OK so my F55 is in the open sea making the slow creep across the Atlantic. I inquired about JCW Exhaust/Tune last week to my dealer and he said it would be close to $2700+ installed once it arrives to him. I decided against it and started looking at JB4 and NM and Remus exhaust for something down the road as options. He emailed me back yesterday and said he can have it done when it arrives at VDC and all in cost is $2250 W/ Chrome tips. Now I am considering it, I have never driven one with the tune or heard the exhaust in person so I really want to know if it is worth it. I am weighing getting JCW or looking at Remus or some other exhaust and a JB4 or NM Tune for down the road.

Anyone have insight in either option please let me know because I have to decide soon?

 

I only have experience with the JCW tune/exhaust - the exhaust sound is pretty great with the flap opened - I find myself opening that up nearly every single time I drive anywhere. But, I like the option to close it and the car becomes a bit more civilized (ie. in a neighborhood)

The tune wakes the car up quite a bit as well and is noticable when compared to a standard S model w/o the tune.

For me it was worth every last cent I paid for it - when I ordered sadly installation at the VDC was not available so the dealer handled it.

 

The JCW tuning kit (exhaust and tune) is covered by the factory warranty. Aftermarket is not. That $2700 is way overpriced IMO. IIRC, My dealer was going to do it for me for ~$2100. I ended up going with my indi tech who has a wholesale parts account. Ended up costing me ~$1600. If you wanted to take a break-in drive to Raleigh, NC I'm sure he could hook you up. :D

 

I did the JCW Tune and love it. The $2250 dealer installed price (with the JCW chrome tips) isn't bad either. The computer update made a big difference in performance (aside from the excellent throaty exhaust sounds).

I was "iffy" about spending the money with a few reviews stating they didn't see a difference in performance. I certainly noticed the performance bump straight away as I drove the car. You get a big bump in torque with the JCW tune, so the "Butt Dyno" told me I was driving a different car.
The torque gained with the aftermarket JCW kit actually exceeds the torque of a real JCW through most of the power band, so sprinting from stop light to stop light you will/should see a big diff.

I started to wonder if those guys that bought the upgrade only had the exhaust installed and the dealer did not do the remap of the computer. Would be an easy short cut for them and would explain why those guys never felt the performance bump. No accusations, but strange to hear those comments.

My Svc Mgr told me the remap takes the most time to accomplish (hours)....they had my car for full day to do the upgrade.

I honestly would do this upgrade all over again for the gain I perceive when driving the car.

As mentioned, this is a factory approved upgrade so your warranty is unaffected and your car will be registered as a JCW with MINI after the tune.

I had considered going with an after-market power mod, but now find that the JCW tune gives me all the performance I was seeking. (You can still add one if you choose to give even more performance). I opted for a set of very light wheels and and lighter tires and picked up extra WHP and Torque by doing so...so your options abound.

Good luck in your endeavors

 

Thanks for the insight guys.

I think all my savings would be ate up in the drive and 2000 miles right out of the gate would hurt, but does sound like a lot of fun. I think I read something before you have the NM Chip how does that pair well with this tune?

 

How do you check if the software side was done if it is done at the port, I trust my dealer he has been super upfront and great to deal with but they are not doing the upgrade? Since I have never driven my car I have nothing to compare it to expect test drives. I don't want to pay $2250 for a cool exhaust and some stickers.

 

You can talk to them about the price as well, make them budge and meet you in the middle being that there is a pretty good mark up on the part. Also, you will know within the first 50miles of driving the vehicle if the tune was done correctly. The vehicle is much stronger in both 'MID' and 'SPORT' modes. Totally worth every penny, it sounds amazing and it tempts you so much to give it more every time you drive it. The standard S almost seems boring to me now that I have been driving mine with the Kit since August last year. The tune + the NM module give you ridiculous gains! You will blow through first gear if you aren't careful! lol. That combination will turn your current MCS in to a totally different animal!! And like stated above, if you go with the tuning kit, it is covered under MINI's warranty! Again I would talk them down on the price a bit, $2700 is a bit high, but if you want it bad enough and they are good salesmen they will work with you on the pricing. Hope this helps!

 

They are at $2250 with port install with tips.

 

Worth it!

 

Keep in mind that your MPG will take a hit. It sure did with mine. Aside from that, I'm pretty happy with my JCW tune and exhaust.

 

How much of a hit, even in green and mid mode? I understand in sport mode because it is tuned different so you are going to burn more but I wouldn't think it would change the tune on Green mode since it is all software. That is the one thing I thought was cool about the JB4 is that you can turn it off with a couple push of a button from inside the car.

 

Hi heavy J. Congrats on your choice, and hope you post some pictures when your F55 arrives! Please let us know if you go with the JCW Exhaust/Tune. Here is an article and a lead to other information about a variety of exhaust options should you not choose the JCW route:

http://new.minimania.com/Quicksilver_Technology

 

The only way to make more power in an engine is to burn more fuel. The JCW Tuning Kit, NM Power Module, Burger Tune, etc. all increase boost pressure, among other things. More boost = more air sucked in = more fuel burned = more power = fewer miles per gallon.

 

Got an F55 with Jcw Pro Exhaust installed by dealer. Sound is definitely noticeable in sport & auto/manual mode. My decision was partly performance (which is definitely noticeable) but more so it's covered under warranty and all oem factory parts. Not trying have any issues once Smog Check comes around (California has a lot of not so fun laws about aftermarket parts) $2250 is a good price considering the tips alone is expensive. It's more peace of mind and how much you're willing to pay for it. For sure there are "better" performing, and better sounding exhaust kits out there. But I feel mini did a great and a balance job with this aftermarket part. Would definitely recommend.

 

Looks like your question has already been answered. But, I'll throw in my two cents worth anyway.

Stock MCS = Good.
MCS w/JCW Pro tuning kit = Way more better!
MCS w/JCW Pro tuning kit & NM Power Module = Kicks some serious butt!!

Somehow the performance increase seems to be greater than the sum of the two.

 

Just out of Curiosity what MPG are people getting with the tune? I understand it depends on driving but if you opted for the JCW tune I would assume you don't putt around in green mode all the time.

 

I'm $600 deep with exhaust and tune. Great combo, great performance, GREAT NOISE, 43mpg hwy.

 

Mostly around town. 29-31 MPG, sport mode, tranny set to M/S, baffle open and plenty of hard accelerations. Betting I'd be in mid to high 30's if I drove sensibly. But too much fun to do that.

If I drove my C7 like that around town, I'd be probably getting 15-16 MPG and having no more fun that I do in the MINI.

 

I get right around 26-28 normally - but my driving is mostly around town - typically have sport mode on, baffle open, and in manual/sport mode on the transmission, once the car heats up.

 

I had the JCW pro exhaust and tune and switched the exhaust because I was tired of the Bluetooth signal going out. Now I have the NM exhaust and NM air intake and love the sound and the little extra uuumph.

 

I have seen that issue with peoples exhaust shutting all the time but it seems like some people have got new modules and it seems to be fixed. I could probably do the NM tuner box and aftermarket Exhaust for about the same price or even cheaper but the warranty is what is hanging me up. I know they say there is no way to to detect the NM tune after removed, but I can pretty much guarantee if they dig hard enough they can see something.

 

I find the JCW Tune and the NM exhaust/intake to be a perfect amount of power. And I have a 991 Porsche Turbo S (with a GIAC tune, Akrapovic Exhaust and AWE intake) and I still think the Mini has plenty of power.

 

I went from around 29mpg to 24mpg on mid mode. I don't really use green mode unless it's a long trip. While it sucks to take the mph hit, it's too much fun to pass up.

 

Ouch I was hoping it didn't do that much to Mid or Green since I would assume if you are going to want to use the tune it would be in sport mode, when it is all software you think they could have done that. I think I am going to do it while it is at the port so it is done when it gets here.

 

I'm taking a 250 mile trip this evening or tomorrow morning and plan to run sport on the way there. I will calculate my mileage and on the return trip I plan to use the green mode as much as possible and compute those results. I'll post findings when I return the week before MOTD.