Ask MotoringFile: Can the Current JCW Engine Kit Work on an Auto MCS?

Sections: Ask MotoringFile | JCW | R56 (Hatch) Dec 22nd, 2007 17 Comments

MotoringFile reader Robert K. writes:

Test drove a R56 Auto with the JCW tuning kit. The car is the Sales Managers demo & I was quite impressed. This is the third Auto they have installed the kit on with no issues at all. The Service Manager says that Mini Canada does not specify the JCW kit is for manuals only. Your thoughts?

It is our understanding that the air intake and the exhaust from the dealer installed JCW (manual) kit can bolt right up to an Auto MCS. However it’s also our understanding that the ECU tuning currently available for the manual (according to the folks at MINI we’ve spoken with about this) does not work on the automatic Cooper S. Therefore the majority of power gains that the car gets is not available to those who have installed the manual kit on an auto MCS. So the short answer is, make sure you’re getting the MINI approved auto kit (which will be released soon) when ordering the JCW upgrade for your automatic Cooper S

Why is it important? When ordering a JCW kit, MINI releases the components and the ECU tuning CD-Rom together and the dealer is charged as the kit leaves the warehouse. So you’re paying for that CD with the manual ECU tuning on it which you cannot use if you have an auto. And then worse, you won’t (technically at least) be able to get the associated ECU update without buying the entire JCW Auto kit if you want the correct software for your car.

All that said, this is will be a moot when the JCW Auto kit is officially released in early 2008.

Written By: Gabe

http://www.gbmini.net Ian C.

They used to say that about JCW for the 2002-6 autos; it never came!
Mark DeRosa

I ordered my kit yesterday and the parts department ordered Vin Specific and asked for Auto Trans Tuning disc. How current are your facts when you posted the above. I realize this post may not be politically correct but I am not one who reads internet reports and takes them as fact. However, I do appreciate this website and the many informative pieces I have read.

Here is a direct correspondence from Mini Corporate.

Hi Mark,

Thanks for contacting MINI. We appreciate your inquiry.

The JCW kit for the R56 Cooper S automatic has been released. Unfortunately, we do not have access to parts availability information. Please contact the Parts Manager at your MINI dealer for further assistance.

If there are further questions I can assist with, please feel free to drop me an e-mail. I will be happy to lend a hand.

LETÃ¢â‚¬â„¢S MOTOR.

Amber Wood MINI Customer Relations and Services Representative 866.ASK.MINI (275-6464)
DeRosa

I ordered my kit yesterday and the parts department ordered Vin Specific and asked for Auto Trans Tuning disc. How current are your facts when you posted the above. I realize this post may not be politically correct but I am not one who reads internet reports and takes them as fact. However, I do appreciate this website and the many informative pieces I have read.

Here is a direct correspondence from Mini Corporate.

Hi Mark,

Thanks for contacting MINI. We appreciate your inquiry.

The JCW kit for the R56 Cooper S automatic has been released. Unfortunately, we do not have access to parts availability information. Please contact the Parts Manager at your MINI dealer for further assistance.

If there are further questions I can assist with, please feel free to drop me an e-mail. I will be happy to lend a hand.

LETÃ¢â‚¬â„¢S MOTOR.

Amber Wood MINI Customer Relations and Services Representative 866.ASK.MINI (275-6464)
nuvolari

And what would be the point of this?
rkw

Previous information said that the JCW kit could only be ordered with a VIN number. So either the dealer simply ordered and installed intake and exhaust parts separately, or MINI had accepted orders for the kit using the VIN’s of automatics. What was the case here?

By the way, some members on NAM said they received no CD-ROM with their JCW kit and were told that the dealer would download directly from MINI if a reflash was needed.
http://jratlee.com John Ratcliffe-Lee

Call me whatever you want for not doing my homework, but I just bought an R56 Auto MCS w/ the JCW kit and had no idea about this.

They’ve been nothing but great to me and my car but no one at Morristown MINI brought this up. Then again, they might’ve been assuming that I knew this going in. Regardless of risking a sale or not, it would’ve been nice to have this information.
rkw

There’s a post on NAM that says the dealer simply ordered the kit (for a car with auto) and was a bit surprised themselves when it arrived (LINK).
http://www.motoringfile.com/ Gabe

It looks like the kit may have had a bit of a soft launch a couple of weeks ago based what you guys are saying. We had heard a couple of weeks ago the release was still imminent but there was some question as to whether it would officially get out before the end of the year.

Maybe time for an email.

John – If anybody can get it early, it would have been Morristown.

Mark – thanks for the update. We regularly rely on readers for information which we then verify through sources. So anytime we get tips we appreciate it. However that doesn’t change the fact that auto owners should probably not have the manual version of the kit installed on their cars.
emtrey

Gabe–Knauz installed mine last week. Its really a big improvement. They were shocked when I provided them with info saying it could be done. Glen orderted the kit, it arrived and Wayne installed it w/o issue.

My info came form Princeton in NJ—a guy there has hads his amuot MCS JCW since October.
http://jratlee.com John Ratcliffe-Lee

Thanks, Gabe.

I shot an e-mail to Dave Dobler & Ed, the manager @ Morristown and they’re looking into it for me. I picked up my car on Dec 1 so it very well might be ECU’d. If it’s not, I’ll most certainly be making sure it is.
emtrey

If you can get a chance to drive another auto MCS, the difference will be very obvious if the software has been ugraded. The shifting w/o the sport mode engaged is totally different. The throttel response is very close to the sport mode throttle reponse, too.

My guess is your car has had its ECU re-prgrammed and you were part of the quiet release just like my MCSa.

My kit was installed 12/19 and the ECU was part of the upgrade. The tech told me a module appeared that said—upgrade auto trans so it was obviously not ECU software for a manual trans vehicle.
http://www.motoringfile.com/ Gabe

that’s correct – the giveaway would be noticeably faster shifts.
Diosdado

I’m pleasantly surprised that this kit is available. I think the auto tranny is the aisin tf 60sn whose torque limit is 320 nm which the JCW kit surpasses. The limit is based on first gear so the ECU may have an electronic torque limiter for the first two gears that use a torque converter instead of a direct link.
emtrey

I thnik I may have discovered why the car feels so much better JCWed. It appears they have programmed it to start in first gear rather than second as before.

If you move the lever over to manual and click it to shift up a gear it goes to M2,therefore, it must be staring in first. Unfortunately, there is no gear indication in non sport but I think that is part of the re-programing, Very noticeable.
C4

How bad is the torque steer in the MCS auto vs the JCW version?
emtrey

So far, I would have to say its less obvious with JCW You can still feel some tug at wheel under power but not as jerky…
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