When deciding to tuning the ECU of the mini, what should one keep in mind in order to select the best ECU tuning house? For example, for me, its a plus to be able to toggle between the stock and the tuning maps that have been programmed in the mini. What else should i be looking for?
The ability to "toggle" on the fly is movie thing.... You would need a standalone ecu to do it on a MINI....
My first ECU turner for my WRX had the ability to switch between maps. But I never found that beneficial. I had a "power" map and an "MPG" map but the real would difference wasn't even 1 mpg. The Cobb tuner that was out for the second gen cars allows you switch maps. I had it for my WRX also. The only valuable feature was valet mode that reduced power so other people couldn't hoon around in my car. The MOST important thing in a tuning house is the reputation of the tuner. The knowledge of the person tuning the car out weighs any hardware. My tune got me more power, more drivbility, and more MPG. So call Jan.
I had Jan tune my R58 JCW at the Dragon last year and it was the best money I have ever spent with the exception of my divorce lawyer.:cornut:
You can switch maps on the stock ECU easily with Jan's flash tool--it's not on the fly, but you can change maps in a minute or so.
But WHY... A good tune DOES it all... It's safe...powerful, and optimized for both ends of the rpm range... I had jan's tool on my r53...never went back to the stock like I thought I might for any reason...the custom tune eascjust that good. IMO save your $$. Just get a tune. If you want a super aggressive tune to blowup your motor and a safe street.....buy why...if you can't use a tune and want to "show off" with an extra 10 HP.....you don't need it....nobody will ever know. Just get a GOOD TUNE. No canned crap....The stage canned tunes can on a motor and crack pistons in a few thousand miles..lots of n14 nowhere found that out the hard way with the alta box.... Warrenty worries...trust me...they can read how many times the ecu has been reloaded or updated...so avoid any warrenty worries and tune...consider the motor warrenty to be voided unless you hear otherwise....
Manic Motorsports has a SPS handheld switch that you can select any one of three levels of tune, plus the stock mode. That's what I was going to put on my R56 before I traded it. On my '15 I just ordered an NM Engineering power module so I can unplug it before going in to the dealer. When my warranty runs out I'll sell the module and get a Manic tune. I concur with others about Jan's excellent work, but you asked about a switch.
Couldn't agree more. Jan tuned R52 on dyno and retarded the timing 4 degrees plus smoothed out the fuel maps. Proper tune saves the engine while maximizing the mods. When you increase boost, you increase the effective compression ratio which causes detonation, as was the case on my car. Hence, the timing change.