So I drove a JCW Cooper this weekend as I was interested to see how it would compare to my wife's Clubman "S".

I was expecting the torque steer to be significant since my wife's "S" suffers from it pretty badly (at least in my opinion, and I am sensitive to it since my car is AWD)...

But to my surprise not only did the JCW have a considerable power increase - the torque steer was almost absent!!

How did they do that?

Needless to say, but I will anyway, I was super impressed.

 

This is pure supposition .... but, I think it's in-part due to the axle angle. I base this on:

a) As you note and many have said, the R56 S suffers noticeably from it more than the previous gen; in large part due to the torque down low in the RPM range.

b) numerous people have state it is reduced to totally controlled when you lower the car.

c) a number of people have stated the Factory JCW rides 1" lower than the standard R56 S. I.e. it too is "lowered".

When you lower the car, you alter the front wheel's drive axle angle to the wheels. (with the short axles of the narrow car, a little change in height makes for a pretty big angle difference than if you were to compare it with a car 1 or more feet wider). I don't know not having it in my possession yet whether the axle is 'straighter' to the wheel center line when lowered, but my guess is yes it is.
It makes me consider that the axle u-joints @ the wheels may be a big contributor to the introduction of torque steer.

 

What size wheels are on your wife's Clubman?

 

The 17" run flats.

 

I drove one and was also very impressed. I think it may be due to the DTC/DTS/ELDC/WTF or whatever you want to call it, but that's just my guess.

 

I drove my dealer's demo JCW yesterday. It has torque steer, and perhaps a bit more than their demo MCS JCW stage 1 I drove previously. I will have to get used to that coming from an M3.

 

I traded my 07 Mini S for my new 09 JCW and they are night and day....A bit pricey but if you have the extra cash it is well worth it

 

That's probably it. The JCW and the MCS have exactly the same ride height (see JCW thread on the measurements) and suspension, so it could only be the traction control gizmo. BTW torque steer is a very subjective thing, impossible to quantitate, and some very experienced (supposedly) track-type drivers claim the MCS have none in stock cars. I know I feel something pulling my steering wheel when I floor it with the wheel not pointed straight, but some feel it flooring it straight ahead too (I don't). Go figure.

 

I drove a stage 1 JCW (MCS with added JCW) and more recently a factory JCW. The former has torque steer that resulted in understeer on hard left corners. The latter has understeer resulting in left pull in straight line acceleration. They both have it, but in different ways.

 

Know what I mean though? I've read the torque steer threads forever. You get more opinions on that than you do what they think of the stereo system sound (maybe more). It's very subjective IMO. All I know is the MCS and JCW are the same car suspension-wise so they should be about the same, allowing for more torque of course. I've said before that it's wierd to me that Mini did not offer the JCW suspension as a factory option on the JCW car. They would have made more $$ by not having to use the stock parts and I bet they could have charged just as much as after market JCW suspension costs now. Most performance car upgraded models (BMW-M, Mercedes AMG) don't come with a stock suspension.

 

MCS and standard JCW may have the same suspension, but they don't have the same drivetrain. That makes a difference too. If the JCW suspension had been a factory option, I probably would ordered it. As it stands I may buy it later and install it myself (with a friend that has a hydraulic floor jack and has done MINI suspensions). The stealer wanted about $2000+ installed for the JCW suspension.

 

They could have charged $1500-2000 from the factory. After all JCW buyers are willing to spend quite a bit more on their car. Most JCW buyers will not mess with an aftermarket suspension change because they're fine with the stock and it's a pain to order and mess with the dealer again and they just wanna drive the car and have fun.

 

I think at $2K many would have considered that too steep and passed, or gone for an aftermarket setup that may have better value/performance. I would have been willing to pay $1K as a factory suspension option. More than that and I start looking at what I can really get on my own later.

 

+1 to what RaceTripper said. Exactly why I wasn't angered by it not being part of the package myself.

 

JCW cars should come with adjustable camber from the factory. I am disappointed.