MINI2

Tom B · Jun 21st, 2005, 01:53 PM

The transmission won't let me downshift above 4M. Is this everyone's experience ? Is this programmable by the dealer?

Tom

aquaanox · Jun 22nd, 2005, 05:33 PM

this is correct. try doing the same in a manual transmission and you will notice a rather significant braking effect which you dont want. In effect the auto tranny in the mcsa teaches you to shift at the right RPM : ) not a bad thing and improves the way you drive and respect the shifter and throttle.

Without a clutch and super fast shifts with the paddles, its easy to want to downshift all the time, but its not always a good idea to do so.

Tom B · Jun 22nd, 2005, 06:09 PM

Thanks. I appreciate the response . However, I am aware of the proper way to downshift and of the MINI's programming to prevent "inappropriate" engine / tranny requests. I am also aware of the effects of engine braking. I guess i'm a little surprised to realize that the Steptronic doesn't match revs between the engine and tranny, the equivalent of a double clutch downshift or a simple blip.

I'm trying to treat this tranny like a manual and was expecting it to respond as such. I do my shifting in a straight line and trail-brake into a lot of turns. When I select a gear, I expect it to be there when I'm back on the throttle. Asking the tranny to downshift at 4500 RPM into second and give me 5500 isn't going to hurt anything. In fact, not letting me accomplish this causes me to not have the throttle response I need to properly control the car near the limit, in a turn.

Does anyone know if this reprogrammable at the dealer?

Thanks,
Tom

Rich_IX · Jun 23rd, 2005, 12:42 AM

I dont think BMW will do it for you in fear of "damaging the engine" even though it wont really hurt it...

Im sure some aftermarket tuning companies will do it for you though..
Just dont forget to tell your insurance if there is a bhp increase...

GBMINI · Jun 23rd, 2005, 08:44 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Tom B

I'm trying to treat this tranny like a manual and was expecting it to respond as such. I do my shifting in a straight line and trail-brake into a lot of turns. When I select a gear, I expect it to be there when I'm back on the throttle

So it sounds like your driving style is better suited by a manual transmission - out of interest, why did you choose the auto?

Tom B · Jun 24th, 2005, 12:17 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by GBMINI

So it sounds like your driving style is better suited by a manual transmission - out of interest, why did you choose the auto?

Good question.
Although i've driven stick for a lot of years, and did so up until I got my MCSa, I have a disability.
I had a stroke about 3 1/2 years ago, and despite unending therapy, my right hand, wrist, and arm continue to be weak and tire easily.
I was all set to order a MCS earlier this year, just when the "a" came out. I test drove one and ordered it the same day.
Now, I happily use the paddles or stick, and when my arm gets tired, I put it in SD and i'm still very happy. Life is good.

Aren't you on NEMINI ? I'm on there as Minardi. Were you at the BBQ?

Tom

GBMINI · Jun 24th, 2005, 02:54 PM

Tom,
Sorry to hear of your disability - but GREAT that you can still enjoy driving a MINI

Quote: Originally Posted by Tom B

Aren't you on NEMINI ? I'm on there as Minardi. Were you at the BBQ?
Tom

I am a very occasional NEMINI member, but living up north of Boston I have never made it down to the New York events - they look like a great "club" ...

aquaanox · Jun 24th, 2005, 05:22 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Tom B

I'm trying to treat this tranny like a manual and was expecting it to respond as such. I do my shifting in a straight line and trail-brake into a lot of turns. When I select a gear, I expect it to be there when I'm back on the throttle. Asking the tranny to downshift at 4500 RPM into second and give me 5500 isn't going to hurt anything. In fact, not letting me accomplish this causes me to not have the throttle response I need to properly control the car near the limit, in a turn.

Does anyone know if this reprogrammable at the dealer?

Thanks,
Tom

hmm.. just out of curiosity i tried this last night in a 330i stick. downshifed from 3rd at 4500 rpm to 2nd as quickly as i could and almost broke my neck. i was over redline (not 5000 rpm) there was a significant loss of speed and it just didnt feel right. At 4,500 rpm you are close to the peak power output in that rev curve (in a mini). Downshifting would not be a good idea. I tend to like to downshift and acelerate out of corners a lot, but i notice that in a manual tranny, even if i am at a 4k + rpm into the turn when i depress the clutch and shift the rpm's fall as well allowing a smoother downshift. Since the MCSA does not use a clutch there is no easy way to drop rpm's that quickly. anyways, this is going a little off topic here. Lets us know if you are able to get this re-programmed and good luck.

Wondaboy · Jun 24th, 2005, 05:45 PM

It's interesting that the box 'nannies' us in this way. It's quite happy to kick down from 6th to 2nd in auto mode when pushing on, so maybe it ought to let us choose to engine brake?

Have a great weekends driving all...

Piers

aquaanox · Jul 6th, 2005, 12:51 PM

So driving up to cape may this weekend i noticed that there is a way to downshift above 4000 rpm.. i was able to do this a few times but i really couldnt put my finger on the pattern.. plus the wife was getting irritated with my testing so i had to give up practicing #%#% but anyways -

i started out in 6th at around 2k rpm, downshift to 5th and im a little over 4k, downshift to 4th! (still over 4.5k) downshift to 3rd! . hmm, it worked a few times, and i waited about a second before each shift. So it seems like the tranny is smarter that just simply not allowing the driver to downshift above 4k - it reacts differently depending on the shift pattern. l'll keep trying to figure this out. hope this helps.

Tom B · Jul 7th, 2005, 11:50 AM

Thanks for the information. I've yet to address this with the dealer. In the meantime, i'm learning the ideosyncrasies of the system and how to work with them. I'll keep you posted on what the dealer finally says.

Tom

Tom B · Jul 24th, 2005, 12:43 PM

Ok. Finally got to the dealer....and the answer is....they can't reprogram the software that controls the tranny.

I think my next MINI will be a 6-speed.....if my arm inproves.

I've been driving in manual-mode a lot recently and find it is much more to my liking in that I can feed power as I wish in a turn without the tranny suddenly kicking down and disrupting things. Live and learn.

Perhaps MINI could put a "real F1" tranny in like Ferrari does, complete with microsecond shifts and throttle blips on the downshift. But.....would probably add $15,000 - $20,000 to the cost.

Tom

beekman · Jul 25th, 2005, 12:39 AM

you could try asking Dinan - I don't know if they have anything particular for the MCSa, but they do reprogram the BMW steptronic to improve shifts and to drop down to 1st instead of 2nd when you pull to a stop in M mode.

I think MINI will offer some form of SMG or DSG eventually, perhaps as an option in the next-generation turbo JCW . . .

Tom B · Jul 25th, 2005, 12:01 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by beekman

you could try asking Dinan - I don't know if they have anything particular for the MCSa, but they do reprogram the BMW steptronic to improve shifts and to drop down to 1st instead of 2nd when you pull to a stop in M mode.

I think MINI will offer some form of SMG or DSG eventually, perhaps as an option in the next-generation turbo JCW . . .

Who and where is Dinan?

Thanks,
Tom

MartinSullivan · Jul 25th, 2005, 12:25 PM

http://www.dinanbmw.com/

bigshunt · Jul 30th, 2005, 12:17 AM

we had a weird shifting problem, sadly i am not very technical on this stuff, but we took our auto mcs to the dealer, they reloaded software and its better, but not as good as our audi a3 dsg ........i think its same box?

RobFriedman · Nov 6th, 2005, 02:16 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by GBMINI

Tom,
Sorry to hear of your disability - but GREAT that you can still enjoy driving a MINI

I am a very occasional NEMINI member, but living up north of Boston I have never made it down to the New York events - they look like a great "club" ...

You made it to Mine.. USMINICLUB...

GBMINI · Nov 6th, 2005, 03:13 PM

Yes - but I posted that BEFORE then

Jun 21st, 2005, 01:53 PM	#1
Tom B I am not in compliance. Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Orange County, NY Local Time: 02:06 PM Posts: 308 Offline	Can't downshift above 4M RPM The transmission won't let me downshift above 4M. Is this everyone's experience ? Is this programmable by the dealer? Tom [

Jun 22nd, 2005, 05:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
aquaanox MINI2 Regular Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Wash DC Local Time: 03:06 PM Posts: 88 Offline	this is correct. try doing the same in a manual transmission and you will notice a rather significant braking effect which you dont want. In effect the auto tranny in the mcsa teaches you to shift at the right RPM : ) not a bad thing and improves the way you drive and respect the shifter and throttle. Without a clutch and super fast shifts with the paddles, its easy to want to downshift all the time, but its not always a good idea to do so. 2005 MCSA HB/W

Jun 22nd, 2005, 06:09 PM	#3 (permalink)
Tom B I am not in compliance. Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Orange County, NY Local Time: 02:06 PM Posts: 308 Offline	Thanks. I appreciate the response . However, I am aware of the proper way to downshift and of the MINI's programming to prevent "inappropriate" engine / tranny requests. I am also aware of the effects of engine braking. I guess i'm a little surprised to realize that the Steptronic doesn't match revs between the engine and tranny, the equivalent of a double clutch downshift or a simple blip. I'm trying to treat this tranny like a manual and was expecting it to respond as such. I do my shifting in a straight line and trail-brake into a lot of turns. When I select a gear, I expect it to be there when I'm back on the throttle. Asking the tranny to downshift at 4500 RPM into second and give me 5500 isn't going to hurt anything. In fact, not letting me accomplish this causes me to not have the throttle response I need to properly control the car near the limit, in a turn. Does anyone know if this reprogrammable at the dealer? Thanks, Tom [

Jun 23rd, 2005, 08:44 PM	#5 (permalink)
GBMINI MINI2 Master Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Gloucester, MA, USA Local Time: 02:06 PM Posts: 7,601 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by Tom B I'm trying to treat this tranny like a manual and was expecting it to respond as such. I do my shifting in a straight line and trail-brake into a lot of turns. When I select a gear, I expect it to be there when I'm back on the throttle So it sounds like your driving style is better suited by a manual transmission - out of interest, why did you choose the auto? Ian C. Gloucester, MA, USA (UK expat) driving GPMINI and Convertible GBMINI#6

Jun 24th, 2005, 12:17 PM	#6 (permalink)
Tom B I am not in compliance. Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Orange County, NY Local Time: 02:06 PM Posts: 308 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by GBMINI So it sounds like your driving style is better suited by a manual transmission - out of interest, why did you choose the auto? Good question. Although i've driven stick for a lot of years, and did so up until I got my MCSa, I have a disability. I had a stroke about 3 1/2 years ago, and despite unending therapy, my right hand, wrist, and arm continue to be weak and tire easily. I was all set to order a MCS earlier this year, just when the "a" came out. I test drove one and ordered it the same day. Now, I happily use the paddles or stick, and when my arm gets tired, I put it in SD and i'm still very happy. Life is good. Aren't you on NEMINI ? I'm on there as Minardi. Were you at the BBQ? Tom [

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Jun 23rd, 2005, 12:42 AM	#4 (permalink)
Rich_IX Official Pimp of Mini2 My Classifieds Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Midget Strip Club Local Time: 07:06 PM Posts: 4,213 Offline	I dont think BMW will do it for you in fear of "damaging the engine" even though it wont really hurt it... Im sure some aftermarket tuning companies will do it for you though.. Just dont forget to tell your insurance if there is a bhp increase...

Jun 24th, 2005, 02:54 PM	#7 (permalink)
GBMINI MINI2 Master Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Gloucester, MA, USA Local Time: 02:06 PM Posts: 7,601 Offline	Tom, Sorry to hear of your disability - but GREAT that you can still enjoy driving a MINI Quote: Originally Posted by Tom B Aren't you on NEMINI ? I'm on there as Minardi. Were you at the BBQ? Tom I am a very occasional NEMINI member, but living up north of Boston I have never made it down to the New York events - they look like a great "club" ... Ian C. Gloucester, MA, USA (UK expat) driving GPMINI and Convertible GBMINI#6

Jun 24th, 2005, 05:22 PM	#8 (permalink)
aquaanox MINI2 Regular Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Wash DC Local Time: 03:06 PM Posts: 88 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by Tom B I'm trying to treat this tranny like a manual and was expecting it to respond as such. I do my shifting in a straight line and trail-brake into a lot of turns. When I select a gear, I expect it to be there when I'm back on the throttle. Asking the tranny to downshift at 4500 RPM into second and give me 5500 isn't going to hurt anything. In fact, not letting me accomplish this causes me to not have the throttle response I need to properly control the car near the limit, in a turn. Does anyone know if this reprogrammable at the dealer? Thanks, Tom hmm.. just out of curiosity i tried this last night in a 330i stick. downshifed from 3rd at 4500 rpm to 2nd as quickly as i could and almost broke my neck. i was over redline (not 5000 rpm) there was a significant loss of speed and it just didnt feel right. At 4,500 rpm you are close to the peak power output in that rev curve (in a mini). Downshifting would not be a good idea. I tend to like to downshift and acelerate out of corners a lot, but i notice that in a manual tranny, even if i am at a 4k + rpm into the turn when i depress the clutch and shift the rpm's fall as well allowing a smoother downshift. Since the MCSA does not use a clutch there is no easy way to drop rpm's that quickly. anyways, this is going a little off topic here. Lets us know if you are able to get this re-programmed and good luck. 2005 MCSA HB/W

Jun 24th, 2005, 05:45 PM	#9 (permalink)
Wondaboy Mini Bar! Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: It's a London Thing Local Time: 08:06 PM Posts: 141 Offline	It's interesting that the box 'nannies' us in this way. It's quite happy to kick down from 6th to 2nd in auto mode when pushing on, so maybe it ought to let us choose to engine brake? Have a great weekends driving all... Piers Click her to read a review of my GTT 230BHP MCSa conversion

Jul 6th, 2005, 12:51 PM	#10 (permalink)
aquaanox MINI2 Regular Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Wash DC Local Time: 03:06 PM Posts: 88 Offline	So driving up to cape may this weekend i noticed that there is a way to downshift above 4000 rpm.. i was able to do this a few times but i really couldnt put my finger on the pattern.. plus the wife was getting irritated with my testing so i had to give up practicing #%#% but anyways - i started out in 6th at around 2k rpm, downshift to 5th and im a little over 4k, downshift to 4th! (still over 4.5k) downshift to 3rd! . hmm, it worked a few times, and i waited about a second before each shift. So it seems like the tranny is smarter that just simply not allowing the driver to downshift above 4k - it reacts differently depending on the shift pattern. l'll keep trying to figure this out. hope this helps. 2005 MCSA HB/W

Jul 7th, 2005, 11:50 AM	#11 (permalink)
Tom B I am not in compliance. Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Orange County, NY Local Time: 02:06 PM Posts: 308 Offline	Thanks for the information. I've yet to address this with the dealer. In the meantime, i'm learning the ideosyncrasies of the system and how to work with them. I'll keep you posted on what the dealer finally says. Tom [

Jul 24th, 2005, 12:43 PM	#12 (permalink)
Tom B I am not in compliance. Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Orange County, NY Local Time: 02:06 PM Posts: 308 Offline	Ok. Finally got to the dealer....and the answer is....they can't reprogram the software that controls the tranny. I think my next MINI will be a 6-speed.....if my arm inproves. I've been driving in manual-mode a lot recently and find it is much more to my liking in that I can feed power as I wish in a turn without the tranny suddenly kicking down and disrupting things. Live and learn. Perhaps MINI could put a "real F1" tranny in like Ferrari does, complete with microsecond shifts and throttle blips on the downshift. But.....would probably add $15,000 - $20,000 to the cost. Tom [

Jul 25th, 2005, 12:39 AM	#13 (permalink)
beekman MINI2 Regular Join Date: Apr 2004 Local Time: 03:06 PM Posts: 72 Offline	you could try asking Dinan - I don't know if they have anything particular for the MCSa, but they do reprogram the BMW steptronic to improve shifts and to drop down to 1st instead of 2nd when you pull to a stop in M mode. I think MINI will offer some form of SMG or DSG eventually, perhaps as an option in the next-generation turbo JCW . . .

Jul 25th, 2005, 12:01 PM	#14 (permalink)
Tom B I am not in compliance. Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Orange County, NY Local Time: 02:06 PM Posts: 308 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by beekman you could try asking Dinan - I don't know if they have anything particular for the MCSa, but they do reprogram the BMW steptronic to improve shifts and to drop down to 1st instead of 2nd when you pull to a stop in M mode. I think MINI will offer some form of SMG or DSG eventually, perhaps as an option in the next-generation turbo JCW . . . Who and where is Dinan? Thanks, Tom [

Jul 25th, 2005, 12:25 PM	#15 (permalink)
MartinSullivan MINI2 Regular Join Date: Nov 2003 Local Time: 07:06 PM Posts: 251 Offline	http://www.dinanbmw.com/

Jul 30th, 2005, 12:17 AM	#16 (permalink)
bigshunt MINI2 Regular Join Date: Aug 2004 Local Time: 08:06 PM Posts: 145 Offline	we had a weird shifting problem, sadly i am not very technical on this stuff, but we took our auto mcs to the dealer, they reloaded software and its better, but not as good as our audi a3 dsg ........i think its same box?

Nov 6th, 2005, 02:16 PM	#17 (permalink)
RobFriedman MINI2 Regular Join Date: May 2003 Location: Bay Shore, LI, NY Local Time: 03:06 PM Posts: 275 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by GBMINI Tom, Sorry to hear of your disability - but GREAT that you can still enjoy driving a MINI I am a very occasional NEMINI member, but living up north of Boston I have never made it down to the New York events - they look like a great "club" ... You made it to Mine.. USMINICLUB... 2003 Pepper White, CVT, Cold Package, Premium Package, Chrome Inserts, Sport Seats, Euro Shelf, AUX Adapter, Taillight Brake Mod, Hot Pocket, Glovebox Organiser, Mini-Fini Cupholder

Nov 6th, 2005, 03:13 PM	#18 (permalink)
GBMINI MINI2 Master Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Gloucester, MA, USA Local Time: 02:06 PM Posts: 7,601 Offline	Yes - but I posted that BEFORE then Ian C. Gloucester, MA, USA (UK expat) driving GPMINI and Convertible GBMINI#6

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