Well this little car keeps on surprising me....it does not have the red springs or the JCW tags on the struts....

It apparently has a Bilstein Performance Suspention System in it. Its either the PSS 9 or 10.

That was quite a surprise....this car is full of goodies...only problem is I don't know what to do...I am certainly thinking some kind of tune but who knows it may have already had one....

I don't like to talk about money but can you believe I picked this car up for $11,000. Maybe I am over valuing the car because I like it so much but seems this car shuold be worth a lot more. Its not in pristine condition but it is in excellent condition. I almost want to put it in a garage and not drive it. But that's not what MINIs were made for!!!

 

I'm happy for you, enjoy!

 

The JCW Suspension was not part of the factory JCW package. Rather, it was (and still is) a dealer installed accessory only. (The only exception is the GP).

Personally, I wouldn't rush to make mechanical mods too soon. Looks like you already have most of the bases covered here already. You may want to ensure all of the fluids are fresh (brakes, coolant, oil) and look for any of the usual R53 issues like leaky engine mounts or worn control arm bushings. A little preventative maintenance now will go a long way.

Enjoy!

 

THANKS GREG!!!!!


Jack, good suggestion...I have a lot of homework to do anyway...I research everything to death before I make any changes...I want to make the "right" changes with the right parts...I have leapt without looking before annd wasted a lot of time and money

 

Dead On, here are some basics for you:
Gen 1, SuperCharged JCW's (JCW's & GP's are different)
'02-'04 Hardtops (known as pre-facelift)
OEM advertised as 200bhp
'05-'06 Hardtops (facelift)
'05-'08 Convertables (facelift)
OEM advertised as 210bhp

All JCW "kits" were dealer installed w/
Badges
# plates & certificate
Head (mildly ported exhaust)
380cc injectors (blue) (stock 330cc's are tan)
Upgraded CAI
13 (ish) % reduction pulley (12.8.... I think)
Upgraded Exhaust (not manifold)
Upgraded ECU flash/tune

Special add ons were springs, brakes, steering wheels & other cosmetic details.

As suggested above, start by de-flapping the CAI & upgrading the filter, better air flow & better noise.
Larger rear sway bar
NO Run Flats
Upgraded brake pads

Your Bilstien's are an aftermarket upgrade & should do you fine until you get a better vision of what you want to use the car for, track or street.
If you enjoy the twisty back roads a short shifter may be a nice improvement.
The stock I/C is just fine unless you decide to track the car.
A pulley upgrade should only be considered if you're truly serious and then should be at least 17%, reason for this is that factory installed JCW pulleys are notorious for being real MF'rs to remove & many have had to be cut off, it's just not worth the effort only to go to a 15% IMO

Anything more than this should really wait until you've put some time in behind the wheel & have a better idea of if you want more & what kind of driving you want to do.

Most of all, Have Fun with it.

 

Great post, very informative!!

 

+1 and spot on advice right there.

My most satisfying mods have been:
Deflapping and New filter
Larger Rear Sway Bar
Helix Short Shifter
JCW Alcantara Steering Wheel and Shifter ***
Continental Extreme DW non run flats

I would change all the fluids everywhere. Brake, coolant, oil, etc. I'd look hard at the upper motor mount because they fail notoriously (I replaced with a Vibra Technics) I also changed the oil in my gearbox(transmission).

Once all that was done I moved onto more serious things like a 17% pulley, NEW TENSIONER(a must), RMW Dominator Cam, 450 cc injectors, Header + Random Technology Catalytic Conver, RMW Tune. I also switched out my springs to the JCW red and Koni Shocks. EBC Redstuff Pads. Ireland Engineering camber plate and adjustable lower control arms. Plus various Powerflex bushings.

Do the cheap and easy stuff first and move on if you want more. The sky is the limit on what you can do but you really have to create a game plan based on your goals and budget.

 

Great advice!! I am going to start with the fluid changes and some new plugs. Preventative maintenance first. Then I am going to check the bushings and the mount. Make sure we are good there.
Then the door on the airbox and a new filter.

In the meantime I will look at other options. I think the pulley and tensioner may be good but I need to think about it.

My only comment about the great info above is that the JCW kit was definitely a factory install. Its listed as a factory option on the dealer paperwork and there was no way they could give me any dealer ad on's so it definitely came from the factory with it.

 

Possibly, I know there was mention of the factory starting to do them and they may have later on, but even though my '05 was a factory option it was still a kit sent direct to the dealer that was installed by them before I took delivery and is still listed on my paperwork as a factory option. It wasn't a dealer add-on, just the way they did it then.

 

Ok that could make sense...I guess I stand corrected. Thanks for educating me!!! :-)

 

Unless you can confirm for sure that it has been replaced recently, I would go with a new belt, while doing that I would do the tensioner (You can get an OEM tensioner for 79.00 on Amazon). The belt should be less than $30.00. This is just great preventative medicine. This is when i did the pulley since I had it all apart and yes I cut the pulley off because the JCW pulley can't be removed with a regular pulley tool. Smaller pulley means more heat so I then went with colder plugs. While I had it all apart I got rid of the stock dampener and went with an ATI in the stock size. The Stock dampener has a history of coming apart without much warning so to avoid duplicate labor I swapped it out. It's the "while I am in there" add ons that can make these projects add up in price.

I did all these things myself following many great postings on NAM that had pictures and great directions. You may want to join a local club as someone might be able to help with labor, directions or loaner tools.

ps. I replace my belt every year and my tensioner every two.

 

You may have an early 2005 build car when the factory could not make the change on the assembly line fast enough to accommodate all the new options.

In late 2005, I'm not sure what late means but I'll guess June or later, the JCW Kits, option 3AL, (Engine Kit, Sport Brake Kit, Limited Slip Differential) were factory installed. You could still order a Dealer installed Tuning Kit but would you would not get the Limited Slip Differential or the Sport Brake Kit in the Dealer installed Tuning Kit. The LSD and the Sport Brake Kit was available separately. The LSD, option 2TA, was a factory order and available without the JCW Kit.

Also in 2005 the upgrade to 210 hp was done with a remap of the ECU, the new Air Box and 380 Injectors.
That upgrade was available for all R53's not just the ones with the JCW Kit.

I had an 03 with the 200 hp kit and upgraded to the 2006 because of the brakes and LSD being included from the factory. Plus, the suspension was being made available for retrofits by Dealerships or as an Accessory, at the time of ordering, usually with POE installation prior to delivery. Coupled with a sellers market for used Minis at the time and a new warranty, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

I don't know about 2nd Gen JCW's as that gets really complicated with all the variations.

Hope this helps...

 

Great info! Thanks

Sent from my iPad using NAMotoring

 

Now I remember this, it's been a long time ago, thanks for all the insight.
I sort of fell away from too much of the Factory goings on once I started trolling the boards and finding out how much more was truly out there in the aftermarket world and how much better it suited my goals. (needless to say... )

 

If your car has the JCW CAI then it is the 2nd. Gen. JCW with the 210 tune. In 05 they started using 380cc injectors and the CAI and the ECU tune went from 200 to 210. I know this because I have an early JCW pre- 380cc injectors and pre CAI and my tune is the 200. I have since added 380's and a Dinan CAI as well as other goodies and now my performance far exceeds the 2nd gen.

 

Yep, your the one....the one making us think, did we do that right?

Always learning more.... thank you!

 

Guilty...

I should have known better & realized I wouldn't be able to leave it alone, no matter how good it was.

And for those of you who love your JCW's & wouldn't change a thing.....
I get it, and Do Not Listen To Me, I'm borderline certifiable about this stuff....again, as if it wasn't evident enough.

 

accidental double post