So there are R53 JCW Exhausts/Silencer, Front Pipes and Tail pipes available for the Euro Spec right hand drive R53's at a dealer in the UK. Will this fit the same right hand drive Aussie R53?

How much HP will it add and will the other JCW tuning kits fit the R53 MCS? Will adding the GP JCW tuning kit....intercooler kit, airbox and injector kit get the engine and HP up to the 200-210 HP range? I'm not going to upgrade the suspension, just the engine parts starting with the exhaust.

 

You can do so much better than the JCW parts. They ask an arm & a leg for the MINI branded parts, and frankly, you could spend less and get more by going true aftermarket.

 

The exhaust should fit and would be worth getting if you can get it at a decent price, the JCW exhaust is actually one of the best exhausts available for the R53 platform.

As far as the rest of it, AirBox/CAI is also one of the better versions out there, but there are others that work just as well, (DDM for one) biggest thing here again would be price.
Injectors are also worth it, mostly because the JCW 380cc injectors will work without a tune.
GP intercooler, not worth it unless you track the car, a lot.
JCW Head & JCW Pulley, Not Worth It, Pulley is only 13%, you want aftermarket 15% or 17% for best overall daily use, and the JCW Head is basically stock with a slight porting on the exhaust side, Definitely Not worth the money or even the time to do the swap, plus even without a different head, with all these other items (esp. Pulley) and a tune of some kind, you'll be in the 190-200 range. (And that's WHP not BHP)

 

Great feedback blwnaway. I have a great lead on the JCW exhaust, tail pipes, front pipe and fittings.

I'll get the JCW airbox and injectors...they come as a kit with a 10% discount. I can upgrade the filter to a foam filter.

 

Yes, don't bother with the paper filter, I've been pretty happy with the ITG, but don't know what's available to you.
Have fun with it, glad I could help.

Oh, and as a reference, a factory tuned 210 JCW car is actually only 165-170 whp.

 

Thanks again! The purpose is just for some street fun, low to mid range torque and twisties on the Great Ocean Road. I don't want a speeding ticket generating machine, just a mid life crisis project and fun times.

What is the ITG? I'm new to the mini platform....always wanted one forever but went from a Honda Prelude to a Nissan Skyline G35 to a RAV4 2dr Cruiser to my 2nd car...I gave the RAV4 to the wifey to the Mini.

I'll probably go with the JCW airbox and 380 injectors to keep things mostly Mini.

So far I've sourced and need to have implemented:

Valeo Single Mass Flywheel and clutch kit
Nology plug wires and MSD Ignition Coil
Alta 3rd Gen 15% Pulley kit with cold plugs and belt kit
Going to get a Cravenspeed adjustable short shifter
and that's it so far for the Engine components.

I want to have all this done at once while doing the clutch, which has the infamous flywheel rattle. Then I will get into some subtle exterior and interior mods like:

Whalen Tall Shifter and E-Brake
JCW Carbon Fiber intake scoop, mirror covers (to protect the originals from bugs that will eventually be smacking them relentlessly while I'm flying down the road), carbon fiber rear door hatch, LED rear brake lights and other nice touches.

First order of business is to fix the clutch issue and make the car sound badass and give it some low end torque.


I want to have the exhaust done at the same

 

Just for reference, does the JCW exhaust add any HP or is it just the sound?

 

ITG is just a brand of foam filter.

As far as the exhaust, besides a particular sound (more of a tone, not that it's much louder) it has been found to have just the right amount of flow -vs- back pressure for most of the normal performance mods.

 

I will add my JCW exhaust with a Mynes V2 header and the rezonator removed sounds incredible when I stomp on it.

 

I'd like to see the evidence which shows the JCW catback outperforming other aftermarket options, especially for the cost. Not arguing; just intrigued.

I've owned 15 or so cars, more than half being tuned & forced induction, and not once has an OEM tuning group part outperformed a well made aftermarket piece. EG: Mazdaspeed, AMG, M, Abarth, NISMO, SRT, etc. I think you can do better than JCW, my friend.

I will say this: I agree that the JCW exhaust paired with an aftermarket header sounds very, very good.

 

Do you have a youtube clip? I'm certainly interested!

 

Do you have any particular aftermarket performance street exhausts in mind? I'm certainly open to alternatives!

 

There are others out there that will work as good, maybe even better, it's just "one of" the the better options, I don't know if anyone actually did any test data, my comment was simply from what people have used and chosen to use over the last 13 years, including those of us with BVH's, that's also one of the reasons I mentioned getting it at a good cost, and yes of course you could probably do just as well with aftermarket if you compare it at full retail cost.

Check the exhaust sound clip sticky.

 

Sure- I'm with ya. I just always look at things from a cost-to-benefit standpoint. When doing that, rarely if ever do OEM tuning parts offer the best bang for the buck.

In USD:

JCW Catback w/ tips: ~$1,100
JCW 380cc Injectors: ~$400
JCW Air Intake: ~$350
JCW High Flow Head: ~$3000

Total: $4,850




Scorpion Catback: $550
Bosch 380's $150
DDM Intake $250
Thumper TPR1 Head $1,300

Total: $2,650


It's not even close, frankly. I mean, ****: That Thumper head adds 24whp alone on a stock tune. The fact that people are still paying for JCW specific injectors is crazy, too. It's your cash, so by all means do what feels right, but it seems short-sighted and wasteful to blow the cash on JCW bits.

 

JCW exhaust sounds great, one of my personal favs. Good luck with the build , you can more bang for buck out of the aftermarket stuff. Those JCW Tuning Kit cars are hard to find anymore. It was a pretty price back in the day and still is.

 

Where can I get the Mynes V2 Header?

 

I'm definately interested in this route but I'm having trouble sourcing some of these parts that ship to Australia, with the shipping included the price could double.

For just the JCW Exhaust that I found in the UK I've added up:

JCW Exhaust 775
JCW Exhaust Front Pipes 427
JCW Exhaust Tailpipe Finisher 105
62.3mm Clamp 25
55mm Rear Exhaust Clamp 58
Total $1390 AUD or about $1100 USD before shipping.....

I looked into the Scorpion Exhaust from the US and shipping alone would be $500 USD or $650 AUD.

I'm thinking I'm only interested in the JCW Exhaust and Airbox. The injectors I can go with Bosch and an aftermarket header.

 

If adding larger fuel injectors you'll need to consider having the engine tuned.

 

Well, after alot of searching I found an Aussie performance parts vendor with some interesting upgrades:

M7 Airbox, will this fit the R53 exactly?

http://australia.vividracing.com/cat...150918558.html

Edit: Well Scheisse, the place is in the US....

 

Bummer, man. It must be hard finding parts on that Island.... Regarding the exhaust bit, if you can find a good welder / exhaust fabricator in AUS, it'd probably cost half of a JCW unit. Injectors & airbox are easy to ship, but it looks like shipping any part may prove cost prohibitive. *****.

 

Ok Gang,

Here's my wishlist of Mods, what's my expected TQ and HP gains?

Combo 1
Alta CAI and Air Filter
Alta 15% Pulley
Alta Air Intake Diverter
Borla Race Exhaust
Megan Racing EZ Street Coilovers

Pros: Most HP gains
Cons: Loudest inside cabin

Combo 2
JCW CAI and Alta Air Filter
Alta 15% Pulley
Alta Air Intake Diverter
Borla Street Exhaust
Megan Racing EZ Street Coilovers

Pros: Quieter inside cabin noise
Cons: Less TQ and HP gains

What's the best happy medium for a daily driver? My commute is 5 minutes to the office but I'm in Victoria, Australia and have some of the greatest roads in the world at my feet....the Great Ocean Road and other twisty turnie roads.

I don't want a speeding ticket magnet but I want a fun, spirited, kick *** ride.

GO!

 

Ok- so I know we spent a lot of time focusing on speed & power modifications initially, but now you're coming off like handling might be the better focus. Handling > Speed if your commute is composed of amazing twisty roads. Consider that.

Either of those set-ups is fine, but I personally wouldn't waste the $ on an intercooler air diverter. People have logged their air intake temps before and after the mod, and it barely makes a difference.

 

Cool, noted on the diverter...it seemed like it'd be unnecessary.

Also, I added Megan Racing EZ Street Coilovers to the wish list. I want some speed and handling....low/mid range torque and HP but also a lowered stance and better handling than stock. I also may need a front end engine strut bar and rear sway bar for those twisties.

 

Rear sway bar will change the car's handling dynamics noticeably. As will front camber plates, whether lowered or not.

 

In a good way or bad way? I do want it lower....just because it looks so cool.

Then what's the difference between springs and coilovers? The consensus seems to be CO's are better and springs make the ride harder without much handling benefit.