R60 thread for newly found countryman parts/accessories
#29
Not a new site, but I ordered stripes from this site: http://www.mini-graphics.co.uk/mini-graphics-home
#30
#31
#32
i read some stuff and people really do like it, for the non s r60 its 300 bucks but for us its 600 on ebay directly from them, i am really temped to get it.
people talking about it who also bought it. http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/foru...c=118497&st=60
people talking about it who also bought it. http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/foru...c=118497&st=60
Last edited by ayk07; 04-26-2012 at 06:57 PM.
#33
#34
Potential Guinea Pig
As for the Racechip: I am a brand new Mini owner, and fairly new to turbos in general, so I am still working out which is my a$$ and which is the hole in the ground. However, from the digging around I have done, I haven't heard any glaring failures, and for the most part users have been very pleased. Unfortunately, not a one has been a Mini driver, and most have been on diesel vehicles.
After further investigation I found this Racechip Pro finetuning video which demonstrate how adjustments are made to the device. Wouldn't you know it, but the example the use in the video is our very own Countryman R60 S. What I found interesting is that the company claims to ship the unit with the "optimum" setting for a blend of performance and economy.
My concern is that for ~$700 I will get a device promising up to 30% gains, but that can only reliably run with 5% gains. Maybe a bit over dramatic, but you get the point. Before watching this video I was very concerned that the "optimum" setting might be a very low setting (of the 16 available).
After watching the video closely, I was encouraged to see that the "optimum" for the R60 is "6" which is the second highest setting in terms of performance. Based on this, I expect you could realize close to the claimed 26% improvements well with in the proper "safety" tolerances. If you're a bit uneasy you could event dial it back a bit (at about 1.5% per stop according to the video) and still have some healthy performance gains while increasing MPG.
On occasion, I have been a sucker for some good "snake oil", but this one has really piqued my interest. I have a 2600 mile trip coming up, and I am strongly considering picking one of these up and using my road trip as a proper testing ground for the device.
#35
Yea, I have been also searching for super chip reviews. Seen nothing for petrol countryman. Some say it's just a box of resistors that trick the motor. But is the ecu not a bunch of resistors that control the motor? I'm not sure but race chip appears to increase boost, fuel, and adjust timing. You tube videos look good and makes it look like it intercepts signals from the ecu and tunes them for increased performance.
#36
Spoke to the ebay seller today. He is going to see if he has a dyno sheet from a Mini with the Racechip installed. I asked him what a realistic expectation of increased performance was, explaining that I had no expectation (or need) of achieving the 26% claimed on the Racechip site. His response was that 20-25% is pretty typical, and that if I wanted less I could just dial it back.
For me this seems to be worth the "educated" shot in the dark. Sure, I might leave a few horsepower on the table compared with a bespoke tune, but there are so many advantages. Quick and painless install (and uninstall if needed), no need to remove and ship my ECU, no possibility of having to reflash the ECU for dealer service or after a software update, no risk of warranty issues, adjustability that I can't get from a tune.
I have searched plenty and haven't come up with anyone who had anything negative to say about the devices. At worst it didn't give the performance they were looking for, and at best they were thrilled with the increase in performance. Worst case scenario: I will take advantage of the 14 day return policy and be out a couple hundred bucks after shipping and restocking fees. Best case: I get it and it does anything near what it is claimed to do. The math works for me. Will update if and when I pull the trigger and have something to report.
For me this seems to be worth the "educated" shot in the dark. Sure, I might leave a few horsepower on the table compared with a bespoke tune, but there are so many advantages. Quick and painless install (and uninstall if needed), no need to remove and ship my ECU, no possibility of having to reflash the ECU for dealer service or after a software update, no risk of warranty issues, adjustability that I can't get from a tune.
I have searched plenty and haven't come up with anyone who had anything negative to say about the devices. At worst it didn't give the performance they were looking for, and at best they were thrilled with the increase in performance. Worst case scenario: I will take advantage of the 14 day return policy and be out a couple hundred bucks after shipping and restocking fees. Best case: I get it and it does anything near what it is claimed to do. The math works for me. Will update if and when I pull the trigger and have something to report.
#37
#40
Did you order from the ebay seller or directly from RaceChip? I am ready to pull the trigger as well, but have concerns about the ETA since I will be driving cross country in two weeks. Coming from Germany it could take close to two weeks, but it also sounds like the ebay seller gets them in from Germany then ships it to the buyer.
#42
#43
Did you order from the ebay seller or directly from RaceChip? I am ready to pull the trigger as well, but have concerns about the ETA since I will be driving cross country in two weeks. Coming from Germany it could take close to two weeks, but it also sounds like the ebay seller gets them in from Germany then ships it to the buyer.
#45
Spoke to the ebay seller today. He is going to see if he has a dyno sheet from a Mini with the Racechip installed. I asked him what a realistic expectation of increased performance was, explaining that I had no expectation (or need) of achieving the 26% claimed on the Racechip site. His response was that 20-25% is pretty typical, and that if I wanted less I could just dial it back.
#46
"Shipment:
We ship all our packages insured via UPS Ground with a tracking number. Estimated time of delivery: 15 days as Chips are imported on an order basis from Germany. "
Unfortunately, 15 days is longer than I have to wait. I may just have to wait and see how yours goes and then get one shipped to my new address.
I'll be curious to see how it performs with your other mods.
#47
If you are going to try this, I suggest that you do some baseline, repeatable testing before and after the install. For instance, time with a stopwatch the car's acceleration from 50 to 80 mph in 3rd gear (no shifting), in two directions. Do this on a relatively flat road with very light traffic for safety, and preferably light wind conditions. Make no changes between tests except to install the device. This should give you a reasonable idea of what the device is doing, short of an actual dyno test on your car.
As a stop-gap I downloaded an app called "dinodyno". It is free for Android phones and has some decent reviews. The interface is not all that intuitive or robust, but it seems workable.
I took two test runs yesterday with readouts of 176hp and 178hp on a stock ALL4 S. Seems reasonable with a .2 "drivetrain loss" factor. Mostly I am interested in consistency over precision, and it seems to provide that. I will also test on my dad's JCW Clubman to see how it reacts to that.
#48
awesome, and thanks for taking the chance for us. i think we are just too cautious. it would be huge for us r60 owners. Alta better step their game up
#49
Did you get that estimate from the seller directly, or on the ebay listing? I ask because farther down it reads:
"Shipment:
We ship all our packages insured via UPS Ground with a tracking number. Estimated time of delivery: 15 days as Chips are imported on an order basis from Germany. "
Unfortunately, 15 days is longer than I have to wait. I may just have to wait and see how yours goes and then get one shipped to my new address.
I'll be curious to see how it performs with your other mods.
"Shipment:
We ship all our packages insured via UPS Ground with a tracking number. Estimated time of delivery: 15 days as Chips are imported on an order basis from Germany. "
Unfortunately, 15 days is longer than I have to wait. I may just have to wait and see how yours goes and then get one shipped to my new address.
I'll be curious to see how it performs with your other mods.
#50
If you are going to try this, I suggest that you do some baseline, repeatable testing before and after the install. For instance, time with a stopwatch the car's acceleration from 50 to 80 mph in 3rd gear (no shifting), in two directions. Do this on a relatively flat road with very light traffic for safety, and preferably light wind conditions. Make no changes between tests except to install the device. This should give you a reasonable idea of what the device is doing, short of an actual dyno test on your car.