Jcw MINI Clubman
Discussion
After owning a Hartge tuned (231 bhp)R53 (Supercharged) MINI Cooper S for over 8 trouble free & fun filled years the time came for a change, always loved the shape of the Clubman so a 2010 FJCW was found in my fave colour, Laser Blue, being a Jcw it's got a host of extras, full leather, Harman Kardon sounds, better turbo, Jcw exhaust, Jcw bodykit. The twin scroll turbo on these newer models makes for very nippy lag free acceleration.
At the dealer waiting to be picked up
The Hartge R53 was extensively modded & the Clubbie was going to be no different
AEM intake & Evolve sportcat downpipe were the first mods to be done, had a run on the dyno, it made a healthy 220 bhp & 240ft lbs of torque
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HRwave6ClE&fea...
Loving the pops & bangs from the exhaust since the downpipe was fitted..
Future engine mods will see a bigger front mount intercooler fitted, then a (sensible) re-map which should see approx 250bhp
Time to move on to looks & handling, I kept the Rotiform NUE wheels from the old Cooper s, got a set of BC adjustable Coilovers fitted, imo Clubbies look so much better when lowered, the ride on the BC's is really good, as with the old car, the Clubman will see the odd trackday so I'll see how they feel on track. The chrome on the car will be removed with a mix of Laser Blue & Black colour coding, only had it just over a month & this is how it stands at the moment..
Being an old git I had to get this plate from the DVLA's cheap section
At the dealer waiting to be picked up
The Hartge R53 was extensively modded & the Clubbie was going to be no different
AEM intake & Evolve sportcat downpipe were the first mods to be done, had a run on the dyno, it made a healthy 220 bhp & 240ft lbs of torque
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HRwave6ClE&fea...
Loving the pops & bangs from the exhaust since the downpipe was fitted..
Future engine mods will see a bigger front mount intercooler fitted, then a (sensible) re-map which should see approx 250bhp
Time to move on to looks & handling, I kept the Rotiform NUE wheels from the old Cooper s, got a set of BC adjustable Coilovers fitted, imo Clubbies look so much better when lowered, the ride on the BC's is really good, as with the old car, the Clubman will see the odd trackday so I'll see how they feel on track. The chrome on the car will be removed with a mix of Laser Blue & Black colour coding, only had it just over a month & this is how it stands at the moment..
Being an old git I had to get this plate from the DVLA's cheap section
Thanks for the kind comments guys 
The wheels are indeed 17 x 8, with ET30, run them with 205/45/17 tyres. Got a set of adjustable rear controls arms fitted, -2 neg camber to get the tyres properly under the arches. Had the rear lifted 10mm since this pic was taken because the rear tyres were rubbing on the inside of the wheel arch trims, all ok now.
The wheels are painted in Lamborghini Telsto Grigio which is like a metallic pearl grey, quite difficult to get the colour right in photos, but when the sun's out they look great, I wanted to go with a colour that was a little different to others
The wheels are indeed 17 x 8, with ET30, run them with 205/45/17 tyres. Got a set of adjustable rear controls arms fitted, -2 neg camber to get the tyres properly under the arches. Had the rear lifted 10mm since this pic was taken because the rear tyres were rubbing on the inside of the wheel arch trims, all ok now.
The wheels are painted in Lamborghini Telsto Grigio which is like a metallic pearl grey, quite difficult to get the colour right in photos, but when the sun's out they look great, I wanted to go with a colour that was a little different to others
Edited by Hartge231 on Wednesday 1st January 14:28
Thanks again guys, appreciate it
Hopefully won't be overdoing the mods, a few of the chrome items colour coded Laser Blue, black factory headlight units (joey mod), Hoping to get a pair of Jcw Recaro seats for the interior too, I kept the old car for 8 years so plenty of time to get this one how I want it.
The r53 was sold & collected on Monday Melvster, shame to see the old girl go after so long, but time to move on
Hopefully won't be overdoing the mods, a few of the chrome items colour coded Laser Blue, black factory headlight units (joey mod), Hoping to get a pair of Jcw Recaro seats for the interior too, I kept the old car for 8 years so plenty of time to get this one how I want it.
The r53 was sold & collected on Monday Melvster, shame to see the old girl go after so long, but time to move on
sagarich said:
I'm not normally a clubman fan, but quite like the look of yours.
Boring practical question, but how useful is the boot? Would you be able to fit a labrador in the boot?
The boot is 'fairly' spacious (for a MINI) sagarich, it's got a false floor for storing tools/car cleaning gear/bits & bobs etc, MINI do sell a dog guard for them & I've seen boot liners for sale too, found this pic for you, closest I could find to a Lab Boring practical question, but how useful is the boot? Would you be able to fit a labrador in the boot?
Few updates for the Clubbie..
Had an Airtec Front Mount Intercooler fitted, these look like very well put together bits of kit, should help keep inlet temps down, got a good price on it too..
Also fitted a brand new pair of Alcantara Recaros, superb seats, fit like a glove, great in this cold weather with them being heated too
With the Black & Blue theme going on with the car the rear lights were bugging me a little, so spray tinted them black to blend in with the surround at the rear of the car
I thought it might be a bit too dark, but the lights still shine through the tint ok
Just got to find a way of getting rid of the red reflectors without it being illegal
Had an Airtec Front Mount Intercooler fitted, these look like very well put together bits of kit, should help keep inlet temps down, got a good price on it too..
Also fitted a brand new pair of Alcantara Recaros, superb seats, fit like a glove, great in this cold weather with them being heated too
With the Black & Blue theme going on with the car the rear lights were bugging me a little, so spray tinted them black to blend in with the surround at the rear of the car
I thought it might be a bit too dark, but the lights still shine through the tint ok
Just got to find a way of getting rid of the red reflectors without it being illegal
Thanks for the kind words all, much appreciated 
Also nice to see that the car is making some people take another look at the Clubman too
I'm too old for all that stance stuff Matt, I'm trying to achieve 'the look' with everyday driveability too, the car gets used for everything from early morning hoons with other tuned MINI's, shopping, picking my grandson up from school occasionally, & will see the odd track day & rwyb at Santa Pod too.
The Recaros can be bought on the second hand market, quite rare that they come up for sale though to be honest, I got these new from a MINI dealer (Rybrook MINI in Shrewsbury), I'm sure most MINI dealers could get hold of a set if asked.
You can get Recaros from other brand cars to fit without an awful lot of work, at least these bolt straight in though.
Also nice to see that the car is making some people take another look at the Clubman too
I'm too old for all that stance stuff Matt, I'm trying to achieve 'the look' with everyday driveability too
, the car gets used for everything from early morning hoons with other tuned MINI's, shopping, picking my grandson up from school occasionally, & will see the odd track day & rwyb at Santa Pod too.The Recaros can be bought on the second hand market, quite rare that they come up for sale though to be honest, I got these new from a MINI dealer (Rybrook MINI in Shrewsbury), I'm sure most MINI dealers could get hold of a set if asked.
You can get Recaros from other brand cars to fit without an awful lot of work, at least these bolt straight in though.
Edited by Hartge231 on Sunday 12th January 22:34
Couple more updates to the Breadvan as it's been christened .
Got hold of a pair of factory Joey'd (black) headlights for a bargain price, also had the colour coding done too, headlight rings/fuel cap/door handles/bonnet & boot badges/side repeaters, + I wanted to try something a little different & had the Jcw badges painted too, but picked out the word 'Works' in black...
A set of oem MINI DRL's have also been fitted too
I've got a very small, cheap from ebay keyring camera which is ideal to velcro to the back bumper & record some on the road sounds from the exhaust (sport button switched on)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqIYTHvQacI&lis...
.Got hold of a pair of factory Joey'd (black) headlights for a bargain price, also had the colour coding done too, headlight rings/fuel cap/door handles/bonnet & boot badges/side repeaters, + I wanted to try something a little different & had the Jcw badges painted too, but picked out the word 'Works' in black...
A set of oem MINI DRL's have also been fitted too
I've got a very small, cheap from ebay keyring camera which is ideal to velcro to the back bumper & record some on the road sounds from the exhaust (sport button switched on
)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqIYTHvQacI&lis...
Been a little while since I updated the thread with a couple more mods, removed the spotlights from the front to give it a much cleaner look, & also have had a pair of custom made vented A panels fitted too, really nice job & look very oem (imo )
Made the most of the recent good weather too & had a run out with a few other MINI mates, the BC Coilovers performed really well, handled the A roads around Banbury nicely, ended up at a lovely spot for a few snaps...
)Made the most of the recent good weather too & had a run out with a few other MINI mates, the BC Coilovers performed really well, handled the A roads around Banbury nicely
, ended up at a lovely spot for a few snaps...Edited by Hartge231 on Saturday 15th March 23:23
After all the mods I've done to the car it was always on the cards to take the old girl on a trackday to see how they worked together. Booked in at Brands Hatch, the car went really well, performed brilliantly, didn't miss a beat & surprised a couple of other cars out on track too .
A few pics of the day..
Had a bit of cleaning to do the day after
Really enjoying this car, many people have asked if I prefer it over my old Hartge tuned r53, the answer is always a resounding yes.
Even changed my PH 'handle' too
.A few pics of the day..
Had a bit of cleaning to do the day after
Really enjoying this car, many people have asked if I prefer it over my old Hartge tuned r53, the answer is always a resounding yes.
Even changed my PH 'handle' too
Sadly the MINI show at Santa Pod was a complete wash out so no runs up the strip 
Had another photoshoot recently with a mate who's an enthusiastic amateur photographer, I think the pics came out better than the one's from the MINI magazine
Had another photoshoot recently with a mate who's an enthusiastic amateur photographer, I think the pics came out better than the one's from the MINI magazine
Edited by Clubman270 on Thursday 14th May 10:24
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