Jcw's Head?
 

What are the porting specs on the JCW head?

What do you mean "porting specs"?

lol...not much!! It is CNC machined, but I have never heard of the exact #'s....
Exaust ports only I think...
Virtually ANY aftermarket ported head (WMW, RMW, Thumper, etc) will make a lot more hp. As a factory option it was a good way to get HP, and matain the warrenty, but the other aftermarket options are all much more cost effective per HP of gain.

Sorry, let me rephrase. Would I be able to mod a MCS Head to match a JCW specs?

There isn't really much done to the JCW head other than a mild port on the exhaust side. I have never seen the specs listed but if you are thinking of porting your head I would recommend contacting one of the companies listed above and get MORE than just the JCW porting done.

The porting for JCW head was only on exhaust side.
It was very little done.
Any R53 head can be ported out to a much higher performance level than JCW spec.

Ok then. Guess I should find out what would be good for daily driver.

If your not looking to spend a ton of money do a CAI, 15% pulley and drop in a NS1 cam those few mods will totally bring your stock MCS to life.

Sweet! 15 % pulley and CAI are installed already, so cam would give this baby a boost.

Then sign up here...
 

Cam + tune FTW!!

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ut-2011-a.html

The exhaust ports on the JCW head are enlarged by 4mm. That's it.

My baby is back on the road again, and more spunky too. I changed all the parts recommened when doing a head gasket. It turns out the head wasn't cracked. NAM is my new home now. Thanks for the help guys.

Cool! Which parts did you end up going with?

New Parts
gasket kit
timing sensor
idler pulley
arp studs
head bolts
timing chain
water pump
exspansion tank
fan belt

I might be forgetting some things.. my supercharger sounds a bit louder though. The previous owner had it rebuilt at 122,000mi. Should I worry about it? Car is way more responsive, and no CELS.

I have seen flow benches show JCW actually flows better than other aftermarket options. The aftermarket though can handle higher CFMs. The result changes the torque curve - why some people feel dead spots in their aftermarket upgrades (they loose all the low end torque). No one seems to understand that there is indeed a such thing as too much porting, especially when you don't match it to the right driving ~ like streeting a race cam - its useless.

BTW, anyone wanting Cooper NonS JCW?
See sig below for link to Market Place ---v

I agree about the porting. Lots of people think bigger is better and more power, however most fail to consider their driving environment. Mike @ Thumper showed some images of a JCW head compared to stock. It appears they may be more work into the JCW head than most have thought.

The only any quoted figure (in the NAM forums) I have ever seen is the JCW head has exhaust ports 4mm larger than stock, plus some mild porting.

Here's a couple of old threads with some info/pics:
- https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...close-ups.html
- https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-jcw-head.html

My goal is to eventually get an upgraded head and cam, but not go crazy with it. Looking at somewhere around 250HP at the crank. Thumper's Stage 1 head/cam kit is a consideration (http://thumperheads.com/). You could always opt to get a stock S head and have it ported/polished yourself. Still thinking of doing that myself whenever I get around to this project.

Many want more, but I think that offers a good sweet spot for power and still have some daily driving capabilities. A 50 HP gain is alot when you consider MINIs weigh only 2680 lbs. empty.

I think going a mild cam on the stock head, doing intake/pulley and exhaust, and then an ecu tune would result in a very nice street friendly power curve.

I don't know what power that would get you to but the ecu tune alone would be very noticable.

This is a good option for the street. However new injectors and an I/C like the GP should be done too. The stock ones tend to tap out in the higher rpm range with pulley and cam combos.