New to the MINI world as I just bought my wife and I 2 JCWs. She has a 2013 and I got a 2012.

I looked around on the forum and couldn't find out how to know which cars have an n14 and which have an n18. TIA.

 

The 12 has an N-14 and the 13 has the N-18!!

 

is there a list of which cars and trims that have N-14 and which have the N-18?

 

Depends on production date.....like so many changes on the mini...
Best way is to simply look at the top of the motor...the plastic covers are different...
If I recall the n18 is "smooth", meaning the sparkplug coils are more hidden, and the n14 is more shaped...you can see more..hard to describe...but a few pictures are around side by side to show the differences....

 

both my wifes 2011 MCS and my 2013 Clubman have N18 , I doubt the 2012 would have a N14

 

JCW had the N14 till 2012 then 2013 the JCW had the N18. The MCS had the N14 till 2010 and N18 till 2013.

 

is this right?

N14


N18

 

Yes

 

Stupid Question! Which is the better Engine. My wife has the 18. When I get a permission slip I get to drive it.

 

The N18 had some revisions and the engine is slightly better in some areas. I wouldn't say it's bulletproof though. But better than the N14 in the area of the timing chain issues that occur with those engines.

 

Both have issues...both HAVE advantages....
Tuning and modding is better on the n14....
Mpg is better on the n18...which is mostly a revised n14 with variable valve timing on BOTH the intake and exhaust... This also greatly reduces carbon issues, as does a revised pcv system....
Good luck...having both cars side by side is a unique opportunity that few have had!! Enjoy!!

 

I think tuning is pretty good for the N18 too. There's BMS, NM, RennTech, PAW, and Group4auto(looking at them strongly by the summer if BMS doesn't come out with the JB4). People complain about pricing so that also affects the decision making on the N18. Custom tuning is a bit better on the N14, but the more power and boost I've seen on some N14s isn't worth throwing a rod or paying $5-7k on a new engine lol. If people do tune their MCS then stick to 16-18psi, no higher than that, otherwise you'll get a case of boost spike and bye bye engine(aka Gabriel's car).

 

Getting the N18 OEM noisemaker delete pipe fitted to my JCW with n14 engine..

 

Thanks! I look forward to it!

As far as tuning goes, I've had a WRX and a 135i.. for both cars I had Cobb Accessport.. I see that ALTA and Cobb worked together for a little while but then abandoned the project. I've always liked cobb for its plug and play usage as well as the power to $$ ratio (almost 75hp in the bmw).. Can people point me to the right tuners since cobb is not an option? What does everyone prefer?

This is like a foreign language to me.. you are adding the N18 OEM noisemaker to your N14? What is the noisemaker?

 

The n14 can be tuned with the Cobb/alta access port....
The n18 made odb tuning impossible... That is WHY the access port was discontinued...
Use caution....the 3 tunes that come on the access port are ok...but do not use the "race" or stage 3 unless you have aftermarket pistons...the skirt on them fail...granading the motor after a bit...the stage 3 tune is simply too much for the stock internals for more than a few minutes/miles.

 

Also, the N-18 has infinitely variable intake valve lift. At idle and low RPM the intake lift is very small. This shortens the duration of the intake opening to the point that the exhaust valve actually closes before the intake valves open, which also contributes to less carbon on the intake valves, as there is no valve overlap period.