That is a pretty vague question. Do you have some specific questions? Are you looking for a tune for a certain series of Mini's such as the R56 (Gen2) turbo models?
This should be an interesting thread.... First I guess we should define what you mean by tuning...There are basically 2 different types. First is the "canned" tune where there is a program that has been optimized to suit a wide range of MINIs. Much like the factory programming this can be used on pretty much all cars. I'd even lump the JCW tune on an otherwise OEM MINI into this. There was UniChip and GIAC for these but I'm not sure if they still offer a product. Then we get in to a custom tune where you, the car and tuner all work together to optimize the programing to suit the needs of the owner. For the 2ned Gen cars these are offered by RMW, Mynes and Way Motor Works I think. These are better than the canned tunes as it takes into account the mods and driving style of the owner. The difficulty level is the remote factor. Often the tuner is not located in the same area so one must wait for a tuning party or work remotely with the tuner.
How well does the remote tuning work? Is it a happy medium between a canned tune and an in-person tune in that it's catered to your mod list but can't be as custom as if the tuner were there on the dyno with you?
Don't think anything will beat having a great tuner there with his hands on the car... That said, Jan recently remote tuned the TRG Porche in Grand Am where after the gentleman driver got out of the car like a lap down, it set the 3 fastest laps of the race, going up through the field to a sixth place finish. TRG was very happy with the remote retune! Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
Regardless of method make sure who you work with has some experience (all mentioned seem to know their stuff) From what I have found is that the ECU of the R56 (not sure if same on R53) can vary from model year to model year and for that matter within a given model year so what may work on one may not on another. This is especially relevant for remote tuning
what are you minimark a forum billboard to advertise for somebody???? LOL There are no great tuners with regards to the MINI. The current ECU re-mappers are using the existing perimeters of the stock OEM ECU and NOT a stand alone ECU. This means that the BMW/MINI ECU has so many area's yet to be explored. So it is a learn as they go process. Over the last couple years some significant information has been found to aide in a better ECU re map from the MINI forum popular ECU re-mappers. The best is to find one ECU re-mapper that can suite your needs and pocket book. Call and talk to all of them and form your own opinion. You may find that a "canned tune" might be a better fit for you. At present I have one which is MTH ECU flash and it has given me years of trouble free service.
No not at all. Just trying to help the OP with his question about remote tunes. I could have gone into the fact that the NASA National Championship Mini is regularly updated when changes are made via remote or for the first question, we could have gone into the hundreds of happy Mini owners with RMW tunes that use them as daily drivers or race them, but I chose not too. PS: There is just no way that a canned tune is even near as good as a dyno tune done by a knowledgeable tuner. Every car is a bit different even stock, a canned tune cannot account for these differences. Start Modding and the differences are multiplied. Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
When you start paying the hosting bills, writing the code and handling all the emails that come in then you can set the direction of the site. Until then, please leave it to me and the very helpful staff.
I would be interested to hear from anyone that has had a tune gone bad, bricked the ECU, would not take a tune, and what was involved in fixing the problem. Mark
ok dokey but as he puts it so many times the lack of getting the sacrasam!! LOL Mark you think that a tuner is going to say "ya got me I messed up" LOL I would venture to say that only thing you will hear about is second hand information,lies,misdirection and a lot of bs. Now where is the pop corn smiley???
I don't expect a tuner to post about it, but it would be nice to hear from them about this issue. I was thinking more a customer of a tuner that had problems. Mark
See there is the problem? You are assuming that the customer would have a technical frame of reference to first suspect that the tune was done incorrectly. Searching the forums you will see that there is always another cause for a tune not done so well. You don't get a warranty with a custom tune that I am aware of either? I do see that most tuners are gracious enough to attempt to correct an issue by re tuning even if they feel the first tune was not the cause. The only real way to see if a tune went wrong is to pull the ECU and have it checked for the changes made and what total effect they had during the change. To my knowledge this has never been done. And if it has there is no publication of it. In the end you really need to trust who does your tune and hope that they will correct any issue seemingly caused by a questionable tune. This all comes around to the near future when you can buy the program to DIY tune....LOL Engine sales will raise!
I have heard of tunes that did not take, made the car barely drivable, or turned the ECU into a poor boat anchor. Are these urban tales? Mark
Don't know if any have gone away but I do know that my custom/dyno tune has been on my car for almost 2 years without a retune and have had ZERO problems with it or related to it. Still goes like the day it was done! Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
there are many fallacies on the internet, I'll limit my post to your remarks as to not start "trouble" with people who have little clue of what they are talking about. 1. tunes either write or they don't. easily verified by re-downloading the file and comparing it to stock or previous write to ecu........an urban myth 2. cars could be undriveable after a poor tune but it will be there immediately. What you don't hear about from customers is that they changed parts on the car that were not designed for the tune that was applied. Then they wonder why they have driveability issues....parts also go bad/sensors/exhaust leaks, bpv's etc.......... fact 3. boat anchor.............paper weight, coffee table and driveway mini's definitely a fact
They are but my understanding is no longer for the US market. Yes from one tuner that is still learning the trade via from other tuners. LOL I have heard that myself. Because some of the independent tuners have very limited automotive background history specifically in performance related fields they rely heavily on those that do to help them determine how to tune an ECU. Scary to think in those terms sad but true! It takes more than the hardware and software ECU re mapping program to be able to make single custom ECU adjustments without causing problems or hindering performance. A GOOD book just released from SA Designed (#SA182) The New MINI Performance Handbook by Jeffrey Zurschmeide has information about ECU's and the tuning aspect. MinimarkYou might be interested to know that jan is mention in that chapter of ECU tuning. Chapter 2 page 51. TSW is another MA sponsor that has contributions as well in the chassis chapter of the book. Oh and the author likes RED coils.....LOL