CARBON FIBER Archives - JCW Adventures

JCW ADVENTURES SHOP

Ali Mir — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 12:36:03 +0000

I am proud to announce JCW Adventures finally has an online shop which you can buy some MINI swag from which covers all three generations of the BMW MINI.

Here is a direct link to the website – JCW Adventures Shop

Official eBay Store – Official eBay Store

I have kept it simple with all three generations of BMW MINI Hatch with Model Designation vinyl decals all of which are available in Chilli Red, Jet Black, Thunder Grey & Ice White.

All 3 Generations of BMW MINI R50, R56 & F56 Decals

All these are available on the JCW ADVENTURES Store with free shipping within the UK and worldwide shipping available with a small additional cost.

Custom colours will be available at upon special requests at a small additional cost with all BMW MINI Generations & variants stickers coming soon.

Along with these all-new decals are the ever-popular R56 JCW & GP2 genuine carbon fibre exhaust tips as first seen on my JCW are back!!!!

This genuine carbon fibre exhausts tips can be easily installed within 5 minutes which simple tools and no drilling is required.

They are only suitable for R56 JCW, GP2 & R56 Cooper S with the JCW back box exhaust given they were developed on my JCW.

These exhaust tips have been designed for road use and show cars only either with a stock or sports catalytic convertor.

For those who have F-Series MINI JCW Pro Exhaust Remote, I have battery replacement available in the stores to get you back to disturbing the peace.

All shipping within the UK will be free, but international orders will incur a small shipping charge.

So if you have read the blog or followed me on social media here is a great way to support a free website that has been here to help any MINI owner around the world since 2012.

If you any questions free to message me at JCWADVS@GMAIL.COM or hit me up on the social media links at the bottom of the post.

Here is the link to JCW Adventures Shops – JCW Adventures Store & Official eBay Store

Thank you for the continued support, smiles, laughs, memories, hospitality, and MINI adventures.

Here’s to continued adventures wherever the open road leads to in 2020 and beyond.

As always it’s a MINI Adventure and try to keep up!!!

Ali R56 JCW Owner & JCW ADVENTURES Founder

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Coming In Hot: All The Details On The F56 MINI GP3

Ali Mir — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 12:55:31 +0000

No more teasing shoots and here are all the details you want to know on soon to be arriving in March 2020 the MINI GP3 the last hurrah to the 3rd Generation F-Series MINI.

Here all the main details you need to know about the MINI GP3:

Limited to 3,000 units worldwide (UK – 575 units & US – 400-500 units)
306 bhp & 450 nm of Torque from the revised 2-litre engine
0 to 62 mph in 5.2 seconds with a top speed of 164 mph
8-Speed Steptronic Automatic & Torsen Mechanical Differential
Multistage traction control with GP Mode
Lightweight wheels with Hankook track-focused tyres
20mm wider front track & 10mm reduced ride height from JCW with adaptive suspension
Rear seats deleted with a rear brace
Nappa Leather steering wheel with metal 12 o’clock position and GP metal paddle shifters
Digital & Analogue Dials
Improved Aerodynamics with Carbon Fibre Arches & Rear wing
90mm exhaust tips finished in matte brushed stainless steel
Darkened LED headlights & rear lights and Black MINI badges
Exclusive metallic Racing Grey paint with metallic melting silver roof
Unique GP side stripe with individual numbers on Carbon Blades
Preorder is now available at your retailers with RRP of £33,895 (US – $44,900)
GT Touring Pack (£2,000 – Option)- Adds dual-zone air- conditioning, heated front seats and Navigation Plus – which includes Satellite Navigation and wireless charging
First UK deliveries start in March 2020

Now with the key points outlined will this be ultimate F56 when it comes out?? I still loved R56 GP2 which I test drove for review a while a back which was still raw, and they just turned the R56 up to 12.

I am not gonna lie the F56 series MINI has been a bitter disappointment to me and the only model that I have driven from the range that has made me smile has been the F56 MINI Hatch Cooper and F56 JCW Convertible as they charm to them. The Cooper had all the power you wanted as it was fun extracting it from its peppy engine while the Convertible JCW brought back some of the visceral rawness of what a MINI should be.

I am yet to drive the F55 Clubman JCW with its ALL4 drive with the same engine as the MINI GP3, but in the real world, the clubman will be faster! It’s ALL4 will allow a quicker 0 to 60 dash at 4.9 compared to the GP3s 5.2 plus you can take your mates with you.

The proof will be in the driving when I get a hold of a set of keys from MINI or a JCW clubman owner willing to borrow it me for a while. Probably the car I am most excited to drive along with the MINI Cooper SE.

Now the car has officially unveiled it has grown on me, and I see more details on it which are cooler than first perceived. The Carbon blades don’t look that much out of place, but I can see it being a nightmare in the real world – people trying to clean them and a lot of people touching them when you are away from it. Plus I am annoyed there is no manual option as the torque figure was too high for them to justify so auto won that fight : (

They should have made the mirror caps Red to follow tradition and the lower grille should have been black as that lower grille is something you don’t want to highlight…

GP numbers on the roof again for tradition reasons but the mega disappointment has been the wheels as they are very much lacklustre. The whole 3rd Gen MINI range as it’s like they gave up in that design department. But the person who made the centre caps deserves needs promotion to head of wheel design.

The wing again should have followed tradition with being carbon fibre and my OCD is kicking off with the base being red next to a silver roof!! Just why why why why

The paddles look nice, but the top parts should have been longer as everyone drives differently and they should have looked to supercars for better inspiration.

Alright, enough of the negatives here are my positives – dark line headlights & rear lights, black door handles, black fuel cap and black badges are perfect but that new racing grey paint though really pops under the sun! The upper red bar grill intake is a pleasant update to get more in and go with the GP3 more power theme.

Interior is where they did their best work with the rear seat delete being something to behold than a rush job with the GP logo, flush carpet and new back strut brace design. New seats are a nice touch with the grey and GP logo, but you will be glad for the new digital with GP interface. It will make you feel that much special every time you got in with GP door stills and mats.

The better diffuser is welcomed as well but could have had a more menace to it. My favourite touch of them all is the matte brushed stainless steel trim exhaust tips. They are something very different much a new look, so it caught my eye straight away.

I thought they were titanium when I did walk around the Goodwood festival of speed back in the summer.

Now that we have done everything at face value, let’s dive deeper into the changes under the hood and beyond.

The engine was revamped to achieve the new power levels with the following upgrades:

Reinforced crankshaft with enlarged main bearing diameter, specific pistons, bushless connecting rods and a new torsional vibration damper with optimised cooling.
New turbocharger integrated into the exhaust manifold and fitted with a divert-air valve that optimises response.
The compression ratio has been reduced from 10.2 to 9.5 in line with the increased boost pressure provided by the system.
The updated intake air duct has an enlarged inlet, and flow cross-sections and the increased capacity of the noise damper ensure maximum de-throttling.
New multi-hole injectors, arranged centrally between the valves to increased flow rate and transporting the fuel into the combustion chambers at an injection pressure of up to 350 bar.

Maximum torque is created at 1,750 rpm to 4,500 with 306 bhp is achieved at 5,000 to 6,250 rpm in the rev range.

With all this new power there was a need for more cooling so there an additional two external coolant coolers. The expansion tank is enlarged for increased volume with a specially designed coolant module storage system and an electric fan with increased output to maintain the optimum operating temperature at all times. In addition, the crankcase cooling system can be temporarily shut off employing a new split- cooling valve to optimise the engine’s warm-up response.

The transmission helps put the power down with an integrate Torsen Mechanical Differential, which can lock up to 31%. To avoid track action issues the transmission has it’s own separate cooling circuit when you out chasing down lap times. GP mode makes a return to give you some slip with traction control but always there on hand to keep you safe if you need it when hooning or a track star.

GP3 has been given underbody bracing by the tunnel bridge is replaced by solid support for the modified rear axle. While the front has been its strut brace for increased rigidity with refreshed new suspension setup and increases front and rear camber.

Continuing with the steering of the GP3 there are stiffer rubber bearings in the support bearings of the front and rear axles. The four wishbones on the rear axle are fitted on the outside with clearance-free metal ball sleeve joints instead of rubber mounts, while on the inside there are highly rigid rubber mounts.

Now if you want to slow everything down there 4 pot front calipers are made of aluminium and combined with 360 × 30 mm ventilated discs. These are encased by 8-inch lightweight forged wheels (8.0 J × 18) weighing less than 9kg. 225/35/18 Hankook tyres make a return to the brand with a choice of road Ventus S1 Evo Z or semi-slicks TD. These are covered by the carbon blades which are formed reclaimed carbon from the i8 & i3 manufacturing. The carbon fibre goodness also helps widen the front track by 40mm wider than a standard F56 JCW.

Hopefully, with all these significant upgrades and improvement, the GP3 will live up to previous to GP name both on track and road. As soon as I can get behind the wheel of one I will be sure to give you my feedback whether it fills up the shoes of the legacy of the slaying everything around its class.

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Building The Ultimate R56: Weekend & Road Warrior

Ali Mir — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 21:00:15 +0000

I was get asked what mods are on my JCW and WHY haven’t you lowered or remapped it yet etc. But to be honest I have always been happy with the way it drove and handled given I had only been on one track before I brought my JCW. However as we all know and lie to ourselves as MINI is never stock for long. This my take on money no object on building the ultimate R56 for the road and track with OEM parts only but with a select aftermarket parts for it to be liveable on a daily basis along with track shenanigans as well.

I have often pondered about this about in my spare time and looking around the show and race scene how I could make my JCW go faster whilst snapping people’s necks as they looked at me rolling bye. DUECES.
First things first we need a body in white which would be a Cooper S/JCW Chassis as it would be easier given I would slot in a new heart in the engine compartment. With the bare chassis I would mate it with the familiar engine with a french twist from the Peugeot RCZ-R as the 1.6 THP turbocharged petrol engine generates 270 Bhp & 330NM (same mini engine in R56 taken up a notch with less problems but this RCZ-R is basically a poor man’s Audi TT).

This feat was achieved from engineering innovations from using Formula One grade forged aluminium pistons and an uprated clutch. Yet in the RCZ-R It achieves up to 44.8mpg and CO2 emissions of just 145g/km which isn’t so bad given the MINI will be lighter and faster on its toes. To keep this power in check Peugeot Torsen limited Slip differential and 380 mm brake discs will make in significant difference in corner entry and exit spends which is where all the fun happens.

I would keep the diff but add in the GP2 brakes to keep the wheels at 17 inch diameter but add in the BMW 135i performance brake discs which are perforated and grooved for better track cooling plus they look cooler (GP2 brakes are basically 135i brakes). The RCZ gearbox would come along with it to cope with the power but would be changed to have short throw with a simple mod for shaper gear changes but better engine performance on track a Forged intercooler would be installed to eliminate heat soak. The GP2 coilovers would be dropped in to lower the car whilst giving comfort for OEM keeping but part of me would be gripping towards getting KW Clubsports because they come with adjustable top mounts and will perform better on track and road compared to the Bilsteins due to the adjustments.

To keep this looney daily on the ground the GP2 diffuser and front under tray would be fitted along with eye candy GP2 rear spoiler all of which have been tested by MINI engineers in winder tunnels and on the green hell. This is one part that is most often overlooked the interior where you send all your time therefore we are going with the JCW Recaro buckets seats with half Alcantara and leather as they offer perfect bolstering and look the business. When I was specin my JCW there wasn’t this option at the time so leather dashboard would have been selected along with Alcantara rear seating which were made available when the newer GP2 seats arrived.

Like I said in the title this would be a weekend warrior so I would remove the rear seats and installed the GP2 rear seat delete when I went on full day track days or across Europe for longer MINI adventures. Carbon fibre dash pieces, gear knob, hand brake, door pulls and steering wheel insert as ever go fast faster interior needs carbon fibre. I preferred the GP2 steering as it was thicker and leather had a better feel to the touch but to make it have that extra touch it would go off to LG Trimming for an added touch of BMW Java Green stripe. I would request further work for the lower dash pads and door armrests to be re-trimmed in leather to match the steering wheel with the neon green stitching. Lawrence has worked on a lot of awarding cars but the most famous is the LEX’s R53

The neon green is being used to keep in the theme of batman universe as my JCW other nickname within the MINI would be the DARK KNIGHT because of my childhood obsession. This JCW would be called the THE JOKER aka MR J hence I would go custom paint of bringing pack the much-loved Black Eye Purple/BMW Techno Violet for the add MINIdividuality. To insure MR J was noticed I would have HA HA HA green decals on the rear quarters along with a private number plate – MR11 JKR.

As Mr J has distinctive laugh it which can heard a mile away its only fair a challenge back box be fitted to this JCW to bring the NOISE. From what I have heard the challenge box on a stock R56 JCW is significantly louder than normal JCW without being annoying on daily usage but will set off car alarms if you wish ; P The noise wont be just coming from outside but from the inside as I have HK system have installed but a nice modern twist to the central speedo by removing and wiring in a mini iPad for greater customisation. The idea is to relay oil & coolant temps etc for track use and better navigation,video and music play back for daily use and MINI adventures.

As this is a money no object project I would get some custom forged P101 HRE wheels in satin black to show off the java green calipers so there was no JOKE this MINI meant business with all its cards on the table. All the plastic arches/exterior trim would be colour coded to the body paint for the seamless look with the GP2 diffuser painted satin black for added uniqueness. Carbon fibre Bi-Xenon light from Duell AG with halo lights along MINI’s DRL lights so you can see this Villain in your rear view.VIS racing carbon fibre hood would aid cooling and lightened the front end given this animal is running a lot more power than normal. I would have fully open bonnet scoop to allow more air along with the MINI Challenge bonnet scoop cooling vent to force more air over the turbo.

Finally touches would be custom badging with the JCW badge to be removed from the front and rear but the rear would have a custom badge which would resemble GP badge but with the words JK. All the chrome line interior trims would be painted matte purple and just like dashboard in my JCW would be customised to depict joker famous scene from the dark knight trilogy. The roof would be skinned in carbon fibre with gloss finish and my Surrey new mini club GP styles numbers in charcoal grey just for old-time sake.

What would be your take if money was no object? Would go BECAUSE RACE CAR, STANCE NATION, 1 OF 1 or just build the MINI of your dreams from the configurator.
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MINI RNT: MINI ROAD & TRACK

Ali Mir — Mon, 25 May 2015 18:30:05 +0000

If you all have wondered why I have been quiet it has been for a big reason as I have been flat-out since returning back for MINI TAKES THE STATES. I honestly don’t believe I rest anymore given my new job working on Jaguar & Land Rover dealer marketing worldwide and working as a track marshal at a go karting track on the weekend. I am working 6 to 7 days a week flat-out but you can see I love things all automotive and you can’t keep me away from a gas pedal and steering wheel : D
Side stepping away from my work life I wanted to combine my passion of MINI with a business which leads me down a path of researching, finding suppliers, endless emails and phone calls. This led to various forms, purchasing, testing than scrapping and starting over again since March 2014 when the idea came to my head.
I saw Akrapovics carbon exhaust tips on performance cars then on super cars then they offered a system on the MINI. A full titanium exhaust with optional carbon fibre tips hmmmmm
I saw a gap in the MINI market to provide MINIacs like me with custom-made parts for both road and track.

The carbon fibre tips were something I wanted on my car but I reckon I could make it for my JCW and this gave birth to MINI ROAD & TRACK aka MINI RNT.
So began one man’s journey into how carbon fibre is manufactured and finding the right supplier.
Carbon fibre is a wonderful material which first started its life in military and aviation industry due to weight to strength ratio then moved into various industries through the ages to more recognisable automotive applications such as F1.
After months of emailing and meeting suppliers, I found the right one with the knowledge and willingness to help me achieve my goals. I ordered in at significant cost to myself the first batch of carbon fibre exhausts tips to my JCW and I have been driving with them for the last 9 months which equates to roughly 11,000 miles as I do 1,200 miles a month which don’t include any mini events I attend.
I am a very fussy man when it comes to certain things and more so with my JCW and other things I own as I like to buy the best possible item for the job and I like to buy once. It is the main reason why I have tested the carbon fibre tips for so long before finally offering to MINIacs worldwide.
MINI RNT’s mission statement is very simple – If it’s not good enough for my MINI, it’s not good enough for yours

MINI RNT’s first product is the carbon fibre exhausts as on my JCW which can be easily installed within 5 minutes which simple tools and no drilling is required. They are only suitable for R56 JCW, GP2 & R56 Cooper S with the JCW Backbox exhaust given they were developed on my JCW. Don’t worry the love will be shared to the every generation of the modern mini in the future.
These exhaust tips have been designed for road use and show cars only. I did test the tips on track which resulted in some charring and heat derogation of the carbon fibre due to the high levels of heat at a full day of track abuse. There will be however a track version later for your hoonigans which will be a different composite of carbon fibre for high heat applications which is currently in development.
Shipping will be free to the UK only with international shipping incurring a charge.
JCW ADVENTURES STORE
Thank you for the continued support, smiles, laughs, memories and adventures.
Ali
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