Got the JCW suspension package and it is nice but in the Florida flatlands I have my mirrors full of Buba in his truck and the next corner is miles away.

So I'm now pondering the JCW engine kit and the question is what proven aftermarket HP increases are possible after the kit has been installed.

While at it please tell me why the CPU would recognize the changes and modify its map to allow more HP to be generated. In my mind it would do just the opposite, lower the boost and generate warnings.

 

FMIC is the first thing that you should get. esp in FL with the heat.

 

 

Not sure what you are asking.

Are you asking about what HP gains with the JCW tuning kit?

Or are you asking what other mods are available after you already have the JCW tuning kit?

 

Exactly. Are there any proven mods to further increase performance after the installation of the JCW engine kit and why the CPU would allow more power to be generated above and beyond the CPU flash of the JCW kit.

 

I have no doubt going with an exhaust like the Milltek unit that starts at the bottom of the downpipe, increases the diameter, deletes the second catalyst, and has a high flow resonator and muffler will give you more power and not cause CEL's. The fancy air intakes will mostly just add noise and the intercoolers won't do much with factory tuning and boost levels.

Hope my two cents is worth it

 

FMIC=Front Mount Intercooler

 

FMIC and/or Hi-Flow cat, both are going to give you a guaranteed increase in HP.

 

Nice idea but .... do we know for a fact that this will generate measurable HP?

 

It will, but I understand you need proof. I haven't seen it here on NAM so I would suggest checking with the manufacturers that have exhaust systems for the R56 to find out if any of them have dyno results to prove it. I think even if somebody only had proven results for aftermarket parts for the JCW factory car, I think that would be a close enough representation to sufficiently represent the proof you are looking for.

I've seen very very mixed and disputed results on the intakes and intercoolers and thats why I didn't suggest anything in that area but I haven't heard anyone dispute the fact that the Cooper S and even JCW tuning kit's exhaust systems are restrictive. They are quiet and cheap, which were the manufacturers main goals (and legal requirement).

 

Excellent answer. Thanks and compliments FugitiveAI.

In view of this should I order the JCW kit a la carte and substitute a third party cat back?

 

well there in lies the pickle. You can get the JCW intake and exhaust components a la carte but the only way to get the tune is to buy the full kit. If you do find a way to just buy the tune, I'd like to know how and where and will buy it too. I have a JCW intake on the way and already have an Alta cat-back exhaust, so all I would really like at this point is the software tune.

 

Well you can buy the the complete Stage 1 kit here and you'll have the tune on a disc. Now the kit may be VIN specific but the DVD doesn't know that.

 

I'll be adding the Helix stepped intercooler to my JCW tuning kit setup. It should lower the intake temps which in turn should be an increase in HP.

I have a 1/4 mile dragstrip base line of "15.05 @ 91 mph" from last week. And I'm a veteran drag racer, so i'm familiar with all of the variables associated with drag racing and resulting times and mph.

Once, I get the intercooler in, I'll go back and see what gains I get.

 

Not being familiar with drag times I have to ask how you will be compensating for differences in atmospherics.

I will be using the iPhone's Dynolicious software which has been positively reviewed by users and the press.

 

The DVD does know that, I believe the disc is burned for the specifc car.
Plus this is the UK version of the tuning kit so the ECU tuning is different to the US version and includes the exhaust manifold the US cars already have.

 

Yes and yes. Good post.

 

I don't have a scientific proof for this. But look at all of my notes on my last dragstrip timeslip:


To me, the MPH figure at the dragstrip is a better indicator for overall HP/Power over a dyno chart. Again, this is for me, real world results. So after the intercooler upgrade, I'll be looking at my peak intake temps to go down and my MPH to go up. Now, of course, there's a ton of other variables at the dragstrip. I'll need a few different trips to the track to really prove an increase in power.

Sorry, not sure if this is concrete enough for you. But this is how I've been doing it for years. FYI, I also had a 400 HP 1994 Nissan 300ZX twin-turbo I crashed at the dragstrip running a 12.0 @ 113 mph. I walked away without a scratch. I replaced it with another Z, a 1993 converitble this time with 550 HP. No dragstrip action for this one. :-)

 

Smart DVD...hardly! These kits are in the box ready to go. Exactly!

 

Please keep racing and posting. Good basis for comparisons the way you do it.

 

The Helix FMIC is great with Stage 1 JCW. I do not have any HP numbers.

On the track, I can gain on regular JCW Stage 1s in the S all the way to the bus stop at WGI. Perhaps about 2 car lengths in the climb.

It just feels more gutsy with a little more soul.

 

Any particular reason for the Helix over the other FMICs available?

Did you install it yourself? If not, how much was install?

Would an FMIC yield a less significant improvement in a more mild climate such as Seattle? If so, would you still recommend it as the first post-JCW mod?

 

I like the design philosophy of the Helix and they have sold hunderds of these to BMW owners, so I chose it. I did not try the other ICs because I did not like the hype that some were pushing so I did not buy those ICs. I think there is very little info comparing the different ICs for R56s but there is one for R53 which is very telling. As an aside, I think the quality of the Helix is very good.

I installed it myself and it took about two hours by myself. I did use lifts for the front to get a little more access, otherwise it is straightforward removal of the front bumper/wheels and IC replacement.

Not sure I can answer the question about Seattle environment but generally, the hotter the environment, perhaps you will get some more benefit from this.

I have many small mods after JCW stage 1 including all the over-hyped silicone pipes which is supposed to add 10+ HP which does not seem to do that much on the track in my opinion. But this mod seems to genuinely improve straight line track performance especially during heavy boost. So far on the Mini, I have 5 track days w/o the Helix IC and 4 track days with. Best I could do is perhaps some track speeds at WGI Bus stop just before braking. This is still a subjective opinion as I do not have the 1/4 mi times or 0-60 times or the drag strip times but am hoping Arnel gets to post those soon.

The car has never been dynoed so I cannot comment on specific HP improvements.

I would recommend the Helix IC as the first performance mod with Stage 1 JCW.

 

I just had a custom exhaust center section built for my R56S which expanded the pipe from the bottom of the downpipe to 3", straightened out the mid-section, deleted the second catalyst, and connected up to my existing Alta cat-back exhaust system. The difference was very surprising. It lacks the loud droning or CEL problems with most turbo-back exhaust systems but really frees up the exhaust flow. The car feels smoother and stronger as it accelerates, the turbo sounds and feels like it hits full boost faster. While driving normally it sounds only slightly louder than it did before but at wide open throttle the smooth bass of the exhaust shifts to a growl near 4K RPM.

So while before I told you I was very confident that doing this type of exhaust modification would make a very noticeable difference on top of your JCW stage 1 kit, I know can say with total confidence it will. Of everything I've done so far (intake, silicon tubes, cat back exhaust, FMIC) this is the most profoundly effective performance upgrade I've made to date. It feels like it's about 90% of the improvement I had when I did have a full 3" Alta turbo-back exhaust system. Another measurable impact has been that my MPG numbers have gone up almost 10% (29.7 to 32.2). I probably won't have dyno runs done until (and if) I get the ECU tuned but I'm sure the improvement would reflect in the numbers.

 

I think you should investigate RMW's tuning options. Here's a dyno sheet from his recent trip to Rochester:


And here's a thread from a JCW owner who got the RMW tune: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...umble-pie.html