On the new minis they say it is 170 hp and the 03 has 163hp (I think those are the numbers)

What did they do to the new ones to get the couple extra ponies.

 

They get the same SC as the JCW which is slightly more efficient.

 

Not HP related but the 05+ also has revised gearing making them quicker off the line than previous years.

Luke

 

Revised, shorter gearing. 1st gear is 11% shorter in comparison to the '02-04 MCS

Revised intake

Revised Exhaust with a sweet note which was missing from the previous years

Revised ECU programming

Revised Supercharger with coated splines (Same one as used in the JCW upgrade kit)

Horsepower went up from 163HP @ 6000RPM to 168HP @ 6000 RPM

Torque went up from 155 pounds feet @ 4000 RPM to 162 pounds feet @ 4000 RPM

Here are the gear ratio changes:

'02-'04 MCS:

I. 11.43:1
II. 7.18:1
III. 5.40:1
IV. 4.41:1
V. 3.66:1
VI. 2.97:1

Reverse: 11.13:1

'05-'06 MCS:

I. 12.789
II. 7.793
III. 5.651
IV. 4.615
V. 3.828
VI. 3.126

Reverse: 11.944

Right off the bat, the '05-'06 STOCK MCS feels much, much, much quicker than its '02-'04 breathen. I think the "5HP" figure is wayyyy too conservative. The car feels like it has 45HP more than before. The '05-'06 MCS stock feels more surefooted and powerful than a 2002-2004 MCS fitted with the JCW kit.

I used to own a 2004 MCS, so I know better.

 

You're going to make me want to trade up soon

 

We have an 03 MCS and 05 MCS, I can feel the difference in acceleration. The other difference is the LSD in the 05, which makes cornering a whole lot different.

 

Yep, real diff between the the 02-04 and the 05-06. Like getting a Cooper Wooks kit for no extra charge (notice I didn't say free).

The gearing are much more suited for the roads in the US. Will definately give away some top speed that I probably would never use anyhow for an automobile that is so great at anything under 100mph.

Expect the the 07 to probably be better than the 06 but not willing to take a chance on a first year model or the interior mockups I've seen.

Cheers