I was talking to my dealer on Friday and he mentioned that it isn't official yet but BMW is planning to release a chip for the normal Mini cooper that will bring the HP up to the same spec as the Cooper S. That should shave a bit off the acceleration from 0 to 100 KPH. I expect it would be a second (approx.) faster than the Cooper and a Second slower than the Cooper S. This would be due to the torque kicking in at much higher revs. He said as it is BMW sanctioned, the warranty would not be effected. Let's hope this is reality and not fiction.

Has anyone else heard this rumour, or can anyone confirm this information?

 

I was told that they're working on a bolt on supercharger for the base Cooper that would be liquid cooled, so as not to require the hood scoop. The dealer said it would make the base Cooper more powerful than the S and would be sold through MINI dealerships. Sounded like very preliminary info, though.

 

They have been (or had been) looking at a liquid cooled supercharger for the Cooper S, not the Cooper. There would be no point in BMW making the Cooper S, if they then sold a SuperCharger for the Cooper.

The Chip may or may not be true. I heard this rumour also, but in summer last year. It will NOT get the engine to Cooper S power though, not at all.

SuperChips in the UK (will be distributed in the USA) do a non-official Chip upgrade for the MINI One, and MINI Cooper (exact same engine) that raised the BHP by 10bhp Max over the standard Cooper output.

John Cooper Garages are the tuners of choice for BMW/MINI in the UK, and there kits are approved and fitted with warranty at BMW/MINI dealers in the UK, and should be available in the USA also. They involve much more than a chip, and raise the Cooper to I think 135 bhp, and they claim to be getting 204 bhp from the Cooper S with their upgrades.

 

My information was coming directly from the head of sales at the Dealership in my area. The performance upgrade he was talking about apparently took the horsepower to levels that are close to the Cooper S. However, it would be understandable that the performance characteristics would be less dynamic than the S due to the Supercharger of the S providing much earlier torque specs. Even shaving a second of the 0 to 100 KPH would be appreciated. If this were the case, it might be worth a look. The other key factor is that the warranty will still be supported by BMW as they are selling the upgrade product. Could a chip produce this much extra HP, or would it probably require some additional mechanical work?

 

Yes, well, say no more. :smile: My information comes from talking to various people from MINI and related companies in the UK. Ranging from 'official' word from people at or close to the top, to those working on the engine development etc. completely off the record (the latter usually being most reliable). :smile:

 

How much for the chip, installed, do you think?

 

Does anyone know 'when' this chip will be available in the USA?

 

UNYNJAK06, the thread you replied to is over 5 years old! I don't think there will be any new official upgrades for the 1st Gen MINI Cooper (R50) because it is out of production... however the engine does live on until the 2009 model, because the convertible (R52) is still 1st Gen.

John Cooper Works (JCW) did release a JCW Tuning Kit for the R50, but only a limited number were made before they ceased production. I believe it bumped up the power somewhere in the vicinity of 11-13 HP. They later made a JCW Sound Kit to replace it, which was much cheaper than the Tuning Kit and also included a new exhaust, but the power gain was only about 3 HP.

If you can find an MC (not MCS) JCW Tuning Kit somewhere and have your dealer install it, it's a very rare and special option! If you can't find one, the JCW Sound Kit is a nice mod too.

 

Also, the fact that they were from April fools day is a tad suspicious.