I've got 1000 miles on my 2 weeks old 05 MCS and am noticing some delay (or slight bogging down if you will) when pressing the throttle, especially at lower rpm (below 4,000 rpm ). It's kinda irritating, is this a Mini quirk or something to be concerned about? It's not the yo-yo or stumble that I have read about.

Marcel.

 

its definitly a mini thing, mines a jan 03 and does the same as yours.

Ive driven coopers and ones that have a really revvy accelerator pedal and i wish mine was the same !

 

This is normal for a stock MINI. The ECU is tuned for very restrictive RPM changes to control emissions. Great for greenthumbs, bad for car enthusiasts.

You can quicken the throttle response with quality ECU products like UNIchip, a big-bore Throttle Body, or some ignition products like Denso Iridium spark plugs. Also, more hard-core mechanical stuff like a lightweight flywheel or lightweight crank pulley will certainly quicken the throttle reponse!

Let me know if you have any questions! I hope that helps,
Ryan :smile:

 

Thanks Ryan, I got the same feedback from a friend. An ECU upgrade is on the (long) list of future mods

 

I also have an 05 MCS with JCW (but not LDS, bummer)! and I do not have the lag you describe.

Maybe you are upshifting too soon. I had to get adjusted to this when I first picked up my MINI. My prior car was a 97 Jeep Wrangler, and the way I drove it (Inline 6 cylinder, 5 speed tranny), I shifted up through the gears rather quickly, and cruised around in 4th or even 5th gear most of the time.

When I took the demontrator MINI out on a test drive, my Motoring Advisor noticed that I did the same thing in the MINI. I'd whip through the gears until I was up in 5th, and the car had no oomph. He advised me that the MINI is happiest in the 4000 plus RPM range, and that you could drive it around town in 2nd or 3rd gear all day long. When speeds permit, you can use 4th and 5th, and you probably won't get into 6th gear unless you're doing 70mph or more up on the interstate.

MINI's are revvy little cars, and if you're lugging, it 'could' be because you're driving around in a higher gear than you need to be in. It could also be a software or other issue, so if you don't get the results you're after, call the dealership.

Another suggestion would be to drive a similarly equipped car and see if they all do what you are feeling.

With the JCW kit, you really should not be feeling any kind of lag, though.

Another possibility could be that you are spinning your wheels and the DSC is kicking in and that's what you're feeling. I dunno.

If you're in South Charlotte, you are welcome to come over and compare the ride to my car.

Best wishes!

 

I have the same problem in my stock MCS 05. We are not talking about upshifting--at least in my case. I have problems of about 1/4 second delay when I step on the gas to go out in traffic. Very unnerving. It is even worse when you are on a hill stopped in traffic. Thank goodness for the emergency brake which holds me while the engine spools up. I don't have the heel toe coordination to get started up the hills any other way.

My 19% pulley is on the way and when I return to the U.S. later this year, an ECU upgrade will be in order.

 

it does it both with DSC on or off and I'm not spinning any wheels believe me. It should be able to deal with driving around at 2,500 rpm and take off smoothly from there in whatever gear, even in higher ones. It's just a minor issue and I actually had read about this before I bought the car. I think I'm just very picky and with mods like software or ECU, a smaller pulley and better spark plugs (which are all planned) it will all be good

 

i show my friends how i can tap the accelerator pedal to the boards and it takes 1/4 sec for the car to react or do something,,,,its quite funny sometimes

even having the BMP filter it makes no odds :(

 

Stock fllywheel = 29lbs Take 16-17lbs off and that'll definitely solve the problem:smile: M7 makes a very nice one that weighs 15lbs. If you want lighter, Fidanza has one at 12.5lbs. If you're concerned about NVH, M7's would be a better choice.

Check out the rev response of this little motor (courtesy of Col3man)
http://www.presspley.com/F1/video/Presspley%20F1%20Fireup.mpg

 

I have no delay. THe rev rate is relatively slow, but there is no delay of reaction from the pedal.

Bad link BTW.

 

I have the delay. It's extremely unnerving if you're at a stop and pointed uphill. You can't get revs up fast enough to engage the clutch. I've had to adjust the way I drive a bit but have learned to work around it. ... for now.

 

I hate to beat a dead horse but with a 19% pulley you can drive under 4k RPMs all of the time and have better throttle response and pickup than you have now at 6500 RPMs. Heck you could even drive around town in the 1k RPM range. It's like having a small V-8 in there.

 

The throttle pedal delay is the MINI's normal throttle by wire system.
If you press on the pedal there is a delay, try pressing fast and then slowly and smoothly. This helps only a little.

Be patient and get past the initial delay then move on up in rpm in the lowest gear that will work, never mind the higher reving noises. Get up to 3500 or 4000 rpm before shifting. You get the most power from 4000 rpm on up so if you want performance then rev up the engine. If you want economy then you can shift at 3000 rpm but throttle response will lag. It's only a short moment but that's the way the system was designed.

Try both ways and see how "You" can adapt for different types of driving. I don't generally find it to be that much of a problem. I'm not willing to put in a lightweight flywheel and deal with the added idling noise.

 

Ryephile,
Do you agree with me that this could be a non fully closing Bypass Valve?

Bomboasy

 

People are saying that this is normal, but I don't think that's the case. My 2005 MCS (no mods...yet) doesn't have a delay between throttle pedal input and engine response.

 

I think everyone is talking about the trade-off of having a heavy flywheeled motors. A stock Mini will never rev like a motorcycle because they have 29lbs of rotating mass attached to the crank (and that's not counting the clutch!). It's called inertia...DOH Take away most of that rotating mass and you get better engine response plus extra HP to accelerate your Mini. The trade off with a lighter flywheel is more NVH. I, for one, want to feel more of those GOOD VIBRATIONS

 

It's a matter of perception. Until you've driven a modded motor with light flywheel, you won't realize how lethargic your motor response is:smile:

 

Strom:
I agree because I also have the 2005 MCS and no problems with throttle pedal input and engine respons

 

I agree - and some day hope to witness this first hand. I think, though, that there is a difference between slow revving and not revving. The heavy flywheel issue causes slow revving by its very nature. It seems that other people are describing a lack of response at all for about 1/4 second, and that is what I haven't experienced.

Mmmmmmmm...flywheel.

 

Our 2005 MCS, picked up last week, now with 550 miles on it, has no perceptible throttle delay at lower RPM. Still doing the break-in so haven't used over 4500. It does hold revs up a bit between shifts, but that is expected for emissions reasons.

I was expecting the car to be a bit difficult to adjust to when doing normal standing starts (based on reports and a test drive in a 2004 MCS). That is not the case; this car is very easy to get started from rest.

For reference the build date is 6 Feb. 2005.

Dave

 

I have a MCSC and have noticed this problem. It can be very scary when you pull out in traffic and experience a lag. And while it may be only 1/4 of a second, I've never timed it myself, it feels longer when you have speeding traffic coming at you! I am now much more careful and plan for the possibility of a lag which does not seem to occur all the time.

 

Maybe but that wouldn't explain the experience on hills as mentioned above. I'm with Strom, the MINI might not be the best off the line but my '05 MCS doesn't seem to have much of a bog that I've noticed. When I get in to the pedal it gets a-moving. I'll be on the look out (or feel out) from now on though.

As far as hills go, maybe its just that I've been driving manual trannies for the better part of 7 years straight, but I have no issue. You may be sliding less than you actually think in any case.

 

I have noticed a lag due to the traction control system. When you lose traction, the computer takes away throttle input. This makes it feel like the MINI is bogging. Very annoying (and turned off when I remember to).

 

Yea, an improperly adjusted BPV will hurt throttle response a bit.

IMO, the a supercharger reduction pulley alone doesn't help throttle response much. A bit, but not as marked as Denso plugs or UNIchip. I'm always rather amused that spark plugs could make a tangible difference, but they do.

Yes there is a slight delay between your pedal inputs and the throttle body - this is more emissions related stuff. We're not talking very noticable, a few milliseconds here, but enough for the engine to prepare for your throttle change.

Also, like MSFITOY said - the engine/powertrain mass, like the flywheel, make a huge impact on throttle response too!

Cheers,
Ryan

 

But, mine happened after I had the car for a little while. I have always had good launch from a standing stop until recently. What I considered good launch anyway, then a week and a half ago something went wonk on the car. I'm not sure what and the dealer just called to tell me everything is normal, liked I expected anything different.

I just know this car, I've had it for two years now and it is not the same as it was two weeks ago. I realize that things will change with time, but this has been froma crip throttle response with good pull from the line to crappy throttle response with a complete bog until 3500 rpm.

Additionally, when on the freeway, if I needed to get around someone, I just mashed the pedal and off I went. Now I have to drop to the next lower gear and wait for the thing to catch up with itself, and it takes a little while to happen.

I am not liking this. I wanted to keep this peppy little car for a long time. If this continues I may need to move on and that sucks.