I know its still available so don't tell me it isn't. I want to know what exactly what comes with the kit, how much it costs, and how much power the car gains. Im thinking about getting this if its in my budget once I get my MINI or if I should go all aftermarket if thats cheaper. Sorry in advance if i'm not clear.

 

Sorry forgot to put that the reason I couldn't see the kit on MINIUSA.com is because my Mac and itouch don't support it or something. The only thing I can see on the accessory site is the clothes and stuff like that. No parts to upgrade the MINI's.

 

You are correct that the "kit" is available. However the "kit" is only available through a Dealership, Not LOL through MINIUSA.com, they are marketing and selling new cars.

Do a search on this... this topic has come up past the cows coming home! You will spend 6 or 7 thousand from a dealer (on top of what the used car costs). They are ones who will certify the installing of the JCW kit. Then will program it. Standard kit will include: New head, super charger, water pump, pulley, exhaust, ECU programming and badging. additional option: New JCW CAI, injectors, and another upgraded ECU programming.

Whether you go JCW or after market depends on the size of your piggy bank.

Good luck with purchase!

Cheers,

 

I meant that you can see it on the accessory page of MINIUSA.com under the JCW performance parts section. But if the kit is that expensive i'm going all aftermarket I thought the kit was closer to 2k max Motoring Magic here I come

 

Yeah we can get you the kit for less than $6k, but still waaaaay more expensive than just getting a pulley, intake, and exhaust kit.

 

Why does the new JCW kit cost 4k less than the one for the R53 well I guess i'm going aftermarket

 

The JCW Tuning Kit gives you a new supercharger, cylinder head, cat back exhaust system, recalibrated ECU (downloaded from BMW), a new JCW silver intercooler cover, external JCW badges (front, rear and valve cover), and a certificate from JCW that certifies your Cooper S was officially upgraded with a JCW Tuning Kit. Your MINI dealer installs it, and your warranty is still intact. Yes, it's very pricey and you're getting the same 200hp that you would if you simply did a 15% pulley install, catback exhaust and freeflow air intake.....

IMHO, getting the JCW kit installed by a MINI dealer (an official MINI factory representative), gives you bragging rights that your Cooper has a pedigree and the performance parts are factory, not "aftermarket"....

If you can afford the $6k + another $1200 in labor, go for it....

Here's their promotional video - I think it's cool...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqlw8PPdBHM

Also the listing on the web from the MINI site....

http://www.minimotoringgear.com/#/product/542/John Cooper Works Tuning Kit?CenterId=null

 

Best of luck hunting......

My advice, since you don't have it yet would be to look for a 2006 MCS that has the Works Kit installed. '06 was the first year that you could order the R53 JCW straight from the assembly line.....

Oh yeah.....GET THE RED ONE!

 

It's hard not to recommend going aftermarket in this case, because many, if not most supercharged MINIs will by now be out of warranty by now anyway.

Let alone the fact that you'll save thousands and thousands of dollars, and get the exact same performance results.

What about reliability, you ask? The mods that Way and other tuners offer, (smaller pulley, cat-back exhaust, cold air intake, spark plugs, belt and hopefully a tune, but not necessary), now been done to so many R53's over the years that it's pretty clear that there are no real reliability issues.

I went aftermarket to get JCW-like performance, (arguably a little bit better, actually), and don't regret it at all. I saved mucho dinero, senor!

 

Thanks for the advice and info guys. Very helpful. But like I said in my last post I am going to have to go aftermarket. Who knows maybe I could throw on some JCW badges and no one will know

 

Oh yeah. Thanks for the links.

 

You would know. Wouldn't that bother you?

Going aftermarket is a better idea as has been said. That is the route I took & I love my bastard JCW wanna be.

 

Yes that would bother me but i am to poor to afford the kit so why not go aftermarket, and get more power for less money

 

I got lucky and found a local 06 JCW. I plan on doing a few things after my wallet recovers, but I'm glad I gave way and gave up on the "new is always better" mentality. Saved me mucho dinero...

 

mega revive on this - seems like its pretty hard to find a 05-06 electric blue mcs that already has the jcw kit - so if i just go ahead and find an 05-06 electric blue mcs, i can still to this day (2013) take it to the mini dealer and they will convert it for me?

 

The JCW kit is just not worth it IMO. Get a stock MCS and put a 15% pulley a CAI, cat back exhaust some 380cc injectors and a little tuning love and you can smoke a stock JCW of the same year hands down.

 

regardless, is it still available from the dealership? Of course I'd like to find one that's already a JCW but may be difficult in the specs that I want - finding a Cooper S and converting may be a simpler option

 

In my experience it depends on your goals or mix of goals. I have found that looking for good used JCW coppers represents the best value over time when you consider the difference between having a "certified" JCW versus an aftermarket set of upgrades.

In the last year I have added an 05 Cooper S full JCW upgrade (dealer) and an 06 Cooper S JCW GP (factory) to my collection that are both in very good condition and were under $20K each. On the other hand I collect vehicles and keep them forever so I tend to focus mostly on the unique factory models. To my point, it's all about your goals.

 

I've had several Mini, one of which i found used with the 200 HP Works kit. I then ponied up the extra cash for the 210 upgrade. Yes, it was partially for bragging rights and partially warranty. Since I bought the car used the actually additional expense wasn't quite as bad, it's still stupid expensive. Do I regret it? Nope. The car with the Works kit just has smoother power delivery than my other R53 with aftermarket mods (no tune). There was a decent performance (speed!) difference in the higher RPM range for the JCW, but I think the aftermarket mods gained a bit more torque.

Yes, I like it. No, I personally wouldn't spend the money to buy it a new kit and pay for the install...take the 6k + install cost and buy a R56 JCW instead.