MCS has 168 hp stocked right. Well the GP is around 208 hp stocked...what's in the GP?

 

Different intercooler, lighter supercharger pulley, weight reduction, upgraded suspensions, bigger injectors

 

hmm. I know BMW has a recent history of detuning, but that is kind of ridiculous.

Different intercooler (not ADDING an intercooler, mind you), Lighter pulley, and bigger injectors is worth 40HP?

Considering that I doubt the intercooler is much upgraded and probably not as much as some of the aftermarket offerings, that sounds like propaganda to me.

I'm sure the standard S injectors are good to beyond 210 HP.

Just hearing this really makes me want to dyno my car. My aftermarket intercooler, exhaust, cai, pulley, and software ought to be good for at least 208 then.

 

The GP is rated at 218hp, it benefited from the jcw package plus a bigger intercooler plus different software, i believe their rev limiter was a couple hundred rpm higher than stock.

 

I'll try to keep the list short,

218 hp from a special JCW engine kit with a 7150 rpm redline
JCW Suspension
JCW Big Brake Kit
JCW Exhaust System
GP Body Kit - Front bumper, side skirts, rear bumper skirts, carbon fiber rear wing, the whole rear hatch assembly (has a special window with cutouts for the wing and no hole for the rear wiper and a third brakelight low in the window instead of the roof).
Aluminum trailing arms like the 07 and newer cars istead of the Gen 1 stamped and welded trailing arms.
Special GP only 18' wheels that only weight about 18 lbs
The car has pans underneath to clean up the bottom of the car for better aero dynamics.
Reduced weight - Rear seat delete kit, quartz headlights instead of zenon, no rear wiper, no rear speakers (a few of the things done to reduce weight)
Larger JCW intercooler - with approx 20% more capacity.

This is the short list with most of the major differences, but the list is a lot longer.
In the end, all you have to do is drive the GP and the differences are readily apparent.

Steve

 

The GP's engine is basically a JCW with a larger intercooler and a new ECU tune (including higher rev limiter). The JCW is more than just the intercooler, pulley, ecu and injectors as previously mentioned. The R53 JCW had a new airbox (latter models), airfilter, cat-back exhaust, silencer, reduction pulley, [polished supercharger vanes, later made standard on non-JCWs], injectors, cooler spark plugs, ECU tune and most importantly a lightly ported head with new valves. If you're curious, check these out:

http://motoringfile.com/howto/JCW_MCS_install.pdf
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...17&hg=11&fg=95

The "standard" JCW engine kit is rated at 210hp for the 2004-2006 models which include the new airbox, airfilter, newer ECU tune and injectors. The pre-2004 JCWs only had 200hp, but could be upgraded to the 210hp. The GP's intercooler and new ECU (with higher rev limiter) give it the extra 8hp.

Also the factory installed JCW kits, including the GP have a limited slip differential with a 30% lock. In the GP, removing the rear seats, speakers and rear wiper removed a bit of weight and there is a little less sound deadening material. There's also a completely unique body kit, rear spoiler, lightweight wheels, JCW brakes, JCW suspension, aluminum rear trailing arms from the yet-to-be-announced-R56, underbody aero covers, etc. Check out: http://gpmini.net/wp/introduction/

And lastly, here are a few other good sources:

http://www.motoringfile.com/2008/07/...w-tuning-kits/
http://www.motoringfile.com/2006/12/...review-jcw-gp/

 

i wish i cna own one..

 

GP is actually 215bhp and 218bhp in euro spec. The only differences are:
1) MCS 168bhp vs. JCW v.1 198bhp- is the JCW kit
2) JCW v.1 198bhp vs. JCW v.2 208bhp- is the JCW Kit v.2 with JCW 380 injectors and JCW CAI.
3) JCW v.2 208bhp vs GP w/JCW 215bhp-is the intercooler and ecu tune.
4) GP 215bhp US Spec vs. GP 218bhp Euro Spec-I don't know where those 3 extra ponies come from?? It is not the exhaust "convertible kink" or resonator, I figure its the petrol they use and their ecu tune for higher octane gas in European countries.

Here is a guide that describes all differences between MINIs, that you should take a look at:http://www.motoringfile.com/mini-r50r53-buyers-guide/

 

Surprisingly, GP intercooler did better than most aftermarket offerings in tests by Dr. O here on nam. Also JCW has minor head work as well. Most of the JCW and GP horsepower numbers quoted are at crank, while those dyno numbers quoted are at the wheel. Most oem GP numbers I heard are in the 190-somethings and a very few 200 somethings.

 

Gas octane in Europe is measured and reported in RON whereas in the US it is measured and reported in AKI. To compare AKI to RON, add roughly 4-5 points to AKI, thus making the US 93 octane AKI-rated gas equivalent to 98 octane in Europe. You can find 100 or 102 RON petrol in a very few filling stations, but generally the premium gas isn't much higher octane than than ours here. The biggest difference is that in Europe their minimum octane rating is 90 or 91 AKI.

In the UK the GP was rated at 218 "hp" while in the US the measurement is 215 "SAE hp" which could account for the difference in ratings if SAE standards were not followed with the UK measurement.

 

Most important difference:

If you don't have one

Too bad for you!

#1926

 

I collect promo lit for GP and most of it even US lit has the 218bhp on it, even US dealer lit with California plates had Recaro seats and 218bhp on it. I could never figure out why. So, its the same, just different form of measurement, you think? Weird that JCW 208bhp is the same here and UK though. Maybe MINI USA rated US GP with California's 91 octane, instead of 93/94 octane the rest of the states have and in Europe used 102 RON (equal to like a 95 to 97 octane in US)?

 

I'm not sure myself, but I'm saying it's a possibility that there isn't any difference in power. SAE announced a new "SAE-certification" in 2005 and perhaps MINI US used this means of measurement for the GP. What is interesting is that the 3hp difference is the same difference in the R56 S (non-JCW) which is rated at 172 in the US and 175 in the UK.

The very initial press material in the US stated the horsepower rating would be 214hp, which obviously wasn't a final spec (for either the US or UK).

My guess is the earlier US publications (one's that also showed the Recaro seats) used the UK specs, prior to the homologation for US standards. Here's a page from the US press book for the GP (accurate with the non-reacro seats, so obviously a latter publication):
http://www.gpmini.net/gallery/MINIUS.../GPUSA8?full=1
And here's the same page from the UK press book for the GP:
http://www.gpmini.net/gallery/UKbooklet/GPUK8?full=1

 

I do not know the whp of mine, since i have never had on a dyno.. but I can tell you, here is a notable difference in the HP when I put 1/3 100 oct racing full in with 2/3 91 oct we get in AZ, there is a notable difference in performance.

I just found a other difference in the euro version.. they have different tail lights.. along with the seats, and rear fog.