I was curious who out there has found a good set of mods for the MCSA?

 

Me too. There is at least one MCSa on this site with JCW intake and I wonder how well it is working. Thanks for starting the thread.

 

any input from anyone on this?

 

I have the JCW intake and love it IMHO just about any of the mods done to a stick MCS (barring a short shifter or the like :smile can have the same range of results on the auto. It works that way on other cars and should be the same with the Mini.

 

Well what kind of mod are you up for? I have a 05 MCSa with tons of mods.
Check my page:
http://mdsbrain.com/mini/?page_id=9

 

Thanks eval. This sure makes sense to me. And I want to get the intake for my car. The only "improvement" MINI seems reluctant to condone for the MCSa is the full JCW engine kit. And that would also require the JCW brakes (according to what I just read about the 06 recommendations) which might necessitate more commodious wheels such as 17" or the new for MINI 16" pretzel loops or whatever they have been nicknamed. Meanwhile we are probably all hoping MINI develops a cure for the MCSa software problem. Best wishes.

 

You might want to consider holding off on "enhancing" the power output of the MCSa until MINI sorts out the DME problem. There is a reason that the full JCW kit has not been approved by MINI for the MCSa (and it is not because MINI is lazy or wanting to bump the sales of the 2006 MCSa models, or whatever). If you decide to forge ahead with modding the MCSa and get bitten by the DME problem, you are going to most likely be on your own trying to get MINI to cover any repairs to the DME (in other words, don't hold your breath waiting for MINI to fix your particular car).

 

First, change the tranny to the 6 spd getrag

 

Which software problems are you referring to? The only thing I've seen was the SES light coming on randomly which was fixed (at least for me) with the update that was released in (mid?) June.

 

I don't want to speak for morknmini, but you might want to review this thread:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=47355

 

i think i'm pretty well qualified to jump in on this one - i even had the jcw suspension done today! so in order of appearance..

1. jcw air intake: this is a great mod which adds a few horses to the mix (about 5) but gives the car a livelier feel for sure - and of course a great sound at 4500 rpm when the flap kicks open. i am having a slight problem with it though: it appears that (at least on my car) the intake has introduced a trottle dependant squeal - a very high pitched squeeking sound - when travelling at speed in any gear. went as far as to pull it out today (those guys at prestige mini in nj are AMAZING!) and try a stock intake and lo and behold: no noise...so...we put it back in (i'd much rather have the power!) and i sent a letter off to jcw in england to see if they could figure out what to do. the vacum hose is the culprit here... i'd be curious to know if anyone else with this upgrade has noticed this slight sound. you have to have the radio off to hear it - which i often do as i next installed the...

2. jcw exhaust kit: now this one steals the whole show. it adds another 5hp and takes that pop! pop! sound of the stock kit and turns it into a grooowwwlllll with subtle pops when coasting - simply fantastic!

3. jcw brake kit: just what it sounds like. takes a couple hundred miles to bed in, but once it does you just STOP. really great upgrade and also look great underneath the...

4. jcw 18"wheels: i never actually planned on these, but when they were installing the brakes i just caved ; ) they look great but have one nasty flaw...THE RUNFLATS! i had to do away with them the next day and opted for michelin pilot sport xl2's instead. aside from being the only tire manufactured at the exact size of the stock dunlop runflats, they are far, far grippier than the runflats and so much more comfy! the ride changed 100 fold - i cannot stress this enough: the runflats really kill a lot of what the car has to offer. i also carry the conticarekit (got it all through tirerack.com) in case i (please no!) get a flat. but that kit does what a runflat would do essentially - and still gives the tire a chance for repair whereas a runflat is history after you bring it in - they cannot be repaired - only replaced! but the wheels are awesome, and now are attached by the...

5. jcw suspension kit: got this today! this was the missing piece and is TOTALLY worth the dough! keeps the front end from getting loose at highway speed (18's tramline much quicker at 60 mph than 17" runflats) and the nose is just PLANTED now. body roll is nearly inperceivable and the car just feels glued to rails. the odd side effect of it all is that i think the car actually handles bumps better. i thought it would be harsher as the car is visibly lowered (not pimped out - but the wheels really fill the arches now - it's obvious when you see it) and potholes feel about the same. i also attribute a lot of this to the michelins as the dunlop runflats were the equivalent of riding with the flintstones on those rocks they used to use as tires ; )

so there's my report: everyhting that jcw makes which is available to date. i still plan to add the strut brace if it ever appears on our shores, and have a deal in place to finish off the full works kit once it's released seeing as i am very close to having the whole thing anyway. (still need head, supercharger upgrade, plugs and software).

feel free to email me with any questions - i'll be subscribed to this thread. there are also a few good pics of all of this in my gallery.

cheers - drew

 

Thanks for the link.

I'm blessed apparently - the only thing I've had to put with (about twice a week) was the dang SES light due to the O2 sensor error. Bought my own reader / reset tool to get rid of that (got tired of looking at it - I didn't buy a new car to see a trouble light on all the time!). When I got the MTH software the O2 sensor error happened much less often. Since I got the latest MINI update (which overwrites the MTH of course) the problem has been resolved.

The MTH software, by the way, works really nicely on the MCS automatics and I wholeheartedly recommend it. It provided a bit more torque at the lower end and generally made the car more responsive at any RPM. Also, at least one MCS auto owner here in Dallas also has the JCW intake and really likes it.

 

I would love to but not going to happen with me having to drive 6 hours one way every 2 weeks.

 

check out my signature, and that's my recommendation for a good MCSa mod .

By the way, if you ever visit LA, you should definitely stop by Steve's Auto Clinic and ask him his thoughts.