Drivetrain MINI on Tuner Transformation on SPEED channel
4th Gear
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 321
Likes: 0
From: Melbourne, FL
Hope the Phantom Grip holds up for you, as I have heard several reports of it failing in track and autocross use. Never cared for a design that has metal pressing against metal to create the limited slip action.
As for replacing it yourself on jackstands... heh, better be tall ones as you have to drop the front suspension crossmember and the entire motor/transaxle assembly. I do pretty much all my own work, but I left that job to professionals for my Quaife install.
As for replacing it yourself on jackstands... heh, better be tall ones as you have to drop the front suspension crossmember and the entire motor/transaxle assembly. I do pretty much all my own work, but I left that job to professionals for my Quaife install.
Thread Starter
|
4th Gear
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 344
Likes: 0
From: Toronto, Canada
>>That was the most disapointing thing I have seen in a long time. I'm not saying you didn't get great stuff done to your car, anything free is probably good but they could have done sooooo much more. You should have ended up with 250hp (intercooler, header, big valve head, cam, throttle body, ignition upgrade and ecu upgrade), coilovers, big brake kit and and an LSD for $10,000. The people on the show didn't seem to even know what they were talking about. I would think they should have done some homework first but maybe they did what they could to make the JCW sound good if those were the only parts available to them. At least they could have picked someone who had a completely stock car, that would have made more sense.
>>
>>I would look at selling your car tomorrow and getting your money out of the JCW and buy a new MINI. The problem I see with the JCW is that once you mod it to get more HP you loose the value of the JCW because you replace JCW parts with "Aftermarket" parts that now don't have the JCW name/value.
>>
>>I was dissapointed because my car has similar upgrades to yours and If I had $10,000, I could do everything to my car that I've wanted to do and probably had money left over.
>>
>>I guess on the upside, at least they didn't totaly waste the money and put TV screens, video games and a big sub in the boot.
>>
>>_________________
>>
As I said in a previous post. The show does the mods through the generosity of sponsors. In this case MINI was the sponsor. Had they gone the route of what you said they would have had to source WAY more sponsors. I agree that's the direction I would have gone with $10,000 but in the end I've got a warranty so I'm happy.
The Phantom Grip works, more torque steer as can be expected with just about any LSD but it's not a crazy amount. The biggest issue is that after 2-3 years the springs that the Phantom Grip uses start to loose their spring so you've got to replace them. When that happens I'll swap in a Quaife.
Paul
>>
>>I would look at selling your car tomorrow and getting your money out of the JCW and buy a new MINI. The problem I see with the JCW is that once you mod it to get more HP you loose the value of the JCW because you replace JCW parts with "Aftermarket" parts that now don't have the JCW name/value.
>>
>>I was dissapointed because my car has similar upgrades to yours and If I had $10,000, I could do everything to my car that I've wanted to do and probably had money left over.
>>
>>I guess on the upside, at least they didn't totaly waste the money and put TV screens, video games and a big sub in the boot.
>>
>>_________________
>>
As I said in a previous post. The show does the mods through the generosity of sponsors. In this case MINI was the sponsor. Had they gone the route of what you said they would have had to source WAY more sponsors. I agree that's the direction I would have gone with $10,000 but in the end I've got a warranty so I'm happy.
The Phantom Grip works, more torque steer as can be expected with just about any LSD but it's not a crazy amount. The biggest issue is that after 2-3 years the springs that the Phantom Grip uses start to loose their spring so you've got to replace them. When that happens I'll swap in a Quaife.
Paul
6th Gear
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 3,359
Likes: 1
From: New Jersey
I think they did a good job except for the graphics. Now you have about the same power with better resale value and a factory warranty. It would be nice to have headers, larger inter-cooler and a throttle body but those are some things you can add if you sell the wheels.
5th Gear
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,014
Likes: 0
I know it's been said in another thread...
If you're going to go through all that work, they had the car all ripped apart to put the Works kit on, why not spend the money on a Quaife rather than another 6 hours* of additional labor to rip it all apart again?
But hey, it's free and he gets his warranty back. Good for you Paul!
As far as the graphics, I like them. Looks like they spent as much time putting those on as they did the other stuff.
I also wanted to slap that chick when she said "You got the Supercharger!"
Paul: "Yeah! when I bought the car!"
_________________
"Mjolnir" | DS/B MCS | Madison, WI
Madness Intake | Madness Swaybar | Helix Pulley | 17" Kosei K-1 Racers | GY Eagle F1 GS-D3| HSport Springs | RDR Control Arms
<IMG SRC="http://mcs.maximus-consulting.com/grillsmall.jpg"
If you're going to go through all that work, they had the car all ripped apart to put the Works kit on, why not spend the money on a Quaife rather than another 6 hours* of additional labor to rip it all apart again?
But hey, it's free and he gets his warranty back. Good for you Paul!
As far as the graphics, I like them. Looks like they spent as much time putting those on as they did the other stuff.
I also wanted to slap that chick when she said "You got the Supercharger!"
Paul: "Yeah! when I bought the car!"
_________________
"Mjolnir" | DS/B MCS | Madison, WI
Madness Intake | Madness Swaybar | Helix Pulley | 17" Kosei K-1 Racers | GY Eagle F1 GS-D3| HSport Springs | RDR Control Arms
<IMG SRC="http://mcs.maximus-consulting.com/grillsmall.jpg"
3rd Gear
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 240
Likes: 0
From: SE Michigan
Hey man they did a nice job. I really liked the graphics, but your car seemed well tuned to start with. The guys in the shop seemed pretty freaking clueless when it comes to the MINI. I would have been really interested in seeing dyno tests of before and after, but the JCW guys may have been rather embarassed if their kit came in with only moderate gains, or even worse, less ponies and torque.
Oh man, was that painful. The powertrain guy with his hand on the intercooler, looking around, saying, "and somewhere in there is a supercharger"--and here I am screaming at the TV "It's right under the thing you have your hand on!"
Talking about the JCW 'bigger' supercharger, and the minitech agreeing WTF???
I think the best part of the show was watching the techs pulling apart the MINI and putting it back together, really sweet watching the internals, seeing both the stock head and the upgrade.
All in all, the show itself was just OK, I guess I'll have to watch more of them to see if these guys will get thrilled by anything other than a civic.
Oh man, was that painful. The powertrain guy with his hand on the intercooler, looking around, saying, "and somewhere in there is a supercharger"--and here I am screaming at the TV "It's right under the thing you have your hand on!"
Talking about the JCW 'bigger' supercharger, and the minitech agreeing WTF???
I think the best part of the show was watching the techs pulling apart the MINI and putting it back together, really sweet watching the internals, seeing both the stock head and the upgrade.
All in all, the show itself was just OK, I guess I'll have to watch more of them to see if these guys will get thrilled by anything other than a civic.
6th Gear
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 3,433
Likes: 1
From: Gloucester, MA, USA
You need to remember that this is a TV show - it was not made to entertain *us* but the general viewer.
We know that Paul had lots of stuff done already - but most people don't know and they did not say.
Selling the JCW is a "good thing" for MINI (the SPONSOR) and a good thing for "normal" viewers. Even the average MINI viewer will get much more out of a program that sells the JCW than one that throws in lots of warranty destroying stuff. The JCW is a complete package that gives a result. If the TV show bought lots of different parts and put them together, working on top of what Paul had already, it would be a very confusing show for many people.
Personally, I nearly switched off when the show started with the two techs saying they did not like the MINI. That was a mistake for the sponsor - you don't want the TV show rubbishing your product!
We know that Paul had lots of stuff done already - but most people don't know and they did not say.
Selling the JCW is a "good thing" for MINI (the SPONSOR) and a good thing for "normal" viewers. Even the average MINI viewer will get much more out of a program that sells the JCW than one that throws in lots of warranty destroying stuff. The JCW is a complete package that gives a result. If the TV show bought lots of different parts and put them together, working on top of what Paul had already, it would be a very confusing show for many people.
Personally, I nearly switched off when the show started with the two techs saying they did not like the MINI. That was a mistake for the sponsor - you don't want the TV show rubbishing your product!
6th Gear
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 3,652
Likes: 6
From: Lansdale, PA
Congrats, Paulmon! Free stuff is always good. 
) and just show the actual wrenching on the car.
Paul, if I had know you were gonna be a TV star, I would have gotten your autograph when I met you at Helix last year.
_________________
SHOW ME THE NUMBERS!
...How Fast is Your MINI?...My Mods...
) and just show the actual wrenching on the car.Paul, if I had know you were gonna be a TV star, I would have gotten your autograph when I met you at Helix last year.
_________________
SHOW ME THE NUMBERS!
...How Fast is Your MINI?...My Mods...
5th Gear
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 601
Likes: 0
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Not to go over this again, but everybody seems to...
doesn't the lsd bring you righ tback to where you were before (warranty wise)?
Also, why is quaife better then phatom something or other?
L
doesn't the lsd bring you righ tback to where you were before (warranty wise)?
Also, why is quaife better then phatom something or other?
L
OVERDRIVE
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,926
Likes: 40
From: Greensboro, NC
I lost it after the mechanics talked about the supercharger and a moment of silence while they all looked up and down, all around for it They hadn't a clue where the supercharger was on the Mini Not to mention that it is the worst edit job I've ever seen. Seems like there was more commercial time than actual footage...probably a whole 10 minutes worth of show. They spent the first 15 minutes just talking 
_________________
They hadn't a clue where the supercharger was on the Mini Not to mention that it is the worst edit job I've ever seen. Seems like there was more commercial time than actual footage...probably a whole 10 minutes worth of show. They spent the first 15 minutes just talking _________________
5th Gear
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,081
Likes: 0
From: Texas
All I can say is... if someone wanted to give me a free JCW kit, by all means, slap it on there. Period. Who cares if it's the 'ultimate' mod like some people are saying you 'should' have gotten... you got a smooth, reliable, unique vehicle.
FWIW, all these 'mod' and 'tuner' shows are pretty annoying. I think I have seen/heard mistakes on nearly all of them on every network. Shrug.
FWIW, all these 'mod' and 'tuner' shows are pretty annoying. I think I have seen/heard mistakes on nearly all of them on every network. Shrug.
6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,469
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta/Amsterdam
If you asked me, this was another ploy by Mini to sell their kits and push the aftermarket out of the picture.
As usually Mini got into this show and flexed there muscles. It made it appear like the tuners had some choices to make. They were clueless about the car and made then talked about the JCW kit like it was a commercial. I am sure Mini is just squirming in their pants that an LSD got into the car, that wasn't a JCW brand product. I am suprised they had it done at the dealership.
The show was just aweful. First they mention that the car should be built with autox in mind, since that is what the owner wanted. They then throw on some heavy 18" JCW wheels that took out a quarter of the budget. Who drives a heavy set of 18" wheels at an Autox. In fact, you drives a set of 18" wheels period, heavy or now heavy for an Autox.
Again, with autox in mind, all they could come up with was a set of lowering springs and a not so good LSD. They had half the car apart with the JCW install. They could have just poped a Quaife in at that time. A Quaife with minimal install would have been cheaper than the Phantom LSD with full install time. What happen to a good suspension. That is much more important to AutoX, then to give him an extra 10hp.
Like I said, they didn't really provide the owner with what he was looking for. Since BMW doesn't have those in the bins, they can only hype their Works kit. As far as getting a new tuner, they could have just gotten H-Sport and Mini-Madness to sponsor it and could have done a lot more.
I would have said, a great Brake Kit, a full suspension setup, a really nice set of wheels and something cool under the hood (water intercooler or nitrous setup for fun). That would have only been about $2000 for the brake kit, $1500 for a full H-Sport kit, $1500 for a water intercooler, or $700 for a Venom Nitrous kit, and $2000 for some really nice autox wheels. That would have only been about $7000 and throw in another $2000 for the BMW aero kit or similiar. This would have all been under $10,000 and you could have probably squeezed in a Quaife under the $10,000 mark by moving a couple of things around. This would have been more in line with what paulmon was looking for.
Paulmon,
why did they pick you? Especially with a modified car as your own.
As usually Mini got into this show and flexed there muscles. It made it appear like the tuners had some choices to make. They were clueless about the car and made then talked about the JCW kit like it was a commercial. I am sure Mini is just squirming in their pants that an LSD got into the car, that wasn't a JCW brand product. I am suprised they had it done at the dealership.
The show was just aweful. First they mention that the car should be built with autox in mind, since that is what the owner wanted. They then throw on some heavy 18" JCW wheels that took out a quarter of the budget. Who drives a heavy set of 18" wheels at an Autox. In fact, you drives a set of 18" wheels period, heavy or now heavy for an Autox.
Again, with autox in mind, all they could come up with was a set of lowering springs and a not so good LSD. They had half the car apart with the JCW install. They could have just poped a Quaife in at that time. A Quaife with minimal install would have been cheaper than the Phantom LSD with full install time. What happen to a good suspension. That is much more important to AutoX, then to give him an extra 10hp.
Like I said, they didn't really provide the owner with what he was looking for. Since BMW doesn't have those in the bins, they can only hype their Works kit. As far as getting a new tuner, they could have just gotten H-Sport and Mini-Madness to sponsor it and could have done a lot more.
I would have said, a great Brake Kit, a full suspension setup, a really nice set of wheels and something cool under the hood (water intercooler or nitrous setup for fun). That would have only been about $2000 for the brake kit, $1500 for a full H-Sport kit, $1500 for a water intercooler, or $700 for a Venom Nitrous kit, and $2000 for some really nice autox wheels. That would have only been about $7000 and throw in another $2000 for the BMW aero kit or similiar. This would have all been under $10,000 and you could have probably squeezed in a Quaife under the $10,000 mark by moving a couple of things around. This would have been more in line with what paulmon was looking for.
Paulmon,
why did they pick you? Especially with a modified car as your own.
5th Gear
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 850
Likes: 0
From: SoNo
What is an LSD?
Acid, man... acid
_________________
03 IB/W MCS
Fairfield County Sports Car Club:
March 27 Rookie Challenge Non-Stock class- 2nd place finish
March 28 non-points event Rookie Non-Stock class-2nd place finish
6th Gear
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,432
Likes: 0
Somehow I knew that bonehead "exterior stlying" expert was going to slap on the biggest damn decal he could come up with! That's all he ever does. Slap on a decal! Wow man, if that is his claim to fame....that's pretty lame.
And somebody, please, educate the "tuners" and the MINI tech guy about the car before you start rolling tape!
And somebody, please, educate the "tuners" and the MINI tech guy about the car before you start rolling tape!
4th Gear
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 352
Likes: 0
From: Charlotte, NC
Personally I loved it! I was jumping up and down. I'd love to have a JCW. As soon as I can afford it I'm getting it! First I have to trade up to the "S". Waiting untill 2005 for that...
I missed the suspension going in, what suspension did they use?
Off subject but when the he!! is BMW going to offer a LSD! This is rediculous. 200HP JCW kit and no LSD. Not even Ford is stupid enough to offer the Focus with that much HP and no LSD. BMW needs to get a clue and offer the damn thing. Without it the car will never be competitive. Also why weren't camber plates installed from the factory. They market this car to the AutoX'rs and then drop the ball by leaving out the LSD and adjustable suspension.
steps off soap box... sorry love the car but sometimes BMW really burns my butt...
I missed the suspension going in, what suspension did they use?
Off subject but when the he!! is BMW going to offer a LSD! This is rediculous. 200HP JCW kit and no LSD. Not even Ford is stupid enough to offer the Focus with that much HP and no LSD. BMW needs to get a clue and offer the damn thing. Without it the car will never be competitive. Also why weren't camber plates installed from the factory. They market this car to the AutoX'rs and then drop the ball by leaving out the LSD and adjustable suspension.
steps off soap box... sorry love the car but sometimes BMW really burns my butt...
6th Gear
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,068
Likes: 1
From: the great country of california
I watched it and I fast forwarded a lot of it. Thank you TIVO! You know what I am talking A-BOAT? Watching everything come off and go on was the best part. Watching the performance and graphics guy was not. The suspension guy was okay and the female was too rah rah for me. Other then that, a great segment!
Watching everything come off and go on was the best part. Watching the performance and graphics guy was not. The suspension guy was okay and the female was too rah rah for me. Other then that, a great segment!
6th Gear
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 3,433
Likes: 1
From: Gloucester, MA, USA
OK. Just for everyone that did not see it ... I transferred from TIVO to DVD, then took some screen captures with PowerDVD ...
You can see all of them on this gallery page
If anyone needs to see this program, I guess I can copy the DVD and mail it. It is probably possible to make a Quicktime file, but I have not done that before ...
PS:
Did not bother capturing any JCW upgrade pics, because I have lots of those pics on GBMINIs upgrade back in January ...
_________________
Ian C. Gloucester, MA
<A href="http://www.gbmini.net">"GBMINI"</a>...uot;</a>
Indi Blue / Lapis Blue MCS ... body color exterior trim, chrome grille, painted roof Union Jack, Euro shelf, working rear fogs and JCW kit!
You can see all of them on this gallery page
If anyone needs to see this program, I guess I can copy the DVD and mail it. It is probably possible to make a Quicktime file, but I have not done that before ...
PS:
Did not bother capturing any JCW upgrade pics, because I have lots of those pics on GBMINIs upgrade back in January ...
_________________
Ian C. Gloucester, MA
<A href="http://www.gbmini.net">"GBMINI"</a>...uot;</a>
Indi Blue / Lapis Blue MCS ... body color exterior trim, chrome grille, painted roof Union Jack, Euro shelf, working rear fogs and JCW kit!
Thread Starter
|
4th Gear
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 344
Likes: 0
From: Toronto, Canada
>>Here's the part I'm sure they edited out:
>>
>>announcer: We installed an LSD.
>>paulmon: Yes! I got a Quaife?
>>announcer: No, a phantom grip
>>paulmon: Ah crap!
>>
>>
I can completley admit that that was my thought process.
Paul
>>
>>announcer: We installed an LSD.
>>paulmon: Yes! I got a Quaife?
>>announcer: No, a phantom grip
>>paulmon: Ah crap!
>>
>>
I can completley admit that that was my thought process.
Paul
4th Gear
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 587
Likes: 0
Man Andy I had the same letdown. All right! He got a quaife out of it. Aw sh*t--phantom grip?!
Ah, we'd all be happy with a free JCW kit whether we acknowledge it here or not. He'll also be able to sell the big honkin' 18" wheels and mebbe pop for some of the things that should've been in the initial spec sheet.
I got one important bit of info out of this thread--I don't need to ever see that show!
I'm still happy for you Paul--a hearty congrats!
Jeff
Ah, we'd all be happy with a free JCW kit whether we acknowledge it here or not. He'll also be able to sell the big honkin' 18" wheels and mebbe pop for some of the things that should've been in the initial spec sheet.
I got one important bit of info out of this thread--I don't need to ever see that show!
I'm still happy for you Paul--a hearty congrats!
Jeff
Thread Starter
|
4th Gear
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 344
Likes: 0
From: Toronto, Canada
>>Man Andy I had the same letdown. All right! He got a quaife out of it. Aw sh*t--phantom grip?!
>>
>>Ah, we'd all be happy with a free JCW kit whether we acknowledge it here or not. He'll also be able to sell the big honkin' 18" wheels and mebbe pop for some of the things that should've been in the initial spec sheet.
>>
>>I got one important bit of info out of this thread--I don't need to ever see that show!
>>
>>I'm still happy for you Paul--a hearty congrats!
>>
>>Jeff
>>
Thanks Friedduck, I'm getting slagged for some reason over on Motoring File. I don't scream like a school girl and I get slagged.
Actualy Nuzzo Motorsports uses the Phantom Grip so I figure, good enough for them good enough for me.
Paul
>>
>>Ah, we'd all be happy with a free JCW kit whether we acknowledge it here or not. He'll also be able to sell the big honkin' 18" wheels and mebbe pop for some of the things that should've been in the initial spec sheet.
>>
>>I got one important bit of info out of this thread--I don't need to ever see that show!
>>
>>I'm still happy for you Paul--a hearty congrats!
>>
>>Jeff
>>
Thanks Friedduck, I'm getting slagged for some reason over on Motoring File. I don't scream like a school girl and I get slagged.
Actualy Nuzzo Motorsports uses the Phantom Grip so I figure, good enough for them good enough for me.
Paul
6th Gear
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 3,359
Likes: 1
From: New Jersey
And somebody, please, educate the "tuners" and the MINI tech guy about the car before you start rolling tape!
Then the MINI guy and suspension guy saying the smaller pulley doesn't really do anything for power - just a little bit - but the JCW's bigger supercharger gives a lot more power!
Give me a break! As far as the mods go, they would have been very good had the car been a stock MCS. Why pick a modded MCS with 195ish HP and slap on the 200HP JCW kit for $6k and 5HP??? They took off your magnaflow that actually makes decent power and stuck on the JCW exhaust (which the suspension guy was thrilled with) which gives very little!
Major disappointment! I was so expecting them to be creative with their mods. Instead of "oh let's put the JCW kit on". Seriously, the Powertrain guy did nothing! He didn't even know where the supercharger was (must have never seen one?)
I thought he would do some installing...imagine if he did though? The guy couldn't find the supercharger!And of course, like has been said, don't start with that chick. "You got the supercharger!" The only thing worse than saying that was saying it twice!
I'll never watch that show again...
Neutral
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Can you please make it a quicktime or put it to dvd? i would gladly pay for shipping and the disk to get it to me!! Thanks! PM me if possible!
>>OK. Just for everyone that did not see it ... I transferred from TIVO to DVD, then took some screen captures with PowerDVD ...
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>You can see all of them on this gallery page
>>
>>If anyone needs to see this program, I guess I can copy the DVD and mail it. It is probably possible to make a Quicktime file, but I have not done that before ...
>>
>>
>>PS:
>>Did not bother capturing any JCW upgrade pics, because I have lots of those pics on GBMINIs upgrade back in January ...
>>
>>_________________
>>Ian C. Gloucester, MA
>><A href="http://www.gbmini.net">"GBMINI"</a>...uot;</a>
>>
>>Indi Blue / Lapis Blue MCS ... body color exterior trim, chrome grille, painted roof Union Jack, Euro shelf, working rear fogs and JCW kit!
>>
>>OK. Just for everyone that did not see it ... I transferred from TIVO to DVD, then took some screen captures with PowerDVD ...
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>You can see all of them on this gallery page
>>
>>If anyone needs to see this program, I guess I can copy the DVD and mail it. It is probably possible to make a Quicktime file, but I have not done that before ...
>>
>>
>>PS:
>>Did not bother capturing any JCW upgrade pics, because I have lots of those pics on GBMINIs upgrade back in January ...
>>
>>_________________
>>Ian C. Gloucester, MA
>><A href="http://www.gbmini.net">"GBMINI"</a>...uot;</a>
>>
>>Indi Blue / Lapis Blue MCS ... body color exterior trim, chrome grille, painted roof Union Jack, Euro shelf, working rear fogs and JCW kit!
>>
