About to pull the trigger on it. $2600 installed(My clubman arriving in 3 weeks)
WHats the deal with the exhaust sound? Ive been hearing mixed stuff, especially on highway driving, sound drone?
Is it really worth it( I mean I know as far as bang for buck aftermarket is gonna be better, but warranty is important to me)
I would love to hear from those of you who have it.
and if you have they resolved some of the install issues they have had?
Thanks guys.

 

I'm signing on to this to read the responses, as I have the same questions.

 

Had it installed this week. Unfortunately could not get to dealer today to pick "Red" up but will be there early tomorrow morning.. Talked to my service advisor and she said they had no problems with installation. I'll post full report tomorrow and if anyone in Charlotte area is thinking about getting one installed they're more than welcome to come check mine out. Oh, cost was $2500 installed including sales tax.

 

Had the kit installed on my 07 Hatch and the drone you have described was apparent. Have had my 08 Clubman for about 3 years now,kit installed,no drone at all.Has a nice sound when you put your foot down.Q

 

What do you think of the power gains? noticeable?

 

Yes quite noticeable,is it worth the price,to me it is.I had the install done at a small shop and the ecu upgrade at the dealership,figured I saved a little money.Q

 

I have a Clubman as well and there is no drone. As for the exhaust, it is a bit lounder, without the resonator, but not significant IMO. As for the power gains, I have to be honest and say I would have a hrad time telling someone they are signifiacnt. But I love the Tips. If I had it to do over not sure I would to be honest.

The decals look nice

Spencer

 

Specooper, thanks for the insight. could you tell a difference though? if so, where? low end? mid?
from just looking at whats in the package, and from the very mild bump in numbers its hard to justify.
but what matters most is real world feel.
Im still on the fence about this.

 

I too was on the fence for the longest time. From reading the comments on here , it is great , to not worth it, it made a decision tough. I got a good price on the kit and a bit of a break on installation, so it cost me around 2K/ Was it worth it then, not sure, but the warranty issue was forefront in my mind. You will notice some gains, expeciallly once it gets to 3k in the rpm range. I was hopping fior some more a bit lower. Like I said the tips are nice the exhaust note is pleasnat without being over bearing, there appears to be no drone, if you have a cubbie and those decals sure look nice

 

I know the OP was asking about the stage 1 kit exhaust, but I just wanted to say that in terms of keeping the warranty, I bought the JCW factory exhaust for my MCS and I love it. No drone at all, it's super quiet when you're puttering around town but it's pretty loud when you're WOT. I also prefer the factory "tips" versus the stage 1 ones, but that's just me.

 

hahahaha!
I actually dont want the decals on.... probably would of taken them off if I had a Factory JCW.

 

So Ive decided to pass on the JCW tuning kit.
I just think its too much for too little, and warranty is the only reasoning to get it.
I am going to get a PAW tune instead, which A. cost much less,B. gets better numbers and without removing rev limiter will be hard to detect(warranty wise).
Only heard good things about PAW, and they were very informative and friendly on the phone

 

Well got it and love it. Gives it a lot more "Grunt" And the sound is awesome without being too loud. One thing, installing the new software moves the location of the trip odometer to the top line so to see it you have to cycle through the other info. But it does drone a bit on the interstate, not bad but it does

 

I've had mine now for just about 1K miles, clubman, and I love it. No drone whatsoever! Lovely burble at idle/startup, loud only when you punch it otherwise wife can't tell ;-)

I think it makes a huge difference, but in fairness that difference comes from the ECU remapping/sport button/throttle reprogramming. oh and for the auto it makes the shifting much quicker.

 

i had no exhaust drone, still don't. I thought it was worth it, then I paid $800 for an RMW tune and was upset at how little I got from the JCW kit for so much cash. if you need the power now and can't wait for a tune to come out, then its your only real option though. i do love the JCW tips but.

 

Make Sure if you have a 2011 or 2012 with a tunning kit they give you the manifold the kit comes with.I just called my dealer and asked about it.They told me you car came with that manifold from factory,so I asked if the kit came with one ,and it did.So the will give it to me next visit in.Go figure.

 

Love the first sentence of this thread!

Don't know if there is much difference between the Clubman and hardtop exhaust design soundwise.

But driving home the first day, I did surprise myself with hearing a funny noise, thought the stereo was humming! Figured it out soon, and have been digging it ever since!

If you want a quite car, get a Lexus (I call them Sexless).

 

I have had the JCW tune on my 2011 Hardtop for about six weeks now and overall I like it, except on the highway at about 70mph. The drone drives me nuts. It is especially true on light acceleration.
I did some research and I believe I have found the source of the noise, or rather where it enters the car. On the hardtop, just below the rear hatch inside, is a black plastic panel with two grills that look like speaker grills. If you remove this panel, which I did, there are two rubber flaps that open behind the rear bumper JUST NEXT TO THE MUFFLER OUTLETS. These are apparently the air exits for the car when the windows are closed, but they are perfectly placed for letting noise in. I will try blocking these with some mass deadened material to see if this cuts the noise (and hopefully, I don't suffocate).
Regarding the exhaust manifold, the new one that came with my JCW kit was indeed different then the one that was on my 2011 car. I was there when it was put on. I have the old one.

 

Had it over a month now. Love it , love it , love it. What some consider drone, i consider sweet, sweet music. I know, more power avaliable from ofter tunes but warrenty is REALLY inportant to me.

 

Interesting... Reading all this opens my eyes a little. I had talked to my MA when I picked the car up at the end of April about the kit, and never really thought to get ALL the details on it. I orded my stage 1 JCW kit today, getting it installed on this coming Monday. So... What exactly DOES the kit include?

What I heard was:
New injectors
Remapping the ECU
JCW intake
JCW exhaust
Exhaust manifold (news to me...)
JCW Badges


Now, is the exhaust from the downpipe back? Or is it just a cat-back?
Does anyone have any pictures of the two different exhaust manifolds?
Did anyone take all their old parts with them? Have any problems getting their old exhaust in your MINI? My dealer is a good 80 miles from my house, and I really want to take my old parts with me.

I realize i should have asked my Service Advisor today, but I was so busy with work and just now sat down and started thinking about it. (Complete genius, I know. -_- )

 

The 2011+ JCW Tuning Kit is different than the 2007-2010 one in that 2011+ includes a new turbo manifold. So the install labor cost on a 2011+ will likely be higher.

The exhaust is still cat-back only.

None of the kits include new fuel injectors.

Everything included in the 2011+ JCW Tuning Kit (except the software, duh) is pictured here:
http://www.waymotorworks.com/jcw-joh...-for-2011.html

 

Thanks for the information, and finally clearing up everything. Much appreciated. I was quoted $2450 installed, no tax included for my 2012 Cooper S. Install is on Monday, I'll be waiting so I hope it's an easy install for them. Dealerships around 80 miles from my house and would hate to have to leave the car there, and come back another day.

 

I am going to be very interested in your impressions of before and after. I am thinking about doing this and really wondering if it is worth the money. Please give us a complete update.

 

I'll be sure to give my best opinion on the kit once it's installed on Monday morning. Hoping for an easy install without issues so I can take it home that day. We'll see how it goes. Think my final quote was around $2,600.00

 

I've placed my order today for my 2008 MCS. There is a part number split from 07/2008. Does anyone know the difference between the kits pre 07\2008 and after? My manufacture date was 07/2008. Hesitant to do this but I still have 25K miles\2 yrs on 100K warranty. Aside from that, the tune seems to be the biggest selling point, no? Lots 'o buck for some badges. I can't say I'm not concerned about the bang for the buck. Still.