R56 JCW Kit US Availability
Since the new dealer installed R56 kit was first launched back in March at Geneva, we’ve gotten two questions over and over: when and how much? We can now answer the first for the US market.
MINI USA expects the JCW kit to be available to dealers by July of 2007. Pricing is still TBA but expect something around $2000 w/o installation. Europe availability should still be on target for late spring of 2007 with a price of 1800 Euros.
As we reported previously, the kit includes a JCW exhaust, intake and ECU software upgrade. The new components develop 192bhp (189hp)and Torque 184lbf-ft/250nm (199lbf-ft/270nm with overboost).
MF Analysis: Based on our time with the new stock R56 Cooper S, we have no doubt that this car (despite lower power figures) will easily be a match in performance to the previous 210bhp JCW kit. And with a price of around 60% less than the previous kit, it could actually be considered a bargain.
For those waiting for the ultimate R56 JCW product coming down the pipeline later in the life of the car, it may be tough holding out.
Funny how just yesterday my MA had no clue about this information. Thanks!
Looks like a Sound Kit for an S, but with better HP gains. Any chance this will become a factory option?
Ditto DickDavid. I would have thought this would all be factory installed unless you wanted to add it to your car post-delivery.
Oh man… anything with a software upgrade on an R56 is beware-worthy.
My car will be in the shop for 2 weeks because mine needed one, and the process hosed the computer. They have ship a new one from Germany. Not cool, as the car had been with me less than a week.
Buyer beware… this is not a recommended upgrade even for early adopters!!! (And I’d be very interested in this once I know it’s “safe”)
Will there be any exterior signs of the upgrade? Badging someplace or something?
>Buyer beware… this is not a recommended upgrade even for early adopters!!! (And I’d be very interested in this once I know it’s “safe”)
Your particular problem has nothing to do with an upgrade like this. I would highly recommend not equating one with another.
I agree this should be called a JCW Sound Kit. No upgrades to head, injectors, and boost system, which are much more expensive then intake and exhaust. And even if it can keep up, it still hurts seeing a hp figure lower than the previous generation.
The encouraging thing is that MINI has been good with offering upgrades for JCW kits, so if they do come out a true JCW, chances are those who get this kit will be offered a discounted price.
I thought the turbo engine made less sound, so why should they call it a sound kit… Don’t get that.
As far as the lower hp figure, if it’s just as fast or faster (the Lotus effect) then that’s what you’re after, right?
I’ve seen several articles on the net stating that the Euro version of this kit includes other features (brakes, aero kit, suspension upgrade). Any of this true?
Is a JCW suspension coming anytime soon? The SS upgrade felt great but there’s room for improvement. I would still like to see the tire/body gap diminished with some lower springs.
Will the air intake part of this kit involve opening the faux hood scoop?
At this stage everything about JCW accessories are “ala carte.” Some dealers may be offering a total package, but I have not heard of any.
>I’ve seen several articles on the net stating that the Euro version of this kit includes other features (brakes, aero kit, suspension upgrade). Any of this true?
Not true.
>Will the air intake part of this kit involve opening the faux hood scoop?
No.
>Is a JCW suspension coming anytime soon?
Yes.
So Gabe, after your experience with the media car at the Dragon, are you going to get yourself an 07 with this JCW kit, or are you going for the JCW Engine kit on your R53 as you seemed to be hinting a while ago on WRR? Curious minds want to know…
<blockquote>I thought the turbo engine made less sound, so why should they call it a sound kit… Don’t get that.</blockquote>
They aren’t calling it a “Sound Kit”. I was making reference to the fact that the components in this kit are similar to that of the JCW Sound Kit that is available for the R50.
as someone who is still quite satisfied with his oem+ 2005 cooper s, i can only image how tempting this would be. 2 grand??? amazing! still, i am sure something bigger is looming for the r56 from jcw….this can’t be all there is. i wonder if this engine flash will bring back the exhaust burble…. gabe?
Gabe –
Do you know whether or not this upgrade will be available for Automatic transmission vehicles this time around?
Any idea how much the install charge will be?? And how much different will this new intake and exhaust system be from the R53 intake and exhaust? Also, any guess on when the new JCW suspension will be out, and it’s differences from the past one(adjustable??)????
>Do you know whether or not this upgrade will be available for Automatic transmission vehicles this time around?
Early word is no.
>So Gabe, after your experience with the media car at the Dragon, are you going to get yourself an 07 with this JCW kit, or are you going for the JCW Engine kit on your R53 as you seemed to be hinting a while ago on WRR? Curious minds want to know…
All questions will be answered in my review 😉
>i wonder if this engine flash will bring back the exhaust burble…. gabe?
Let’s hope.
Thanks for the answers Gabe. It’s good to know a JCW suspension is coming. In your opinion will we need to order an MCS with the SS if we intend on getting the JCW suspension upon it’s availability or can we save the $500?
Are brake upgrades coming as well as I understand the current JCW rotors for the R56 are just for show.
Perhaps the programming puts the sport button ON by default =D
I can’t speak for the other dealers, but we have not heard ONE WORD from MINI USA regarding a JCW kit for the R56. I mean, nothing. What’s more, we just got the new JCW catalog and it doesn’t mention go-fast bits anywhere.
Curious…
Should be fun to see this kit hit the market, deffinetly a worthwhile addition. As a current JCW driver I only offer one piece of warning. JCW kits suffer from the same issue that aftermarket kits do. Anything that isn’t factory installed will never have a much better resale than the comparable base S. In my experiance as much as I love my aftermarket and JCW if I were to sell it I would take a serious hit. The GP atleast will keep its value since its a factory car.
R53 JCW kit = 42 hp increase
R56 JCW kit = 17 hp increase
R53 JCW parts cost = $4500
R56 JCW parts cost = $2000
R53 JCW kit = $107/hp
R56 JCW kit = $117/hp
So while the original JCW kit was exorbitantly priced, this one is even lower on the bang-for-buck-o-meter. Yeah, I think I’m going to have to go ahead and pass on this one…
Availability of this kit has been discussed, your parts managers are holding out on info. You don’t get 20hp from an intake and exhaust, there is more boost from the programming.
It’s always frustrating to be a motoring advisor and have to go to sources such as MotoringFile.com to hear about developments in the brand. We do on the rare occasion hear some really cool info. But, again, that is <em>quite</em> rare.
Any idea how <i>long</i> into the R56’s life we’ll have to wait till the full-beans JCW version shows up? My ’04 MCS is going to need replacing eventually.
Also, when will you have details on the JCW suspension?
Why would the automatic transmission not be able to work with such an upgrade?
I’m not seeing a lot here that would impact, or be impacted by, the transmission.
I still point out that NAM is full of reports of software problems, both in the upgrade process and the standard installation of car OS software. Being an early adopter for this upgrade may not be the best idea, in my opinion. Not saying don’t do it ever, I’m just saying be cautious, as with any new technology, especially “mission critical” software. The control system for the car is obviously EXTREMELY mission critical. 🙂
Sorry if this has been answered but:
It’d be interesting to know if a later upgrade would incorporate this exhaust and intake (although would probably require new software). In other words, will it be easy to upgrade to a latter JCW “stage 2”, or would you have to pay for the full upgrade and sell this kit on NAM?
>Are brake upgrades coming as well as I understand the current JCW rotors for the R56 are just for show.
You’re correct.
>It’d be interesting to know if a later upgrade would incorporate this exhaust and intake (although would probably require new software). In other words, will it be easy to upgrade to a latter JCW “stage 2″, or would you have to pay for the full upgrade and sell this kit on NAM?
Good question. My guess is that whateve comes down the pipeline from MINIUSA will not be retrofitable and will be more like the GP in it’s ideaology.
as far as motoring advisors not knowing about the new kit… we are often left in the dark and Gabe gets the same info we do at the same exact time. The differnce Gabe gets to post about it on this great website as that is likely his main focus of the day. A Motoring Advisors main focus of the day is to not upset people by answering questions on showroom floors, phones etc, also returning phone calls, ordering cars, making sure the order is right, confirming the order with the clients, leting them know the status of there incoming car, getting finanicng aranged going over clients cars… etc… folks… we get busy, and sometimes we don’t have a chance to read the latest bulletin posted because the bulletin isn’t as important as YOU.
As far as the R56 JCW kit don’t forget… the current car is faster than the old jcw car… any improvment is going to be awesome. Also, if you want to get alot morepower… go aftermarket…
wait a sec… the new car (stock) is FASTER than the previous fully tweaked jcw car? am i missing something…?
>wait a sec… the new car (stock) is FASTER than the previous fully tweaked jcw car? am i missing something…?
It’s not only faster to 0-60 but it’s quicker at the AutoX as well. I didn’t believe it until I drove my car back to back with a completely stock R56. I’ve since talked with a few in the aftermarket industry who completely agree with that assessment.
damn! ; )
yup… the r56 is VERY QUICK. and it gets 5mpg or so better gas mileage! Hp may be down but torque is WAY WAY UP! Not only is it up… it is up across the entire rev range… not just peak… this is why the new cooper s is SO much faster than the previous S…
We staged a challenge of a MCS with a head, pulley tune etc… 239whp r53 vs. an r56 with a 3 inch exhaust and an air filter… the r56 lost by a hair… if it didn’t have heavy 18 inch wheels on it… the r56 would have one…
the r56 is going to be a much faster platform for most owners.
also, if you guys and gals have a chance… drive a 6 speed manual and then drive the auto… tell me which one is faster…
sadly… the auto is… no matter how hard and fast you shift (i hold the a drag racing record in a MINI)
The R56 MCS feels “faster” because it has gobs of torque down low in the power range. However, I find it a little hard to believe that a stock R56 S is faster than a R53 JCW equipped car, specially a ’05+ model with the revised gearing and LSD. The JCW GP is even on a higher league sort of speak.
So before anyone says.. “Have you driven X or Y car”my answer is yes. I have driven them extensively back to back and yes the R56 feels faster because the added low end grunt gives it and edge over the higher revving S/C engine in the previous car.
Some published 0-60MPH figures on the R53 and R56:
2005-06 R53 MCS:0-60MPH 6.8 Secs (manual)
2005-06 R53 JCW MCS: 6.5 Secs (manual)
2006 R53 JCW GP: 6.3 Secs
2007 R56 MCS: 6.7 Secs (Manual)
Just adding a little balance to the conversation.
>i hold the a drag racing record in a MINI)
I thought that was Hubie and the Fireballed guys in the M600?
Koogzah I’m not sure I agree with your price comparison of stage one JCW vs. R53 210 HP JCW. I had an ’05 JCW that cost $6300 installed PLUS $1600 for the mandatory sport package.
When Gabe states it’s a bargain at $2000(plus install) he is correct when you consider that 0-60 this is gonna smoke the old JCW.
When I first drove the R56 MCS the first thing I thought was “this feels faster than my old car!”. For those who have the patience to wait for the stage two JCW I expect it will be worth the wait. Personally, I can’t as I get the feeling of fall of ’08 before that hits.
I will look forward to giving one of the stage 1 JCW a drive but honestly can’t wait to see what they do with a factory JCW for the R56.
It’s not only the power and torque gains that will be interesting but I am seriously that Mini has determined to make a sport version comparible to what BMW has had lots of success with over the years. Between the Cooper, Cooper S, JCW stage 1, and JCW stage 2 is going to give a very wide group of people that will find the vehicle they are wanting.
The biggest thing to me now isn’t the wait for my car but the hope that Mini comes up with something better than stage 1 stage 2 for the JCW’s. If it were up to you how would you badge the two cars?
Dang! The R56 is faster than the old JCW? I gotta love that. Mine is nearly broken in, and I look forward to seeing what she will do. As far as I am concerned, the R56 is a better car in almost every way. I loved my ’05, but man, the ’07 is sweeter.
Being the happy owner of an R56, and gas prices over $3, I’m more interested in what the changes in gas mileage and exhaust sound would be.
It would be nice if the ECU changes could be controlled with the use of the ‘sport’ button
Man this car looks hot! Love the aero kit. I’m looking at buying a R56 with JCW. I’m debating on waiting for stage2 kit or getting stage1 in July.
Any chance the stage2 will build from the stage1 kit? (wishful thinking)
I’m also curious how will this affect mpg? Has anybody seen how the older JCW kits affected mpg?
yes… i do have a drag racing record in a mini look me up on NAM Paul Webster has been chasing it for two years. MY recored is for the quickest and fastest NON nitrious NON turbo MINI. paul webster has come close… on slicks… i did mine on street tires. in otherwords, i have the record for a street car. full interior… non race gas, just a pulley, a cylinder head etc…
also, manufactures claims are WAY off… especially BMWs claims.
You are right it does feel quicker… but thats because it is… we have raced a 07 cooper s vs a fulley modded r53 that makes 232whp or 265 at the flywheel hp, and they are DEAD even. the lighter weight, and fatter power band makes it quicker. Its not just feel my friend… its fact