3rd Gen JCW Most liked posts in thread: The Differences: F56 JCW vs. Cooper S

You guys will get a kick out of this. It's a graph charting the force delivered to the tires contact patch on both the Cooper S and the JCW. This highlights the notable difference in torque output from the engine, but also how gearing affects the torque to the ground along with speed ranges in each gear.

Since the entire drivetrain is usually an underdrive, even in top-gear, torque is multiplied. In 1st gear, the JCW's 15.0:1 total ratio multiplies the engine's 236 LbFt and [in conjunction with the torque radius of the loaded tire] transfers 3,616 Lbf to the pavement from 6 to 22 MPH in 1st gear at full load. This is a huge amount, way more than most small cars I've owned. As perspective, a Subaru BRZ only puts down about 2,100 Lbf in 1st gear, a Fiat Abarth 500 puts down about 2,500 Lbf in 1st gear, and some of you might remember my white Lotus Exige S, puts down about 2,430 Lbf peak in 1st gear. This means that despite the Cooper S having excellent 1st gear torque, the JCW will positively ROAST the tires to oblivion. :lol:

The JCW's super-overdrive 6th gear means it'll feel fairly average in terms of top-gear acceleration, but also at 70 MPH the engine will only be casually turning at 2,404 RPM, compared to the Cooper S's 2,716 RPM at the same speed.

16970683377_da9097e92b_o.jpg by Ryephile, on Flickr

 

:deadhorse:

Nathan and I were talking about how there were an incredible amount of F56's at MOTD this year. Whether you think they look good or not is irrelevant; they're here to stay. Car manufacture is about making money, not appealing to enthusiasts, however tough a pill that is to swallow. If enough people agreed with you then the platform would be a failure, however at this point the sales figures don't agree with you.

 

Some other things worth noting:


*If you equip a Cooper S with the JCW Aero kit, the coefficient of drag and thus total drag numbers will likely mirror the JCW model, and as such it can be inferred that highway fuel economy will suffer slightly.

*The JCW will most likely get equivalent, or only slightly less highway FE than the standard-body-kit Cooper S. This is a speculation on my part, deduced from the taller 5th and 6th gears, so the engine will be operating at a lower RPM for the same speed versus the Cooper S. So, the lower engine speed usually means improved FE, but the higher aero drag means it'll wash out. Based on my knowledge of EPA FE testing, MINIUSA very likely did not push the ECU calibrators as hard to perfect the JCW's highway number, knowing the figure is not as important as the high volume selling Cooper and S for CAFE and also because the target demographic isn't as concerned with the FE numbers.

*Sifting through BMW press releases, I found the BMW 218d Active Tourer, which is a platform mate to the F55/F56, has the exact same ratios for its 6-speed manual except for the final drive ratio. This means BMW already has most of the JCW-manual in production, just not the final drive gears. Regarding the JCW Automatic, it appears to be identical to the 218i Active Tourer's 6-speed automatic with the exception of the final drive.

*The JCW's engine compression ratio of 10.2:1 is identical to the BMW 225i Active Tourer's, meaning it's entirely likely the engine would have no problem matching its 350 Nm (258 LbFt) peak torque at 1,250 RPM, and peak power of 231 HP from 4750 to 6000 RPM, given the appropriate ECU tune.

*It's entirely likely cooperative dealership parts departments, or aftermarket vendors, will generate a kit to retrofit the JCW oil cooler onto a Cooper S. I see this as a valuable addition for those that HPDE/track-day their Cooper S.

*More research is needed into the part numbers for the suspension pieces in the JCW. It'll be interesting to see how different the front knuckles are. Also if the verbiage in the press release talking about the rear suspension having "a larger proportion of highly rigid steel types" is just marketing gloss or if the rear lateral control arms are indeed unique.

*The wheels on the JCW allegedly are different part numbers than the JCW wheels offered on the Exterior Packages for the Cooper and Cooper S, though I don't have those numbers just yet.

Anyone else have insight into the specifics of the JCW that I missed?

 

I have a turbo 1st gen Miata as a project/restoration. You might've seen it at MOTD this past weekend. :biggrin5:

Thanks I still love the MINI community and I've learned a LOT in the past few years in other marques that hopefully can translate here.

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RealOEM.com just updated and now has the early JCW builds. Here are some of the changes:

*The engine for the JCW is called B48A20B, whereas the Cooper S is called B46A20A
*Piston is now #11258618503
*The cylinder head, cams, valves, and springs are identical to the Cooper S
*The turbocharger/exhaust manifold is listed as the same part number. hmmmm.

*Manual trans flywheel is #21208600213 (auto trans flexplate is the same)
*The clutch is #21208631870, and has a note of being 228mm, likely the diameter.
*The manual trans is #23008617543 and called GS6-59SG - TBFN, the last letter being different than the Cooper S
*The automatic trans has a few part numbers depending on options, but they're all different than the Cooper S



*The Radiator is now #17118603089 and the Intercooler is now #17517617600. It'll be interesting to see what the functional differences are vs. the Cooper S.
*The exhaust downpipe [#18327634633] is the same as the B48 Cooper S. The B46 engine uses a different part number.
*The center muffler is now # 18308616390, and the rear muffler is now # 18308615431


RealOEM hasn't yet updated the front suspension part numbers for the JCW.
*The rear suspension arms appear to be identical
*The rear dampers and rear sway bar are identical to the Cooper S Sport Suspension, as promised.

I missed something from the engine. The JCW injectors are listed as a different part number, but with a note that it's already "ended", with no new part number. Strange.

Also, the charge air ducts to and from the Intercooler are new. Either improved airflow and/or different terminations to the Intercooler, given that's new too.

The turbine and exhaust manifold are one casting on the F56, and the part number is listed as the same according to RealOEM at this time. Personally I think it makes sense in order to get the same 1,250 RPM boost threshold, but it is counter to the glossy verbiage in the press release.

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The Brakes are a big change!

*The new Brembo front brakes are 4 piston fixed calipers using 2 bridge pins and a retainer spring to locate and quiet the front pads. The JCW pads appear to have much more volume and area than the Cooper S pads. This is good for brake torque and thermal capacity. The pads will also be very quick to change, meaning a swap from street to track compounds can be done quicker than the time it takes to unbolt the wheel.

*The new rotors are 335 x 30mm, versus the Cooper S's 294 x 22mm. That's a big increase in both diameter and width.

*The rear brake rotors are still 259 x 10mm, same as Cooper S, however the calipers and mounts are new part numbers, perhaps because they're painted red.

*Given the much larger front brakes, it's not surprising the Master Cylinder is different [#34336868997]. The proportioning and/or bore size is likely changed to maintain hydraulic balance. Interestingly, the ABS servo is the same as Cooper S. The Vacuum booster aka Servo is also different, now #34336869016.

*The wheel part numbers are still not updated.

*The body skeleton is the same part number, meaning no fundamental changes to structure or strength.

*Of course, the wheel arch plastics are new part numbers:
51777387889 & 51777387890 front no PDC
51777403264 & 51777403265 front w/PDC
51777387893 & 51777387894 rear for both
The rest of the black plastics appear to be the same as the JCW Exterior Pack on the Coopers S

*The JCW emblem on the front grill is not listed as a separate part number, however there is a "chrome line" [#51137368129] and "Chili Red" [#51137393456] grille.

*This page shows the air duct for the "AMOeK", let's see if we can figure out what that means. The oil cooler on the JCW is listed as identical to the Cooper S, so that doesn't appear to be it. A quickie Google shows that most current BMW's also have an "AMOeK", whatever that is. hmmm...

The JCW seats are interesting. The headrest is fixed, but there's still a headrest restraint bar that's mounted the same way as the normal seats, it's just not adjustable due to the upholstery style.

Check out the upholstery page here. All seats are mostly Dinamica [a brand name for a faux suede], and then either have cloth [standard] or leather [$1,950 option] trim. The Dinamica is black on the cloth trim, and red on the leather trim.

The Chrono "paket" gauges are online. The gauges are #62109363125, the LHD bezels are #65509347442 & #65509347446.

Finally, the A/C condenser is a new part number, likely as part of the new radiator and intercooler stack-up.



Cheers,
Ryan