The JCW airbox (without injectors) is available for $450. Sounds like getting the whole shabang for $525 is the better buy.

My friend and I are thinking about installing it ourselves next weekend, then zipping up to the dealer for the ECU flash.

Having driven an 05 MCS convertible, I have to agree the new gearing is vastly different. I can only imagine how it would feel with the JCW kit – very, very FAST!!

You say that you can pay less and get the same (or better) raw numbers from aftermarket, but has that really been proven? Peak hp/torque, which is what everyone seems to grasp onto here, is not always that relevant. Heck, if you can extend the redline, you get a few extra peak hp for every 100rpm. Some chips push the redline to 7500, which is higher than most.

The only reason I am saying has it really been proven, is that the JCW kit is $4500 for the parts. It appears that your friend spent about $3500 and is still 10hp short in the real world rev range. This is still quite substantial. If he goes to a new head, than yes maybe he can get another 10hp from it, but at that point he will be at the same price as the JCW.

The more I am looking at the various numbers not only from your but other dyno runs, I think a lot of people are discounting the expense of JCW after some peak numbers that they have seen from other dyno runs and what they have heard. I am starting to see the JCW dyno's that I have seen that while the JCW is not quite as peaky as some aftermarket mods, the mid range is much better.

It cracks me up that some people say throw on a 15% pulley an intake and a chip and you will blow the doors of the JCW. I have just not seen the numbers. I know that Erik saw weak numbers from the JCW, but the countless mags, other people's numbers, your numbers don't support these weak numbers and may have been an improperly installed kit or a very weak car.

On Saturdays dyno run I did not suffer from heat soak because I arrived at 10am and did not run till 4pm (weather much cooler too).

Don't know the cost of Greg (“onasled”) upgrades but $3500 is probably a good guess. I think he is near end of warranty so that is not such an issue for him. Greg has not finished modding yes – he plans a new head next and expects big things from that! Someone else (“MeanGrn”) reports on Randy Webbs site that he got a dyno run of 230+hp on Sunday.

In the end, the JCW gives you great performance, prestige and warranty. You can pay less and get the same (or better) raw numbers but numbers are not everything …

Gabe,

I really don't think price is that much different than aftermarket. Granted Ian paid a ton of money because he paid $5000 for the kit with the upgrade. Whereas, the '05's will be cheaper. You also pay a ton for installation of aftermarket. Randy and others charge $450 for a pulley upgrade. That is $320 above the cost of the pulley, or 1/3rd of what I am paying to have a whole JCW kit installed. Add the other parts, and it is nearly as expensive to install aftermarket if not more than for a JCW kit. Someone should do a detailed side by side comparison of the costs and everything else. I would really like to see the cost on the modded Mini that Ian's friend had. Headers and intercoolers are not very cheap either, and it actually had poorer performance across most of the rev range.

I hope you are reading this. A couple of questions, based on your excellent run and info.

I know that you had trouble on the previous run with getting good power on your first run (thought it was heat soak). Why was this run so much better?

The fully modded Mini had more power (barely) but how much did he spend on his car? His upgrades look like they are $3500+ So it is not a lot cheaper than the JCW kit at $4500.

Also, while most people rip on the JCW, it had better power across most of the power range. It was only at the top of the range which is not very real world. As much as 10hp greater. The aftermarket group pays $800 for a Unichip that gives 8-10 extra hp, but people complain that JCW people pay too much even though our kit is only abotuu $1000 more for an extra 10 hp in the mid range (3300 rpm on your graph).

I think sometimes people are ill informed on the arguments for and against JCW.

I plan on getting it but really need to save up. The holidays are coming so I may have to wait till spring.

I read a post from Ian somewhere (could have been on his web site) that stated that his kit installed was just shy of $700 I believe.

Paul

Paul

Just my opinion.

My 05 MCS was fitted with the new JCW kit last Saturday, and while I only got to drive it for a few blocks (???), it was absolutely AMAZING! The whine from the supercharger is incredible and the exhaust note is just right (and the increase in low end torque is very welcome indeed).

The new 05 JCW kit is nicely matched with the new lower gearing on the 05's. When I switched off the DSC, the car smoked the tires all the way through third gear without even trying. You can really see where the LSD will come into play with an 05 JCW. Without the DSC on, the car spins it wheels like there's no tomorrow and makes it difficult to drive.

So… While this is a bit off topic here (since I didn't have an older JCW MINI upgraded to the new 05 JCW specs), I can tell you that the car is absolutely incredible with the JCW kit installed.

Lastly, while having the JCW kit installed on my MCS, the dealer loaned me an 03 MCS with a “Zoomer” exhaust (and reduction pulley) which they claimed had 180 hp (the exhaust note on the Zoomer was obnoxiously loud though – it was so loud that you could hardly hear the whine of the supercharger). The car was supper fast and really fun to drive although I could tell a HUGE difference in the gearing. The 03 was a real dog off the line when compared to my 05 (but it really started screaming when the RPMs increased). No offense to anyone with an older MCS, but for me, the new lower gearing in the 05 makes it much more drivable in everyday driving situations (and works wonders in a JCW equipped car).

Thanks Ian for the excellent feedback on GBMINI's JCW upgrade…