It's been one week & almost 1000 miles of driving w/ the JCW kit installed.
First impressions were the most accurate:
-Works Kit is an assemblage of parts that seems to personify the notion "The Whole IS greater than the sum of it's parts":
The car feels, drives, accelerates, passes, and putts around town w/ the feeling of a small, powerful Billet-built BMW. Much more so than a stock Cooper S.
This analogy may mean more to BMW drivers like myself (the E46 coupe in particular) when dry data & specs so often fail to describe the full measure of the driving experience.
-Torque is very linear & powerful: coming on at 2500 rpms and really shining at 4000+. Mid-range power is spectacular BUT because the exhaust is somewhat restrained the cars bounds forward at a deceivingly fast pace. It's strong, steady & stealthy in a ticket waiting to happen manner. I have often passed on the freeway and looked down to see 90mph w/o being aware of the speed (this is both a good & a bad thing: a loud exhaust would give the driver a better sense of real forward velocity but passing unsuspecting smart asses is a stealth-fighter trip!)
-Throttle response is perfect!!: fast, linear. quick revs up & down: In this regard it feels like there is a light-weight flywheel in place (much improved rev drops & virtually no supercharger lag sensation.)
-Extra power & gear ratios: The car seems to be more at home & comfortable w/ it's factory gearing. Less "rowing", more usefull city driving pull & torque'power in 3rd & 4th and lot's of added punch when passing in 5th & to a lesser extent 6th gear. Will someone (maybe Steve Dinan) introduce a shorter a Final drive gear/diff. to give the car an extra degree of torque/pull in the lower gears?
-Exhaust is very nice at WOT but lacks the drama of the Supersprint system it replaced (one w/o a center resonator.) I gave it the "parking garage sonic test": find an empty 4-3 story enclosed garage, position someone at the entance for saftey and have a spirited up-hill run w/ the windows down. The Works exhaust is dead-on perfect a WOT. It's deep, throaty, nice blurps when the throttle is released at high rpms in 1-2-3 gears & generally a "head-turner" sound. However, it lacks the engaging "track-car" cabin sountrack I have grown to love. It could be fitted sans the center resonator I think? (it is also much better to live w/for long drives. No droning at any speed.)
-Looks/fit & finish: The Works kit adds to the engine bay aesthetics w/ silver trim, nice badging and extra visual sex-appeal.
Exterior logos are very small/subtle so I had them installed.
-All in all I see the Works kit as a great package for those willing to part w/ the $4500 plus install. It all works in a true synergy that transforms the car from a terrific ride into a stealthy little pocket rocket.
FYI: It will take ANY Mini mechanic more than the paltry 10 hours allocated by BMW to install & test drive this package. Cooper/BMW should be ashamed to unload this kit on the typically understaffed Cooper service center and expect the staff to do 12-15 hours of work in 10 billing hours (I gave my mechanic an envelope that I hope will reddress this.)

The Works kit, set of big-assed Brembo brakes, an air-intake, F.tower braces, H&R springs and a set of 17" SSR Competetion wheels have transformed our little D. Silver Mini into an heroic road-racer. I say bravo to Cooper: Despite the hard feelings that seem to have crept into the discussion of the Works kit. I think it represents a good performance packag w/ warranty at the price point that is fair( all thing being considered.)

 

wow, thank you for the write up.

your concise write up lets us, the people wihtout the works kit, to fully understand how it performs before plunking down our money.

thank you very much.

kudos for the great write up
kudos for taking care of the mechanic

imo, the works kit might be worth it just for the "sex appeal" as you said

 

Great write-up marksmith. Have you documented the fuel consumption changes since you had the Works installed? I'm curious if all the extras translate into lower MPG figures.

 

Drool....

MCSRob

 

I'd be interested in MPG figures as well. What was installed cost?
How do the brakes feel with the extra hp....it has been my major concern??

 

Any other problems or downside to the kit? bedsides low availability and cost. Electrical interference with the radio?
Yes mpg figures are good- please comment.

And for you pulley, exhaust, and ECU upgrade owners out there- Read the review from a performance standpoint and comment on if that sounds just like your upgraded MCS minus the badges and high price of the kit. If so, then I know what I will be getting before the end of the year.

For other JCW kit owners: anything else to add? Please put in your comments- what about install time. I can ask around at my BMW shop to see if the 10 hours is too little but my understanding is that it is only an estimate of time and that if it takes longer like 12 hours then the customer is just charged more for labor. There is no limit on labor costs, it doesn't stop at 10 hours.

Thanks very much for your review and comments- Excellent. Pictures please?

 

FYI: Fuel consumption w/ the Works: Other than the fact that I have been driving like a madman, I can not detect any changes in fuel consumption AT ALL! An earlier press release by BMW stated that the Works kit (all the parts working in unison w/ the ECU remapping) was specifically designed to "retain near stock fuel consumption figures " The reworked cylinder being an important part of this synergy.
-There is no difference is electrical draw, radio reception etc. If anything the car feels more stable at idle w/ all the AC, radio. misc. power assists etc. going full tilt in Texas summer weather.
-Shop time: Without identifying individuals I will retell this story: A Mini service department head & a regional BMW dealer attended an Arizona JCW drive/workshop. There was a post-drive seminar w/ several Cooper& BMW tech staffs directing (some from Germany & some from England) The issue of the "recommended" 10 hrs shop time came up and a heated discussion ensued. The Mini dealers let the BMW folks know that it was"Impossible" to do the job in 10 hrs. The BMW folks responded by stressing the importance of keeping it at 10 hrs billed time (actual cost vs. bad-press vs."ideal price point" research.)
-Without resolving the issue in Arizona, BMW conceeds that 10 hours is a reality only in a "lab environment" w/ the work being done by a Mini/BMW master mechanic. This is not likely to translate to most realworld dealership shops (w/ multi-tasking, multi-car repairs & general car shop maddness.) Bottom line: Most people will NOT be charged more than 10 hours until this has been resolved by HQ. This leaves the poor techs in a rotten position. It sucks and the Cooper/BMW folks should be called into account ASAP!
-My install took 15 hours, including many test drives, filling out Cooper registration papers, boxing-up core-exchange parts & an hour or so putting on the damn badges (engine bay & exterior.) I was charged 10 hrs, No questions, No moaning. I just happen to know my mechanic, the shop and all the people in the service dept. & I was around during the install. So I know!

 

mark.
show us some pics!
your ride sounds amazing!

 

Very nice review..Thanks!

 

Mark thanks for the info. Can we see some pics soon?

 

Yes, nice review. Enjoy

 

Finally after some prodding from another poster here, I went out and drove a works they had at the dealer. I only drove it a total of 45 minutes, but did drive it around town a bit, on the expressway, shutting it down at 95 mph after scaring the bejesus out of the passenger, laugh..

my impression was that for me it is not worth the price. It did make me realize the S is pretty rung out as it is. At low end torque under 3000 rpms, I could tell very little difference, but I think the works car would have faired better with lighter 16" alloys I switched to on my MCS instead of the heavy 17" superlights. I did notice some inprovement on the expressway across the powerband from 4000 rpms all the way up to redline, but again not as much I thought I would. Now for $1000 for the pulley reduction and chip mod to get to 200hp with not much additional labor, definitely maybe thinking about, but for what bimmer is gouching for the works, I 'd definitely pass.....but before laying that much $$$ down, definitely go test drive one and see if you experience that much difference...of course if money is no object and the latest latest is important and you want a works badge, go for it...cheers !

 

How much of a learning curve is involved with the install? Is it feasible to think that the install-time will come down and the mechanics become more proficient with the kit?

I've worked on cars enough to know that the first time at anything will take me three times as long as the third or fourth time but after that, the gains are minimum.

 

I join with the others and thank you for an excellent and detailed review. As the owner of a non-S Cooper, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the rumored Works upgrade for us regular Cooper owners. Any news on the availability of that one yet? Given Cooper's reputation, sounds like it should just be the ticket.

 

What an awesome review! Re: Works and the MC- seems the regularly aspirated Cooper power plant just doesn't have any "headroom" to mod up to, making any real performance improvements of fairly small consequence, maybe an intake and a cat-back system. W/out changing the head, word is the engine just doesn't allow for much as it was engineered up to it's potential from the beginning. If any regular Cooper owners out there have had a real performance change due to mods, then please speak up. S owners are the ones w/ real possibilities. I'd be interested to hear what a Works kit could do for the Cooper, but it's probable that the price will make it just as economically feasible for those looking for real change to trade up to an S. If it wasn't for that darned hood scoop- oops, we're getting into the "Why I prefer the MC to the S" territory, don't want to go there!!

 

Davenc and Fms - unless you guys are in Europe, you won't be seeing the JCW kit for the Cooper on this side of the pond. I saw the dyno #'s on it from a UK test, and it fared better than other modded Coopers. But it looks like we're on our own in the aftermarket for the Cooper.

I wanna see some pics as well! Engine and exhaust tips!

 

Great review. I'm torn between the JCW and the Dinan stage 2 for about $2,250 less but about four months wait. i'm going to go drive the demo JCW and then decide. What to do....

Earl

 

Very informative!

After reading about other upgrade options, I've abandoned the idea of JCW for my MCS. But now............, my interest for JCW is once again - ignited. I might just get it before delivery of my car in Jan. :smile:

 

Mark,

Thanks for the fantastic review and write up. I've had much heartburn after agreeing to order the JCW (my wife wantend the warranty and she knew I was going to mess with performance upgrades and void the warranty, and it IS going to be our shared car). This post puts my concerns to rest. Secretly, I also wanted the Works edition, but I've gotten a reputation among my peers for doing ALL my own (and their) work. I was able to get about 29% hp increase at the wheels from my N/A Miata by doing my own valve turning, head porting, polishing, port-matching work and other stuff, so I was very hesitant to order the JCW kit.

Thanks also for the positive comments. In the world of high performance it seems that there is a lot of animosity (supercharger vs. turbocharger vs. nitrous vs. any combination of the above) and it's nice to hear positive comments. I think all performance options, and especially working on your car with friends, is a good thing. How you get there is entirely up to your circumstances and desired outcome.

BTW, all the JCW badges, labels, exhaust tips, etc. are going in the "restoration" bin. I want the car to be powerful, but not broadcast that message. I've found that my Miata (lowered with Panasports) attracts all kinds of "challenges" which I am very vunerable to (even at 44 years old). Unless it's as bad-*** as my wife's modified, lumpy-idling, loud, and lowered 6-speed '01 Camaro SS (which has never had a challenge from another car :smile:

DesignIt

 

Here, Here!

 

I was charged the 4500 for the kit, plus the 300 sales tax, plus 1000 in labor at Assael in Monrovia. Less than some places, more than others. If the dealer feels cheated by being held to the 10 hours of time allotted, let them take some money from the 6000 mark-up that dealership charges on the cars they sell, which of course I avoided by buying out-of-state.....didn't keep track of trip expenses, it was a vacation....

 

Great review. Your car sounds like MAJOR fun; however, I am still not convinced the JCW S package is worth $6,500 in my book. (Yes I have driven a JCW S before)

When MINIUSA drops the price another $3,000 I might reconsider going for it. For $6K you should get 18" wheels and tires, new seats, brembo brakes, etc none of which are included in the final current ticket price.

_________________
'02 Cooper CVT (Absolute Keeper!)
'04 Cooper S Delivered: 10/3/2003 It's finally home!!!!!!!!!!

 

Thanks for the imput man!

I would LOVE to get a JCW package... But Im affraid I would have to get a second job as a pizza delivery boy, and a third job as an "ATM Mugger"

Im getting my 15% pulley, Pilo Intake, Webb/powerchip ECU, and Magnaflow exhaust and Ill just have to be done with it. I hope that combo turns out to be impressive. I have never driven another S of any sort so I have no frame of reference. Hell, at one point I inquired about the JCW kit and my dealer didnt even call me back

 

Cheers!! Great write up! I agree with everything. The JCW kit ROCKS!

 

This was definitely one of the cons for me wirh the JCW kit. I believe, although I may be wrong, that the entire JCW kit install would take a very competent MINItuner about 3-4 hours to install. 45 minutes for the pulley, an hour and a half (?) for the head and 45 minutes for the exhaust. Add 20 minutes for the ECU and another 20 for the badges. So under 4 hours for sure. Yet I keep hearing stories about how it took 12-15 hours or in some cases, two mechanics two full days for the install!!! Some of the tuners on this site have changed 200-500 pulleys. Some of the MINI mechanics working on your MINi may never have worked on the supercharger and here they are installing the new supercharger and head. Nothing against these guys but I don't want to be the guy's first any more than I'd want my wife to be some surgeon's first solo operation.

This alone certainly wasn't the deciding factor for me, but it was one of the reasons why I felt more comfortable going aftermarket instead of the JCW route.

Thanls for your detailed write-up, however, of your impressions with the kit. That kind of information is priceless when it comes down to making important modification decisions.