I'm toying with the idea of upgrading a S to Jcw spec, only looking under the hood, so ignore brakes, suspension and gearbox as I have firm plans in these areas

Is it a worth while exercise, or should I just jump to aftermarket components or wait till prices drop for a Jcw

Looking at this as a long term project with a 300hp target hp
I will keep car for 10 years at least so like to do things right 1st time

 

The way I'm doing it is a JCW Tuning Kit with a NM Power Module. This combo has been dyno'd at ~270 HP. I added the Helix intercooler and have a new intake coming for it tomorrow. When I'm out of warranty I figure by then Manic will have a tune for the F56. All I will need to add then is the de-cat DP, colder plugs, and I'm fairly confident that'll put it in the neighborhood of 300 HP.
I plan to hang on to my car for a while too.

 

Personally I would just rather get a JCW rather than making changes to an S to be like a JCW...

I'm not sure what you want to achive Blue Al with wanting the under the hood components? I think 300 bhp is achiveable without changing some internals of the JCW if that is what you are after.

Mine has been dyno'd at 285 bhp 303 ft/lbs torque and would not want any more power through the front wheels as I think it's already at it's limit and struggling to cope... Maybe a LSD would help...

Ryphile did an excellent write up between the models below -

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-cooper-s.html

 

Cheers
I knew I had read ryphilles post some time back
And couldn't remember if there was an answer on the turbo being the same

I'm aware of a few remaps creeping towards the magic 300
I'm just more of a fan of mechanical gains 1st, with maps being the icing on the cake

Yet I'm also reluctant to pay extra for badge engineering,

Reason for asking

I've seen a good cooper s for sale but my original plan was to buy a run out Jcw in 2020 or there abouts

 

The JCW has a lot of nice features and 20 more horsepower out of the box. However, if you are patient you might want to wait for the GP or another more track oriented version. Mini seems to be constantly adding variants to boost sales. I am very satisfied with my JCW with the NM chip and the JCW PRO exhaust. When you hit the overboost with this setup the little beast roars and the jump in acceleration is amazing for a 2 liter engine. If you enjoying adding your own mods the S may suit you better. That is one of the great joys of mini ownership, making it yours.

 

Thought you already had a MCS or is it time to trade it in?

 

Currently in a sensible SD, got 220hp and north of 300ft tq
I'm holding off spending any more on it, although planned water meth and 225d twin turbo setup
Could get me to a comfortable 270bhp, street sleeper.
But Missing supercharged power, not sure what to do to tickle that itch
But it will need north of 300bhp to keep me happy for any length of time

 

JCW cured mine, there used to be an old Alka Seltzer commercial in the US, "Try it you'll like it", I did (the JCW) and it did. I think the overboost is what really got me.

This will most likely only make it worse.
http://www.motoringfile.com/2016/11/...and+Podcast%29

 

As soon as someone finds the time and channel it will be shown on in the US, please post the info here.

 

As the show's producer is quoted as saying, “I learned that lesson many years ago while filming a motorcycle documentary in Italy. As we photographed professional test pilots racing their sport-bikes up an alpine road a man came flying up the hill in an original Mini Cooper. He drifted his way to the top with such grace that it put a huge smile on everyone’s face. That image has stayed with me ever since and I hope that this episode in some way helps share that same feeling with the television audience.”

And so, we motor

 

Either way there are a number of great options. Here's a handy upgrade guide that might help in the order you decide to do things:

http://new.minimania.com/Mini_Cooper..._for_your_Mini

Drive Hard. Drive Safe. Keep Grinning.

 

I upgraded several MINIs, at the present I convert a MCS into what i think comes close to my idea of a MINI.

I see it that way, JCW is the Tuning Version from MINI ex factory based on a Cooper S.

Here is my 100% Stock Version plus Prokit, The GPS top speed is around 234, note the drive deck analyser with wonderful features.