Hey all, I am continuing to upgrade my MCS 2008 R56 to JCW standards minus the manual transmission. (See my Signature for upgrades to date) My goal is to hit 210 to 215 hp. In the past I was looking to get my ECU programmed with the aid of the "Unichip" kit, but it went south with a manufacturing issue a few years ago. They have since redesigned the Unichip and I am looking for other MINI owners who have looked into or added the new rig. Anyone have any feedback on this?
thanks

 

Why not just ecu program the car? Unichip is garbage for these cars. There's tons of information on ecu tune for these second gens with the tap of the search bar at the top.

 

Unichip seems to be garbage for any car. (Sorry UC)

Its a piggyback system, for nearly the cost of a great tune (sometimes the same cost).

You're much better off just getting an actual tune.

Seen WAYYYY too many cars throw codes, and get effed up from UniChip.

They're made in South Africa, and the guy in Portland just puts his sticker on them without much research.

 

Dude, just ECU program or locally tune it. It is going to cost a little more, but you should have no problems hitting 200-215 HP (190-200 WHP) with the stock MCS turbo. This is enough for low 14s in the 1/4 mile and will make the vehicle way more fun in the twists.

 

Don't do the unichip. Get a good tune for the ECU.

 

All the replies so far are negative. This does not bode well for UNICHIP. Is everyone aware they completely re-engineered the part? Outmortoring has both the above part or a tune that gets a custom tune from a vendor in Georgia. They give you a read/writer unit to connect and update your ECU with a customized program specific to your MINI and the upgrades you tell them are already installed. It is more expensive, but the only other option to Unichip. You can keep the programming tool or give it back for a refund of a deposit.
I am using a PLX sensor system monitoring my OBDII and specific gages using "Dash Commander" on my iPhone. Once I decide which way to go for more power I will be able to see real time results. Just stuck on Unichip ease of install and claims. If nothing positive is posted I will have to save a little longer to get the more expansive tune.

 

I'm running Battle/DNA stage 3 and am extremely happy with it. I have yet to hit the
Dyno to have the tune adjusted, but everything else is great. I'm sure others can chime in with how they like their tunes. But I'd steer clear of UNICHIP. There was a guy on here that went from UNICHIP (the re-engineered one) to Another Tune (sorry I don't remember which) and was blown away on how well the car ran compared to the UNICHIP. He did say the power felt the same, but the general drivability was vastly improved.

 

PM'd