I have a 2015 convertible (R57-I think) and I'm thinking of getting the John Cooper Works Tuning Kit. Looking at the specs it only boost the hp to 189 which doesn't seem worth the money. At $2200 plus installation there is not much bang for the buck unless I'm missing something. I want to stay under warranty. I think I'll just get the JCW exhaust and be done with it. Any advice on the kit?

 

The N18 JCW Tuning Kit comes with a high flow muffler, new airbox and improved flow exhaust manifold and the tune. I'm guessing it's probably a $1000 install cost at the dealer on top of the price of the kit. If your just looking for increased HP then look at the JB Plus from Burger Tuning, it's plugged into the cable for the MAF Meter and can be unplugged before taking the car to the dealer for service. http://burgertuning.com/Mini_Cooper_...nce_tuner.html

 

I own a 2012 Cooper S 184HP (181 HP according to the american standard system). The tuning kit takes the power to 200HP (197HP USA). I have it installed in my car and it works great. Not only you feel a noticeable gain in the whole rev range but it seems to me that you get more than just only 16HP. Additionally, if you happen to be driving with the windows down you´ll hear the blow-off valve whistling.


Together with all that Sgscomps mentioned, you will also get two front grill and rear JCW badges and the twin muffler inox tips with the JCW signatures on them.


In my opinion it is worth every penny if you can afford to buy disite it´s not cheap.


Cheers


Jorge07


And you keep all the warranty

 

I installed the JCW Tuning kit on my 2010 Mayfair S. What a world of difference! Throttle response, torque, HP all made a difference, while retaining all warranties. Worked for me.

 

Thanks gentleman. I really appreciate all of the responses!

 

I also have an R56 that I had the dealer install the tuning kit on, I too wanted to retain the warranty. My question is are there after market items (exhaust, air intake and chip) that offer more performance gains than the JCW kit? Is the kit the best bang for the buck?

 

I have the JB+ and Sprint boost for the throttle adjustment and bought a drop-in K&N filter in the standard box all works for me and some and all these items only takes minutes to install and uninstall for your visits to the dealership.These parts are plug and play and can all be purchased for under $600

 

It is certainly the closest you can get to match a factory JCW minus the big brakes and suspension.

The JB+ will add another 20 whp and 30 wtq over the kit and you will really feel it as another big improvement.

Contrary to the other tuners, It is perfectly legal and this is not true you need to remove it for service. I never had problems.

 

Burger tuning no longer sells the JB+ in California, you have to get one from someone who already owns one.

 

It is CARB approved. Where is your information coming from?

 

I have my own account with Burger Tuning. That is where I got my information from. When you try to order direct from burger tuning you cannot. Try it for yourself and you will see the window that pops up, stating in fact that they do not sell to the state of California. You will only be shipped a replacement item for one already owned.

 

I bought mine from Burger Tuning 2 years ago but I never lived in CA. This is strange they are CARB approved but cannot sell their products in CA.

 

The web page that shows their items are CARB approved is from the year 2015. Evidently in the year 2016 they are no longer approved for sale in California.

 

I did the exact same changes

 

I have a 2010 JCW tune on my clubman, for me, well worth the money. Quicker and sounds better.
It was a warranty thing for me. Would I do it again...yes!

 

I have to agree that it's still money well spent, especially if you have the N18 (MY 2011+). The retail is $2050, but I'm sure you can find it cheaper (around $1,700 seems to be the going rate). The overall cost isn't terrible for what you get, including the exhaust, exhaust manifold, tune, and intake (well really just the filter) and having it engineered by MINI/BMW. The install is very high since you have to go through the dealer, but to have the kit tied to your VIN, not have to deal with warranty issues, add some peace of mind that this kit is less likely to kill the engine or at least that you may have some recourse if something goes wrong, it isn't that bad. Not to mention people that have dyno'd the kit are showing gains of more HP than was advertised by MINI.

 

For resale it will be a rare kit and I know some people if they can find a Factory JCW look for the rare tuning kit cars.

 

+1. This was my case exactly. I wanted a car wth lower miles and couldn't find a JCW in my budget with the N18 engine. Having had a 2010 MCS with the N14 and it's issues, I wasn't willing to take a gamble on anything without the N18. Ended up with a 2012 MCS with 25k miles and the options I wanted. Added the tuning kit and now I have no guilt about tracking her or otherwise and am really happy with it. I'll add my own brake upgrade and clutch upgrades in due time as well.

 

Nice, do you have pics of the MINI w/ tuning kit?

 

 

I have a 2007 Mini cooper S and recently had the tuning kit installed. I have owned this car since new and was about to sell it. I didn't get much interest so decided to revive the car.

It was well worth the money. Really makes the car unbelievably fun to drive. I should of got it years ago. This really should of been the way the standard S should have been sold.

It make me catch the upgrade bug and am looking to maybe install a JCW turbo. Anyone do further upgrading after the tuning kit?

 

I wanted the car to be more responsive but wasn't looking for much more power out of the front wheels at this point. I went the other way and improved the brakes with ECS SS lines, better fluid, pads and rotors. Added the JCW strut bar and the JCW Leather steering wheel which is what the car should've been sold with vs that silly little wheel. Now I'm looking at a rear sway bar to quell some understeer a bit. My goal was to just have it set up to be able to run some high performance driving events on nearby tracks and learn the car's limits (and mine).

Looks-wise I did add the JCW bonnet stripes, changed the chrome trim to the black line trim.

 

I had a MiniManiac Stage 1 ECU tune installed in my car in Tempe for $500. Added estimated 30 HP (from 210 to about 240). Noticeably faster, can hear the "whistle" accelerating, and much more exhaust "pop" when I let off the throttle at higher RPMs. Quite a difference even on a pretty fast car to start with.