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greatgro · Jan 1st, 2004, 02:42 PM

Don't kid yourself about the JCW. They didn't do all this research and testing and blah, blah, blah. Sure they did some but quite frankly, the S is a DETUNED works MINI. The pulley they put on the S supercharger is ridiculously large on purpose. So the more proper pulley (15% reduction) could go on the JCW version and still be reliable. The key here is how the S supercharger doesn't go anywhere near its revving limits. And as far as the polished head goes, that's just to justify the high cost of the kit I'm sure. Tests have shown that just polishing a head does very little to add power gains to an S. And what it gives is only at the highest RPMs. And as far as the extra coating on the JCW supercharge, even John Cooper Works will tell you it's for slightly better boost - NOT reliabilty. Nothing included in the JCW kit will help reliabilty. The only thing you get for your peace and mind is the warranty up to 50k miles. I put on 30k miles a year, so even the JCW warranty is pretty useless to me. I don't think any car will crap out in 21 months. That's all my warranty will last anyway. Now if it makes you feel better that the JCW will last longer than aftermarket parts, good for you but you're just dreaming. If there are problems with any of the kits or aftermarket parts, it won't be until after 50k miles anyway so the JCW warranty is really a non-factor.

Yes I guess I am a little bitter towards the JCW kit but only b/c it is so ridiculously expensive. I wouldn't buy it if I had 50 million in the bank. And the way they offer it - dealer installed - everyone is ripping you off - John Cooper Works, the dealer AND MINIUSA. If the thing was factory installed for $3k, I probably would have done it. And even $3 is a rip-off. For the $3k upgrade from the Cooper to Cooper S, you get a Supercharger, a 6-speed Getrag transmission, stronger engine internals, larger (and much more expensive) wheels and tires, sport seats and traction control. That's a good buy. But $6k + for basically a pulley, a hundred dollar supercharger coating, a polished head, and a cheap-looking exhaust??? You kidding me?

BTW, I've got a 19% pulley, a beautiful, powerful, polished UUC exhaust and the madness intake. I've got about as much horsepower as the JCW and probably 15lbs more torque. In other words my MINI will blow the JCW away. I've also spent only about $1600 US dollars. Oh yeah and I'll be out of warranty by the fall so that's not even an issue!

Sorry if my post sounds harsh.

Jan 1st, 2004, 02:42 PM	#13
greatgro MINI2 Regular Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: NJ Local Time: 08:49 PM Posts: 169 Offline	Don't kid yourself about the JCW. They didn't do all this research and testing and blah, blah, blah. Sure they did some but quite frankly, the S is a DETUNED works MINI. The pulley they put on the S supercharger is ridiculously large on purpose. So the more proper pulley (15% reduction) could go on the JCW version and still be reliable. The key here is how the S supercharger doesn't go anywhere near its revving limits. And as far as the polished head goes, that's just to justify the high cost of the kit I'm sure. Tests have shown that just polishing a head does very little to add power gains to an S. And what it gives is only at the highest RPMs. And as far as the extra coating on the JCW supercharge, even John Cooper Works will tell you it's for slightly better boost - NOT reliabilty. Nothing included in the JCW kit will help reliabilty. The only thing you get for your peace and mind is the warranty up to 50k miles. I put on 30k miles a year, so even the JCW warranty is pretty useless to me. I don't think any car will crap out in 21 months. That's all my warranty will last anyway. Now if it makes you feel better that the JCW will last longer than aftermarket parts, good for you but you're just dreaming. If there are problems with any of the kits or aftermarket parts, it won't be until after 50k miles anyway so the JCW warranty is really a non-factor. Yes I guess I am a little bitter towards the JCW kit but only b/c it is so ridiculously expensive. I wouldn't buy it if I had 50 million in the bank. And the way they offer it - dealer installed - everyone is ripping you off - John Cooper Works, the dealer AND MINIUSA. If the thing was factory installed for $3k, I probably would have done it. And even $3 is a rip-off. For the $3k upgrade from the Cooper to Cooper S, you get a Supercharger, a 6-speed Getrag transmission, stronger engine internals, larger (and much more expensive) wheels and tires, sport seats and traction control. That's a good buy. But $6k + for basically a pulley, a hundred dollar supercharger coating, a polished head, and a cheap-looking exhaust??? You kidding me? BTW, I've got a 19% pulley, a beautiful, powerful, polished UUC exhaust and the madness intake. I've got about as much horsepower as the JCW and probably 15lbs more torque. In other words my MINI will blow the JCW away. I've also spent only about $1600 US dollars. Oh yeah and I'll be out of warranty by the fall so that's not even an issue! Sorry if my post sounds harsh. DS/W MCS