All you JCW owners, is the option really worth the extra bucks? I'm sort of sitting on the fence on whether or not I want to fork up the dough for the add on. It looks nice, and I like knowing I have these extra goodies, but.... In comparing 0-60 with the standard S, is it worth it?

 

You need to drive one. It was worth it for me, because I wanted the extra mid range pull and a full warranty. You can add similar parts from the after market for less and they may or may not work well together, and you loose the warranty.

I had a June build 02 S that I drove for 27000 miles. I traded it for the white 04 and had the JCW kit added at delivery. I love it. The way it pulls in 4th 5th and 6th, it really feels like more than a 40 hp difference. I'm now just a hair over 10000 miles and I am glad I switched. So, it was right for me.

Stay tuned and you will hear lots of pros and cons.

 

Well, MYK I have a 2003 MINI cooper S / JCW, it now has 23000 miles on it since last october, and I must say the car is a blast especally if your getting one with the factory LSD, before the LSD I managed a 14.7 @ 94.6 mph quarter mile run, I recently installed the phantom grip LSD and the car is truely amazing I'm expecting low 14's, I autocross the car and the good news / bad news of the Works package is they put the car in a very tough class'es ASP or STU in ASP you run against Porshe, RX7 twin turbos 97 & up vette ect...(when they show up) in STU you have the likes of the WRX STi to face on street tires even. After the LSD install I swapped from ASP to STU on street tires and have beaten the STi 2 months straight :smile: If you mod the car yourself you get stuck in SM class which is extremely tough if not impossible to be competive in.

The main reason I chose the JCW kit was the warranty on the engine.
But now the reliability of the kit, the ecu flash that has kept me from having some of the problems that some of the other cars have suffered are things that I am pleased the most with.
The car in standard, S or JCW is an exellent handling car, the JCW kit just greatly enhances the factor

 

Try test driving one and see for yourself. If you had $6000 in mods to do for any MCS you could get similar benefits for 0-60 times at half the cost. But you won't get the full warranty.

Since the JCW kit has not much to do with suspension mods I am moving this thread to Performance:Drivetrain.

 

This is my first post, but this is a subject I am very interested in. I just ordered my MCS 2 days ago with the JCW to be installed. Does anybody know if the factory LSD is worth the cost? Or, should I wait for aftermarket?

 

Had mine installed before I took delivery. Now has 6000 miles on it, and loving every one of them! Because of the JCW kit? I'm not sure - I haven't driven a stock MCS in a while, and I've NEVER driven a "pocketbook friendly" modded MCS (ie the aftermarket ECU / pulley / exhaust / CAI route), so I can't make any direct comparisons. I can say that with the JCW kit, this car drives ALMOST exactly the way it should as a factory/stock MCS. The low-end still isn't quite there, but 3rd, 4th, 5th, even 6th give you more than you need (especially me, with no LSD). It's a great feeling to be at highway speed in 5th and 6th and still feel plenty in reserve, and even without LSD the power you can put to the pavement out of corners is still very impressive. I can't believe how sweet this car is. Don't do it for looks (I think you mentioned looks). It's just a couple badges (although the exhaust tips are a subtle and attractive bonus, and the intercooler cover dresses up the engine bay nicely), and it's a hell of a lot of money. Do it for performance. Do it for the warranty. Do it with the hope that (if godforbid you ever sell it) your resale value will get a boost. And - - - it DOES feel good to know you're driving something special (of course, ALL MINI drivers feel good knowing this!).

 

I can only echo what others have said about how well the Works kit enhances power and authority of the MCS. Test drive a Works S and learn first hand if it is something you are willing to experience every time you drive your MCS.
The only things done to my drive train is the addition of an Alta CAI and an exhaust resonatorectomy . I am patiently waiting for the '05 JCW upgrade to be available.

 

I just finished the break-in period. The JCW was just laying there under the bonnet sleeping while I was being good and going slow. Wow!! Now I woke it up. It sure make driving with a JCW fun. I bought the MINI for fun and it is really a blast. Punch the right foot and you're there.
And Hey, it's only money. Things always work out.

As Frank Lloyd Wright said, " Take care of the luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves." Words to live by.

Jim

 

May build 2002 MCS with JCW kit, BMP ProMINI air intake, modded airbox, Dinan throttlebody, and BF Goodrich Gforce KDW2 tires.

I absolutely LOVE the car.... love love LOVE it!

But if I were to do it over again I'd consider going with the full Dinan kit instead.... A friend with an '04 MCS with the Dinan Stage1 kit let me try his car, and it rocks! No idea which is faster, but his was definitely cheaper.... of course the Dinan kit voids the MINI's warranty and all work must be done by a Dinan service department for their warranty to pick up where the MINI warranty dropped off, but if that's not a problem for you do look into it.

Otherwise - the aftermarket is killer.

And finally, assuming it ever get's released - the Twincharged kit (Turbo AND Supercharger) sounds amazing....

 

buz..

Do you know what exactly the '05 JCW upgrade is? Is it basically a flash?

 

Many threads ask this question. One thing is for sure you will get a lot of opinions. But you need to ask yourself afew questions befor you can tackle this conudrum.

1) Are you going to finanace the JCW, if yes do you have the cash to pay for equvivalent HP mods?
2) Do you have a good mechanic/speed shop available to do mods
3) DO you mind no warranty
4) Ultimately: What are your priorities?

Since you only have the answers for these questions we can't anwer for you.

I have the JCW because, 1) Financed everything 2) No work involved for me 3) Covered by warranty

If I was loaded and had cash to mod and repair, I go aftermarket everything.


Paul

 

A discusion on MINI2 is pointing at an ECU flash. All the talk seems to be speculative at the moment. The MINI rep at a recent Cabrio debut would not reveal what the upgrade would be, he only smiled and said it is worth the extra $.
A JCW catalog is due out very soon. The JCW suspension kit already has part numbers; the European reviews have been less than entusiastic.

 

Let's not get carried away by the general statement "no warranty". I went the aftermarket way and I must have had 15 things replaced under warranty during my first 50k miles. ALL of them were covered - INCLUDING parts of my clutch at 49k miles even though I must have at least 30lbs of extra torque at this point (more than JCW). So unless your supercharger blows up or something (and they'll still have to prove the pulley caused it, not some manufacturing flaw), you'll still have a warranty.:smile:

 

Lets see, LAwyer to get my service...That equals no warranty in my book. I don't want any fuss. Also, if they have to remove aftermarket to get to the replacement part is that covered?

I'll agree that no warranty is extreme, but would you also agree that its not as straightforward unversally to get service with mods? I can go to any mini dealer repair and not have to remember if they are MOD friendly or not.


Paul

 

Having owned 2 MCS Works cars (both w/ intakes & other mods) I can only speak in superlatives. My current 04' #5574 Works cars is a bit faster than my 1st 03' JCW mini (I attribute this to the Dinan intake and other variables.)
-On the whole, the Works outfitted Cooper feels to me more coherent, balanced and polished than any of the 10+ modded MCS cars I have driven.
-There is a true synergy in the Works kit w/ the "whole being greater than the sum of it's parts": lot's of folks argue that this is myth but I disagree.
-As far as cost it seems pretty fair to me considering the reworked head and modified Eaton SC. Factor in the warranty and it's a good deal (if you can swing the cost.)
-One thing I noticed about my new Works cars is that the throttle response was much improved AFTER I added the Dinan intake (also better than the Alta & BMP unit's I had on car #1.) I'm waiting to hear if anyone thinks the modest bore Dinan throttle body really contributes much to the Works package?
-To everyone else there's lots of "cake to eat" in the form of Dinan and other tuners who do a good job on a smaller budget.

 

Well said "greatgro". It is important to under stand the law. I have owned 6 heavily modified (turbos and superchargers, etc.) and have never had a problem with warranty. In order for a warranty claim to be denied, it has to be proven that the aftermarket part directly caused the warrantied part to fail.
I have found that, in contrast to what some people say, all of the dealers that I have taken these vehicles to were very interested in what I had done, and none have given me a hard time. Agian, this is personal experience with certain dealers, I can not say that all will be this way.

 

MarkSmith,

Did you look at the other throttle bodies that are available prior to going with Dinan?

More specifically, did you compare the Dinan to WebbMotors TB?

 

Ok one last time. It's the SAME supercharger. The ONLY modification is the PULLEY. Yes, the older MCS's didn't have the extra teflon coating on the supercharger that the JCW kit had but the newer MCS's ('04s and '05s) do! So the only difference in the superchargers between an S and a Works S is the pulley. That's it.

I agree that the JCW probably feels like there is better synergy but I disagree on the reason. I don't think it's b/c of the parts they used and the testing they did, but rather the ECU upgrade which many modified S's don't have. Sure a JCW kit with their "smoother" ECU program will certainly feel like it was made better than the aftermarket route of pulley, intake and exhaust. But if you compare the JCW package with the aftermarket pulley, intake, exhaust AND ECU, that "polished" advantage the JCW offers will disappear. I have tons of power with my current setup, but I wouldn't say it feels more refined than stock. But any day now when I add the GIAC ECU to my arsenal, I'm sure it'll be silky smooth. :smile:

The biggest difference in my mind besides the price is the 19% pulley and the new GIAC ECU. A pulley, intake, exhaust and ECU can now cost UNDER $2000 with installation! And with the 19% pulley and GIAC, you'll be adding twice the torque of the JCW kit which will knock twice the tenths off of your 0-60 time. Then you also have $3500-4000 for repairs. That could buy you TWO superchargers if need be. To me, that much money (up to $4k) for extra warranty security is too much. I wouldn't pay that much for a LIFETIME warranty extension. But that's just me and that's what this comes down to. Weigh all the options and pick the one that you're most comfortable with.

 

Well MYK if your in the North Florida area Ill give you a ride in my JCW and let you see the differance between the S and the JCW's 0-60 times first hand

 

You are welcome to contact JCW for the specifics of the Eaton mods. It is "more" than a reduction pully (a topic that has generated a great deal of debate.)

 

I don't have to. MIKE COOPER stated in a car magazine interview that they didn't just change the pulley. They also added a "special" coating, teflon, ceramic or something. But he stated it was a different coating than the standard S has and they added it to keep more boost in. Then it was reported (on Motoringfile.com and probably here also as well as several tuners including Helix from talking directly to MINI guys) that as of the 2004 MCS, the JCW coating would be on all MCS's as well. So the only difference between the Eaton on the JCW and the stock S on 2004 and 2005 models is the pulley size (JCW uses a pulley 13.8% smaller). And that is from JCW themselves. :smile:

 

I was informed, by a very reputable source, that the superchargers WERE slightly different (more than just a pulley) for previous model years. I was also informed that the "new supercherger" (words from the "MINI 2005 Model Update", available at your local dealer) was the same supercharger that used to be a part of the JCW package, until '05. But yes, not the same (JCW) pulley.

Mabe this info can help to clear things up.:smile:

 

I thought it was just the coating on the SC that was the difference and it allowed better tolerances. Does that provide some of the smoothness people speak of?

As far as superchargers..I saw a used on on ebay for $500 recently. I can't seem to find that link today..only this one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=2488287873

 

The Eaton SC used by JCW has a different bearing assembly than the OE unit (05" will reflect this change?)
- The point of contention w/ the Works kit still seems to be the $$ vs. performance issue. It's harder to put a price/value on the dealership install, service and warranty of the Works ki offers. For many people it is a plus to have a "turn-key" tuning package.
-Over the years the grass-roots tuning community may have developed a natural adversion to the bigger companies scavaging the market but JCW is not a big company and certainly not the home wrecking enemy (it's smaller than Dinan, Hamann, Schnitzer and several other companies now entering the Cooper market.)
-All things taken together there is plenty of room for Randy, JCW, Steve Dinan, Pro Mini etc. etc.
- The Works works very well! and it's nice to have so many choices in today's Mini Tuning market.

 

Don't over look my auction:smile:
Super Charger