hey guys. im pretty new to the forum. the names Adam been lurking for a few months but thats really all. i currently have a mazdaspeed 6 and im looking to get something alittle different. ie. mini cooper s. im looking into atleast the s, if not the jcw. do you guys think its worth the large increase in price over the s model for the new jcw thats coming out for 29g. i know it has a larger turbo, and "some" engine work done( not a clue what they actually changed). i dont need the recaro seats, as i am 6'2 250lbs and all recaro seats are alittle tight on me. also not sure if i really need the brembo's which i read the jcw will have.
my main questions is it appears with tuning the s is getting better #'s then the jcw is putting out. am i better off just getting the s and spending a bit of cash on some tuning, i/e, rsb and tires?

also, how many, if any people have blown engines w/ upgrades so far. i know quite a few people are doing a good amount of mods. the ms6 has had its fair share of blown engines and im looking for something more reliable in that department.

right now my car runs 13.4@ 103 in the 1/4. i certainly know the mini will not run those times, but how hard/what mods would it take to run that type of trap speed. obviously it wont match the awd launch 1/4 e.t. i almost never 1/4 run my car so im not too concerned w/ this. i would like the pulling power up top though.

guys, thanks for the help and the replies in advance.

 

wow. i gave it a few days and got no responses.

im really just interested in having a really fun car to drive, and having it be semi quick. i would love 0-60 in 5's. upper 5's being fine.

but, has any one blown engines when they installed the unichip or any other mods?

 

Might want to try posting in Stock Problems here or in mods here.

I haven't done any engine mods on my car and haven't even seen a JCW.

 

My guess is most folks who own Minis are not the type of folks who run their cars at 1/4 mile drag strips. Most of us love to drive the "twisties" and so handling is the strong suit of the Mini Cooper S and the JCW for that matter. I'll be taking my '07 MCS to Sebring in early June for a track day. I for one am not impressed with 1/4 mile times. My interest lies in how quickly a Mini can circulate on a road course.

 

this i agree fully with, and i would almost 100% never take it to a straight line track. however its nice to know what people with mods trap through the 1/4 because its shows roll on/highway acceleration and passing power. again i dont race on streets, dont get me wrong. im talking practical purposes. i live on the north shore of long island and i have a ton of twisties by me. and im really interested in taking it to some local auto x meets and to limerock.

i appreciate the responses. i was starting to get discouraged if this was one of those forums that people dont reply to posts.

 

One problem with getting opinions on this is that few, if any, here have driven the factory JCW (not the Stage I dealer kit). We can only speculate about it.

If I were going to do performance mods I would probably want to start with the factory JCW. According to published data, MINI has put new pistons in the engine that are more suitable for increased boost, and gone to a more robust clutch and transmission.

 

yea i did read that as well. i do see people dyno'ing 210 whp and 250+ wtq. i would be perfectly fine with that. i guess ill see if i can afford the 29g when the jcw comes out.

does it appear people are having engine issues at this point though.