Hey so my cousin, who’s an engineer, tells me there are minimal modifications, that would give a small boost in horsepower, which he would consider safe for a car. Namely, these are a racing air filter and a racing exhaust system. Would the JCW Pro exhaust be at the maximum option for a racing exhaust? And what would be the best options for a racing air intake as well; both for my 2020 JCW 2-door?

So that being said, what opinions do others have about modifications or tuning with respect to how they may or may not be safe for the car, or generally cause wear and tear on the engine and/or drivetrain. As well as some suggestions about various devices that are cost efficient at increasing performance.

Finally would anyone talk about the pros and cons of getting tuning kits or packages (not certain of the terminology), if there are vendors who do that, or how one might take the option to go piece by piece, doing one’s own research?

Forgive me me as I’m new to the world of MINI, and also to the idea of car mods. Would anyone suggest a website(s) which talks about the workings of cars especially of MINI’s and their modifications, as well as favored vendors I could research? Again, I’d be curious about companies that do custom packages to at least help with research. Again, I’m new to this, so forgive any incorrect terminology! Hope I got my questions across anyway.

 

The option I employ, sharing your concern for reliability and safety, is the Dinan Elite.

I've been using this solution for over 50k miles. It has been installed and supported by Mini of Peabody, who are the only folks that have ever touched my car.

The system threw a code in the first month, back in 2018. The dealer isolated Dinan as the culprit easily by using the bypass plug supplied, which effectively is a temporary uninstallation for diagnostic purposes.

They contacted Dinan on my behalf, and received a replacement unit the next day, which cured the issue at no cost to me. Good interlocking warranty between Mini and Dinan - as advertised.

I have put the car on a Mustang dyno (Bren Tuning) and recorded 255 whp and 286 wtq. The car's behavior has been impeccable for two years.

No other components in the drive train have been touched - inlet and exhaust are OEM.

Not cheap, but worry free, and highly effective.

Kind regards,

Charlie

 

I have a 2020 JCW Clubman that has 301 HP and personally that's plenty of power for me so I won't consider any modifications. Before that I had a 2014 JCW Coupe and I did have the ECU reprogrammed in Tempe AZ for more boost for around $500 and that did make it accelerate faster. I'm not sure I really needed that as the car was plenty fast already. The JCW exhaust and the air filter won't improve the performance but the exhaust will change the sound of the exhaust. I think it costs around $2500 installed.

 

So let me chime in since no one really has chimed in for my ‘21 F56 JCW.
~So for tunes the only one that works for a fact for 2020/21 F56 vehicles is NM Engineering Power Module. If you go to their website you will see that they have tested their tune in our cars and work as they designed it. Also note that when you order it you have to put our year into it for it to work. I spoke with Trent from Dinan and they have a reflash for our vehicles coming out very soon and it will give out numbers similar to their Dinan Elite Tune.
~So for exhaust the there’s a lot of options, ECS Tuning has an array of choices depending on sound and level of install you want for your vehicle. I’m a firm believer that the OEM JCW Pro Exhaust is best for sound and power. So if you like the JCW Pro Exhaust and you have a 2020/21 F56 JCW, you will need to find a independent shop that will install and willing not to do the tune that comes with the kit. You will be able to do the valve (flap) and the BT button, but mapping is not an option since our vehicles are mapped a different way prior to MY2019.
~So for airboxes again, plenty of choices out there but I believe the best one is the Eventuri due to its true ram air induction. Expensive! But worth it and if CF is to rich for your blood there’s always black plastic.
Hope this information helps, below is the JCW Pro Exhaust that fits our 2020/21 vehicles. Enjoy, Jose

 

Wow, thank you all for the wealth of information...

Just to clarify, my questions are regarding a 2020 JCW 2-door Hardtop.

A quick question... so there are certain air filters and exhausts that do boost horsepower, and others which only affect sound?

Im sure I'll have some more questions as I commence to research!

 

Here to help! There’s not a lot of 2020/21 F56 JCW’s out there so information is a little on the slow side since BMW/Mini made the vehicle more efficient and EPA happy. Enjoy!

 

Iam not a big fan of tuning boxes there are some hardware tweaks that boost the performance.

- 2oo cell downpipe
- The MINI Performance throttle exhaust
- lighten flywheel

these 3 together give you a boost

 

Thank you for the suggestion, seems very interesting. So there is a particular synergy with these three items? Also, just curious, why do you not particularly like tuning boxes?

 

The mentioned tweaks will give you hp and a easy rev.

Tuning boxes are xtra weight, besides that direct ecu tuning gives me more options, and imho a more direct response in handling.

 

thank you again. This option seems very interesting, and worth the cost. It’s just that they currently only seem to have an item compatible with the Countryman All-4, and not the 2020 2-door JCW which I own. Or am I mistaken?

 

I'd inquire - I see your point, but Dinan cannot list it until they have done it. Unless the B48 changed mid-year I'd be optimistic.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

I'm going on 3 years with a Dinan Elite (MINI of Peabody) no codes and doesn't void warranty, very important to me. Can't say I felt a HP increase with the JCW Pro exhaust, grabbed it for sound, I messed with intakes in the past never seemed worth the $$.
Good luck.

 

I am very happy with the Dinan Elite ... definitely a big boost and excellent drivability. In some ways it feels smoother than stock. As for the exhaust, I am running the Remus unit and could not be happier. Sound is incredible and it is much more cost-effective than the JCW Pro unit, since that unit also includes tuning software that is not applicable to the JCW (although you are paying for it). Two other pluses for the Remus - the bluetooth works flawlessly and it defaults to the last setting; plus it is quite a bit lighter than the JCW Pro unit. Just my thoughts.

 

I talked to Dinan just this week and they are confident they will have a flash tune for the 2020 JCW clubman all4 early spring - They have done some testing and said the gains were really impressive !!

 

Very cool! So I would imagine, that one might want to modify the suspension, brakes, etc. to improve the handling on the higher horsepower. Is that true? Would someone suggest an instance of this or any other modifications which would go with a tuning kit, or other device like were mentioned on this thread?

 

Yep, but it's a heartbreaker.

With over 250 whp and FWD, a car is fundamentally traction limited. So unless you want to fry your brakes (due to the e-diff) a proper LSD is necessary.

I run the Quaife.

You asked...


Cheers,

Charlie

 

Thanks very much, but why heartbreaking? I'll simply have to wait longer to break open the piggy bank! It will give me time to research things...

So are there any other parts that would be considered necessary to complement a kit such as the Dinan?

 

2020 Clubman JCW is all wheel drive so traction not a issue -

 

Hi Charlie. Thank You for speaking about the Quaife, can you provide some more info? Part#’s? Install?
I’m 110% with you that these cars can only do so much with all the power to the front. Thank You for chiming in, Jose

 

I purchased the Quaife from, Way Motor Works paying $1,198.95, including the two differential bearings.

On the installation, done by Mini of Peabody, I replaced the clutch and all other wear items and seals exposed by the process of replacing the diff.

That amounted to $1,057 in parts, and $1,800 in labor.

So damned expensive. A shame Mini tried to pass the e-Diff off as a solution - which it really isn't under hard use. One damp morning on the Dragon I finished a run and pulled up at the overlook at the North end, and saw those massive Brembos blued and smoking. It wasn't the deceleration during that run that overheated them, bur rather the acceleration! The brakes were either clamped on to avoid wheelspin out of every corner or clamped on to control entry speed, and had no time to recover.

With the Quaife, new car. Leaps out of the corner exits and does not bother the brakes at all. Expensive, but at these power levels essential.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Charlie, thank you for the info! Just ordered it, will report back when I get it installed. I agree with you 110%, clearly too much power going to the front with no traction to put down. I drove my ‘21 JCW F56 6sp yesterday to get the driving lights installed and to get the tints done, and clearly I get more control with the manual transmission vs the auto transmission. I’m also running dedicated winters since we are getting killed with snow/ice in NY/NJ. Enjoy, Jose

 

Jose, I hope you enjoy the results as much as I have.

Kind regards,

Charllie

 

Jose, since you've decided to do the diff, I'd suggest to also change the clutch. A shame on a brand new car, I know, but I went to a Helix organic kit from Lohen, and the action is so much better than stock. It's slightly lightened, so the car will be a little more responsive too. Plus it will hold the power if you do go to an ECU tune. The labor involved would be minimal since tranny is coming off anyway, so it's basically just the cost of parts. When I did that plus the Quaife, the clutch was my favorite part. It's something you notice with every shift, not just powering out of a corner at the limit of traction.

 

Hi JL, hope your well. Excellent information, thank you! Will look into ordering and getting it done also. I’m also looking into changing the suspension since I don’t have DCC, does anyone know or have the JCW Pro Suspension setup on their 2020/21? Worth it? Thoughts? Thank You, Jose

 

I have a 2020 JCW and had the JCW Pro suspension installed last month. Its set on the first lowering setting. Definitely worth it. Car drives and handles better, IMO.