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JCW GarageInterested in John Cooper Works (JCW) parts for your 2nd Generation MINI? This is where JCW upgrades and accessories for the MINI Clubman (R55), Cooper and Cooper S (R56), and Cabrio (R57) MINIs are discussed.
My 2012 JCW came to me in October of 2017 with ~71k on the clock. It had been very meticulously maintained and was in near new condition when I found it. This is my first go at a Mini, after playing with flat4's for ~the past decade. I was hooked on JCW at first drive, which replaced a 2013 WRX hatch.
Mods-wise, I had already upgraded the intercooler and diverter valve on my JCW..when I decided it was time for more. After doing a lot of homework (or online stalking..whatever), I made up my mind to get in contact with Mario Palza. He came highly recommended from EVERY R56 review I could find. At first contact, he immediately sent me photos of his stainless steel and ceramic coated downpipes and laid out a few options. After seeing the quality of the DP and him pointing out some flaws in other designs (mainly fitment, due to all the various rev R56 versions), I decided not to purchase the DP I was looking at from another vendor.
Mario provided me with a quote for: eVo 10 spark plugs, Catless ceramic coated DP & Stage2 remap. We exchanged cashiers check & parts through the mail; while I was waiting for the ECU to arrive, I removed the stock DP. It was a good task to keep me from biting my nails or pacing holes in the floor.. I was so ANXIOUS! Catless DP and plugs arrived..and installed in an hour or so. Fitment of the DP was perfect, retaining all factory bracing/brackets and heat shield. No modifications were necessary for installation. Installing the new colder plugs required a standard 5/8" spark plug socket (as these are not plugs for a Mini, they do function & fit perfectly though). ECU arrived the following morning .. I was glad my wife wasnt home, so she didnt see how excited I was (and nervous). Install of the ECU takes all of 30seconds.. I made sure oil was topped off, and double checked everything one last time before putting the key in. My tiny beast came ALIVE! It roared with a new voice! First few drives I was just puttin around enjoying all the nuances of the 'new' car. Temps/EGT/boost/AFR/Timing.. wow. Having a few hundred logs prior to the tune, I was very happy seeing the changes in realtime. My first time putting my foot down, I panic shifted into 4rth early @ ~5400rpm... was NOT prepared for how fast the power came in!
I chose a stage2 map from RPM, as I wasnt concerned with having a switch to go back'n'forth with various can maps (aka Manic SPS). This is my daily driver; so I opted for what I felt was the most stable performance option for 24/7. Boost now peaks at 1.45bar. RPM limit was not altered.
I havent seen/heard from many tuned JCW owners (mostly MCS), so I had no expectations prior. Overall Im very pleased with how smooth and tame the car is off-boost now. Once the hammer drops and boost hits..you will see the color drain from your passengers face! Torque steer is more pronounced (as to be expected with another 100nm), and power stays all the way to redline (no more dropoff after ~5800). Many smiles per gallon will be had, hoonin around in this tiny terror now.
If you are looking for thorough & professional service, I would look no further than Mario Palza. His DP build quality and ceramic coat was immaculate, and his service -> Top Notch. He communicated with me all the way through from the start of the transaction to first drive after install. Even provided some helpful vids and tips to save me time on the install, which I did all myself with no outside assistance in a few hours (thanks to those tips as well). If I had to do it all again, I would!
*Vid and some data logs incoming, as soon as I get them cleaned up.
Some photos of my build progress and parts installs below:
No they werent actually.. im just straight pipe from the turbo back to the muffler & sport mode is quote the show now! Its now reserved for straight hoonage. Throttle is so improved over stock, I havent been using the sport button unless I want to rattle windows.
No they werent actually.. im just straight pipe from the turbo back to the muffler & sport mode is quote the show now! Its now reserved for straight hoonage. Throttle is so improved over stock, I havent been using the sport button unless I want to rattle windows.
Yeah I am catless with just 1 aftermarket resonator and 0 mufflers. I pop like crazy in sport mode and jjst occasionally after hard pulls if not in sport.
My 2012 JCW came to me in October of 2017 with ~71k on the clock. It had been very meticulously maintained and was in near new condition when I found it. This is my first go at a Mini, after playing with flat4's for ~the past decade. I was hooked on JCW at first drive, which replaced a 2013 WRX hatch.
Mods-wise, I had already upgraded the intercooler and diverter valve on my JCW..when I decided it was time for more. After doing a lot of homework (or online stalking..whatever), I made up my mind to get in contact with Mario Palza. He came highly recommended from EVERY R56 review I could find. At first contact, he immediately sent me photos of his stainless steel and ceramic coated downpipes and laid out a few tuning options. After seeing the quality of the DP and him pointing out some flaws in other designs (mainly fitment, due to all the various rev R56 versions), I decided not to purchase the DP I was looking at from another vendor.
Mario provided me with a quote for: eVo 10 spark plugs, Catless ceramic coated DP & Stage2 remap. We exchanged cashiers check & parts through the mail; while I was waiting for the ECU to arrive, I removed the stock DP. It was a good task to keep me from biting my nails or pacing holes in the floor.. I was so ANXIOUS! Catless DP and plugs arrived..and installed in an hour or so. Fitment of the DP was perfect, retaining all factory bracing/brackets and heat shield. No modifications were necessary for installation. Installing the new colder plugs required a standard 5/8" spark plug socket (as these are not plugs for a Mini, they do function & fit perfectly though). ECU arrived the following morning .. I was glad my wife wasnt home, so she didnt see how excited I was (and nervous). Install of the ECU takes all of 30seconds.. I made sure oil was topped off, and double checked everything one last time before putting the key in. My tiny beast came ALIVE! It roared with a new voice! First few drives I was just puttin around enjoying all the nuances of the 'new' car. Temps/EGT/boost/AFR/Timing.. wow. Having a few hundred logs prior to the tune, I was very happy seeing the changes in realtime. My first time putting my foot down, I panic shifted into 4rth early @ ~5400rpm... was NOT prepared for how fast the power came in!
I chose a stage2 map from RPM, as I wasnt concerned with having a switch to go back'n'forth with various tunes (aka Manic). This is my daily driver; so I opted for what I felt was the most stable performance option for 24/7. Boost now peaks at 1.45bar. RPM limit was not altered.
I havent seen/heard from many tuned JCW owners (mostly MCS), so I had no expectations prior. Overall Im very pleased with how smooth and tame the car is off-boost now. Once the hammer drops and boost hits..you will see the color drain from your passengers face! Torque steer is more pronounced (as to be expected with another 100nm), and power stays all the way to redline (no more dropoff after ~5800). Many smiles per gallon will be had, hoonin around in this tiny terror now.
If you are looking for a thourough, professional tuner I would look no further than Mario Palza. His DP build quality and ceramic coat was immaculate, and his service -> Top Notch. He communicated with me all the way through from the start of the transaction to first drive after install. Even provided some helpful vids and tips to save me time on the install, which I did all myself with no outside assistance in a few hours (thanks to those tips as well). If I had to do it all again, I would!
*Vid and some data logs incoming, as soon as I get them cleaned up.
Some photos of my build progress and parts installs below:
Wondering what max boost is now. Are you in CALIFORNIA? Was anything done to the engine internally?
Boost tips around 21.5psi now. No internal mods to the block or head (factory JCW). The biggest change came from the reworked thermostat temps.. with the engine running 20-30f cooler, my oil consumption has dropped to near insignificant levels vs stock. Previously I was topping off 1/4 to 1/2qt every tank of fuel. Now it's ~1/4qt every 1&1/2 tanks of fuel. Also, near nothing in my catch cans now too!
*lower oil consumption has kept the plugs much cleaner as well. My #2 was caking up in ~5k miles before. They look great now though! I will post another pic once I pull them to check next oil change.
I did a very similar upgrade with my Mini Cooper JCW. I went the Manic stage II route and just love the change in performance dynamic. Tony at Iautowwerks took care of the Manic tune for me. I too opted for no manual switch to change back the tune. I changed out the DP for an Akrapovic cat DP, Akrapovic exhaust,wagner competition intercooler, colder NGK plugs, Alta charge pipe, ECS CF intake . Love the results.
03-28-2018, 05:42 PM
