hey everyone -

just took delivery of my brand new '05 cooper cvt and my ma slipped me some interesting info... he says that he was told at training a few weeks ago that mini is hard at work on releasing a jc works kit for the cooper base model that would even allow for upgrade on cvt cars. it would come in the form of a chip and add about 40 horse to the car. anyone hear anything or have any additional info? this would be most exciting if it happens!

cheers - drew

 

If you go to the home page of John Cooper Works they do have a kit for the MC. Which contains head, filter, ECU upgrade and exhaust. The only question I have is what is the cost and wouyld it be woth it for 20 some horses


Art

 

If that's true, it doesn't make sense to me. Since the MCS will be available with an automatic next year, I'm not sure why anyone would want a JCW CVT. It will be more money for less power.

But, it is nice to have choices. :smile:

 

On the other hand what about the potential sales to people who want a bit more power than the base car BUT aren't willing to wait 8+ weeks for an S. Plus by making it a kit, there's no hassle adding a new model - you just add it to an existing car on an individual basis. Sounds smart to me.

 

Remember - not everyone wants an MCS...some prefer the looks of the Cooper....

What I am really curious about is the "40 added horses" comment...assuming it's true (and it's possible your MA is mis-informed) That would be a truly significant increase to the Cooper's power. Of course with the Getrag tranny, one wouldn't worry about THAT little problem anymore.

 

Here is some info on the kit.:smile:




http://www.johncooper.co.uk/JohnCoop...r+Tuning+Kits/

 

Well we know MA's have been wrong before. Heck we probably have over a hundred stories on this site now about foolish things some MAs have said. The S supercharger only originally put out 48 extra horses. A good aftermarket ECU will add about 5-10. So far, no aftermarket company has come out with an ECU for the base Cooper that will even make that much power. And MINI is going to add 40 with a chip? No way. But I believe they are going to market the JCW Cooper kit (which adds 18hp 115-132, right?) in the US.

 

I have asked JCW abpout that with no responce so far.

 

Just think JCW upgrade for the MC and the MTH flash. That could be intersting

 

I'm trying to put myself in the position of owning the Cooper again. If I had never modded it...and the JCW was available with a SIGNIFICANT power increase - would I do it? Or trade for an MCS assuming the cost was the same? I realize there are other factors to consider on the trade. 40 horses comes close to MCS power, and if you went with 15's or 16's stock it might be a real ziipy ride. Interesting to ponder.

 

That's a good point. I do like the looks of the MC better, but I'd really like to have more power, so that's why I'm thinking about an S sometime in the future.

Since you can now get the chrome exterior for the S, you can give it a more classic look.

 

Not worth the money to mod.Wait for a turbo MC.More HP and a spare tire

 

True but a JCW would make your MC very unique

 

i emailed them as well - still waiting to hear back...

- drew

 

So would some custom stickers!

 

spoke with mini and here's the word: the works package for the cooper (manual tranny only) is out! it's around 2500 dollars and cranks the car up to 126 horse. (had a feeling an addtional 40 sounded a little high!) no word yet on a cvt version, but wherever there's a chance to make $$$ you can be sure they will figure out a way to do it...at least that's what i am hoping for!

cheers - drew

 

The CVT transmission and controlling software programming, make modding this car a very difficult and expensive endeavor. About a year or so ago, there was an aftermarket company posting here in NAM claiming that they were testing some kits designed for the CVT and claiming some dubious performance gains. Never heard from them again (If someone has please post).

JCW performance kits are only sold for manual transmission models (Cooper 5-speed and MCS) but nothing has been said or released to date from JCW regarding the availability of a CVT performance kit.

I suspect that due to the technical constraints present in the current Cooper CVT model, a true performance kit will be extremely expensive with little gains after installed. MINI figures current CVT owners looking for more power can either trade for a 6-speed MCS or the upcoming Automatic slushbox MCS (Due Jan 2005).

Speaking of which, does anyone think that MINI has been very tight lipped about the automatic MCS??

They are usually drumming upcoming models but for the Auto MCS they have been unsually quiet....

 

MC (115 hp) base price: $17K + $2,500 for JCW kit = $19,500 and the car is now 126 hp.
MCS base price: $20K and the car is 168 hp.

What demographic is MINI trying to reach with the MC's JCW kit exactly? I mean, it's only available on the manual and it only costs $500 less than the S. Why not just get the S, if you want that extra horsepower?