Engine Drivetrain 1st Gen Cooper S Mynes/ByteTroniK Remote tuning

Discussion in 'Tuning and Performance' started by Professor, Mar 1, 2013.

  1. Professor

    Professor New Member

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    #1 Professor, Mar 1, 2013
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2013
    Hello everyone! I wanted to take some time to make a thread detailing the experience I recently had with the team at Mynes and ByteTroniK. To start I want to express how much I really do not want this thread to turn into a tuner war. I know we all want to fight for what we have purchased and express our pleasure or displeasure, that’s what the internet and forums are for. So please take my experience for what it is, my honest opinion.

    I am not stating my credentials to impress anyone, merely to show that I do have real world experience in diagnosing and fixing issues with BMW and MINI engine. I am a certified MINI Master tech trained by MINI USA up to the R60. I am aspiring to become a BMW Master tech and currently work for a small independent BMW and MINI service center, we fix cars. I stated this because everyday I monitor DME functions and signals to determine problems and the engines state of health. With that said I am not a tuner, I have zero experience tuning any car with anything other than “Canned†software such as JCW and Autologic.

    I recently purchased ByteTroniK FA53-lite. FA53-lite is the package you purchase when you do not wish to have full access to tune your own DME. Again I am not a tuner and have big concerns that I would damage my engine with improper tuning. So I entrusted the team at Mynes to help me tune my R53 remotely. I contacted Mike and Mynes and he made sure I purchased or had everything I needed to be able to log DME functions and Air/Fuel ratios. Package arrived with everything I needed to get started.

    Instruction in the package were very clear on what needed to be done to get the ball rolling. First and foremost you need to make sure your engine is in a good state of health. If you do not have a well running engine to start then the process can be very time consuming for everyone involved. As a mechanic I maintain all my vehicles in top running condition with regular maintenance.

    Once I had my DME uploaded with the ByteTroniK software I was able to start logging at the request of the team at Mynes. Their instructions were very clear about what and when to log information. They were able to take those logs and scale the 550 injectors that I had purchased. Files are easy to log and send to the team, I got my 1st set of tunes over the weekend! Every tune has gotten better and better, the results can be felt and my feedback has always been answered when I had a concern about a running condition.

    It is fantastic to have the ability to log the signals in to the DME and play them back. This helps me see how the engine is running as well as diag any physical issues there may be in the future. You don’t have to stop logging once the final tune is uploaded, keep going at your own timeline so you can monitor the health of the engine. Just being able to see smooth running values of individual cylinders can help you see problems!

    I cant sit here and indulge you with dyno graphs and track times. I drive the car on the street, I am not a competition driver. I just want my MINI to perform in a way that makes me smile every time I get in it and place my foot on the gas pedal. I can say for certain that in the 5 years I have owned my R53 and the many many different engine modifications it has been through, it has never felt or ran better than it does today. Its all thanks to the Mike and the team at Mynes Performance.

    I will answer any questions you have as long as I have the knowledge to do so. I stress again that I do not want to turn this into a battle, I just want to express how happy I am with the service I received. If you are in favor of another vendor or tuner I will happily read any thread of your own that you wish to start.

    Thank you for reading.


    I guess this thread could go under Cooper as well?
     
  2. Professor

    Professor New Member

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    Title fail ;)
     
  3. Jason Montague

    Jason Montague New Member
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    :cornut: Tell us some 'Butt Dyno' stuff. It's quicker, the SC screams louder, faster acceleration, it makes perfect lattes in the glove box now:drool:lol:.....................:Thumbsup:

    Jason
     
  4. Professor

    Professor New Member

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    It does all that :).

    But in reality just the throttle response is so much better. It honestly tempts me to hit up a local dyno just to see a number. However with no baseline before the tune, or any baseline of my particular R53 then what is the point right? :) long as I am happy with the results its all good to me.
     
  5. Jason Montague

    Jason Montague New Member
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    :cornut: Was engine temp affected? Was post inter cooler air intake temp affected? As MINI doesn't give us access to oil pressure/temp, affect here is probably unknown, right? These are all values that I can monitor on my ScanGauge II(except oil values). But all in all, it sounds as though you feel that the increase in performance justifies the money spent and doesn't down grade longivity or reliability?:Thumbsup:

    Jason
     
  6. Professor

    Professor New Member

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    Temps are not going to be any different with a tune unless you change the fan setting maybe. Your not adding more boost. Oil pressures are regulated in the pump and filter housing no electronically so no increase from that. Actual cylinder temps could be higher or lower depending on the fueling I guess.

    In many ways a good tune can increase the life of the engine. But your right foot my decrease it ;).

    I could add that I use a pair of innovate oil pressure and temp gauges for monitoring, modded the oil filter housing for the pressure and temp sensors.
    DSC_0058-1_zpsa217c7d3.jpg
     
  7. Jason Montague

    Jason Montague New Member
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    :cornut: Thank You:Thumbsup:

    Jason
     
  8. Professor

    Professor New Member

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    Thanks for the good questions Jason. Those kind of questions get answers out to those who are thinking the same.
     
  9. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    With your current tune, how's your fuel consumption? Have you ever thrown some random code in the process? I understand these are all reversible, right?
    Just amazed to see how your MINI has evolved! Great work, prof!:Thumbsup:
     
  10. Professor

    Professor New Member

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    Honestly I have no idea on the fuel consumption. After I went down to the 15" wheels with 205/50 tires the revs on the highway are much higher at speed so that hurt fuel consumption about 4mpg all around! Lucky for me I dont drive highway much I guess :).

    No faults were tossed at all. I installed a Schrick cam just before the tune and have not seen any faults at all. The tunes can be reversed with this system as one of the steps is to save your stock tune on your own laptop to revert back to if you wish. You can even do multiple tunes for other fuels and such.

    Another question was asked how you can check your engines health before moving forward.

    "Multiple things can be done. You can pull and read the spark plugs for potential cylinder to cylinder issues, You can do a compression check, You can do a leak down test, monitor oil consumption over a given range, smoke the intake system for leaks. If you are close to a BMW or MINI service center with DME monitoring software you can have the cylinder to cylinder true running values read, or they can can check the current stored additive and multiplicative fuel values (This is part of the adaptations people strive to reset)."
     
  11. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    Things a MINI Tech can do....envy!!!! Not only is your 53 sharp, kept in tip top shape, it's also being pushed to optimal levels! Seeing the desired results for every mod is fulfilling, yes, but to me, the fun of the journey is what makes MINI ownership addictive. Keep pushing, prof!
     
  12. Professor

    Professor New Member

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    Thank you good sir. My R53 could always have more mods (Big Valve Head, more aggressive cam, ect), but I am happy with the current mods.
     
  13. goaljnky

    goaljnky New Member

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    Thread title fixed.
     
  14. Professor

    Professor New Member

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    Thank you so very much!
     
  15. minsanity

    minsanity Well-Known Member

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    Haha. Finally!:Thumbsup:
     
  16. Thumper460

    Thumper460 Active Member

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    good post..

    Thumper
     
  17. Professor

    Professor New Member

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    Thanks Mike. I got some great stuff from you as well ;)
     
  18. Professor

    Professor New Member

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    Just to update this thread. I received an updated tune recently with some exciting additions.

    I have a Pre-facelift R53 with a Facelift Gearbox / LSD. So my cruise would not work as the DME can not recognize the gear selection. They were able to make the alterations to allow the DME to see the new gearing. This resulted in easier logging files as well as more burble that we all love ;).

    Also had some DSC additions but I am still learning those changes.

    Happy Camper here :)
     
  19. Professor

    Professor New Member

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    It has been some time since I have updated the going-ons with my Remote Tune from Mynes / ByteTroniK.

    The tune has been complete for sometime now. I would say about 1500 miles have passed as my R53 is not my daily car. Lots of miles were racked up at this years MOTD and was an easy way to gauge improvements as I have been back to back for 5 years in the same car.

    My AFR is still on the money both cruising and WOT, the Bosch 550s keep up with everything inside and out of the engine with very low injector duty cycles. This leaves me lots of room for a larger valve head and cam, or what ever I choose to do.

    No running issues, no flat spots, great individual cylinder values. Spark plugs look great and even across the cylinders if you look for that kind of thing like the old school guys do at times.

    Heck they guys took the time to touch up my tune long after it was completed due to me changing out a cat pipe. Every update was within 24 hours of me sending in logs via email and every question answered no matter how minor, even some fun back and forth about nothing car related ;).

    The engine was fantastic in the Mountains of North Carolina. The torque and mid-range improvements made for a bit less shifting up the mountain and the DCS improvements / adjustments kept the tires to the pavement without limiting speed.

    I cant say enough good things. My experience has been fantastic with Mike, George, and Jay and they will have my business for as long as they let me ;).

    I would also like to thank everyone for keeping the thread civil. I know everyone likes to defend their opinions and desires and that is a healthy thing! Everyone has their brand be it soda, beer, or tuners ;).
     
  20. DIGOLFA

    DIGOLFA New Member

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    Nice thread. I takes a wise and experienced person to recognize some things left to the experts even if u r an expert. Do you have any experience with R56 JCW tunes?
    I have a 09 that I plan to mod but am wary at the lack of options for tuning. AP is no longer supported. I have a Ultimate Chip which has been problematic. Evolve will deal with NA... stumped
     

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