport button a handful of times. I follow Maugre's steps.

 

I don't use it too much, I fear I might get used to it and then it won't feel as special.

 

I use it most of the time. My gas milage average has gone down 0.1 mpg since I started using it so I'm not stopping. I'm thinking of getting the mod that puts it in sport mode when you press the start button. I have a similar mod I put on my vettes that puts the car in "Competition Mode" when I start the car.

After all, why did I buy a MINI and not a Prius in the first place???

 

+1,

100% of the time

 

I use it all the time and it ALWAYS feels special. To make it even more special, I use sport mode and my steptronic!! Not quite the same as the manuals that I have driven pretty much for the last 20 years, ( I admit I miss manual) but it is still WAY more fun than just pressing the gas pedal!

I have not noticed any change in gas mileage.

 

Mine is modded to use the Sport button all the time.

 

Well, now I don't feel guilty at all about using it. I mean that's why it came with the car right?

 

Same here! And by having a manual, I am not seeing any real gas mileage drop, but love the stiffer steering and better gas peddle response (ok that second one might incur some gas millage penalty ).

 

I really don't even see the point of the sport button. It should be standard (no button) and the non-sport mode should just go away...

 

Put it on every now and then to smoke opponents off the line on the west side highway.

 

Sport is on all the time. I drive like a maniac and still get 27-28 mpg.

 

Ah, you are not thinking like a marketer. The point is to create the perception that you are getting something "extra". Even if you really are not.

I suppose there may be a few folks out there who actually prefer the non-sport feel/response.

 

I love the sport button and always push it... good thing the little lady drives conservitavly... WE average together 31MPG... by myself I fear I would be 25 or so. She commutes to work and back so she says the MPG is always rising... then I drive and its always decreasing...

 

I've tried to run it in non-sport mode but honestly I have a heck of a time getting it rolling in 1st. I've driven allot of manuals for many years but the pedal response in non sport is tough for me to master. Too low rev, too high rev, every now and then just right. I even gave it a week once thinking I just had to get used to it, nope. Hit the sport mode button and all my troubles go away. Nice and easy without even thinking about it.
Is it just me?

 

yep, agree completely. don't know what it is, i've driven manual's my whole life, but if i forget to push that button on start-up i'm pretty much guaranteed to almost stall the car...so, no, not just you.

 

I use mine nearly all the time. I am not to worried about the gas mileage. I was averaging 19-21 mpg before the MINI, and now I average around 30 or so with mostly city miles... so still an improvement I might be spending more on high test vs the mid grade I was using... but it doesn't matter. I get to fill up every couple weeks instead of 6 times a month.

 

I don't have my '11 MCS yet, but my MA told me I would probably be like him and use it all the time. So you have to press it each and every time you start the car I guess? What is the mod? Sounds interesting.
I had the DSC override on my '06 and left it off 95% of the time, only using it in wet conditions, so am hoping this mod is similar, that it leaves the sport mode on unless you don't want it for some reason.
I loved the burble on my '06 and was glad when my MA demonstrated that I could have the burble in my '11 as well .
Annette

 

Maybe just give it more gas or let the clutch up slower without sport mode? I re-learned to drive stick with our 2010 and I did stall quite a bit at first. But then I hadn't driven a stick in 15 years, and that had only been a handful of times. The way I mastered it was to go to a parking lot and just practiced letting off on the clutch without giving it gas, letting the torque pull it forward. And then after I figured that out, I just always had to remind myself that when I thought it was time to let up the clutch, I should hold it a tad longer because for some reason I always wanted to let it go too soon/fast. The 2011 has a much lighter clutch, but it really is easier in both with the sport mode because it takes less pressure on the gas pedal to get moving I guess.

 

Am I a bad MINI driver that I hardly use the sport button?

 

Yes, normal operation is that you would have to press the Sport button each time you start the car. The mod handles this for you. And yes, you can always turn the Sport mode off once the mod is installed.

I would start with this thread --> https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...n-comparo.html

Three off-the-shelf options and one DIY (which is the one I did). If you want to pursue the DIY, you can find details in this thread --> https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...utton-mod.html

As you might figure out from the first thread (the comparison), the non-DIY units can do quite a bit more than the simple DIY solution.

Mine was installed on a 2008, so I'm not sure whether there are any major differences on the install for a 2011. iirc, I think I saw that the fuses have changed some in either 2010 or 2011 which has impacted folks trying to hardwire stuff in (like this mod).

 

I used the sport mode all the time, until I heard the White Roof Radio guys talking about how much they disliked the feel of the steering with it (as I recall). Anyway, I decided to try going without, and see if I could feel the difference in the steering. Maybe it's me, but I didn't notice the difference in the steering nearly as much as I did the poor throttle response in everyday driving. Maybe if I tracked it, I would stop using it, but not in everyday use.

Also, the boost kicking in on my S seems FAR more dramatic without sport mode. Without sport mode, I am consistently slower away from a stop (or slipping the clutch too much to keep it in the power band), but once I get going it's like the engine needs to catch up with me. It just seems like a much smoother delivery of power throughout the RPM range in sport mode.

Am I nuts? Does the sport button have anything to do with boost?