I know this might seem like a dumb question, but one I thought I'd throw out there. We were talking the other day at work where we have an 08' JCW and thought out loud about swapping the ECU's around, would it work guys

 

The ecu's aren't different. It is just a different tuning flash.

 

If is anything like other german cars with the CAN bus system than the ECU is coded into that car and requires the dealer's "system" to pull codes out of it so you can add it to the new car with those codes. The ECU is problably also tied into many other control units of that car and they all talk to each other. I know anytime we add a new ECU you have to make all the control units complete a "handshake" with each other. I would bet money that you couldn't take one out of a wrecked JCW and throw it your MCS and it just work. Cars are to complicated nowdays.

 

The ECU's are physically the same, but the problem is each one is VIN-coded to its chassis. Plug in an ECU from another car and it won't start until the dealership re-codes it to your VIN.

 

Even if the car did run, the flash would be assuming that it could draw more boost than the standard turbo has to offer. The JCW turbo is a different design with more capacity.

 

Don't' kid yourself. The ECU controls the boost pressure via the vacuum controlled actuator, it has little to do with what the turbo "has to offer", because the aftermarket has proven the stock MCS turbo can make significantly more power than the factory JCW. The JCW turbo is barely any different. We're not talking the difference between a Garrett GT2052 and GT2560R, the JCW turbo is marginally different than a stock MCS, and most of that difference is in the plastic inlet tube. Running 7.5PSIg more boost than the MCS does wonders for power, even on a turbo that's close to the edge of the certified compressor mapping. Aftermarket flashes for the MCS are running ~21PSIg, which is about 2 PSIg more than the factory JCW. What you get with the factory JCW is a stronger cylinder head and revised compression ratio to keep running that high boost during durability testing.


MINI pushing the envelope on superchargers isn't new; the R53, even in bone-stock form, operates the Eaton M45 off the published compressor map.

 

Thanks for all the info guys, we were just curious at work about it and didn't exactly have access to a JCW ECU, so I'll wait till I get some money together and try the MINI Madness/EVOtech re-flash