IDK about the USA's mini warranty much, but in canada wear items are not coverd and have no effect on warranty. Tires, brake pads, disks, gas, oil, filters.

Eveything else for 4 years is and can not be changed, unless you dealer is nice and does not care...like mine.

 

aftermarket exaust is more than the jcw, and cheaper by far, 1k is if you pay 300 in labor!!!!! I sure wont pay that much for a catback install

piggyback might be 400 $

 

Here's how I got the numbers. Alta are charging 729-779 for thier exhaust, add shipping and it's close to 800-850. Then you may decided to pay to have it installed (I probably would just to be on the safe side as I don't have the equipment to work safely and easily under the car) so that's easily 150 at a good shop, maybe more depending on the time it takes to do the cat back removal and refit.
As for the ECU, the GIAC flash for the R50's and 53's is 400+ so I doubt the R56 will be any cheaper and likely more because of the complexity of the ECU.

Makes sense now?

 

that's half JCW costs, and the alta had gains almost the same

 

It's basically 1/2 for the exhaust which is the largest of the installed components (that we know about) but because we are spitballing prices for the ECU we don't have any real idea if this is a good purchase or not.
If no one can effectively crack the ECU then it become moot because the gains from tuning everything together will always outweight those from disparate aftermarket parts

 

its less about them cracking it and more about them just releasing it:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=109354
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=101395

i would really like to see apr get into the R56. lets all send them emails!

 

I agree when you consider I paid $500.00 for my custom, T304SS flex-pipe back system, $40.00 for my K&N "open element" intake, that right there is under $600.00, that leaves me with $1500 PLUS that labor amount which is a couple hundred dollars Now the perf numbers from JCW say the numbers go from 172/177 to 192/184 and IMO, I've already gained power from my 2 mods, what will I REALLY gain from the re-flash, I wonder

 

I've been reading this thread and decided to throw my .02 cents in...

Coming from the WRX world, the JCW stuff is alot like the STi stuff. It's very expensive. The only thing I ever worried about was fitment and functionality. I bought some STi stuff because it fit better and I bought some aftermarket stuff because it was way cheaper and performed the same function.

Turbo cars will perform better once they can breath better. No matter what exhaust you put on the car, as long as it can breath better it's going to perform better. You don't need JCW stuff in order to do that. Only dyno numbers can tell you which one is better.

Be careful changing out the Air Intake. On the WRX, aftermarket intakes made no difference unless you changed to a front mount intercooler, bigger turbo, injectors, fuel pump, etc. and were well into the 400 HP range. Even then, I think it was just for looks.

There will most definitely be a vendor/vendors out there that can remap your ECU in order to get you the most performance out of your car. It's just a matter of time. There's no sense in changing anything until you start modding and allowing the car to breath better. The remap will adjust your boost, air/fuel mixture, and timing to allow for optimum performance within safe parameters. It's pretty simple.

Bottom line, don't waste your money on 'JCW' stuff if there's a vendor out there that sells the same thing for half the price. Changing out the exhaust will not void your warranty. I've done it plenty of times. Wait a little while longer and see what comes out to enhance the performance of the new MINI. OK, sorry for the long post. Thanks guys.

 

I don't think I'd call the JCW stuff a "waste of money". If it was all show and no go (like all the JCW carbon fiber bits), then maybe. But this kit does make substantial HP and torque, and keeps the factory fuel economy intact. I think that's a pretty good deal in my book.

Not saying you can't do the same thing for less money if you go with aftermarket stuff, but the JCW certainly isn't a "waste of money".

 

If the parts perform the same and are made of the same material, then all you're paying for is the name 'JCW'.

There's no way they can keep fuel economy intact if they go in and mess around with the ECU and change the boost, air/fuel mixture, and timing. I had my WRX custom tuned for optimum performance and the fuel economy went out the window. Only way they can keep fuel economy is to run the car very lean. Otherwise, I'd have to see some stats, and real world findings, to believe it.

 

2100 for some jcw badges . Because an exhaust and airbox really need to be warrentied?

No doubt, any oem upgrades from any manufac. are gonna be expensive i guess.

 

This is a quote from THIS STORY on MotoringFile.com talking about the JCW stage 1 kit. It backs up what I said about the fuel economy...

"In other JCW news, we’ve also learned that official fuel economy figures are expect to remain identical to the standard Cooper S. We’re told that, while the engine is more powerful, the new components are just as efficient as the parts they replace."

 

I know, I read that, but how can the JCW parts be just as efficient as the parts they replace. I hope they are 'more' effecient. If they are just as efficient, how are they getting more power? They go into the ECU and adjust the boost, air/fuel mixture and timing. So by doing that, you will, in my opinion, use more fuel. In my experience with the WRX, that's what happened. That's how you get more power without actually changing parts inside the engine. When someone gets the kit and actually tests the fuel economy then we'll know.

Someone get this kit and let everyone know if it's worth it!

 

More power output can only come at the cost of fuel efficenly unless they were doing a port and polish on the motor or a new header (incresased efficency). The power they show in the JCW is at 4000+rpm and for EPA ratings it iwll not have and effect, drive agressivly....**** high like me and watch your mpg drop.

 

Why wouldn't there be other ways to increase efficiency? If the JCW software did a better job than the stock, that would be one way to increase efficiency. Better exhaust flow and better intake could, in theory, also increase efficiency without having to polish ports.

I just got an email from MiniMania about a Stage 2 Kit they are releasing this fall. They claim it out performs the JCW Stage 1 kit and only costs $1,500.

 

sweet!

minimania says software upgrade in kit

 

gotta love marketing spin:
I wouldn't call "will begin shipping " as "available".

Otherwise you could say the JCW stage 1 is available.

I'd love the extra power no matter if it came from MINI or the aftermarket but since I want to stay in G-Stock I can't do any of it

 

The JCW software isn't doing anything better than stock. All it's doing is increasing the boost, air/fuel mixture, and timing. That's how you get more power without doing anything to the motor in a turbo car. With more power comes less fuel economy. It's a known fact.

 

Then why does a R56 get better gas mileage than an r53?

Totally different engine I know but it is stronger and has better mileage.

(so maybe there was more than a software change)

 

A big part of the reason is likely because it's a turbo instead of a belt-driven supercharger. A belt-driven s/c makes good power, but it also takes power to run it - kind of like having an extra a/c compresser running off your engine all the time. The turbo doesn't have the engine drag, so the engine's not working as hard to make the power.

 

 

Seriously , ever heard of variable valve timing, like in the R56...increases power while increasing fuel economy, hmmmm...

 

I made that in jest yet since you take it so seriously,

it's more horsepower and torque and better fuel ecomomy. That destroys what you said about fact fact fact no matter how it was done.

 

More horsepower and torque over what? The R53? A turbocharged car will always get better gas mileage than a supercharged car. It's not 'on' all the time. Compare apples to apples. Geez. Why do you think MINI went with the turbo. Smaller motor + turbo = better gas mileage.

 

You're talking out of your a$$ broseph, and yet you say it's FACT