Ok so as of last night i am now the proud owner of a 2005 JCW package cooper s. I wasnt even looking for a mini because i was loving my e46 3 series that i had been modifying for the last year. but a crazy good deal came up on this and there was no way i was passing it. Needless to say i absolutely love the car, and it handles amazing. I had a few questions though for either jcw owners or people who are knowledgable. 1. What all has been done to the mini for the jcw package? and by that i mean did they do a 15% reduction pulley or 19% or what? which brings me to 2. what can i do to improve on the jcw package if anything? 3. following up on 2 if i can do some more modifications is it possible to make 300 hp?

P.S. i cant find coilovers for less than 1300 for this car. Is that what i should expect to pay or do any of you guys know of anything used or cheaper and brand new? either way im beyond psyched on this car!

 

Congrats on the purchase! I'm not sure of everything that is included in the JCW package but as far as I know it comes with a reduction pulley (around 15%), intake, cat back exhaust, injectors, tune and there is probably more that I am missing. Getting to 300hp is going to be kind of a stretch. Honestly for these cars, low HP numbers on paper feel like big numbers when you're behind the wheel.

Vmaxx sells coilovers for around $600-700.

 

The '05 JCW package is rated from the factory @ 210bhp (approx. 160-170whp), it included a 13% pulley, 380cc injectors, a mildly ported head (exhaust ports), exhaust (not manifold) and different CAI.

300bhp can be reached with a Big Valve Head, different injectors, smaller pulley (real PITA with a JCW), cam, header and a custom tune. 300whp is a whole nother ball game and will require replacing the stock M45 Supercharger with something else, and possibly engine internals, Water/Meth and or Nitrous. 300whp in a Mini is not for the faint of heart & takes alot of work, in essence you're doubling the actual WHP of a 1.6 ltr motor and starting to also push driveline limitations. (clutch & axles)

Honestly most people are shocked at what it's like to drive a true 250whp Mini, if you're looking for a goal I'd start there, keep in mind even then you're talking about a power to weight ratio of 1whp to 10.6lbs or so, and that ain't chicken feed!

As far as coilovers, yes. A good alternative has been H Sport springs & Koni Yellows if you want lowered, Koni FSD's if not, and a different rear Sway Bar is a must!

Enjoy & Good Luck

 

Awesome thanks for the help guys! And ya your right. After I posted this I got to thinking that 300 probably too much. It was just kind of a pipe dream still riding the hype from my new purchase haha. 250 sounds pretty reachable but quite honestly the more I think about im happy at 210 and if i were able to even got to 240 that would feel like a huge gain in such a small car. Im just trying to keep up with my brother whos building a 400+hp gti haha. As far as suspension goes, ya im definitely trying to close up most or all of the wheel gap haha. so coilovers will probably be what i do. but like i said thanks for all the info. now that i know its a 13% pulley i can consider going to a 19% one. A cold air intake would be nice too. Do you guys know if anyone has problems with them sucking water? like i know your not supposed to run them on gti's because the filter sits low and water can easily get in and seize the engine.

 

I was bored so I calculated this for you, to give you a perspective.

'05 MCS / Curb weight 2650lbs / 250whp=P/W ratio of 10.6lbs/1whp
e46 3 series / Curb weight 3050lbs / 287whp=P/W ratio of 10.6lbs/1whp
e46 M3, advertised 330bhp, calculate a drivetrain loss of 19% (prob. generous) that gives you a loss of just over 62 or 268whp, or a ratio of 11.3whp/1lb.
So a stock e46 M3 is comparable to a 234whp Mini.

As far as CAI's go the JCW is already one of the best, the housing shields the filter from engine compartment heat & it's plastic construction doesn't retain heat. Just pull the flap from the back of the housing & get yourself a good filter, you'll be fine.

As far as changing pulleys' yes either go with a 17 or 19%, (17% is your all around betrer choice IMO) the reason I say this is that JCW pulleys have a reputation of being a real PITA to remove and many have had to be cut off, it's just not worth the effort for a 13% to 15% swap.

 

I just bought an 05 MCS JCW a couple of weeks ago down here in So Cal. Not planning on tracking but just spirited driving in this LA traffic and reducing the wheel gap. Are the H sport springs a significantly stiffer ride than OEM?

 

The H-Sports are a progressive spring, so they're a little softer early on in the travel & stiffen as they compress, but yes I feel like they're a little harsher. The Koni Yellows however, are adjustable, so you can vary their rate to suit your liking.

 

Ooops, accidental double post.

 

Stick with a 17% pulley. With a header, cat back exhaust, aftermarket head, cam, 450cc injectors and a good tune you will be at 220-235 whp easy. anything beyond that and you will need much more work done. It has and can be done just depends how much money you want to throw at it. Look up RMW Tuning How many miles are on the car? Life expectancy of the supercharger is 100k miles. Some have gone further.

As for coilovers I have heard good things about the megans which come with adjustable camber plates up front. Vmaxx coils will get you slammed to the ground if you want that look and are priced cheap. The KW's are good quality and priced accordingly. A beefier rear swaybar is a good start for handling. It will really bring out the go-kart handling of these cars.

Congrats on the purchase and welcome to the MINI-sanity!

 

damn thanks for all of the advice and help fellas! especially for calculating power to weight ratios! haha but i bought it with just over 80,000 so i have a bit left on the supercharger. im not quite sure where to start on this. im flipping a house right now so all of my money is going directly to that but i do have about 700 in pocket change ive been saving to take a basically "free" vacation. but screw it im gonna use that for my mini. but im an avid bmxer so my first order will be to get a roof rack. and wow they are expensive and i cant seem to find any used ones. the oem one is cheap but im not trying to drill holes in my roof. after that i think coilovers are next, then time to shoot for 240hp!

 

Check out either minifini.com or minidomore.com. They have hitches you can put a bike carrier on. Might be cheaper and easier than a roof rack.

 

I've added the 16% pulley and air intake, what is the next best step in getting to 250hp?

 

In my opinion, open up your exhaust .....aftermarket exhaust system and if you like, a aftermarket header.

 

then youll need head work and a cam with a tune with injectors

 

Also don't forget the importance of light weight wheels... experience the HP faster!
The OZ's are very nice and pretty light

And toss out the runflats if it has them