[Grant620]

Hi there.
Quick question for you please...
Just (finally) got my new mini cooper S turbo.
I want to increase the performance a bit by upping the boost.
Is it just like all other turbo cars in that I can fit a bleed valve or something to the wastegate actuator?
Does the ECU throw a fit when the boost is raised, even a little bit?

Thanks in advance!
Cheers
Grant

[SeldomSeen]

I don't think its quite as simple as that, so you may need to do some research on MINI2 and NAM (North American Motoring) before deciding what might give you best bang for the buck.

Also bear in mind that there are significant differences between US and UK cars.

The US cars have an extra sensor (MAF) which affects their induction system's characteristics.

UK cars have different front crash protection which means that parts like the Alta front mount intercooler and boost tubes do not fit easily to UK cars.

Good luck and welcome to MINI2.

[Grant620]

Quote: Originally Posted by SeldomSeen (original)

I don't think its quite as simple as that, so you may need to do some research on MINI2 and NAM (North American Motoring) before deciding what might give you best bang for the buck.

Also bear in mind that there are significant differences between US and UK cars.

The US cars have an extra sensor (MAF) which affects their induction system's characteristics.

UK cars have different front crash protection which means that parts like the Alta front mount intercooler and boost tubes do not fit easily to UK cars.

Good luck and welcome to MINI2.

Thanks very much for the reply!
OK, see what you are saying and I'll do some digging on those forums.
Do you know if that - in theory - the boost can be raised at all on UK cars?
And if so, could it be done by electronic control or mechanical control (ie, Electronic boost controller or a bleed valve type thing)?

[MINIMANIAUK]

The uk cars boost canbe raised,but it is not a simple process. The best bang for buck can sometimes give you exactly that! Bang
,upping boost is normally coupled with some safeguard elements

[Grant620]

Quote: Originally Posted by MINIMANIAUK (original)

The uk cars boost canbe raised,but it is not a simple process. The best bang for buck can sometimes give you exactly that! Bang
,upping boost is normally coupled with some safeguard elements

Thanks!
How about using an electronic one with overboost warning facility?
What is standard boost and what can it be upped to safely on a US or UK car? (A friend in the USA asked me earlier as well!)
Cheers
Grant

[kevkbuk]

All you can do easily is chip the car to raise boost I think. Take a look at northamericanomotoring.com, theres much more tuning related posts on there, but you have to deal with the differences between US and UK cars as already mentioned on this thread.

Apart from the JCW tuning kit I think there's only a couple of UK options, Superchips and Morego of those I've not any posts from anyone who actually has one fitted, and of course you'll kiss your warranty goodbye.

[drb5]

Quote: Originally Posted by Grant620 (original)

Thanks!
How about using an electronic one with overboost warning facility?
What is standard boost and what can it be upped to safely on a US or UK car? (A friend in the USA asked me earlier as well!)
Cheers
Grant

It's not that you need an overboost warning, but you need to monitor the AFR all the time to make sure it's not leaning out too much. Your also getting closer to the threshold, where dodgy fuel plays a bigger part in detonation.

Do it right, if you need to get more power and pay Mini for the JCW upgrade, or speak to someone about a chip upgrade.

[Grant620]

Thanks.
I'm still not sure whether it is possible to up the boost though!
Let's say that I monitor the AFR etc, can the boost be raised without the factory ECU cutting fuel etc?
Cheers!

[MINIMANIAUK]

Boost control is far more complicated than on other cars -you will not get a simple answer ,the ecu can flag up all sorts of error codes ,it monitors and controls boost levels at rpms and time durations and a whole host of other parameters.
A simple remap is anything but simple,it is a new and highly controlled engine ,with many variables and no long term implications or data available .
At the moment piggyback solutions are available and at a price !
JCW seemed to have played it safe ,dropping the compression and upping the boost in order to gain torque over bhp -time will tell as to the durability of the new engine

[wow]

Quote: Originally Posted by Grant620 (original)

Thanks!
How about using an electronic one with overboost warning facility?
What is standard boost and what can it be upped to safely on a US or UK car? (A friend in the USA asked me earlier as well!)
Cheers
Grant

Standard boost is 0.9bar and on the JCW MINI it is 1.3bar.

[Lawrothegreat]

Quote: Originally Posted by wow (original)

Standard boost is 0.9bar and on the JCW MINI it is 1.3bar.

If you're talking about the JCW factory car, hasn't the turbo been uprated since the standard one has little scope for more boost with reliability?