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After two long weeks of trying to get a deal done on a car that I could not see in person because it was in Chicago and I'm in Buffalo, it and stressing over delivery.
I'd already installed Bimmercode on this laptop and BootMod3 - already have the cables - not that I have been anticipating and planning or anything.
It's here! Showed up yesterday.
Size comparison to my R52 S
The R52 S is a manual transmission, and I have a larger rear sway bar, 16% reduced pulley on the supercharger, and a good tune on the ECU on that one.
The JCW is replacing a Civic hatch that I loved but was totaled by an inattentive driver - so this is an automatic like that was, about the same size, layout - this has some nice upgrades. I'm hoping I'm not going to regret the automatic - I've made one commute to work so far and it's clear that I have some figuring out to do.
But so far, right off the bat - I love it already.
Thanks - already have two orders from ECS on the way-
Those JCW-clone Alzor wheels, which I'll swap these tires onto (these ones have a couple curb scratches - so I'll put the snow tires on these ones).
The NBT version of the Bremman Android Auto kit - still nervous but I believe all signs point to this being the NBT..
And I bought the JCW wheel center caps - I'm optimistic that I can make a 3D printed adapter so they snap into the Alzor wheels. Not positive, but optimistic
Love it! My office is in Rochester, but we also have an office in Buffalo, and often head out that way. I'll keep an eye out for you on the road!
Very cool - likewise.
Although, to be fair, I hope you aren't on the road where/when I'm usually on the road... that stretch of Rt.90 between Orchard Park and Amherst is ludicrously brutal. Glad I work from home all but two days per week.
The drive from Rochester to Buffalo I'm sure is nice and generally peaceful - until you hit that spot.
Very cool - likewise.
Although, to be fair, I hope you aren't on the road where/when I'm usually on the road... that stretch of Rt.90 between Orchard Park and Amherst is ludicrously brutal. Glad I work from home all but two days per week.
The drive from Rochester to Buffalo I'm sure is nice and generally peaceful - until you hit that spot.
From: Manassas, VA where the Civil War resides.....
I have a 2017ALL4 Clubman S. Have done the Dinan Stage 1 Tune (good for S or JCW model) and highly recommend this if you want to maximize your performance experience. It does require you to pull the ECM and sent it to Dinan. It's' worth the money. Also, if you like to carve corners, a popular mod is the NM rear sway bar with end links. Helps the car rotate a lot better when cornering. Have had mine 7 years now and still love driving it everyday.... and is is extremely quick and fast (seen 130+ with much more to go)....enjoy!
Thanks for that suggestion. I did the fat rear sway bar on my R52S and that was a fun addition for Auto crossing. I will do some browsing and shopping - I'm sure it'll be easier on these than it was with my R52 with all the convertible bracing that was trapping the bar!
What was the sway bar you got? is the NM the Neuspeed stuff?
I'm shopping for a tune right now - I'm hearing that the S's gain like 70hp but the JCWs only gain like 30hp. That's not nothing, but definitely weighing my options. I'll use the BM3 software to figure out if a DIY tune without shipping my ECU is possible, but if I need to then maybe I'll wait until next spring when I get my R52 S back on the road so I can drive that while my car is ECU-less. I've heard good things about DINAN and BM3 - I kind of like the idea of the BM3 leaving the door open for other tunes also.
On that Dinan, can you revert (temporarily!) back to stock tune?
From: Manassas, VA where the Civil War resides.....
Originally Posted by geolemon
Thanks for that suggestion. I did the fat rear sway bar on my R52S and that was a fun addition for Auto crossing. I will do some browsing and shopping - I'm sure it'll be easier on these than it was with my R52 with all the convertible bracing that was trapping the bar!
What was the sway bar you got? is the NM the Neuspeed stuff? Yes, it is the Neuspeed one, here's a link on NAM where I document the install.
I'm shopping for a tune right now - I'm hearing that the S's gain like 70hp but the JCWs only gain like 30hp. That's not nothing, but definitely weighing my options. I'll use the BM3 software to figure out if a DIY tune without shipping my ECU is possible, but if I need to then maybe I'll wait until next spring when I get my R52 S back on the road so I can drive that while my car is ECU-less. I've heard good things about DINAN and BM3 - I kind of like the idea of the BM3 leaving the door open for other tunes also. You need to visit the Dinan site and look up the Stage 1 tune for the JCW. Here is what I got off the site: I think thats pretty significant. The tune on my S really woke the car up and makes it a blast to drive every time I get in it.
On that Dinan, can you revert (temporarily!) back to stock tune?
Nope, not needed. Car is very docile when not mashing on the go pedal....
That is pretty awesome - is that the same HP numbers for the JCW? I'm probably over-reacting to something I read in here but I heard you can gain like 80hp on the Cooper S but only like 30hp on the JCW on one of the tunes - BM3. Sort of changes the value proposition.
And I ask about being able to revert it because I live in Buffalo NY, when we get snow, we don't get inches, we get feet, because of the "lake effect" of lake Erie. And the roads are icy any time the temperature drops below freezing. So even though I always have snow tires for my cars, my last Civic was nice because it had a fancy knock sensor that would adjust the timing on the car - use 93 Octane in the summer and it had 180hp. Put 87 Octane in the winter, and run it in eco mode, and it probably had 130 hp. Intentionally good for not spinning the tires with skinny snow tires on icy roads or in the snow. Would be nice to have that safety mode for winter.
EDIT:
Just clicked your build link - that bar looks legit. Those are some of the nicest end links I've seen, and it at least has two points of adjustment on each end. So good.
Last edited by geolemon; Oct 28, 2024 at 05:36 PM.
Reason: clicked link
I wouldn't worry about going back to stock in the winter. Especially with the JCW All4 system. Just don't run the car in "Sport" mode when the roads get coated.
Get in touch with @Lou@Prototype-R about tuning options. He can work some good numbers out of those engines, and he can remap the different modes so that "Sport" mode is needed for the full experience, and "Normal" can be close to stock performance.
