Hi Folks,
I have a couple of questions. I had an '06 S model that was pretty much stock but was unfortunately recently totaled.

I have found a new '06 S that appears to have the dealer installed JCW package in it. At least part of it. The brake system only has the red calipers in the rear and the car has stock 17" MINI rims, door sills, and floor mats. The car has all the badges for the JCW package both on the car and under the hood. It also whines louder like the pulley on the SC is smaller than my previous stock S.
So my question is how can I determine what parts are on this car (i.e. what pulley size? What injectors? what brakes? or any other mods I should look for)? I want to do some things to this car to improve performance but I need to know what I am starting with.

Also any thoughts on the best ECU mods available?
Thanks!!!

 

Welcome. How about some pictures of your MINI,engine, brakes etc.. then we might be able to help. You can also call the dealer and give them the VIN# to see if it is indeed a JCW.

 

If it was a dealer installed JCW pkg. I believe it should have a plate affixed to the valve cover with the serial number of the pkg. I'm trying to envision why the rear calipers were changed and not the fronts. The rear calipers on the JCW would be the same as the regular MCS. What color are the injectors?

 

Thanks for the response! I will post some pics this weekend.

I will also contact the dealer and see what they can tell me. I know its not a factory JCW for sure.

I will check the caliper colors maybe I have them mixed up and I will check the injector color as well.

 

Could be merely painted calipers and bunch of badges. All are pretty easy to get and install etc.

 

Possible JCW installed options or individual add ones

Engine will have a badge over where the MINI plate would be and have the JCW exhaust. They come with the external badges also. But people buy them separate and add them, so check the other items.



Front JCW lower grille badge.


http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/51147175101/ES79328/



Rear JCW badge.


http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/51147175102/ES79329/



Engine bay view.





Check to see if it has the JCW suspension also.
The JCW R53 installed suspension kit will have the struts that look like this and the red springs. Look for the tags.


http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/31300308862/ES49615/



Separately order options ordered springs.





The JCW Brakes look like this. Some people paint the regular front brakes red to look similar to it.





Those should help you compare it.

 

Thanks All!!!! Very helpful.
So this turned out to be really interesting.
I called visited my local dealer as suggested.
The dealer looked up the VIN and told me they couldn't tell me anything about the car. When I asked why they said the car had been imported from somewhere over seas and was not in the system. They suggested I call MINI directly.
So, I call MINI and the guy that I was talking to was not sure what was going on. Eventually he discovered it said it was a military vehicle. He wasn't sure what that meant so he contacted one of his colleagues. She told him that meant the car was sold overseas by Pentagon Car Sales to someone in the Service over seas. So they told me to call Pentagon Car Sales.
Well I emailed them and got back a note that the car was originally sold by Pentagon in Ramstein Germany. It came from the factory with the Premium Package, The Sport Package, Cold Weather, Package, 17" Alloy Wheels, and...wait for it....The John Cooper Works Kit.

Now what is in the "kit" I am not sure but it was definitely factory installed and not dealer installed. Seems like I got a real JCW. The Carfax indicates the car was imported from Sweden actually. Kind of a cool history.

So the front brake calipers are red but the rears are not. I guess if they were replaced at some point that might explain it. When I picked it up today there was a certificate of authenticity for the JCW in the glove compartment with the serial number on it. All the engine badges are correct and the tail pipes are stamped. I didn't look at the suspension yet. I think I got a steal on this car!!! I am so happy.

So with this being a factory JCW is there a need to replace the pulley or the injectors? Seems like a CAI would be a good investment and I would like to get a good chip for the ECU. Any other suggestions? OH and because Pentagon Car Sales doesn't know where the Servicemen (or women) are coming back to the cars are built to meet US specs in all 50 states...that includes CA. Any idea what emission stuff I can rip out.... :-)

The radio and electronics in the car are cool because they are a European design. They still function well but the AM radio settings are very different!

I will post pics. I am very proud to own this car...its got a great story in addition to being a great car!

 

The rear calipers were allways silver, never red, on the R53 JCW.
Your JCW pulley is close to 12 percent and has larger 380 injectors.
You already have the JCW intake, an upgrade over stock.
Your money would be better spent on a tune than a chip.

Hope this helps...

 

I think you got an "S" with a JCW tune. When you get the tune, an official certificate is included. In addition, the exhaust tips on a factory JCW are not stamped. Do you have JCW door sills, or a little checkered flag on the dash above the glovebox?

 

No checkerboard on the dash and no door sills at all actually. The VIN does indicate its an "S". As I said the dealer told me it had the "JCW kit factory installed" so it was added but not by the dealer.

SO what does all this mean?

 

Basically it's like a $2,500 to $3,000 option that gets you an ECU software tune to increase horsepower, a new JCW intake, a new cat back exhaust system with larger diameter tips and a different sound that is more free flowing and official JCW badging on the boot, the grill and valve cover. This all gets you about another 15-20 HP.

Nice find, that was an expensive option!

Enjoy

 

I think you're comparing a second gen car to a first gen car.
What 'starrion' has is a first generation JCW Tuning Kit that was factory installed.

 

Sounds about right

 

First let me say thanks to all of you! This car has been a little mystery from the outset. Its really been fun, albeit a bit frustrating trying to figure it all out.

I don't think the dealer I got this car from knew what they had. I bought it for what standard Cooper S's were selling for and many had higher mileage (This one has 67K). I think they hung the low price on it because it was imported and they had no idea what was in it or where it was from. And as I found out it was not an easy thing to find out.

All the stuff above is very interesting. It still begs the question...What do I have? And how can I tell for sure?

Here is what I know for sure:
Based on the VIN this is a 2006 Cooper S
Based on the factory ordered options it came with "The John Cooper Works Kit"
There is a certificate of authenticity with a serial number.
The badges in the engine compartment, on the front grill, and on the back are "JCW" badges as shown above.
The front calipers are red and have the JCW logos on them.
The tailpipes have John Cooper Works stamped in them.
There are cooper boost and voltage gauges on the steering column.
There are no door sills (no idea why)
There are only rubber floor mats, not the checkered ones.
No stickers or emblems on the dash board.
The shifter **** has been changed so I don't know if it had a JCW **** or not.
I also know for sure it whines a lot louder than my previous 2006 Cooper S so I suspect someone did something to the S/C pulley somewhere at some time.
The car also feels faster than my other one but that's subjective since I can't actually compare the two.

Where do I go from here? I want the most bang for my buck and certainly don't want to do any mods that will negatively impact what I already have or duplicate what I have.

 

IMHO, first, work on improving the suspension with a larger rear sway bar, front & rear adjustable end links. If the car has run-flats, get rid of them and get some good rubber on the road. Upgrade your brake pads to something like Hawk HP Plus. Consider getting a GP Intercooler. Next, get a "tune" to optimize power. That should get you well on your way down the "slippery slope"!

 

Nothing I have read thus far suggests you have anything other than a factory installed JCW package which should have 210hp, limited slip differential, upgraded CAI, injectors, pulley and better super charger(some kind of coating). You also have a JCW cat back exhaust. You also have an upgraded tune. I would suggest you switch over to the JCW thread from here.

Did you ever confirm you had red springs? I don't remember seeing that answered.

easiest mod to start with s disabling the flap on the CAI. the JCW CAI has a vacuum driven flap that open at something like 4000rpm. I plugged my vacuum line and gutted mine leaving it wide open all the time. I would also replace the paper filter inside the CAI with a more free flowing filter. I went with a wet filter but I have heard some good things about dry versions.

I have spent the last 12 months modifying my 06 JCW convertible. I would do most of the mods again but others not, PM me if you want to ask anything particular.

Sent from my iPad using NAMotoring

 

Here's a good little article I found on the 2006 "JCW Kit":


http://m.cnet.com/reviews/2006-mini-.../31945121?ds=1

 

Thanks Greg, good read. Mine has navigation was over 40k new, I simply can't imagine paying that. Picked mine up for 17k with 28k on it. It was not well maintained but I really enjoyed going over everything for head to toe. I really like the way it drives now but it is heavily modified.

Sent from my iPad using NAMotoring

 

This. You have a 2006 factory JCW with the above upgrades included. Add JCW exhaust to the list. Sounds like a nice car!

 

Yes, Thank you. It was a great read. And again, thanks to all.

I am having a blast with this new car. I didn't think anything could replace my last (and first) MINI, but this has been a nice surprise. So I believe I now know what I have....now to decide what to do with it...let the fun begin!!!

I think I'll start with and oil change and tune up! LOL

 

200 hp

 

http://minicooper.wikia.com/wiki/1st...JCW_Tuning_Kit

The factory installed kits included a new ECU remap and claimed 210 BHP. The JCW GP added the larger intercooler and claimed 218 BHP. I have seen hp ratings of 207, 208 and 210 for JCW S.

 

Just going by the C&D review:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...t-drive-review

 

That article was from June of 2003. Here is a link to the 2006 GP article that states the JCW GP at 215 and the JCW S at 207. Both are off by 3hp from what other info states.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...take-road-test

 

Nice find!