MINI USA Releases Auto JCW Engine Kit
MINI USA will shortly be announcing immediate availability of the JCW engine tuning kit for the automatic R56 Cooper S. This is the same kit that was mistakenly released for a couple weeks late last year without US certification (however those cars did not receive the correct ECU update that unleashed most of the power of the kit) After lengthy testing MINI USA has received full certification from the EPA and sales can now officially begin. Here’s an excerpt from the internal MINI USA document announcing the release:
>Aftersales is thrilled to announce that the highly anticipated John Cooper Works Tuning Kit for the MINI Cooper S (R56) is now available for vehicles with manual and automatic transmission.
>The Tuning Kit for the MINI Cooper S with automatic and the manual gearbox is exactly the same. The only difference is specific ECU software for each gearbox variant. The ordering procedure remains unchanged. Please refer to bulletin 11 01 07 for details on the ordering procedure, the kit components, warranty and sales benefits.
It’s worth noting that MINI USA has only released the kit for cars built prior to 07.08. An updated kit with a modified exhaust mount will be released for newer cars later in 2008.
Here’s the official part number and pricing information:
John Cooper Works Tuning Kit:
– Part#: 11 12 0 440 236
– MSRP: $ 2,100
– Installation time: 2.0hrs
FYI – there is no information at this time on the R55 JCW Engine Kit.
ahhh the irony…
after three and half years with my 2005 mcsa and all the ups and downs of the previous jwc auto kit never appearing, it finally shows up… on the exact day i sell my mcsa!
now awaiting delivery of my 2009 135i.
will you all here – happy motoring – drew
I thought this was a nice performance bump when I had my ’07. Insist on having it installed for a total price of $2000. I did and I got it.
R55 version in the que?
Let schyzophrenia rule the world… If it was a sort of DSG, PDK, ok, but a traditionnal automatic transmission on a JCW is nearly insane…
The exhaust shape for the Clubman is different. All in all good news for us slushbox owners.
How can we be sure when we order they are providing the Auto Tuning Specific Disk.
r.burns
Don’t hate because the auto runs faster in the quarter than the manual transmission. How often do you get a chance to let the car shift but run faster than the manual version. Oh wait, in mordern cars, especially sports cars it is starting to happen all the time. The manual transmission will be a gone in about 5 years.
MarkD
I certainly hope the manual isn’t gone in five years! Even though the autos are getting better and better, there is a lot of pleasure that can be derived from being in control of the shifts. And though the US/Canada buy predominately slushboxes, that isn’t the case with the rest of the world.
Well i just went and ordered mine should be here in 1-2 weeks
“prior” to 7/08?? my MA informed me tuesday I can get it for my 2009 9/08 build MCSa. what’s up??
WOO HOO!!!
TobiasYou are in control of the shifts with the automatic and derive said pleasure. I have never driven my automatic in automatic mode. Based on being a passenger while others have driven it, I have no desire to start.
MarkD you may be interested to know that many other cars accelerate faster than the MINI or even corner at higher speeds. By your exclusively qualitative measure of “performance” these are better cars than the MINI, which will soon find itself entirely obsolete. 😉
As noted above, joy in driving a performance car remains about feel and control – particularly as cars get heavier (less feel) and more automated (less control). With that in mind, there is most definitely a place for the manual transmission for a long time to come! VW’s DSG is as good as these systems get (far superior to the BMW auto), yet there are more than a few DSG owners who quickly bore of the experience and look to trade “backwards” to stickshift 6 speed GTI’s.
That JCW tuning is being made available for autobox MINI’s is good news for such owners, but let’s not get carried away on the driving concession that is the automatic transmission.
Gabe, would you please enlighten the “reality challenged” who believe the automatic is faster than the manual AGAIN. How many time does this myth have to be dispelled on this forum?
I can’t see production of manual transmissions ending here in the UK for a long, long time – try driving your MINI around our twisty country lanes in a manual and then try it in an auto and see which you enjoy more. In our MINI club we have about 1 or 2 autos for every 50 manuals. Personally I don’t have a problem with autos but many people feel on these types of road at least you’ll only get the best driving experience in a manual.
Man you guys are easy,
I was only joking to flame R. Burns. Here is how I really feel. I have owned manuals including a 2005 Steeda Mustang GT, Celica GTS (One of the first 6 speed manuals in a japanese import to come to the states) and a LT1 Camaro Z28. I am not a drag racer although I did bring my mini to California Speedway Dragstrip and ran 14.8 @ 92.5 with a 2.1 60 foot in what was then my stock Auto R56S but also enjoy track days and canyon runs. The Auto will run a faster E.T on a dragstrip but it will not be faster from a roll in acceleration than a manual. So on a road course a manual will have better acceleration. The fun factor is higher with a manual but Automatics continue to get better while offering practicality.
<blockquote>Gabe, would you please enlighten the “reality challenged†who believe the automatic is faster than the manual AGAIN. How many time does this myth have to be dispelled on this forum?</blockquote>I’m a fan of manual transmissions, but it’s hardly a stretch of the imagination to believe that the automatic can perform well. Remember that it would not be in full automatic, but using paddle shifters in manual mode.
At the R56 press launch, one of the MotoringFile reviewers drove all of the models on the autocross course, and posted the best time of the day… in an automatic to his surprise, and it was by a significant margin.
Yes… I know I was exagerating ;)___
But the fact is that today, the Mini automatic transmission is old-fashioned yet, the new standards are the DSG by VW, PDK by Porsche, which are THE real improvement of automatic transmissions, and the Mini/BMW transmission just can’t compare to their sophistication____ Out of the artificial and unsporty feeling, that means lower performances (except for some specific bun unuseful tests) ans higher consumptions
I ordered mine on Wednesday. Does anyone know when they will begin shipping.
I was there at the launch. In fact I posted the 2nd fastest time of the day in the auto. The reason was simple – the auto had the sport package with wider summer performance tires. The manual had the skinny 15″ all-seasons. The difference in grip was obvious.
FINALLY! Dave from Morristown MINI just called me and told me about this and it made my long weekend that much better. I have one of the mistakenly released cars and can’t wait to finally have it COMPLETE. Will probably wait until my first service is due and have it all done at once (about 2,700 miles to go – car already has ~15k on it w/ no oil change, which scares me – a lot). Can’t come soon enough.
Oh no, not the manual vs. auto again. Can’t we just agree to disagree and pick what we want rather than convincing others that ours is better than theirs, and they are all going to hell because they have the wrong gear box.
When it comes to control, you can’t beat a stick, followed by SMG/DSG, then CVT (in manual), then auto (in manual). There is always that half second lag in manual shifting in auto MINI that I found irritating.
However, auto is nice for those days when you are tired, and you just want to get from point A to point B in the rush hour traffic.
That’s precisely why SMG and DSG is attractive. When it comes to the feel and behavior, if you come from a stick, you may love SMG, while if you come from an auto, you may prefer DSG instead.
The challenge with stick in acceleration is you must assume the driver is a quick shifter and knows how to launch the car, I hate to say this, not all of us are even thought we all think we are. For an auto, you just mesh it and hang on, so it is far more repeatable by majority drivers. So I would not be surprised that most auto drivers are indeed faster than stick drivers.
Frankly, if 1/4 mile time is what I care about, MINI will not be my choice. I like the MINI for its handling, not its straight line performance. Just about any of the current true performance car will beat a MINI in acceleration.
I do agree that when it comes to efficiency and sophistication, BMW’s auto is way behind the DSG designs of the world. But they are starting to deliver DSG in the M3, so it may trickle down to lesser product line if cost permits. But SMG/DSG in the M cars are not like those in regular BMW lines (when they used to offer SMG in other regular BMWs), they never trickle down in the prior instance due to cost and the regular car gets a dumbed-down version, which was unfortunate.
BTW, for the new JCW owners out there, does the exhaust sound better than regular MINIs? I found the new MINI, compared to the previous generation, significantly lacking in the noise department. It almost sounds like the Nissan rentals I get at the airport.
I don’t need it to be loud, but at least have a grunt and rumble to it like the old car.
go to mini.co.uk , JCW section, you’ll hear… and fear 😉
This is great news for us auto trans owners. While I’d prefer to have a manual transmission, I chose the auto due to all the traffic I have to sit in every day… With sport mode and the paddle shifters, I haven’t really regretted it.
It’s great to see MINI giving auto trans owners some love too…
Gabe—how might this unfold for those of us who fell thru the cracks. I find it hard to believe my car’s ECU was untouched. I have driven other stage 1 manual R56s and I do not see any difference is engine response. Also, w/o an ECU tweak, what would account for the difference in non sport modes and shifting paramaters ?
Will I get called in for an update and if I do not, will emissions testing be an issue ?
I ordered the kit August 27th and just called for the status. My dealer said they are on back order and there is no expected date for when they may ship. After a 8 month delay you would think if they said they were now available they would have some to ship.
Does anyone have information on when these may start shipping my dealer said if there is no estimated date it could be quite a while.
HUZZAH… Wait what about us R53 MCSA owners? sob sob
Purchased a 2009 Mini Cooper S a few weeks ago. Just last Weds. my Mini Dealer called to informed me the JCW Tuning Kit can now be ordered with a one week turn around. Gave him my CC#, then scheduled the install with service dept. for Dec 6. BTW, until Jan 09 installation labor is no charge.