Just thought I'd share this info for those of you considering any of the above. As many here on the NAM my MCS has a CAI, 15% pulley and a Milltek catback so I was looking at taking what I considered the next logical step. I did have a few circumstances that had a great effect on my final decision one being my location here in Vancouver, Canada there isn't a whole lot of local tuner support, and I still have 23 months left on my Mini next warranty. The warranty dilemma first pushed me towards the Unichip piggy back setup as it could be removed if I required any dealer work, but I was a little hesitant as I read through many posts of people having to send them back for re mapping even after they were pre mapped etc, also there seems to be quite a few used one's for sale with people going different directions. After a few PM's back and forth with Bahamabart regarding his GIAC software upgrade who was extremely helpful, patient, and genuinely interested I found a local GIAC tuner, but the support that GIAC offers to it's USA customers didn't seem to carry over to it's Canadian customers, so hence the price was significantly more and to add insult to injury if I needed to have the ECM put back to stock for warranty work, then put back to GIAC etc I would have to pay full shot so that didn't seem too appealing, GIAC has for many applications to other cars a swtich to transfer from tock to GIAC upgrade but unfortunately it isn't available for the Mini. So I was thinking of pursing the Unichip as for around $400 I could be set up on a used one and if I needed any work I could at least take it off and run stock. Anyway I happened to be down at my local Mini dealer to pickup some misc clips and I was chatting with the Service Mgr about ECM upgrades and my concern over the warranty issues and he says with my setup why not go with the JCW software upgrade? He's say for 1 hour labour approx $100 he'll put it on, I was concerned about not having larger injectors or head work, he said it's not a problem, 40min's later it's done and I couldn't be happier. Now I can't compare between the three but as most NAM'rs have said this basically brings everything together, smoothening out the whole rev range, better throttle response and a little more power in the upper rev range, which is exactly what this has achieved for me and the other units all seem to achive similar results.

So considering I haven't messed with my warranty and got the results I was hoping for, also with very little $$$ which was a bonus! I thought it would be worth while sharing this info as an option. 2cents thanks

Special thanks again to Bahamabart for all his help!

 

It might be informative to have your MINI dynoed on a setup that can acurately trace AF ratio.

It is my understanding that the JCW maps utilize the capabilities of the larger injectors. Without the larger injectors, you may be reducing the positive impact of the software. The exent to which the sensors may compensate for this (enriching the AF ratio) is beyond my level of current understanding (Dr. O?).

Also, remember that after reloading the software, there are a number of miles during which the adaptive settings of the ECU get sorted out. I believe this adaptive period lasts about 200-300 miles, providing the MINI is driven in a relatively consistent fashion during this time. So, you'll want to evaluate things after, say, 500 miles.

After my JCW 210 upgrade, the correct software was not loaded. This was surmised by reviewing a dyno test with an AF trace showing the ECU going into "fuel dump" mode at a point after 4000 rpm. The correct JCW software was loaded and a subsequent dyno showed no trace of the fuel dump. The thinking here was that the software originally loaded was not "expecting" the larger injectors. Whether or not this is truly the cause of the fuel dump, the subsequent JCW software load cured the problem.

I know this will not be the case for your MINI, but it still might be a good idea to review some AF dyno plots just to see what is going on.

FWIW,

Theo

 

I'm glad that I was helpful and that you found the right tune for your MINI.

I'm disappointed in your GIAC dealer and impressed by your Mini Dealer.

For those thinking about an ECU upgrade there is an important lesson to be learned - its not just a question of which is the "best one" (The most common question here on NAM). For its not just a question of the tuner file but costs, warranty, degree of mods and manner of install are key factors in the selection process. Something that I believe many over look (at least in the beginning).

I personally struggled for 1 year (it took me that long to read all of the posts ) before figuring out that GIAC was the way for me to go. Now that I have upgraded my ECU, I believe it falls in the 3rd to 5th mod to do.

I too would love to see you dyno your car for the info is always helful and educational plus its a fun event.