The pistons are similar, the same manufacturer and material, but the crown design on the JCW is different, resulting in lower compression than the S.

In theory the S has more power potential due to its increased compression...

Sorry your way off....

With just a tune and intercooler an S will be faster than a stock JCW.

I have a JCW turbo on my S and right now where I have it, it's making the same power as most tuned JCWs....except on stock JCW boost levels. Oh and I did the turbo for about 1/4 the price of what it would cost had I bought a JCW vs my S originally.


If you're going to mod it, I say get an S. If you just want good power out of the box and don't wanna deal with the fun of modding it, get a JCW. It's pretty simple. Although a lot of JCW owners like to think their cars are some exotic vehicle....

 

So modding will get an S past a JCW for less than it would cost to just buy a JCW?

 

I agonized over this question when I ordered my car in late '09. I ALWAYS go for the "performance" version of a car - my other current ride is an '07 M Coupe. I've owned an R32 (which I never should have sold, but that's another story). Same story goes back decades.

But when it came to buying a Mini, the cost/benefit part of the equation just didn't work for me. To order a JCW with the options I wanted, the price was through the roof. So it was either going to be a stripper JCW, or a fairly loaded S, for less money. Ultimately the value equation won out and I opted for the S, and haven't regretted it for a second. I don't doubt that I'd have been VERY happy with a JCW, but never would have been happy about what it cost me, and with this car, it mattered to me. And I was quite satisfied with the performance out of the box of the S. If I really wanted something with more *****, I'd have opted for a different car.

It's a personal choice, that's the bottom line. Good luck!

 

Tune $600, JCW Exhaust $350, Big Brake Kit $1000. That puts it pretty much on par with a stock JCW.

The other stuff like the pistons, different clutch (only the disc or pressure plate?), transmission don't really matter. Stock JCW wheels are heavy and not worth much. I got mine for $600 on the forums.

Most important thing the factory JCW has is the bigger turbo, but that could be upgraded fairly easily on the S. Other stuff like trim is all subjective to the value.

Of course a factory JCW is a nicer option than an S still.

 

I'm on my second MINI (like many) my first was a nicely modded R53 S.

I initially started looking at getting a S and read many threads like this one. What you'll find is some with an S will say they wish they went JCW. Some will say they are glad they didn't because all the money they saved. What it comes down to is this, what do you want? If you're looking for JCW performance and are not prone to work on your own car GO BUY A JCW. You'll pay the difference in parts and shop fees.

Yes, an AP will give you more HP and torque but it will not get you the exhaust, brake, LSD (although electronic), slightly larger turbo, AND resale.

One thing to consider as well, the resale of a stock JCW car will be higher than that of a modified S to JCW power.

Yes, I am biased as I have a JCW but that is the direction I chose to go.

In my opinion, buy a USED JCW that is optioned the way you like it. That's the route I went. I paid more than $16k less than the original buyer, it was 14 months old, and I have tons of warranty and maintenance left on the car.

Todd

 

I get where you're coming from, but an STi is a totally different beast. AWD and 300hp is much different than FWD and 207hp. For the money, I'd rather get an STi. My interior rattles all the time, I've had countless issues with the MINI, service is more expensive on the MINI, aftermarket parts are more expensive on the MINI, and in Chicago I'd prefer AWD with our winters. Don't get me wrong the MINI is very stylish compared to the STi, but if I had to do it all over again I would have kept the STi. I'm like this in the MINI but was like this in the STi

 

As a former WRX owner, I know what you mean about the fun qualities of the car. I just wish Subaru could up their interior refinement quotient. My old WRX never let me forget - even for a second - that what I paid for was the drivetrain, and nothing else. It had its fair share of creaks and rattles as well. If Subaru just gave a damn about their interiors, they would be outstanding automobiles.

This is where I think the JCW pulls ahead of the Subies overall. Yes, dynamically the WRX would more than likely eat a JCW's lunch (let's not even factor in Cooper Ss, or STIs, it wouldn't be pretty). Still (and I am basing this off driving my brother's 2007 Cooper S), a JCW would be a ton of fun to drive. On top of that the interior refinement of a MINI is head and shoulders above anything I have seen Subaru roll off a showroom floor. the MINI's gas mileage is WAY better too. Insurance is also cheaper. Admittedly, there are too many variables with insurance; so I will just say that is the case for me.

I can't talk about poor weather traction. The Subaru has the MINI covered flat cold. Between my old WRX and my current TL, a part of my does not want to give up AWD. Yeah, that'll spoil you.

 

Honestly, I've driven WRX's at autox events and they are absolute pigs in the sweepers. They're great through slaloms, but that 50/50 split AWD, horrid alignment, and mediocre suspension (for autox applications) really kill them for me. The STI on the other hand is a completely different animal, the adjustable diff, better suspension, better power, and better brakes definitely make them fun machines to drive in anger, so I'm with y'all on this one, but to say that a WRX would eat a JCW's lunch.....I'm not buying it considering I could beat them in my 3800lb Mazda6...Just sayin.

 

Why did I buy the S and not the JCW?

I was getting rid of a 01 Audi A6 wagon. Nice car, but a maintenance intensive, expensive to own beyond 100K miles, gas guzzler. I've got a supercharged M3 as a toy, (that's way faster than any Mini will ever hope to be, S, JCW... doesn't matter). I've got a pasta rocket for when you really want to go stupid fast...

But just needed something that got better mileage, get me and the wifey around, go shopping, and take me to the golf course.

I drove all 3, Justa, S and JCW. The S was the best compromise for ME! Justa just felt weak. JCW was $6.5K more for about the same options. The S was just right..


Now that I've said that, an Alta intercooler, and Jan tune, Koni's, TSW springs, 19mm rear bar later...lol What the heck, that's why we never had kids anyway...

 

Wow, when did this turn into a Subaru forum? Sorry, but I couldn't care less about WRX's and STI's and I don't think the OP cares either.

There must be a Subaru forum somewhere.

 

You have to admit that the WRX is pretty nice for how little it costs. A stock JCW with stock runflats isn't exactly king of the track either I gotta say!

A JCW is sort of in a different league than the STI despite similar pricing. WRX is more comparable to an S I'd think.

 

As for the original question, a number of posters have disputed the cost of "modding" an "S" to be comparable to a JCW. I previously stated that the upgrade would be in the range of $10-$12,000 and I stick with that assessment. I am looking at what you actually get from the factory (with a full warrantee) in a JCW and the Factory or OEM upgrade packages available for the "S" (maintaining the full warrantee). The wheels, tires, brakes, tune kit, etc. are about $7,000 alone and you're still short about 30 hp (Turbo envy anyone? thats another $3-$4,000 and no warrantee).

All these other guys are just wrong in their statements because they're not comparing apples to apples. You can do a number of impressive things with aftermarket products that will cost much less than the factory stuff, but you end up with a "Frankenstein S" and not a stock fully warranted JCW.

BTW, you can always do modifications to a JCW that will push it way beyond a fully modified "S".

Also, as far as resale value goes...the resale value on a "Frankenstein S" will be no where near the resale value of a stock JCW.

I would have rather bought a JCW and for me cost was not the issue. I considered the cost difference good value for the money considering the upgrades you get. When I bought my car I needed an automatic so my girl could drive the car. I am modifying my “S” because that is my only option.

As I said earlier, bottom line, the JCW is just so much cooler than an "S"

Get the JCW!

Good Luck

 

Aside from the fact that I really preferred the automatic this time around, my main reason for skipping the JCW is because I simply couldn't line up the value of the car with the money. I know its heresy around here probably, but when I start seeing a price "north of 30 grand", and even approaching 35k+, I just can't make it work in my head for the car you get for the money. When I picked mine up, they were prepping a convertible JCW for delivery the next day. This thing had every box checked I think as the msrp was over 40 grand. I couldn't figure out why anyone would pay that much for that car, but hey, different strokes, right? It was cool looking anyway.

Don't get me wrong, I love this little car so far, but the $25,750 I paid for my S was all I could personally justify for a car of this size, etc. YMMV of course. The driving factor for me trading in my Mustang GT was for us to have at least 1 out of 4 cars that we own get mileage over 22. The "S" was a great choice for that while still being fun to drive (since I was giving up my "toy"). I have no plans to mod mine to any large extent, as I'd like to keep the warranty intact. Once the warranty is gone, the car is going too...

IMO the arguments about a modded S vs a JCW are a worthless debate. The JCW comes with a warranty, that could end up being a big deal for some people (it would be for me).

My advice to the OP would be to get the one you really want and can afford that fits your overall requirements. Buyer's remorse is always an ugly thing, I've done it to myself several times.

 

A tune will not void the warranty if you get a dimsport or accessport to be able to flash back to stock. The odds of a tune being responsible for any damage is also extremely unlikely regardless.

 

Both djdraddy and MINI11 make excellent points. The point I was trying to make with the references to my old Subaru was that instead of buying the best that I reasonably could (STi), I decided to go cheaper (WRX) and thought, "I could do all that and more with modifications." Wrong. In the end I had a car that was similar in certain aspects to the one I should have purchased, yet deficient in so many other respects.

I see this all the time with other people. They just think getting the, "stripper," model and going to town with the aftermarket is the way to go. Again, wrong. As djdraddy said, you spend WAY more than anticipated if you want to modify your MINI Cooper S properly, and in the end come up short in one respect, or another. The JCW is not just a bigger turbo and sexy exhaust. It has beefed up internals and a more robust transmission for a reason: reliability. You can modify your S to the sky with external equipment (exhaust/turbo/intake/ECU flash/injectors/etc.), and chances are you will make more power. At the same time you are eating into your factor of safety on the internal components because they are working harder than originally designed. Will you pop your engine? It depends on many circumstances. The more you modify, the more you open yourself up to circumstances that could negatively affect the lifespan of your car.

Notice that I am not even talking about modifying your car the right way or wrong way. The due diligence you put towards researching parts, doing the math, finding the right shop, having the wrenching skills yourself, having the time and money for dyno-tuning, and on and on... it can really have an affect on the chances of your car running on its own power, or riding the flat-bed. This just isn't in the MINI world, but folks will modify their ride, screw something up, and then ***** when the dealership won't fix the car under warranty. Then the repair bill comes in and it sucks. The person looks at the cost of the bill, looks at the cost of the parts he used that got him to that point, and thinks... I should of just spent the money on a JCW.

What if somebody hits you, or the car gets burglarized? Do you think you will get that money back on the parts you bought? It's one thing to modify a car when you have the backing of a speed shop, it's another thing when it's just you.

I am speaking on partial 1st and 3rd person experience. It's part of the reason I say: Buy nice (within reason), or buy twice. If you're thinking of modding your S, just get the JCW.

 

Wrong again velvetfrog

The fact that a tune may be removable does not change the fact that the tune voids the warrantee.

Frog you should keep your assurances regarding what voids a warrantee to yourself. I don't think you are qualified to render such an opinion, legally or mechanically.


Cheers

 

I'm surprised so few people consider used cars. I was sub $23k for my JCW Clubman and could have bought a JCW coupe for much less. I still retain the factory warranty/maintenance and can even buy the extended if I wanted.

When looking at the used market (at stock cars) the price difference between an S and JCW drops drastically. On average I was seeing about a $3k difference between the two and I was looking for 2009+ cars. If you get to heavily modding that changes as the market for a heavily modified car devalues a car and limits the number of prospective buyers.

I'll say it again, a slightly used JCW is a hell of a value over a new or used S. You'll spend much more than $3k to make up that difference and you have a better base to start with.

Todd

 

True, but simply driving the car incorrectly or doing a CAI can technically void the warranty.

I'm simply stating that warranty is a little over rated when people like you are fear mongers who worry more over the remote possibility of your warranty being voided over something which is pretty much cake to conceal than considering an alternative product.

Great spelling btw

 

I agree about used cars. I think I woulda looked at used cars too except I fell in love with the black with red roof combo and the JCW hood stripes with the red edges, And then the black wheels with the red calipers showing though...ahhh wow....i just had to buy a 2011. If I saw a used 2011 in that color combo, I woulda looked at it.

Plus, I don't really want to do aftermarket mods anymore. I already did the modding thign when I was in the Honda/Acura world, and I dont' want to be crawling under the car anymore and dont' want hassles with warranty work anymore either. But if I was goign to mod a car, I'd buy a used car. No sense in spending on a new car to toss the warranty to match the next car up if you could a just got that one and been under warranty, esp since the Mini isn't really generally considered a pillar of reliability.

 

I just thought of a reason to get a JCW....pop & burble! If you read that entire Accessport thread, seems like there's people in there more concerned with not having pop and burble than actual power too. :D

 

I hear you man, but I won't buy a used "performance car". A pick-up truck or Lexus or something? Sure. But a car that was likely to be flogged, I'm just not interested in used... Just my personal opinion of course.

 

Ya know, frogman, every time you post something you just dig yourself deeper and deeper. You shouldn't "simply state" anything, you're not qualified to do so.
Your cavalier attitude toward other peoples' warranty coverage is disturbing. You shouldn't post any more of your ridiculous ideas regarding warranty issues. Your ignorance is borderline dangerous. It could cost a guy thousands of dollars. Maybe you should just drop it.

 

+1 for Pop & Burble! Reading that same thread one would think Pop & Burble is worth a couple thousand dollars easy and maybe more! You get that free with the JCW.

Cheers,

 

Sorry daddy, I should post disclaimers for all my posts, your opinions of course outweigh my own. I'm simply speaking from my experiences.

 

I just don’t think there is that much difference between the S and JCW anyways. When I bought my ’08 MCSa, it was just under 31K. I paid the same amount for my ’09 JCW.

The only difference between the two was the ’08 was an automatic and had the JCW brake kit. (which is obviously standard on the JCW)

I don’t know how everyone comes up with a 7’ish grand difference. Perhaps if you order on the Mini site? (I bought both of mine brand new but already on the lot)


Mark