Thanks Solar10 for what you told me about your Countryman, and I'll repeat those words. "The ECU Tuning was the Best Mod Yet", and I must agree.

After the recommendation from Solar10 and getting a chance to drive his All4 with the Tune I was sold. I'll have to start a whole new thread about the guys who Tuned the ECU but I will say they went the extra distance for me the customer.

OK, my impressions are this. Holy Sheit!!! I'm only 40 miles in to the ECU ?adaptation? and the difference is like night and day. I always have sport mode on and now between 3500 and 5000 there is an extreme increase in power. After looking at a dyno on the website it's safe to say that another 30-40Hp gain plus almost double the tq. has really happened. If this tune is done right you'll notice a huge difference! Now I know why Solar10 loves his strut bar so much!! I'm really looking forward to the ECU re-learning my Countryman's full potential and showing me what my CM was built do do. Here's why these guys are the best.... http://ecutuninggroup.com/live-tuning

Oh, and by the way, if you're in SoCal these guys rock for sure! Farzaan what up!? Thanks.

 

I'm interested in an R60 ECU tune, but that particular shop's dyno chart for the MINI scared me. I like a nice flat torque curve, and that chart shows a huge spike around 4250. Does it feel a bit like it's falling on its face at 4750RPM?

 

At 4250 its in a hard turbo pull....doesnt drop power til 6k ish

 

Awesome! Glad you're liking it as much as I have been enjoying my tune. 133 to the 241 on-ramp, the big looping merge... I hit that at 90 and "animal" stays flat and controlled. Woohoo!!

Regarding dynos on these smaller HP engines...I'll say it again, you can get Dyno-drunk if you aren't careful. Drive, man. If it's what you want when you're behind the wheel, and it feels good, what else could you ask for? If you have the money to throw at a dyno, go for it. In the mornings and evenings, I have a full strong pull through 5500 to 6k or so.

I will say that I feel a small power decrease at higher RPM on hotter days. But I'm still running the stock FMIC. A bigger IC will certainly help, now that it's getting warmer out.

 

i found a dealer almost 2 hours away from me who is affiliated with ecutuninggroup, i will be getting it done for sure but around september, time flies anyway. Cant imagine how fun its going to be.

 

Had my car tuned... Can only say that it is necessary to do so... The car was underpowered from the factory and with the tune it makes the ALL4 properly powered and way more fun to drive!

Also, my tune was done at PAW in Miami, if anyone lives near there I recommend them. Great guys and I even drove down from Connecticut at the time because they were the only ones tuning these cars. I was the first ALL4 to have a tune

Kyle

 

is everyone paying the List $595 or is there a discount, or additional Install time?
A pin is physically removed from the ECU?
a flash is reversible, removing pins will def void a warranty..

 

 

It's really noticeable how under powered it was before. Amazing difference.

 

I wasnt saying the price was expensive, just asking if the List Price was what dealers were charging. Manufacturer List & Dealer Retail are quite different.
As for installation, it's not always included in the list price. It can vary by shop if its not included.
I know many tuners who offer discounts on Tunes/flashes (GIAC.APR.Unitronic, etc)
'show/sale' pricing is typically $100 less. They often market it as - $50 tune, $50 off install, or
Free install + 10% off.

The price is very fare, especially considering the few tuners w/ a R60 tune.

 

Don't take my answer the wrong way, I completely agree that there are a lot of variables. To answer your original question...I paid pretty close to that amount.

 

1bigpea,

With all the talk of mileage on the board of late, I'm curious: What sort of changes on your MPG have you seen since the tune?

 

Good question.

Well...If I would drive "normally" I would get a bit better gas mileage than before. However, I'm still in the "honeymoon phase" and have been flooring it quite a bit and motoring in a spirited way! Also, I've let quite a few friends drive it and they tend to do the same. I'm sure I'll get back to "normal" driving eventually and i'll average back around 24.0 - 26.0, but with the ECU Tune it's just so different and a lot of fun to drive.

So, to answer your question I was averaging 24.3 - 24.0 before the tune. I'm now averaging 23.7, and hoping i've hit the MPG bottom.

 

I've been averaging around 19mpg around town with my ECU tune... But for the kind of driving that I'm doing, I'm very pleased... A lot of full throttle acceleration and we have an abundance of twisty back roads in New Canaan, that may make me drive pretty... let's just say, briskly.

If you're wondering , on the highway I can still get over 30 if I'm careful

Kyle

 

Good to know, guys. I love the idea of extra performance with little to no MPG penalty (at least, little to no involuntary penalty).

 

Absolutely! That's why it's such a great Mod, brings out the best of the engine performance.

I see you're in SD, these guys did my ECU Tune and they cover SD. Their service rocks.

 

did they recommend for you to get tubing or a new intercooler after getting the ecu tuned? i will be doing mine in september and am focused on cosmetic mods right now since i don't have to drive anywhere.

 

Upgraded intercooler is something that can be improved over the OEM no matter a tune or not. Is it necessary? No. It's a nice to have. I really believe that BMW/MINI has the right idea with the intake, turbo, intercooler, etc.

If you're looking for an upgraded intercooler look at Forge Motorsport.

 

I sell both ALTA & Forge, both are a great product. I personally like the ALTA design better.. & its offered in discreet black.
the pressure loss is less than OEM, the end tank caps are a superior design. it also has more surface area.

 

Nice, thanks for the info..Hows the install on them?

 

Posted this in the "Countryman CAI questions" thread, but thought I would re-post it here in hopes of drawing some insight from those who have, or are considering, an ECU tune:

 

what did u end up doing CAI wise?

I'd say, keep the panel & 'swiss cheese' the air box.
drill a bunch of 3/4-1" holes in the bottom & back side.

 

I'm still stock. I just want to take full advantage of the tune when I get it. It would be a shame to have the car tuned assuming the stock intake setup, only to throw in a higher flow (and, possibly colder) intake shortly thereafter.

Not sure how I feel about drilling into the stock air box!

 

My response from the other thread....


My thought and what I've been told aligns, is that the ECU is always "learning" so you would be fine. Plus you're talking CAT back exhaust right? Your ECU will adjust with the increase/decrease with air and the MAF no matter what. I put a AFE Filter in the Countryman after my ECU tune with no difference I'm sure. (except for sound)

Go with an AFE Dry Filter instead of a K&N. My .02

I'm in OC if you want to check it out...

 

Thanks. You got a link for the AFE Dry Filter? I agree that I'd rather avoid the oiled filters if I can.