Hey guys, I have a 2009 mini cooper s and I've installed the hot side boost tube running from the turbo down to the inter cooler and also the Aem cold air induction intake kit. Runs great and sounds great and really makes a bit of difference. My one concern is sometimes when I'm getting up on it, the car will almost kinda jerk... Idk what this could be... I got a new timing chain back at 80,000 miles and it's only got 101000 now so I don't think it's that... Could this be back pressure? My friend said because I'm pulling in so much more air, now I can't get it out quick enough and it's building up... He recommended an exhaust upgrade... I wanted some more opinions from you guys, thanks!

 

I'd highly recommend calling a MINI performance shop and seeing what they might recommend as far as what your friend said.

I'm curious about a few things. If/when have you ever done a carbon clean up? How many miles are on your MINI? When was the last time routine items were replaced, i.e. spark plugs, etc?

 

My car now has 101000 miles on it. Im not sure what a carbon clean out is but the spark plugs were changed at 90000.

 

I'd be curious if it has ever been done, or if you're the original owner I assume it hasn't. Just about every 50,000 miles the intake valves need to be cleaned to maintain optimum engine performance. Once the build-up reaches the maximum tolerable level, the engine will begin to run rough and misfire. You may have a rough idle, poor acceleration, stalling or single to multiple cylinder misfires. If you have any of these symptoms, check for valve residue build-up. I'd highly recommend checking out our carbon cleaning tech article to get a better idea about the process. It's on our site under MINI > Tech Info (tab at top) > R56 articles > Engine > Turbocharged Engine Carbon Cleaning. I'm not sure if this is your exact cause, but it's a place to start.

Here is what the build up on the valves will look like: