Over the last year and a half, I have been fascinated by the JCW. A performance kit that was tested extensively (or so it has been stated), backed by BMW and with a pedigree. While the cost has been steep, it has kept me from purchasing the kit. I have been intrigued with the choices that JCW made, and have always gone with the premise that these choices were tested and chosen with a purpose for reliability. I think all of us ultimately want the reliability of the Mini to be maintained as we add our performance modifications. With that thought in mind I have been putting together a virtual set of components that would match the JCW part for part. I have been doing this both as a route for my modifications and to compare the pricing scheme. I haven't gotten very far on my modifications partly because of money and partly because items have not been on the market. I know that there are cheaper ways to get to even more horepower and that some of my mods aren't the best dollar/horsepower ratio. But that is okay, because my main premise was matching the JCW components to try and ensure reliability and determine a direct replacement/competition to the JCW kit. I think at this point we are right about there for performance parts on the market. Previously some of these items have not been out, so I feel my list is complete. I will post the items and prices to show everyone where I am at. Please comment on your thoughts. Again, I know it can be done cheaper and I know some of these parts have not been shown to increase performance, just remember what my premise was:

-Alta Pulley (Outmotoring) $160
-Miltek Exhaust (Webbmotorsports) $695
-NGK "colder" plugs (Mini-madness) $60
-Recoat of vanes and port of supercharger (Endyne) $800
-Cylinder Head (Pilo) $1500
-AmD "One-Click" (AmD) $450 - chosen because of automotive critics statements that says that it feels the closes to the JCW.

This provides a total of $3665. Given the fact that you can probably sell the old exhaust for $60 on Ebay, the total cost is $3605. Installation would be about $600. Bringing the total to $4205. Add in shipping of about $250, the entire grand total would be about $4455. This is approximately $1045 off the total price of @$5500 installed for the JCW kit.

The cylinder head work would probably yield slightly more power than the JCW since the JCW does not touch the exhaust heads. This should yield similiar performance as the JCW, while replacing or modifying the same parts the JCW has, for @$1000 less. Is anyone else thinking along these lines for modification?

 

So now you have to ask yourself...is the warranty worth $1000.00?

 

Very interesting, the mods you have chosen, and a grand less than JCW as well... Well done, grasshoppa, I say. I admit to some doubt here though, suspecting it would be pretty easy to find you've spent most of that thousand "along the way".

Now, let's repeat our mantra together shall we: War-Ran-Ty, War-Ran-Ty, War-Ran-Ty!

Actually it's no accident that "warranty" is half "war", half "rant", and the rest of the time you ask yourself "y" is my car @ the dealer's for 3 weeks

Peace,
Tatt

 

Now remove recoat vanes and cylinder head (sorry Dan) and the associated labor, put that money into the suspension and reassess.

 

Sounds like you should just get the JCW kit. It's not even a question in my mind. When there is a $3-4k difference in price like there is between my mods and the JCW, well that's a different story. But if you're going to be that close in price to the JCW kit and yet still risk your warranty, why bother??? For better reliability you say? I think you thought about this too much! Remember that "warranty-law" that not only states that a car company cannot deny a warranty claim due to the use of aftermarket parts unless it is proven to be the fault, but it also states that you don't have to buy OEM parts to keep your warranty. Now of course most dealers will try to deny warranty coverage when they can and perrformance mods will be no exception. But at least with normal modding, the law is on your side! MINI sells a JCW kit for your MCS. So guess what, you don't have to buy those parts from them - the law states you can buy them elsewhere and still keep your warranty. So if you get the same size pulley, technically you're still covered. If you get an exhaust, well the JCW has an exhaust similar in style to most aftermarket ones, you're covered also. A good exhaust and pulley and you've got around the same torque as the JCW. You've also only spent $1000. There's where you should be if you're worried about reliability yet want something close to the JCW.

Then what's this about choosing AMD because "automotive critics statements that says that it feels the closes to the JCW. "? What? Just b/c the AMD "feels" like the JCW doesn't mean squat as to how it's really programmed. It doesn't in any way, shape or form mean that the AMD ECU will be the most reliable of the aftermarket ones. Recoating the supercharger (which requires removal of course) and an aftermarket head (that's ported differently than JCW) is guaranteed to void your warranty. So you'll end up saving a little money to get around or slightly better power than the JCW with no warranty. And b/c your parts are different and haven't gone through vigorous testing together (like the JCW has), you won't have gained anything from the reliability standpoint either! So with your premise in mind, I would recommend you get the JCW kit and don't put the JCW badges on. This way you'll have a JCW style MINI and no one will know it. And you'll have no warranty problems. This, if you really think about it, is exactly what you're looking for in what you want to accomplish.

Another way to look at it is this: The JCW uses a smaller pulley. Ok add that. JCW uses a new exhaust. Ok add that. If you add a 15% pulley and a high-torque exhaust, you'll have similar torque to a JCW kit with a cost of only a $1000. And with only those two parts you should have no problems with reliability. The JCW adds the polished head and an exhaust which in many cases (and definitely in this one) only add HP and not much torque. You can see by the numbers. JCW brongs the HP from 163 to 200, but the torque to only 177 from 155. A 15% pulley and a high-torque exhaust like the UUC or Milltek will get you around 177 torque (all numbers at the crank). Add an intake for cheap and get a bit more (MCS intakes are very harmless and I can't imagine how in the world they would make your MINI breakdown even 1/10th of a mile sooner). Forget the polished head and supercharger coating b/c of the cost (as you stated, cost is an issue).

Whatever you do, think this over some more...but stop overthinking!!!

 

This is a novel approach to the cost comparison of the JCW kit to aftermarket mods. Most folks who have gone away from the Works kit put their aftermarket cost at much lower than what dgsweda did, primarily because they're simply chasing horsepower w/ their mods, not trying to match part for part. When you break it down like this, the kit looks a good bit better in terms of getting one's money's worth. Is a warranty worth $1000? Well, I wouldn't have driven the last used car I bought off the lot if the dealership hadn't offered at least a 3 year warranty on it, which cost over $1200 when all was said and done. Guess that clarifies my opinion of the worth of a warranty. My CR/W JCW S is ordered and I hope to see it before the summer's end. Add on a sway bar, a Helix short shift adaptor and a Pilo intake and I expect to have trouble wiping the smile off my face for weeks.

_________________

 

This is a novel approach to the cost comparison of the JCW kit to aftermarket mods. Most folks who have gone away from the Works kit put their aftermarket cost at much lower than what dgsweda did, primarily because they're simply chasing horsepower w/ their mods, not trying to match part for part. When you break it down like this, the kit looks a good bit betterin terms of getting one's money's worth. Is a warranty worth $1000? Well, I wouldn't have driven the last used car I bought off the lot if the dealership hadn't offered at least a 3 year warranty on it, which cost over $1200 when all was said and done. Guess that clarifies my opinion of the worth of a warranty. My CR/W JCW S is ordered and I hope to see it before the summer's end. Add on a sway bar, a Helix short shift adaptor and a Pilo intake and I expect to have trouble wiping the smile off my face for weeks.

 

Woah! If you are going to be that close in price, just go for the JCW which comes with a warranty.

 

greatgo,

Sounds like you don't like my ideas :smile:

I agree with you on the JCW. Not saying I am necessarily going this way or not, and I realize the cost difference is pretty close. Like I said I wasn't choosing the mods to get to the horsepower of the JCW. I could have done that with the Venom nitrous system for $700. I was looking at trying to match the parts with aftermarket parts based on the JCW design. I would like to do mods that will allow me to keep my car 150,000 miles. Not saying that other choices aren't out there, because they are. I would be really curious as to why JCW chose the new supercharger and cylinder head. What did their testing show for them to use this in convincing BMW that the warranty was not affected?

I agree about the AmD chip. Not saying it is the best out there. It is a decent price for a decent product. Nothing too flashy and way out there. It is just for all the reviews out there on the JCW vs. the others, the critics have always said that the JCW feels smoother and more complete. One magazine that has always said that about the JCW (EVO) said at one time that the AmD comes the closest to feeling like the JCW. That is why I chose the chip.

Not really overthinking on this one. Just looking at modifications in a different light. It seems that all the upgrade kits are the same (Stage I from one company is the same as Stage I from another). I was trying to think outside the box a little and show a different perspective. In my opinion I would add a larger Intercooler before I did the supercharger vanes.

Anyway just a post for some interesting conversation. Nothing more.

 

dgszweda1,

In the spirit of the post, I think that the JCW only coats the vanes, and doesn't do a port, as Endyne does. (This seriously adds power? Hmmm....) If the $800 is for coat and port, then you can save at least a little by skipping the latter.

It's tempting to add that you can get the same power & drivability for less, so I'll stop here!

Jeff in ATL

 

Like was mentioned above, JCW does not really use a new supercharger! It's the same supercharger with a 14 point something reduction pulley and a different coating on the supercharger to seal the boost in better. It is NOT a different supercharger. They put a different one on (read: someone else's superccharger!) b/c it's easier to have another one with the pulley and coating already on that to have the dealer mechanics trying to change a pulley, etc....

They did polish the head - again it's not a different or new head. Just a polished version. Obviously they were after HP not torque. HP is what sells. People want a magic number of horses like 200 in the JCW. I'm sure they also chose polishing the head b/c that shouldn't affect reliability in the least. Polishing the head just helps move air faster. :smile: