I WOULDN'T EITHER!

 

12 x 60= 720. Not including interest. So how does the other $5800 get paid for?

 

I hope my gf doesn't lurk on this forum.

 

My wife does! But I got bonus points. She is the one with the JCW on order!

 

No knock seen. ALL is OK since everyone has opinions. This is what the Internet is good for .. discourse

This is getting silly since in one thread I'm "bashing" JCW and in another defending it but here goes

1. I believe many ppl think the engine is strong and will make 100K and there are quite a few cars now over 100K miles. I could be wrong. If you abuse anything, it will eventually fail. Tracking your car is not normal driving as the motoring masses do.
2. Dunno. I doubt they put work into for "kicks". Some engineer had to say it was worth doing. You participated in https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...light=JCW+head
3. I have read one post on MINI2 where someone dynod a car with both a Borla Race and then JCW and then JCW had 2 less HP. Unless the Borla Race makes no HP, then it does something.
4. whatever
5. Ive never had warranty problems, you?

 

I have only the CAI and exhaust so can only remark on those.

To begin with I frequently see the statement that the JCW exhaust is quiter then stock and I do not think this is true. It is not a loud exhaust (a benefit to me, I don't want a too loud look at me exhaust that drones), however when I heard it on the dyno before it was even broken in it was not quiter then stock, and have since been told that at WOT from outside the car it sounds great, deeper then it did before. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think the 'quieter then stock' statement is accurate - maybe it might be at idle depending but I doubt it at WOT. Perhaps a db test can be done at varying throttle levels someday in a good controlled comparison so we can know for sure.

The JCW intake is the only one that I know of with the 'flap' control - opening up at 4500 rpm. The only info I can tell you is that we did a before CAI and exhaust and after dyno and it did show a good increase in torque afterwards. The overall topend of the dyno did not work (the trouble with the MCSa programming) but I do not have reason to believe that the torque improvement shown would be completly bogus and we both feel the improved low end is perceptable. I have to think that the design of the CAI had something to do with that, esp after reading how some people feel they have lost some low end ooomph after installing other CAIs or exhausts.

Both the CAI and the exhaust were well made as I hope the rest of the JCW stuff is.

Anyways, just my little input. Oh, and I do not discount the value of the service covered warranty that comes with a JCW car at all - it is certainly not unheard of for people to have car issues and then have Mini try to use aftermarket parts/installations as a reason not to cover related problems under warranty.

 

1. The engine does appear to be strong. I will agree that the JCW does not do anything to jeopardize this - neither do basic mods.

2. Actually, that was Randy Webb logging in on my computer.

3. The JCW exhaust also costs more than almost any other cat-back on the market. However, apparently it does do something.....

4. For the cost of the brake kit, there are some excellent aftermarket sets out there (TCE comes to mind) that will actually offer substantial improvements for those seeking the twisties or the track.

5. Yes I have. I have an 03 MCS with a ton of mods. I only have 8,000 miles on the car. I am running the JCW air box and injectors w/ JCW DME (I got a hell of a deal). None of my mods have failed. But I have had BMW NA try to back out of several warranty repairs that have nothing whatsoever to do with the mods I have had performed.

The only knock I have on the JCW is its a lot of buck for not so much bang. You look at the performance packages that Mopar put out for the SRT4 and it's almost embarrasing - Stage III costs $4,200.00 and nets you 310/325 respectively. However, if you bought the JCW kit and are happy with it - that's all that matters.

I know, I know, it's a Neon, and it's not refined but that's bang for the buck.

If I had to do it over again, I would buy a stock 06' MCS and mod the suspension and brakes. Slap on lightweight rims and tires and I would have a perfectly serviceable track car that will perform just about as well as a JCW.

 

wait how did randy log in under your SN?

 

Hey, that's great. That means I can get a new $26,000 MCS for only $48/mo.

 

They do pop up on the market never installed sometimes for a good price I'm sure they come up used as well fwiw.

Edit: speak of the devil:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=56072

 

Yeah..and it not certified , I guess you should compare street legal packages to keep it apple to apples.


Paul

 

Fair enough.

We will nix the comparo to the Neon - even on it's own the JCW is an expensive package with little oomph over stock.

Put it this way, a new 05 or 06 MCS with the new gearing will offer the same, if not better performance off the line over an 03 or 04 JCW. I would think that illustrates how tepid the package is for the $$$$$$$.

 

A 25% peak hp increase is tepid? Huh. Well, I guess if you're into 0-30 stoplight drag runs, it's not the right choice.

 

you know X this brings us back to that one topic...

 

In Summary...it always comes down to this:

1-You'd rather not deal with fixing things that can be covered through warranty. But you want the fastest option that Mini provides...buy a JCW. Nothing wrong with that at all. One of my good friend does exactly that and we hang out together all the time. In time, your JCW will be worth ten times more than our modified go karts and you'll be the one laughing

2-You plan on keeping your Mini for a while and have a good fling while you're in love. You have parts waiting for your Mini before it's ordered. You won't let any high school porter take your Mini in for a 48 hour service and you'd rather change your own oil. You want the fastest option that your Mini can deal with and you don't care how you get there...blown engine or not You DIY My other Mini friends also do that and there's nothing wrong with that either.

3-It's up to you to decide which you'd rather do

 

I would not recommend any Mini for stoplight drag runs.

It has been oft discussed on this and other Forums about actual dyno'd results for the JCW kit. Based on what's been actually measured, I would call that 25% claimed at best. Cars with basic mods (15% pulley, CAI, etc.) tend to make more power for a lot less green.

I have driven an 04 JCW and on 05 JCW. I have also driven an 05 MCS with 16" SSRs/ES100s and a rear sway with no other mods. I can tell you this: in back to back drives, the 05 non-JCW was quicker than the 04 JCW and performed just as well as the 05 JCW. As for smoother and refined, well, most of the popular ECU mods greatly improve the smoothness and refinement. For $6,500.00 - I expected more.

Regardless, if you have the JCW and feel it's money well spent - great, I sincerely get it. Look, one of my other hobbies is tropical fish. I will gladly pay big $$$$$ for wild caught rift lake cichlids. I could easily pay less for the same store bought fish, but I don't and I can't really explain why - it just makes me happier to have the wild ones........

I completely agree that if you have to have a modded car and are worried about future resale value and dealer support, the JCW has the aftermarket world beat.

 

He was surfing on my computer, decided to respond to the JCW head post and forgot to logout and re-log in with his name.

 

I call BS. Not on the stock 05 vs 04 JCW... absolutely, the new 05 gearing makes up a LOT of the difference (although at higher highway speeds, i.e. NOT 0-60 seat-of-the-pants feel, I think the 04 JCW might still do better).

HOWEVER

There is absolutely NO way that a stock 05 MCS will perform "just as well" as the 05 JCW. ESPECIALLY above 4500 rpm. Did you even wring them both out to at least 6500 rpm?

Now, if the "05 non-JCW" you talk about was modded... well sure, that makes sense... but it isn't what you said.

 

I have total respect for the JCW cars

what would you rather have a completely stock 66 427 Cobra or one that was aftermaket modded. A stock 66 GTO or AMM version. A stock GT- 350 etc, etc......

There is no doubt that equal power for less $ can be had but I still admire that badge.

I have said it before if modding your car is your hobby go AM, otherwise JCW is pretty cool...... neither car is the fastest/baddest on the road, that is not the point.....but all Minis are fun.......and that can't be said for many cars.

 

1. Calm down. If you want to call BS back it up with your experiences. Have you driven three similarly equipped cars, or is this all conjecture on your part?

2. Better yet, do you have a source, with any published numbers, that shows any performance figures for the JCW kit? Or are we still relying on refined and smooth to describe any measurable gains?

3. Think hard about what "just as well" means. If you are going to trot out numbers showing that the JCW kit nets you 0.1 - 0.2 seconds on a 0-60 sprint, well, see XAlfa's post.........

 

Have you tried modding your own cichlids?

 

OK, I will jump in. I am a long time lurker in many of the threads. I just traded my 03 MCS that had a small amount of mods: 15% pulley, Webb Motorsports throttle body, Webb extrude honed intake and runners, Unichip, Milltek cat-back exhaust, Alta intake, wires, coil pack and plugs, short shifter kit, HSport springs, rear sway bar, RDR camber plates, Rear suspension upper and lower bars, 16" Minilite wheels with decent tires.

What I just got last Friday is a 2006 JCW. I deliberately ordered the JCW because I was wanting the performance without the hassle. I haven't broken it in as of yet, so I haven't really pushed it and won't until I am satisified it is broken in (both brakes and engine/gearbox). However, my very early impression is that it will be nearly as quick or quicker than the old car. Some of this I can credit to the revised gearbox ratios, I think. There is an incredible refined smoothness to this new car that was decidedly lacking in the modded 03.

Before I traded the 03 in on the 06, I removed many of the mods (the easy stuff, as the dealer didn't want the car in such a modded condition --understandable, I feel). I took off the Miltek, springs, rear sway bar, rear suspension arms, Unichip, Alta CAI, extra guages, euro parcel shelf. As I did not have any core parts available to me, the car went to trade with the throttle body, intake and runners, the 15% pulley, and the short shifter, stock wheels and runflats. The dealer had no problem with those mods. What amazed me was the difference I felt as I removed parts -- the car became much smoother to drive and actually more fun. Perhaps this indicates I did not do such a great job on selecting the combination of mods that I made. I don't know for sure but I think that may be the case.

I will not be making any "performace" mods to the new car until it is well broken in. So, all the stuff that I took off the 03 will sit in the garage until at least Spring arrives so I can make decisions as to what will go on the new car. The Miltek will not be going on, as the JCW exhaust is loud enough for me with a nice deep tone, and looks much lighter than a stock MCS system.

So for what it is worth, for now I am quite happy I made the choice for the JCW, especially since I got the limited slip diff and the brake upgrade.

cheers,

Paul

 

A modded store-bought cichlid will own a wild-caught rift lake JCW cichlid off the line.

 

I call BS. There is no way a modded cichlid will outperform a wild-caught, at least not that you could feel by the seat of your pants........

My wild caught cichlid is "smoother" and more "refined". It is also pedigreed. It will also hold it's resale value better down the road.............

 

ROTFL

I was into tropicals, the salty variety, for a long time. This is TOO DAMN FUNNY!