MINI Cooper Forum banner

JCW Kit - 1st impressions

2K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  AidenL 
G
#1 ·
My 2005 Mini Cooper S just went in the shop for a few days to have the John Cooper Works kit number 6050 installed and thought I would post some first impressions:

Firstly, the car was no slouch. I took delivery late September and had about 2200 miles on it after a gentle running-in period. It had been lively and responsive and the close-ratio Getrag gear box made it quick off the mark. The exhaust had also developed a nice rasp and some exquisite burbles on over-run so I had great expectations from the kit. Mini of Charleston did the conversion and a very clean and professional job they did too. General Manager Brad Davis races Minis in SCCA and his tech did the install. When I collected the car he took a lot of time in explaining the process and took a great deal of pride in the work.

Technically, the kit consist of a new head, new supercharger with reduce pulley, cold-air box with conical filter, fuel injectors, spark plugs and cosmetics. The air filter acts as a secondary input drawing air through a modified firewall box under the windscreen fed by the air vent on the driver’s side (US). There is an electronically activated flap that opens around 4500 rpm.

I picked up the car on Saturday and was fortunate enough to be able to attend a Phil Wicks session at the Carolina Motor Sport Circuit in Kershaw, SC. It was a wonderful opportunity to really feel the kit ‘at work’.

There is a noticeable increase in power, (reported to be between (207/210) across the whole engine range. At lower rpm it seems to add smoothness. Even the lower ratio 05 took a little time for the engine to get ‘on the cam’ but the JCW smoothed a lot of that out and provided a real ‘urgency’ to the acceleration. Up through the gears, once you hit 4500, it truly sounds as if the kettle is boiling as the improved supercharger ‘winds up’. I know that many performance car manufacturers spend good engineering time on getting the sound just right…well this one sounds right, not to mention the kick in the pants you get from the secondary air intake opening. That, and some quite wonderful sounds from the exhaust, including the ever-popular burbles.

To sum up; it’s a great kit. You may be able to get more gee gees with less cash from after-market, but there is a true feeling of integration in the JCW kit. It feels well matched to the engine and the warranty is there without question.

Murwil
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Thanks for the good write up. I think there are other reviews on this site, but it helps to pick up individual reviews to ram home the benefits of the JCW kit.
I've had my MCS a week now, and I am quite happy with its performance so far, but no doubt I will want more power as I get used to the car and as it loosens up.
Financing such an upgrade is the delaying factor though. I fancy putting in the new filter on my non works MCS, if that is possible, just to get a little bit more out of the car. A quick call to the dealer will confirm either way.
For those in the UK, Birds in Uxbridge seem to do the official JCW kit, with cheaper labour costs than the main dealers. Works out at around £500 cheaper I think.
 
#4 ·
dgszweda If Birds is intalling the JCW kit, it will not a carry the warranty. The warranty explicitly states that the install must be done by Mini. Obviously John Cooper Works Garage is the only exception.
Are we reading the same post written by murwil? It seems to me it will have the warranty :confused: ;)

murwil
] Mini of Charleston did the conversion and a very clean and professional job they did too. General Manager Brad Davis races Minis in SCCA and his tech did the install. When I collected the car he took a lot of time in explaining the process and took a great deal of pride in the work.
 
#5 ·
The Birds warranty issue is one to take up with them. They seem to be able to get hold of the kit, so must have a position in the official channels. I can't imagine BMW or JCW just selling the kit to all and sundry.
If your warranty has run out, then a possibly non-warranty and cheaper official JCW kit would seem an attractive option.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top