SPI tuning - SC style - comments please
Turbo Mini Forums

We have just obtained our next demonstrator car to bury a K lump in for punters/ press to drive - its a very nice (rare in silver/ black) SPI Mini Cooper. Now as its all fully functioning Simon thought it rude not to sort the problem of easy SPI tuning out. So what do people think about the following proposal.

- Take your spi mini - open the bonnet, disconnect the Rover Mems ecu (pop on ebay after a cuppa)

- Take the SC ecu and linky harness and plug directly into the Rover ecu connector.

- Run the interface cable through to the cabin for plugging in the back of your laptop.

- Drop bonnet, wash hands head indoors to pop the Mems on the bay!


The ecu would obviously come with a base map for SPI in it but through the CAN interface you could tune the parameters to your hearts content using the SC mapping software - as per our Typhoon ecu we use on the K's. this obviously opens the world of tuning up to the SPI cars without having to pull the car apart, and would allow all the stock Rover sensors to be used.

Whats your thoughts guys?

cheers

JohnK

If Carling made Mini engines
it would probably be like this one!

John,

I dont want to sound negative, but I bet I will by the time I get to the end of this reply :)

The theory is good. If you get someone that knows what they are doing and a car in good condition, then fine.

Problem is that you will most likley get a numpty. Unfortunately the mini scene is full of them. They will see it as a cure all for a poor running car.

The cars are all 14 years old or more, mostly shagged out and only half the sensors working correctly.

When it does not work right, it will be your fault.

You see, I told you I was going to sound negative.

Edited by Paul S on 22nd Sep, 2008.

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

I suspect a lot of MEMS problems are loom related as well - this doesn't sort that out.

What it 'could' do though is give the user the ability to troubleshoot what he has by telling him where the communications errors are occuring. If you are also supplying the lead and software so they can go in and troubleshoot, I think you have a good solution.

Good points - our thinking was that it wasn't a replacement ecu to sort an ailing SPI out but as an ECU to replace the stock one for tuning purposes - does that make sense?

cheers

If Carling made Mini engines
it would probably be like this one!

Yes - but if you can offer someone a replacement that will allow them to diagnose problems, and in the future allow them to tweak the fuelling / timing strategy, then you're opening up a whole new market than a plain 'aftermarket' ECU for tuning alone.

Basically - market it from as many angles as you can. :)

Mister negative here,
my honest opinion I would not bother bold statement here is my view SPI as a tuning base is limited at best:
These engines run a dizzy striate away a very limiting factor,
the injector is week at best not capable of supplying fuel for much past 120 hp well not well anyway and I think we got that figure form a brand spanking new one right out of a packet 12 years later are they still performing as well ??,
the sensor setup is also limited,
you would need to supply and external MAP sensor and an input into your Ecu as the SPI runs an internal MAP sensor.

The SPI manifold really does not flow well and the throttle body is very limited,

ok so all the a four mentioned limiting factors can be replaced by better components but at that stage and cost you would be better with multi point staged injection or as you have done 16V it is a far better base for tuning

I really don’t want to rain on your parade Simon is an awesomely talented guy with these ECU thingies but his time would be better spent developing a way of multi point injecting a five port in series than developing an ECU for archaic injection technology which in my humble opinion needs to be put to pasture.

It will be interesting to see if there is a market for it really as there are a lot of cars out there that I'm sure people would like to tweek a bit, put a nice head on a bit of a cam in etc but don't want to make do with a "chip" of some sort

- good feedback keep it coming

If Carling made Mini engines
it would probably be like this one!

http://www.mini-cooper-clubman.de/html/pro..._classic_m.html

Initial cost is going to be the biggest problem.

Valid points about the loom and sensor issues. Its not getting better, its getting worse :(

I doubt there will be the demand, but if the ECU a standard part on your half, then its not going to be dead on the shelf :)

Hi,
I like the idea, but as others have said you could open yourself a can of worms :(
On the other hand it would make an easy first step on the ladder, if the ECU can be utilised via a firmware upgrade to be used for a K head.
Also bigger injectors or an extra injector for the SPi are available along with a coil pack upgrade, for those that don't :)
Any marketing questions just ask PMSL!
Cheers,
Gavin :)

VEMs Authorised Installer / Re-seller. K head kits now available!

WB/EGT gauges. Click here for customers write-up

Visit www.doyouneedabrain.co.uk

My Mini build diary

I think the market is there,

but as said is it worth the agro from numpties sticking it in and expecting a miracle,

Don't want you to sound too negative but I'm not sure if there is a market, most people into engine tuning are running carbs or twin cams.

If you can do it on a very limited development budget using the same hardware as for the K Heads ECU (reducing the amount of stock on the shelves) then it might be worth giving it a try but I think there are probably better R&D opportunities out there.

Hi,
Maybe this is the wrong place to ask? We on here are all seriously into the tuning with 16v, turbos, nos, efi, so on. Maybe a more standard forum would be a better place?
Cheers,
Gavin :)

VEMs Authorised Installer / Re-seller. K head kits now available!

WB/EGT gauges. Click here for customers write-up

Visit www.doyouneedabrain.co.uk

My Mini build diary