Guide to the John Cooper works tuning kits for the R55 -R61 Generation 2 Mini Cooper S JCW
There are two types of JCWs for the R55/R56/R57/R58/R59/R60/R61, one is the dealer fitted JCW Tuning Kit conversion, this was prior to the factory JCW cars being released, and the second type of JCW was the Factory JCW which included a much more significant list of changes and depending on generation 2 different engine models.
Both types of JCW were available in both the N14 engine form and N18 engine, however as the factory JCWs became more common, the tuning kit became increasingly less common due to the limited modifications in comparison to a factory car.
Tuning Kit
The JCW Tuning kit available for the second generation of cars is a short list of modifications and was available for both the N14 and the N18 Engines, the kit included:
An individually serial numbered rocker cover plaque
ECU Tune
Larger JCW Airbox including Pod Filter with a JCW logo on top.
JCW Cat-Back exhaust
JCW Decorative Exhaust Tips
Factory JCW
The Factory Built JCWs can be identified by simply doing a VIN decode, it will appear as the model as Cooper S John Cooper works, or Clubman John Cooper works.
The Factory JCW cars included a much larger list of modifications which assisted in increasing the horsepower output closer to the specifications of the R53s as well as increasing the brake size, the factory cars included:
A lower compression ratio version of the same N14 engine found in the other cars. Or a lower compression version of the N18 engine.
Larger Turbocharger- 42mm vs 38mm on Cooper S
JCW exhaust manifold
JCW Exhaust (No decorative tips, just silver)
JCW Airbox (Panel filter, larger airbox and filter than cooper S)
(Australian extra- MAF sensor- The Maf wasn’t included on cooper S’ in Australia whereas other countries in the world it was, this also included a different wiring loom to suit)
ECU Tune
4 Spot Brake calipers labelled with John Cooper works- 316mm rotor size.
17 Inch Cross Spoke Challenge wheels
Now how do I tell whether the car I’m looking is a genuine John Cooper works?
Tuning Kit
The key thing to remember is that any cooper S can have any of the options that were offered from BMWs line of John Cooper works optional extras, even the exhaust and intake could be purchased as a package from BMW or a wrecker.
There are however a few key spots to look to determine if the car you are looking at is a real John Cooper works tuning kit car or whether its “Dressed Up” to look like one.
The first thing to ask the owner is Does it have the John Cooper works certificate- This is an A5 piece of card that was given to the owner with the VIN of the car put on it with the kit serial and generally popped away safely in the cars service book. While the owner looks for this, have a walk-around of the car, look for the JCW badges on the front grill and rear hatch lid they can be either the newer style logo or older style logo depending on the age of the car (Some may have had them removed) and have a look at the exhaust tips, tuning kit cars should have JCW engraved in them, either the newer logo or older logo as well (Also bear in mind the exhaust may have been changed for an aftermarket system).
This is an example of the certificate that should be with the car.
Now for the more in depth checks-
Open the engine bay and a tuning kit should look like the below cars engine bay:
Specifically look for the following details:
Tuning kit Plaque on the rocker cover- In an R56 Tuning kit, this should be prefixed by R56S followed by the kit number EG: R56S00001
JCW Badged Airbox- This particular airbox differs from the factory JCW airbox in that it holds a pod air filter inside and is also badged as a JCW airbox on the top of the cover.
Another great final check that solidifies the history of the car more so than most other details is the ecu tuning sticker- this will tell you when and which dealer fitted the kit- Be aware that the ECUs in this generation car can be tricky to remove to check for this sticker, so ensure to be careful in removal with the battery safely disconnected.
Factory JCW
The key thing to remember is that any cooper S or JCW can have any of the options that were offered from BMWs line of John Cooper works optional extras, even the exhaust and intake could be purchased as a package from BMW or a wrecker.
There are however a few key spots to look to determine if the car you are looking at is a real Factory John Cooper works tuning kit car or whether its “Dressed Up” to look like one.
The first thing to do is utilise a VIN decoder to decode the vin number- this will immediately state whether the car is a John Cooper Works- or just a Cooper S- this will also assist in knowing what options the car came with- Aero kit etc.
If you dont have access to a vin decoder another option would be to reach out to your local BMW/Mini Dealer with the vin number and they should be able to immediately tell you however- there are some obvious things to spot listed below:
JCW 4 Spot Brakes (A larger 4 Spot Brembo calliper with the John Cooper Works Logo on it.)
A MAF (Mass Airflow Sensor) immediately where the intake pipe leaves the airbox and heads towards the turbo.
JCW Marked and part numbered TMAP sensor on the right hand side Turbo piping towards the Intake manifold.
Smooth style intake tube as opposed to ribbed like which is a cooper S Style.
