I simply did it to save 50% on fuel

My name is Ophélie, but you know me better as Hope on the networks. I have a 2009 Mini Cooper S that I love. For a few months now, I've been sick of every trip to the pump. SP98 petrol is recommended for this engine, the price is skyrocketing, the fuel budget is exploding... at some point, I just couldn't take it any more.

So I called Médéric, the head of the Shiftech franchise that I know well, (I'd been lucky enough to interview him for a podcast on my Youtube channel) and I said, "How much do you charge to convert my car to ethanol?"

It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. With all the travelling I do, running on SP98 at over €2 a litre had become a real monthly burden. I looked at fuel price apps, compared petrol stations... And meanwhile, ethanol E85 was running at €0.75 a litre in my town. Sometimes less.

The difference: almost €1.40 per litre. On a full 40 litres, that's a saving of €56. every time.

The calculation was done. I just had to get over the hurdle.

Arriving at Shiftech Tours: a centre, a team, a process

When I arrived at the centre, I discovered something I hadn't expected: a real performance workshop. Power benches, cars being prepared, a team that masters its subject from A to Z.

Nicolas, one of the centre's partners, welcomed me and explained the process. No blah-blah, just concrete.

Before any reprogramming, the car goes through the diagnostic kit. All the ECUs are scanned - engine, gearbox, dashboard, brakes, etc. The aim is to ensure that there are no pre-existing faults that would interfere with the conversion.

On my Mini, the good news was that the engine ECU was sound. No DTC faults.

This is where I realised why Shiftech is different from a simple 'plug-and-play E85 box'.

The car is mounted on the power bench, strapped in, and run at full load. The bench measures real power, torque and, above all, engine behaviour in real conditions. It's not a theoretical measurement - it's what your engine really produces.

My Mini produced 150 bhp on the first run. Not bad for a 17-year-old car.

But on the second run: engine warning light. Supercharger pressure fault. The dyno had detected what no mechanic had seen: my turbo hose was giving out.

That's the advantage of a test bench: it reveals things that are invisible to the naked eye.

Once the diagnosis has been made, it's time for the conversion.

Here's how it works: Shiftech extracts the computer file from the engine ECU, sends it to their engine specialists, who rework all the key parameters to ensure that it works properly on ethanol. The modified file is then fed back into the ECU.

On my Mini Cooper S, the ECU could not be read via the standard OBD socket. So I had to dismantle it and plug directly into it. A little longer, but no problem for the team.

The question I had in mind, and which many people ask themselves, is whether it requires more maintenance

Nicolas' answer is clear and straightforward:

• Engine oil : no change. Same intervals.

• Spark plugs: ethanol ignites at a higher temperature than petrol. Spark plugs need to be in good condition - Shiftech recommends changing them every 20,000 km maximum (instead of 30,000 for petrol).

• Ignition coils : check around 50,000-60,000 km.

That's all there is to it. No revolution. Just a few extra points of attention, largely offset by the savings per litre.

The result: a €30 fill-up, a car that's liberated

After a test drive to validate the E85 mapping, the conversion was complete.

My next fill-up: around €30. Compared with €80 with SP98.

Shiftech's FlexFuel reprogramming - called Flex for pure E85 conversion - starts at €599 inc VAT. at this price and with my driving habits, the return on investment is made in a few months. After that, it's pure profit every time I go to the petrol station.

The question is worth asking. Plug-and-play ethanol boxes exist, and they're cheaper. But they only correct the injection on the fly, they don't touch the engine mapping.

Shiftech reprogramming means :

• Mapping developed on a power bench, adapted to your specific engine

• Complete optimisation of all parameters (ignition, injection, turbo)

• A result that can be reversed at any time if you switch back to petrol

 

What about my hose?

It will be changed. And the car will go back to the bench. Nicolas told me that with a healthy hose, the Mini could produce 180 bhp after conversion to E85.

that's a 50% saving on fuel. And more power than when I started.

Frankly, I wasn't expecting that when I arrived.