So as most of you know, I have a Mini Cooper Clubman S. It looks like this:



In one of the threads we spoke about, I mentioned the possibility of picking up a set of R112 Challenge JCW OEM wheels for my car. It would make my car look like this:



So I found someone on the Mini site I'm on that has a set that he put all of 75 miles on the rubber and took them off, so they are pretty much brand new. He wants $1,500 for it. A little pricey, but considering you're getting wheels, tires and the tire pressure monitors for that price, it's fairly decent. Only downside for me is that it's got summer rubber on it (I could always use my current set for winters with the all season tires on 'em and put these on when the winter is done). Currently the only performance mods I've done are Springs and rear sway bar. These wheels come and go all the time, but it's hard to find a good clean set for under $1500 complete, really...

Now here's my dilemma: I've wanted to do some slight modifications to my car powerwise, but haven't decided what to do. There is no company out there that currently makes a fool proof (and reliable) ECU Upgrade for my car.

There is an upgrade you can get from a Mini dealer, it's a Stage 1 JCW upgrade. It consists of an ECU flash, exhaust and intake w/ filter. MSRP for this is $2,100 + installation. I can get it done from one of my dealers for probably between $2,000 to $2,100 installed ( Link HERE ). It doesn't transform the car into a monster like some other ECU flashes do (HP from 177 to 195, and Torque from 172 to about 200 with an overboost function), but it is OEM work and best of all, is covered by warranty, so there's nothing to hide or worry about if something ever went wrong. For the record, a FACTORY JCW Mini has 208hp/192tq, but you're getting many other extras in the car for the $4k-$6k that Mini bumps up the price of a JCW Clubman for) If you break down the parts, an exhaust alone would cost close to $1k, an intake a few hundred, and a flash I'm sure anywhere from $450 to $750, so doing it outside of OEM won't save you so much, if anything an outside sourced ECU flash would give you a couple extra horsies.

Sooooo....Get the wheels now, or get the power upgrade?

 

I'd go with the power upgrade. The clubman already looks awesome in stock form

 

Get the wheels. You said it yourself, it's a good deal. You can get the JCW upgrade any time.

 

Get the wheels sell stockers put that money towards performance upgrade.

 

+1

 

Get the wheels imo. You can always upgrade the power later on; and maybe by then someone out there will release a good ECU chip.

 

That's like choosing between ass and tits. I'd go for the one you use more, so that would be ass, I mean power. I guess if you really want them then go for the wheels because you said it's hard to get them. You could always wait for just a set of wheels only though, that way you can get the tires of your choice and not have to swap all the time.

 

Get the wheels.

 

Power.

 

Wait, did you buy your wife a birthday present yet?

If so, get the wheels.

 

Not yet, this is all I have for her right now..

 

Get the wheels, do you actually need 18 extra hp in Brooklyn?

 

youre married??

i thought that was the determining factor for power mods vs appearance mods.

who cars what your car looks like if youre taken - go for the speed

 

+2

 

+3

 

+4

 

for 6+yrs

 

I mean eventually I plan on getting both. Just not sure what to do now and what to wait for. I'm leaning more towards the wheels now though.

Only thing I REALLY hate about my stock wheels/tires are the fact that the wheel sticks out further than the tire does (and the stock tire doesn't have a rim guard), leaving it very vulnerable to curb rash (I already curbed 2 wheels). I try to avoid getting too close to a curb but where I park I need to kiss the curb to make sure my mirror doesn't get blasted off or getting sideswiped by someone flying down the street (It's happened too many times). I might lean towards getting rid of the summer tires and picking up a set of non run-flats (I was thinking Pilot Sport A/S Plus). I could always sell the tires that came on the wheels.

OR, I do a lot of business with a company that repairs damaged wheels and sells them refinished, I can pick up the same wheels refinished from him for about $200-$225 a wheel, but then I have to get the TPM Sensors seperately, then I can buy the tires that I want and not have to worry about selling the summer tires if I purchased the set from that guy.

 

I actually like your current wheels, not that the Challenge wheels aren't nicer though...

I'd ditch JCW and call Jan @ RMW or Jason @ Mynes

 

I'd do the wheels, that power upgrade is quite pricey for the actual gain. If you were talking about 30+hp then I'd do the ecu. I'd get more out of liking the new appearance than that hp bump.

 

Am I the only one that thinks this Mini is ugly?
Looks like the other box cars out on the roads.

As for the wheels, I like the stock wheels, they're
not as busy and easier to clean from the looks of it.

I clean inside my wheels, not just the outside so getting
my hand through to the inside is a must.

 

^that's a good point about the mesh wheels, I have no idea how people clean them. I assume with a hell of a lot of time my 5-spoke wheels frustrate me enough as it is.

 

dude Minis are cute! Have you driven them before? It's a BLAST to drive as well.

 

The right tools, my son.

 

The wheels are definitely easier to clean right now, and I did think about that. I do also clean the inside of my wheels because they are so open and you see most of the wheel, in and out when looking at it.

I am also considering changing brake pads to something that doesn't give off as much dust because these frikkin brakes give off so much dust it's ridiculous. Some guys over at the Mini site suggested a ceramic pad that doesn't give off nearly as much dust, stops just as well, and the dust it gives off is a much lighter color, so it's not as visible.

This is about 5 days worth of driving, I washed my car last Wednesday (Didn't drive it Sat/Sun because of Holidays). I took this picture just now:

 

I chose wheels. Living in Brooklyn, do you really get to use much power?

And wow on that brake dust!

 

Don't forget, I live in Brooklyn, work on LI, so I'm driving up and down the Belt Parkway every day, so I'm not only limited to local street driving.

 

Ah, I didn't know you work on LI. Still....lotsa traffic there as well. But it doesn't really matter. You have to choose which one you think you'll get the most enjoyment out of. You can always do one now and one later, like I think you said you were going to do anyway.

 

Wheels

 

Wheels for sure.

 

Power!

 

Wheels.

 

Which one do you daydream most about or which aspect do you dislike/would like more about your car if it were different? The wheels or the (lack of) power?

As others said...the price point for the power upgrade won't change. If the wheels are the best deal you've found so far, keep in mind it might take a little while for another good deal to come around again. BUT, there will ALWAYS be deals somewhere, regardless of which route you choose...so neither is a loss.

 

Wheels...power upgrade is always available

 

If you do go for performance don't waste 2k+ for 20hp, you can gain more than that with just raising your boost, let alone with bolt-ons. I know several mini S' with bolt-ons and raised boost that break 200hp at the wheels.

 

power because you're just trading your oem wheels for a different set of oem wheels. they look different but they probably weigh the same. i would say wheels if you're getting a set of non-oem rims that are also lighter which is a great way to make your car faster anyway.

 

 

I vote for the wheels.

 

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That is some very ugly and uneven brake dust Sometimes I see cars that haven't been washed a while and the brake dust accumulates on the wheels but it makes it wheels look grayed or blackened out and I think it actually looks pretty cool because the dust accumulates evenly.
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It does the same on my TL. I was short on time the last time I washed my car so I just purposely left the wheels unclean and I didn't mind because it gave that grayed out look

 

Wheels.