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
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