... and I must say that any and all trepidation I had harboured has been displaced by a very satisfying warm fuzzy feeling (this must be what addicts experience with their respective drugs) and total abject exhilaration. I have finally learned the meaning of "giddy"... in the best of all possible ways. The car was pleasing to drive before JCW, but now it is a total rush.

Smooth acceleration, no more "S - stumble", 1st gear potency that I only use to dream of, smoothness and adequate power throughout the gears, a supercharger noise that I can describe as either "a melodic din", or as a "cacophony of shear delight"... or both ! The airbox (with the flap mechanism) kicks proverbial b*tt. Also, I was concerned that gas mileage would be adversely affected... concern entirely unwarranted... for the mpg has increased !

I thought the MCS's exhaust note would be louder... but it is not. It is mellow in tone, but has the capacity to produce an ear pleasing growl when summoned to do so with absolutely zero cabin resonance. It is quieter than my old MCS stock exhaust and looks 1000 times better ! Also, the tips are not overstated and look very very sweet.

I am totally stoked that I went the "factory route" and did not give in to the "less expensive temptation" of aftermarket performance mods (though I have indeed seen some of these aftermarket packages exceed the cost of JCW, as well as the H.P. and torque produced by the JCW, so I definitely do not find fault with those that would follow that route...)

IMHO, JCW rules.

 

sounds like you are having a blast! enjoy!

 

Considering the current state of my car you look pretty good from where I sit.

 

Just for curiosity's sake, what year is your MCS and how many miles did it have on it when you had the JCW kit installed?

 

What was the total cost?

 

Congrats! As I almost went with the factory JCW upgrade i/o going aftermarket. I definitely agree that the factory route may retain a higher resale value as well as having more geniune upgrade parts.

Hate to make the following statement but recently had a few friendly comparison runs against my friend's 05 JCW MCS with my 04 MCS equipped with 19%, JCW Injectors, Alta Intake, GIAC, & Borla Race (stocker headers, stock plugs still)....and the result is considerably quickly from a stand still and rolling runs. by the middle/end of 4th gear, I am near 3-4 car lengths ahead. I'm sure the mods on a JCW would be quite astonishing on hp increases! :=P

 

Had the JCW 210 kit installed on my '04 MCS (built 9/18/03) December 20, 2004 with 15,000 miles on the clock. I was very careful for the first 600 miles but have really "enjoyed it" since then.

I concur with NYMINIME about the aftermarket upgrades performing somewhat better at the top end but I rarely drive way up there. I believe better peak HP numbers will be show on a dyno from a carefully modded MCS with near equivalent aftermarket changes. My goal was to optimize torque from about 2500 to 5000 rpm in a very smoooooth delivery AND retain warranty/resale advantages. The JCW 210 has achieved this admirably.

I have also done the MTH ECU map upgrade and suggest anyone with a JCW 210 stromgly consider this mod. It seems to have somewhat increased torque in the lower rpms (probably due to the ASC/DSC modification) and in the 5000 rpm plus range (probably due to the modified A/F maps). The MTH is the best $70 I ever spent on a car mod!

FWIW,

Theo

 

I have just fitted mine as well. It's great but mine got a metal cranking noise from the exhaust at idle, going to see the dealer sometime this week.

 

Did you switch cars mid-way through and run in eachother's cars? Otherwise that test is useless... the driver skill makes a big difference in doing runs like that.

 

NYMINIME,

Doesn't make any sense to me; I find it hard to believe that an 04 with those mods up agaist an 05 JCW was 3-4 car lengths ahead. And the 05 gearing is considerable quicker than an 04...to the point I would say you would have to be producing considerably more hp than an 05 JCW...considerably = 50-70hp more to be 3-4 car lengths ahead. 40hp of that number just to overcome the gearing advantage in the 05. 3rd, 4th, and, 5th gears are shorter for 05.
Something doesn't sniff right here??? Only one thing to do...put'em both on a dyno - same day, same opertator, same dyno, and maybe we'll find out who the better driver is , not necessarily the faster car.

 

I could be a bit off in regards to the exact distance between our two cars but my friend is roughly 60lbs heavier than me while his had 17s versus my 16s. I also had the opportunity to test drive his JCW and although it felt more or similar torque down low with a nice punch but on higher revs, his just doesn't have the hp similar power to my mcs. While I know my friend is a good driver as he is regular SCCA event trailer for the past 15 years, I highly doubt that it was due to the skills between two drivers (especially on a rolling run from 30mph onwards. Pls dont get me wrong, the JCW felt awesome all around but I believe there are always refinement to any factory vehicle.

 

And agreed, there is room ( a lot?) for improving the JCW. I've opted for a 19% pulley and perhaps a more efficient top mount IC for beginners.

Have fun

Ciao,


Michael

 

...an '04 (April '04 prod. date) with 7100 miles on it the day of installation.

I have already racked up another 265 miles since last week...

This is how it makes me feel............................................>: lol:

This is how some people react on the road.........................>

Two folks that rode in it looked like this afterwards..............>

Its 1.4 tons of fun !

 

....I ended up buying the kit that we originally thought was for your car. This one (a blessing and a miracle) happened to fit only 01/'04 to 07/'04 !!!

My car is 04/'04 production.

I flipped the day that my pal at BMW told me they would honor the price... went to the Credit Union, added it to my note without much affect as to the payment... went back to the dealer and bought it that day. I had a preliminary headrush from this activity. :smile:

Had it installed three days later... :smile:

We still have feelers out on the parts net for your kit... and hopefully we will find you a deal as well.

 

... easily remedied... probably just a rubbing issue...

 

... and believe them to be factual, yet... I still went JCW because I am keeping the car and would like to preserve the "collectability" of my MCS.

I am a "factory" kind of guy...

 

...$6000 plus tax for everything (including the 210 BHP upgrade).

I gave my word that I would not boast about the margin of savings that I experienced so I must sincerely apologize.... I cannot share that information with you.

Simply put, it was inexpensive enough that I could actually "afford" it.

 

... Then I am certain you know exactly what I am talking about. I do not think I will have the "gnads" to venture into MTH territory because Franz as of yet does not have an easy and/or functional support network in place. Also, my personal "need for speed", quickness, and torque on demand is satisfied... I am pretty easy to please (as my ex-girlfriend use to say) and my endorphine satiation level has been reached without encroaching on my built-in panic level...

I do need some more JCW stuff though...hmmm...gotta find some more $$$$.

 

I had my 05 delivered last week with the JCW kit and I love it (too)!!! I am still breaking mine in so I have not had the "FULL" benefit, but darn is it fun!

 

... very pleased with the "full benefit" of the kit. I am waiting 1250 miles to experience the full benefit of mine (non-mandatory upper-end "break-in").

 

I've driven a friends jcw 210 kit car and it was nice and smooth. I went the aftermarket route and have no regrets. I've had no problems at my dealer getting warranty work done, they treat me like a king. As backup I have mechanical coverage thru geico for $30.00 a year with $500.00 deductible. The way I see it is you play you pay. My 03 has 36500 miles now and nock on wood has been very reliable. With giac, 19% and jcw injectors the car drives smoother than ever and smoother than my friend's jcw 210. Here's my play pay cost so far:
Jcw bigger injectors and airbox $480
Giac software, 19% pulley and labor including installing the injectors and airbox $700
Milltek catback $700
Obx header $187, labor $65
Kosei k1 ts falken ziex tires $1200, labor $60
Helix ss $45, labor $65
Total amount so far $3502, not bad in my opinion for a stronger than a jcw 210 setup. I'm not trying to nock jcw'rs I'm just offering a comparison for those who havent taken the mod plunge yet. It's all good.

 

Are you calculating mileage or using the computer? The computer is known to overestimate mileage normally. With the LARGER injectors of the JCW kit, the computer's mileage readings WILL INCREASE by SEVERAL mpg. My computer which used to say 24-25 now reads 26-28.5 after the larger 380cc injectors. More than likely if you calculate the mpg, you'll notice it probably went down slightly - UNLESS you're not using WOT much! Congrats! Enjoy!

 

...I calculate the est. mpg each time I fill up (to the brim) based on the odo reading and fuel consumed (or filled, have you). Today's calculation gave a 24.8 (city only) mpg reading... and I have been using "the force", but not full throttle. Come to think of it... I do not think I really "need" to use full throttle.

I like your selection of mods... GIAC software kicks b*tt for sure...

 

Charleston MINI (MINI of Charleston? I forget..) quoted me out at just under $5K installed. This is a special they will run on occasion, not a one-time only deal. Just gotta call and talk to the Parts Dept.

Just remember, warranty varies greatly between options Dealer-installed before and after pick-up. Full warranty SHOULD only go with "before delivery" options. And tax is due, of course. So this isn't an "out the door" price by any means.

I'm working with Classic MINI on my '05 order, and Parts and Service agreed to split the difference, and make it $5500. Considering the typical 20% discount for NAM boys and girls there does not apply to JCW pricing, , I think that's quite good.

Heck, the first guy I talked to noted that Charleston's pricing was under the cost they would charge their own MINI MA's, before their mark-up. Charleston's obviously working some hoodoo with their labor rates, as well.

Classic's already taken damn good care of me, so I'm sticking with them. Did I mention I'll be drop-shipping some tires out there for them to install for me? No Run-Flats for this kid. Even found a buyer for them, provided my price is to their liking.

Cheers,

Matthew Z.

 

Cooper S Flyer,
Great to hear your's and other's response to the kit. We ordered an '05 MCS with the complet JCW options, eng, susp and brakes. After reading as many of the posts as I could in the last two weeks about mods, I was really curious to see an owners response about it vs DIY mods.
Can't wait to experience it for myself when ours is delivered in a few months.
Wayne