TRD's Mini John Cooper Works F56
Discussion
macron said:
Crazy value at 12k!
Any plans for it??
Thanks mate, yeah it was too good to turn down for £12k really. Any plans for it??
I haven't got any big plans for it as such, I don't really think it needs much. I will perhaps explore a conservative remap by a reputable company, though I am in two minds given that I'd probably say it doesn't really need more power anyway and I don't want to turn it into an unreliable money pit as I've had my fill of those. That said, I've been chatting to the folks on the JCW owners club and most are saying they can easily handle it as long as they're done properly. We'll see... other than that, I might explore the CarPlay / Android auto option for the nav as esuuv suggested above.
esuuv said:
I had one of these - did over 50k in it in 3 years, only issue was a dodgy earth on the rear clusters (sorted under warranty) - and windscreen chips, as they are pretty upright. Loved it.
Mine had 17's which help with the ride a bit.
if you're so inclined you can get a box to give you CarPlay for a couple of hundred and an hour or two to fit - the built in nav wasn't amazing in 2017.
That's good to hear that it was reliable.Mine had 17's which help with the ride a bit.
if you're so inclined you can get a box to give you CarPlay for a couple of hundred and an hour or two to fit - the built in nav wasn't amazing in 2017.
The ride is actually not as bad as I expected - it is firm, but I think it's quite tolerable for the most part. I can imagine it would have been pretty horrific on run-flats though. The adaptive dampers would have been nice to have but at the price I paid and for the options I got, I can't really be too ungrateful
Yes I saw the CarPlay option, and it does look like an option I'd look into for sure. The sat nav is OK but obviously light years behind Google Maps etc.
Have had a good chance to give the car a decent run out this weekend, despite the crap weather (especially today).
Trip to the Lake District from Newcastle, via the Pennines (Hartside Pass) and back.
Got to admit I really love this little car. The way it can be such a comfortable, laid back car on the one hand, but a little hooligan on the other is exactly what I wanted.
The torque this thing has is so amusing after a string of N/A cars. It just seems to have so much power in any gear and at almost any speed. I'm finding the power delivery perfect for road driving as bursts of acceleration are just a toe press away, without any need to wind the engine up. Compared with many other cars, this one really does open up overtaking opportunities that were maybe not there before. It's a really muscular feeling engine and definitely gives that small car, big engine feel which is quite addictive.
The sound with the Typhoon and JCW Pro exhaust is excellent, and never droney or overbearing. It's really well judged. It's not a high revving engine but despite that I really enjoy the way it sounds, it's up there with the best sounding cars I've had. Rather than scream it sounds deeper and more muscular than I'm typically used to with 4 cylinders.
On tight bendy B-roads, yes, it's no MX-5, but don't get me wrong, it's not bad at all. However, on A-roads, it's much happier, feeling very planted and confidence inspiring. What it lacks in precision compared with the MX-5 it makes up for in blunt force, and it's just as fun, but obviously very different. You're higher up and there's obviously a little more body roll but it's not bad at all, and actually being higher up can have advantages too, such as a better view of the road ahead.
I'm even quite surprised by how well it rides, especially considering it's on the 18s with standard (non-adaptive) suspension. It's firm but honestly seems less jarring most of the time than the MX-5!
The rain was horrendous today, so it was nice to be in a car that felt like it could deal with it better. Comfortable, relaxing, nice stereo, pleasant cabin to sit in, not steaming up, the drive home today would have been grim in the MX-5 quite honestly.
Really happy with this car. I know they're not a car that gets a lot of love on PH, with most preferring the likes of the GR Yaris, Fiesta ST and the like, but I think these offer something different. I think they have a lot of character, very well made, and once on the move, they make up any slight dynamic shortfall with prodigious torque and grunt. I think they're a great all rounder.
It really is a fun car to drive, and I'll most likely leave it as is. I know these cars can easily give more power from a remap, but in all honesty, it feels very quick anyway, and I think having too much power would spoil it slightly, as you'd constantly be fighting against wheelspin and torque steer (as per the JCW GP), and I'd rather have a reliable car. Equally I don't think it needs lowering, as it rides and handles very well for what it is, and things like speed bumps aren't too much of a problem.
For £12K I feel like I got a lot of car for the money, and would definitely recommend them to anyone who wants a combination of luxury and a sporty drive in a small package.
Trip to the Lake District from Newcastle, via the Pennines (Hartside Pass) and back.
Got to admit I really love this little car. The way it can be such a comfortable, laid back car on the one hand, but a little hooligan on the other is exactly what I wanted.
The torque this thing has is so amusing after a string of N/A cars. It just seems to have so much power in any gear and at almost any speed. I'm finding the power delivery perfect for road driving as bursts of acceleration are just a toe press away, without any need to wind the engine up. Compared with many other cars, this one really does open up overtaking opportunities that were maybe not there before. It's a really muscular feeling engine and definitely gives that small car, big engine feel which is quite addictive.
The sound with the Typhoon and JCW Pro exhaust is excellent, and never droney or overbearing. It's really well judged. It's not a high revving engine but despite that I really enjoy the way it sounds, it's up there with the best sounding cars I've had. Rather than scream it sounds deeper and more muscular than I'm typically used to with 4 cylinders.
On tight bendy B-roads, yes, it's no MX-5, but don't get me wrong, it's not bad at all. However, on A-roads, it's much happier, feeling very planted and confidence inspiring. What it lacks in precision compared with the MX-5 it makes up for in blunt force, and it's just as fun, but obviously very different. You're higher up and there's obviously a little more body roll but it's not bad at all, and actually being higher up can have advantages too, such as a better view of the road ahead.
I'm even quite surprised by how well it rides, especially considering it's on the 18s with standard (non-adaptive) suspension. It's firm but honestly seems less jarring most of the time than the MX-5!
The rain was horrendous today, so it was nice to be in a car that felt like it could deal with it better. Comfortable, relaxing, nice stereo, pleasant cabin to sit in, not steaming up, the drive home today would have been grim in the MX-5 quite honestly.
Really happy with this car. I know they're not a car that gets a lot of love on PH, with most preferring the likes of the GR Yaris, Fiesta ST and the like, but I think these offer something different. I think they have a lot of character, very well made, and once on the move, they make up any slight dynamic shortfall with prodigious torque and grunt. I think they're a great all rounder.
It really is a fun car to drive, and I'll most likely leave it as is. I know these cars can easily give more power from a remap, but in all honesty, it feels very quick anyway, and I think having too much power would spoil it slightly, as you'd constantly be fighting against wheelspin and torque steer (as per the JCW GP), and I'd rather have a reliable car. Equally I don't think it needs lowering, as it rides and handles very well for what it is, and things like speed bumps aren't too much of a problem.
For £12K I feel like I got a lot of car for the money, and would definitely recommend them to anyone who wants a combination of luxury and a sporty drive in a small package.
Great to hear how much you're enjoying it TRD. I also loved the interior in my Cooper S, and I was also happy to keep it standard performance wise as well.
They are such fun cars I reckon, plus their size/weight really suits nice back roads too. I enjoyed every drive I had in mine for sure.
Keep enjoying it.
They are such fun cars I reckon, plus their size/weight really suits nice back roads too. I enjoyed every drive I had in mine for sure.
Keep enjoying it.
Definitely is a very fun little car Lee, I reckon I'll be happy with this for at least a couple of years 
I reckon it would be hard to replicate the qualities it has at the price I paid - BMW levels of luxury, the looks, character and just overall fun factor with the rude engine / exhaust noise, gobs of torque and just being an overall likeable and unserious car that it is. So far, everyone who's seen it has been very complimentary about it.
One mod I do think I'll look into is getting a CarPlay/Android Auto capability plumbed in as the built in sat nav is fairly rubbish and didn't even have two of my mates' addresses as they both live in new builds. I also think it'll just be a generally better system to use.
I reckon it would be hard to replicate the qualities it has at the price I paid - BMW levels of luxury, the looks, character and just overall fun factor with the rude engine / exhaust noise, gobs of torque and just being an overall likeable and unserious car that it is. So far, everyone who's seen it has been very complimentary about it.One mod I do think I'll look into is getting a CarPlay/Android Auto capability plumbed in as the built in sat nav is fairly rubbish and didn't even have two of my mates' addresses as they both live in new builds. I also think it'll just be a generally better system to use.
TameRacingDriver said:
I'm even quite surprised by how well it rides, especially considering it's on the 18s with standard (non-adaptive) suspension. It's firm but honestly seems less jarring most of the time than the MX-5!
I'm glad you like it after your troubles with the Boxster. I'm interested in your comments about the ride quality of your MX-5, which I seem to recall was an NC. Did your MX-5 have Bilstein dampers or suspension mods etc?trevalvole said:
I'm glad you like it after your troubles with the Boxster. I'm interested in your comments about the ride quality of your MX-5, which I seem to recall was an NC. Did your MX-5 have Bilstein dampers or suspension mods etc?
The MX-5 was on Eibach 30mm lowering springs with standard Bilstein dampers. It wasn't bad ultimately, I think the mini was the bigger surprise to me as I was expecting it to be extremely harsh but it just isn't. It's firm but seems well damped to me The ride always generally really impressed me in the F56 Cooper S as well. That was on none adaptive suspension with 17" wheels without runflats, and it was up there with the best cars I've had ride/suspension wise to throw down a nice country road. Even if the road was bumpy it still seemed to soak everything up so well I thought.
My only niggle was that it did jiggle around a fair bit in town centres etc, but out on an interesting piece of road it always felt great to me though.
My only niggle was that it did jiggle around a fair bit in town centres etc, but out on an interesting piece of road it always felt great to me though.
cerb4.5lee said:
The ride always generally really impressed me in the F56 Cooper S as well. That was on none adaptive suspension with 17" wheels without runflats, and it was up there with the best cars I've had ride/suspension wise to throw down a nice country road. Even if the road was bumpy it still seemed to soak everything up so well I thought.
My only niggle was that it did jiggle around a fair bit in town centres etc, but out on an interesting piece of road it always felt great to me though.
Ditto, even though mine is on 18s although thankfully on PS4s rather than run flats which I'd imagine will make a big difference.My only niggle was that it did jiggle around a fair bit in town centres etc, but out on an interesting piece of road it always felt great to me though.
I think the jiggly property is purely a consequence of having a short wheelbase and is somewhat unavoidable I would imagine.
It's honestly surprisingly good, considering my R53 was absolutely rock hard!
TameRacingDriver said:
Definitely is a very fun little car Lee, I reckon I'll be happy with this for at least a couple of years I reckon it would be hard to replicate the qualities it has at the price I paid - BMW levels of luxury, the looks, character and just overall fun factor with the rude engine / exhaust noise, gobs of torque and just being an overall likeable and unserious car that it is. So far, everyone who's seen it has been very complimentary about it.
One mod I do think I'll look into is getting a CarPlay/Android Auto capability plumbed in as the built in sat nav is fairly rubbish and didn't even have two of my mates' addresses as they both live in new builds. I also think it'll just be a generally better system to use.
Highlighted in bold - exactly this. I reckon it would be hard to replicate the qualities it has at the price I paid - BMW levels of luxury, the looks, character and just overall fun factor with the rude engine / exhaust noise, gobs of torque and just being an overall likeable and unserious car that it is. So far, everyone who's seen it has been very complimentary about it.One mod I do think I'll look into is getting a CarPlay/Android Auto capability plumbed in as the built in sat nav is fairly rubbish and didn't even have two of my mates' addresses as they both live in new builds. I also think it'll just be a generally better system to use.
We purchased a new JCW hatch a year ago to run as a second car, and it's an absolute hoot. It doesn't take itself seriously and is quite happy to go from pootling around to hooligan in a switch flick. It's a happy car! Remarkably good long distance too, having driven it to Euro Disney and back to West Mids over a long weekend last December and found it to be really comfortable.
The only change looking to make at some point next year will be to upgrade the sound system to an Audison package.
raucousV8 said:
Highlighted in bold - exactly this.
We purchased a new JCW hatch a year ago to run as a second car, and it's an absolute hoot. It doesn't take itself seriously and is quite happy to go from pootling around to hooligan in a switch flick. It's a happy car! Remarkably good long distance too, having driven it to Euro Disney and back to West Mids over a long weekend last December and found it to be really comfortable.
The only change looking to make at some point next year will be to upgrade the sound system to an Audison package.
We purchased a new JCW hatch a year ago to run as a second car, and it's an absolute hoot. It doesn't take itself seriously and is quite happy to go from pootling around to hooligan in a switch flick. It's a happy car! Remarkably good long distance too, having driven it to Euro Disney and back to West Mids over a long weekend last December and found it to be really comfortable.
The only change looking to make at some point next year will be to upgrade the sound system to an Audison package.
I actually find the sound system not as bad as I expected given it doesn't have the HK but to be honest most of my previous cars have been beyond dire in that respect so anything was bound to be an improvement. At the moment I connect my phone up to play music off it, and a little bass and treble boost on the stereo plus some slight EQing on the phone results in a pleasing noise to my ears
I'd be interested to see how you get on with the upgrade though, I assume it won't be cheap, though. One thing I would like to do is get Android Auto in this car as the built in one leaves a lot to be desired.
raucousV8 said:
We purchased a new JCW hatch a year ago to run as a second car, and it's an absolute hoot. It doesn't take itself seriously and is quite happy to go from pootling around to hooligan in a switch flick. It's a happy car! Remarkably good long distance too, having driven it to Euro Disney and back to West Mids over a long weekend last December and found it to be really comfortable.
I thought the same about how comfortable they are on longer journeys too. We had a couple of weekends away in Blackpool all 4 of us, and I really enjoyed driving it on both occasions. They just remind me of a baby BMW in some ways if you know what I mean. I certainly agree with the baby BMW monicker, although as an ex owner of a few BMW's I think these minis have a fun factor that most BMWs are lacking, while also retaining their best qualities (RWD not withstanding). I always ended up feeling a little bored with my BMWs but I don't feel like it will happen in this.
TameRacingDriver said:
I certainly agree with the baby BMW monicker, although as an ex owner of a few BMW's I think these minis have a fun factor that most BMWs are lacking, while also retaining their best qualities (RWD not withstanding). I always ended up feeling a little bored with my BMWs but I don't feel like it will happen in this.
Agreed, and they are far more fun that most BMWs for sure. I take the baby BMW bit from the engine, and they also have a nice premium feel to them inside when they are specced nicely I reckon too. I know I keep saying it but I absolutely loved the 3.5 years in mine, plus bear in mind that I imagine these JCWs to be loads more fun than my Cooper S was as well.
ColdZinc said:
So are the criticisms about wheelspin and torque steer overstated? Especially if you get decent tyres? I hope so, as I want one!
The F56 Cooper S I had suffered quite a bit with torque steer on the original Michelin Primacy 3 tyres. However once I'd swapped to Michelin PS4 it pretty much eliminated it in comparison. Plus the MPS4 also improved the braking performance over the crappy Primacy as well for me. cerb4.5lee said:
Agreed, and they are far more fun that most BMWs for sure. I take the baby BMW bit from the engine, and they also have a nice premium feel to them inside when they are specced nicely I reckon too.
I know I keep saying it but I absolutely loved the 3.5 years in mine, plus bear in mind that I imagine these JCWs to be loads more fun than my Cooper S was as well.
Absolutely, you hit the nail on the head there I reckon. The fact you enjoyed yours for three and a half years is quite a compliment too I reckon given your car history. It's already becoming one of my favourite ever cars just for its sheer all round ability to cosset and entertain in one.I know I keep saying it but I absolutely loved the 3.5 years in mine, plus bear in mind that I imagine these JCWs to be loads more fun than my Cooper S was as well.
cerb4.5lee said:
ColdZinc said:
So are the criticisms about wheelspin and torque steer overstated? Especially if you get decent tyres? I hope so, as I want one!
The F56 Cooper S I had suffered quite a bit with torque steer on the original Michelin Primacy 3 tyres. However once I'd swapped to Michelin PS4 it pretty much eliminated it in comparison. Plus the MPS4 also improved the braking performance over the crappy Primacy as well for me. Even the 306 bhp JCW GP model which is equipped with a mechanical LSD and other updated bits apparently still struggles to put the power down. From what I've seen actually the standard JCW is not quite as bad for that.
This is actually one reason why I think I may not remap this car because it's more than quick enough to start with and I think it would struggle to cope with the extra power and torque, especially in the lower gears, and what's the point of having more power if you just spin it away? Sure, with a map it'll pull harder at high speeds, but the rate it got from 80-130 the other day on my private drag strip was quite impressive and I'm not sure it needs to be any faster
Coming from a BBR super 200 mx5 which is obviously RWD, I obviously don't have the traction from a standing start but once it hooks up it feels WAY quicker.
A few more miles done in the car, and my thoughts are now coming together with it...
The first thing is coming from the kind of cars that I've had, it's got a great ability to be two cars in one. Normal driving mode + JCW Pro Exhaust flaps closed is a very relaxing, refined car, and is nice just to tootle around in, very relaxing and very comfortable, a nice place to sit.
The engine for a 4-cylinder sounds REALLY nice, especially in Sport + JCW Pro Exhaust flaps open. OK it's not a high revving thing, but the way it snarls, pops, whooshes and flutters is really amusing (I'm sure the Typhoon induction kit helps a bit too). In it's own way, I'd say this is one of the best sounding 4-cylinder cars I've ever owned.
As for the power, well, it has PLENTY. In fact, I'd definitely say now for sure that there is no way I would remap this car as it stands now, as it really struggles to put the power down as it is. In these greasy / wet conditions, it will happily spin up its wheels in the first 4 gears. The torque steer with the traction control turned off in these conditions is quite alarming coming from a RWD car with an LSD! In fact I soon turned that back on, it seems better with it on!
Remapping it would just be a complete waste of time to me because the only advantage in doing so would be a better response in the higher gears, because it would be unable to use the extra power and torque in the lower gears. How it performs in the dry remains to be seen because it's never actually be dry since I got the car.
Despite this torque steer it's great fun though, because it just feels so unruly, like a beast that needs to be tamed, however, it's not going to set any records cross country due to tha, but it is quite an exciting experience. That said it's not a car that you really tend to ring out to the red line, it's much more at home surfing the huge amount of torque that seems to occur at nearly any point in the rev range.
So yeah, it's a great fun little do-everything car, and at the moment, if I was going to modify it in any way, it would be to fit an LSD. Even then, I'm not sure if it I'd remap it though, because by all accounts the likes of the Mini GP which has the 300 bhp variant of this engine, and also has the LSD, still has massive amounts of torque steer and wheel spin, if reviews of that car are to be believed.
Will be interested to see how it performs on dry roads.
I'm going to call it now and say I think this thing will eat tyres at quite an alarming rate.
The first thing is coming from the kind of cars that I've had, it's got a great ability to be two cars in one. Normal driving mode + JCW Pro Exhaust flaps closed is a very relaxing, refined car, and is nice just to tootle around in, very relaxing and very comfortable, a nice place to sit.
The engine for a 4-cylinder sounds REALLY nice, especially in Sport + JCW Pro Exhaust flaps open. OK it's not a high revving thing, but the way it snarls, pops, whooshes and flutters is really amusing (I'm sure the Typhoon induction kit helps a bit too). In it's own way, I'd say this is one of the best sounding 4-cylinder cars I've ever owned.
As for the power, well, it has PLENTY. In fact, I'd definitely say now for sure that there is no way I would remap this car as it stands now, as it really struggles to put the power down as it is. In these greasy / wet conditions, it will happily spin up its wheels in the first 4 gears. The torque steer with the traction control turned off in these conditions is quite alarming coming from a RWD car with an LSD! In fact I soon turned that back on, it seems better with it on!
Remapping it would just be a complete waste of time to me because the only advantage in doing so would be a better response in the higher gears, because it would be unable to use the extra power and torque in the lower gears. How it performs in the dry remains to be seen because it's never actually be dry since I got the car.
Despite this torque steer it's great fun though, because it just feels so unruly, like a beast that needs to be tamed, however, it's not going to set any records cross country due to tha, but it is quite an exciting experience. That said it's not a car that you really tend to ring out to the red line, it's much more at home surfing the huge amount of torque that seems to occur at nearly any point in the rev range.
So yeah, it's a great fun little do-everything car, and at the moment, if I was going to modify it in any way, it would be to fit an LSD. Even then, I'm not sure if it I'd remap it though, because by all accounts the likes of the Mini GP which has the 300 bhp variant of this engine, and also has the LSD, still has massive amounts of torque steer and wheel spin, if reviews of that car are to be believed.
Will be interested to see how it performs on dry roads.
I'm going to call it now and say I think this thing will eat tyres at quite an alarming rate.
TameRacingDriver said:
I'm going to call it now and say I think this thing will eat tyres at quite an alarming rate.
It is funny that you say that TRD, and I only managed 15k miles out of the fronts in the Cooper S. Whereas I've managed 21k miles out of the rears in the M4 up to yet in comparison, and the M4 is quite a lively thing on its rearend to be fair as well! The Minis are properly fun things to throw around most of the time though I reckon for sure.
tty 986 episode 
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