Looking into going with a manic stage 2 kit for my r56 n18 MCS and was wondering if its worth it and what gains you have seen. Also please explain what mods you had done to get those gains. I'm looking at a lot of M7 tuning parts as they are close to where i live and they seem like a good brand. Anyone have any input on them? I will be going catless provided my friends at work tell me there is no sniff test. Worst case i'm thinking that i could always switch back to stock map throw in the stock downpipe and call it a day for inspection. That is provided that swapping it out isn't extremely hard to do. Thanks in advance! can't wait to hear what you have to say!!!

 

http://www.manicmini.com/software/4584765948

 

I'm going the same route and live in the area as well. NC does not do the sniff test so you're good to go

 

Thanks I've actually seen that. I'm trying to get an idea of what people think and what horsepower and torque gains they have seen. Also what to people think about the pops and flames option as well as the linear throttle? Both seem enticing to meat but I'm not sure if pops and flames are badoing for my car and I feel like the linear throttle would be better for track but it would be more fun to have boost hit you all at once. Has anyone added these options what do you think about them?

 

I highly recommend the Manic Tune.

With the Manic Stage 2, my mini is a whole new animal. Smooth, consistent power delivery all the way to redline with perfect AFRs. Just make sure you have colder plugs, HF100 or catless downpipe, FMIC, CAI, and exhaust to get the most out of the tune. Everyone's HP/TQ gains will be different depending on setup, so tune, experiment, enjoy!

 

Alright you're going to have to stop there because you're getting me too excited and I don't have enough money to get it all done right away lol. What map do you use? Im really excited about getting this. If you don't mind me asking what parts did you use for the tune. As for the member who posted about NC thanks very much. Is there a mini club around us that we could go to?

 

Not much more I can say that's not already been said. Once I got my car all sorted after my Stage 2 flash (fuel pump needed replacing) its been the most exciting car I've ever driven. You can see my hardware in my description.

Once you get on it the power is smooth, hooking it is a little jerky. Also I'm finding that 4th gear through 6th gear my clutch is slipping if I'm cruising around 2-3k RPM then just mash the pedal without downshifting. Otherwise the clutch holds the power. I don't know if I'll ever do Stage 3 because of the hardware required but it's definitely got me thinking how much faster this little car can go.

 

Did the fuel pump go because of the flash? Thanksort for the info. Do you think you'll need to get a new clutch or is it pretty easy to avoid. I won't go stage three unfortunately. After error this I'll do some suspension stuff. that's about it I can't spend on nods what I spent on my car. But it seems like a good deal. Have you been on a dyno?

 

I've had my Stage 2 for 18 months and would be really bummed if I had to drive around with the stock tune.

Definitely get a FMIC, downpipe and colder plugs. If you can, do methanol injection. The best kit is the Aquamist/Howerton HFS4 but there are less expensive kits like Devil's Own or Snow. Any methanol kit is better than no methanol kit.

 

Sorry for the noob question here but can I go with methanol but without a special tune for it so if I run out I don't blow up my car. Or maybe go with like map c as a method tune and when I add it later I can start using it? I don't have unlimited money. I saw the AEM kit and I could afford it but is it any good?

 

Yes and no. I swapped in the catless downpipe and that's when I started getting symptoms, probably because I was making a bit more boost with less exhaust restriction. Tune just amplified the problem. The HPFP is prone to failure anyway.

I think I can avoid having to replace the clutch for a while but when I replace it I'll get the performance on.

I'm going on a dyno when my local shop does a dyno day. The tuning shop I went to didn't have one, they just do canned flash tunes mostly.

 

That's makes sense. Well that's kyou for the info. When you finally get it on a dyno let me know the results please. I'm doing air intake and intercooler first then exhaust and I'll do the downpipe when I'm about to tune so I'm not stuck with a CEL

 

Meth injection chills the air coming out of your inter-cooler dramatically lowering your intake temps (higher density air = more fuel = more timing advance), you don't have to have a tune to run a meth injection. Meth kits were developed to prevent engine damage do to intake heat of forced induction engines because it only takes one bad detonation to kill an engine.

 

Most kits have failsafes which will dump boost if it senses that the injection failed, but if you are worried about it then just don't use the Map that requires it. For me that is Map C. I typically use Map B which does not require it, therefore the methanol gives me extra margin.

There are people here that use the AEM kit and I haven't heard any complaints.

 

Alright well i guess i'll have to do that then. I will probably ddo that after i get the tune if that is possible. Where do you get your methanol? And how much is it and how long does it last. I know some kits that have fail safes like lights that come on when the fluid is low. What other kits are good and reliable but also affordable at the same time. I would really like to do that though. Does the added octane mess anything up when running map that don't gain from the added benefits. Also what happens to the sport button when it is tuned? I wonder if it can be mapped to a tune so when it is pressed all the normal stuff happens and you get more POWER!!! Then the sps switch just changes what is mapped to the sport button? That would be awesome if they could do it that way.

 

I get my methanol (Renegade brand - 99.99%) from an oil dealer (Munson) in Cary, NC. Costs about $35 for a 5 gallon drum and I use about 1 gallon every 1000 miles. How much you use depends on your driving. Remember that you're only spraying when in boost.

The increase in octane is not harmful.

For Manic tunes, typically the sport button function does not change much. The tune already decreases the engine coolant temperatures to 180F and changes throttle mapping so pressing the sport button only tightens the steering and the adds the pops and burbles. Mapping to the sport button will get old pretty quick since you are going to always want the extra power. You'll find that you don't change maps very often.

 

Alright well I'll probably look into that. Do you know the name of that oil dealer? I live in matthews nc. I would probably run 50-50 with water for the cooling effect. Where did you get your meth kit installed? What I was thinking is when I'm commuting to work I'll probably just leave it stock any other time I'll be in a map. That way I don't put extra wear on the engine all the time unless you guys don't think the tune is too bad for the engine. I really only open my car up a couple times a week when I drive out to the country to find some awesome back roads in waxhaw. If you ever want to meet up out here and do a run down some country roads let me know. I know a good spot. Also if anyone knows some fun roads to open up on around charlotte I'm all ears. I want to join a club out here too!

 

Also understand that with the stock turbos anything past 18 psi our turbos start getting out of there efficiency range and in my opinion unless you go with a larger turbo (Owens) you're just dumping heat into the engine. I plan on going with a Stage 1 Tune since it doesn't require a decatted downpipe or larger intercooler, however a Stage 2 does require both do to the extra heat you'll be generating, that's where meth injection really keeps those intake air temps and cylinder temps down. More importantly you need to learn to shift fast yet smoothly enough to get the most life out of your clutch especially with the added hp and torque.

@cerenkov What percentage meth are you running?

 

100% methanol. I want the octane boost more than the few degrees additional cooling from a 50/50 mix.

With the JCW turbo and peak boost of 22 psi, methanol lowers the intake temperatures to about ambient or slightly below, maybe 5 degrees below ambient.

 

Yeah I want to go with those upgrades so I'll probably go stage 2. How come you say I need to shift fast? I mean I don't shift slow but I also don't dump the clutch. Also I ride the clutch a little in first as if I let it out I'll go 10mph and sometimes I need to go less. I'm working on my shifting with this car but I used to drive a s2000 which was totally different. Clutch pickup was almost at the floor and the gears were close. I need a short shift kit as otherwise to shift fast I feel like I would have to be slamming my gears into place. Thanks for the info though. I've been working on advanced shifting techniques like heal toe. I can shift quick if I floor it but not when I'm driving normally. Also what rpm do you guys normally shift at? I've seen how much the water cools it down and it's a lot. At some point I may go with a k03 k04 hybrid as that give extra power and I don't want to push my car too hard. One more thing. How do you guys feel about M7 tuning? I have one near me and I like their stuff online a lot and was planning to basically get everything there except for exhaust and I'll get Mario carts dp. Also with manic stage 2 what's the max boost I'll be pushing?

 

What I meant was you don't want to hang the clutch to long or as you say clunk it hard, I would say I shift smooth while being somewhat quite. I'm like that with 1st gear as well because 1st is has quite a bit of torque, as I get higher in the gears I naturally shift quicker. I'm really good at rpm matching, I don't have really have to think about it to much as I go by how the speed and engine sounds. I've been driving a stick for almost 28 years so it comes naturally.

 

Yeah I totally shift quicker in the higher gears. I also just changed the lower motor mount so I'm getting used to that but I drove stick for a long time then I bought an altima which was practical and boring. I don't really ever look at the tach but I'd like to save gas sometimes. Although I feel like I might revv it out a little too much sometime to do that.

 

Hey there! I just made an account a few minutes ago and have been just reading all these posts as a spectator prior!! I can tell you the Manic makes a huge difference! As a young boy, my first fast car experience was being a passenger in a stock fox body mustang that blew me away from how powerful it felt. At 33 I bought a 2013 GT. Ill spare the details, but I traded in my 2013 Mustang GT for my 2012 Mini S and loved the handling and "feel" but missed the power of my stang. I first played it safe with a JCW tuning kit dealer installed. The difference was slight and is just enough for the average person, but WAY to expensive if you piece together other options and are looking for more power. Long story short, from the JCW tune to the Manic was a pretty significant improvement. Going then to stage 2 with a bunch of other goodies made the car feel faster than the Mustang from all the low end torque, bringing back that childhood glee! You should do it you won't regret it!

 

I've got a Stage 2 Manic tune. I'm swapped back to the stock map temporarily... need a little breather with stability.

Wondering what's the difference in Map A, B, and C?

I can say that running Map B made the car a whole 'nother level of awesome.

 

Yeah I plan on mainly using map B. What do you mean by stability? Is it being reliable? The maps are different levels of boost it runs. I believe the timing may scale with it but I don't know for sure.