Hi Folks:

What are the pros/cons to the JCW Airbox for an 2005 Cooper S Cabrio? Is it worth the costs/trouble?

Also, is there anything that can be done to increase the performance on the lower end of the RPM spectrum without voiding the warranty?

Thanks,
Lee

 

The JCW Intake was one of the first parts I added. Myminiparts.com (Minspeed) had a lower cost version without the flap electronics and mechanics. I like the look, the supercharger whine, and performance difference.

Mark

 

You would probably get a much better response if you posted this in the 1st gen forum.

 

Oopps. Sorry, new here, didn't realize I was in the wrong area.

Thanks,
Lee

 

Threads merged into the 1st Gen area & title fixed (MSC -> MCSC).

 

Well.... Any Cold Air Intake (which the JCW is) will increase supercharger sound ("whine") at high RPMs. Some believe that it will also increase throttle response and maybe also give you a few (not many) horsepower... though the stock airbox PROBABLY provides plenty of air unless you're doing other mods to increase the ability of the engine to actually USE more air (example - supercharger reduction pulley, ported head).

Compared to other CAIs, the JCW is LESS loud (some thing this is better, some worse). The biggest advantage is that the mechanized flap in the JCW box prevents potential "undesirable" noises from emanating from the box at lower RPMs. Some of us have a chronic throttle whistle at lower RPMs which is "amplified" by other CAIs but should be mostly obscured by the JCW. See this thread. You MAY not have this whistle problem - if so, then the flap feature of the JCW intake may not be of as much value to you - though it still provides a sound level that sounds like stock at normal around town and highway speeds, but opens up and sounds more aggressive with the supercharger whine at high RPMS, under hard acceleration or performance driving.

The JCW also maintains more of a "stock" look under the bonnet - again, some think this is a good thing, others want a more aggressive look.

Personally - I'm changing from a Dinan CAI to a JCW to combat the throttle whistle. I would NEVER go back to a stock airbox - but I also have other mods (15% pulley, modified exhaust) that seem to bring out the sound and performance of the CAI.

 

Is the JCW "Stage 1" kit some are discussing for the around $2400 for the First Gen minis or second? Will this provide any additional low end "grunt", or are pully's the only way to do this? Are there any pully, ECU combinations available from MINI that will not void the factory warranty?

Thanks for the input folks. I can't believe the options available for this little car.

Cheers!
Lee

 

JCW stage 1 kit is for the Gen II cars. You can buy the JCW CAI, 380cc injectors and JCW CAT back exhaust independantly from sellers on line though I am not certain that any of these mods will result in any power gains. The JCW parts will give you a significant power gain when used in conjunction with a 15% pully and an ECU upgrade.

 

Well....

You CAN convert your car to a "JCW" car at the dealer - this will include a pulley upgrade, intake, exhaust, head, ECU flash, etc. And will retain your full warranty.

This will cost $$$$$.

This will result in a car that is SLOWER than cars upgraded with half the $$ but with aftermarket parts. Do they void the warranty? Well, that depends on what the part is, what part of your car fails, and who your dealer is... There are aftermarket parts that include a warranty on the part of the car that might possibly be affected. The common mods that will yield what you want are 15% pulley + intake + exhaust + ECU flash. I've never heard of ANYONE report that a car has failed because of these mods, nor that a warranty claim was denied because of these mods.. but that doesn't mean there's not some unlucky soul out there somewhere...

I installed all these mods on my brand spankin new cabrio. Is my warranty voided? MAYBE on my supercharger (which, as far as I know, the current version hasn't failed as the result of a pulley upgrade). Otherwise my warranty should be intact. Could someone give me grief about the ECU upgrade? Possible, but not likely... Again, I'm not aware of any failures caused by the conservative ECU upgrade option I chose (MTH).

What your warranty is worth to you, only you know. Many have done the research and judged that, for themselves, the risk of a failure that would create warranty issues is very, very low, and the benefits of the mods are worthwhile. But again, this is a very personal thing. Remember - warranty is NOT an all or none situation - installing mods MAY invalidate the warranty on failures that COULD be related to that specific mod - but just because you install a 15% pulley on your car, that doesn't void the warranty on the WHOLE CAR...

 

Thanks for the info. I've just heard some horror stories about Mini dealers in particular being total PITAs about warrantying ANYTHING that might be construed as being affected by an aftermarket part. FYI, installing a set of Aftermarket lights voids the warranty on the entire wireing harness and computer.

I had an 93 RX-7 with a factory warranty, and all I added was a Borla exhaust and a turbo guage, and that dealer gave me a hard time EVERY time I went in for work. I usually got what I needed, but it was always a debate. The turbos went, and I had to have a meeting with the regional manager to get them to fix it. It had NOTHING to do with the exhausts (cat back), but they put me through the ringer anyway. If I can avoid these situations, I would like to.

Cheers!
Lee

 

Your mileage may vary. The JCW is expensive, but to some people, that expense is worth it.

I recommend driving a JCW MINI yourself, so you can feel it... and then drive a modded MINI (if you join your local MINI club, there will probably be many owners happy to show you), so you can determine the differences.

Personally... I have driven a number of different Gen 1 MINIs, and I have yet to find any that are as smooth as JCW. It's smooth as butta... and that's part of what you pay for - the additional engineering that went into it. Many of the aftermarket-modded MINIs I've driven have been faster, sure... but I didn't buy my MINI to be a 0-60 machine. I have my Mustang for that, and by the time I am done with it (500 RWHP), it will blow away almost any MINI it comes across at the drag strip... (note I said almost... there are a few crazy exceptions that come to mind... like Tuls' 400hp MINI, and the M600 crazy drag MINI that Fireball Tim's group created)

I love my JCW mods, and I have enjoyed the peace of mind knowing that ANY MINI dealer in the country would know it, understand it, and be able to fix it... both before and after the warranty expires. The additional cost was worth it to me. It may or may not be worth it to you. Check it out for yourself and then decide.Well, that of course will vary by dealer, to a large extent. With JCW you'll never be asked a single question about it though. How much do you want to pay for that feeling? (along with the "smoothness" benefit I said above)

Like I said, drive both first, then look at the costs... JCW is definitely more expensive, but you need to make your own decisions.

Note: Not all JCW mods are considered overpriced. The suspension and brake upgrades are both considered reasonable value overall, for a street car (note though - JCW suspension is not available for cabrios). It's mostly the tuning kit and the JCW accessories that get the heavy "overpriced" criticism. Mind you, I'm also sold completely on the JCW steering wheel.

(OK, and probably everything else... I'm a JCW *****, and I admit it! Look at my sig... hehe)

Decide for yourself.

 

... And Edge makes some very good pro-JCW arguments. The steering wheel is among the best of them <hehe> - but won't work with my paddle shifters or I'd have one...

I will say, FWIW - that my modded car did NOT feel smooth until I installed the MTH tune - now, IMHO, it's "like butta"...

It also helps to know your dealer well - talk with other local club members about their experiences with this dealer regarding mods, talk directly and proactively with your service advisor about what is and isn't a problem for them, etc.

In our area, we're pretty lucky that our dealer is very pro-club (the club does a lot for the dealership and vice versa - we help them sell cars and they know it) - and they know that mods come along with the enthusiast mindset. Worst case, there are some situations where they may ask that you put something back to stock before they'll process the warranty claim...

I think there are more dealers like that out there - it's worth finding them and using THEM for your service needs.

 

Thanks for the advice guys.

I'll be work in with Otto's out side of Philly for now, as there are no mini dealers in my immediate area. They seemed nice on the phone when I spoke with them. Again, looking for advice on what will improve the low RPM end of the range the most, assuming that's possible.

Cheers!
Lee

 

I like the JCW air box and when the cellulose filter becomes dirty, replace it with an easy to clean and highly efficient Nanofiber filter. But, the reality is if you don’t improve VE by other means the stock air box is adequate.

For low end gains and much more, go down to Lucky Dog Garage for a reduction pulley, flash & tune.

You can’t have it all; while the complete JCW path will provide smooth power delivery through integrated components that bolt-on group falls short of adding snap to throttle response and does very little for that important second gear pull. I know that’s what you’re looking for and that improvement can’t be found with warranty friendly bolt-ons.