Stock vs Modified – Just How Much Can $1000 Change a MINI?

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It’s a question many of us have as we venture into the MINI aftermarket world. So we decided to find out just how much of a difference by pitting our lightly modified 2024 Clubman JCW against an identical stock 2024 Clubman JCW. And what we found even surprised us.

Numb, slow and even boring. It’s hard to sugar coat it because that’s exactly how I felt within seconds of the first corner in our Island Blue stock Clubman JCW test car. Things got better the more I drove as I mentally recalibrated to the slightly slower reactions of its steering inputs. But even still the difference was far more noticeable than I had expected.

The 2024 MINI Clubman JCW in 100% stock form.

So how is this possible? In isolation the Clubman JCW feels great on the road and is in fact the best large MINI overall we’ve ever driven. Despite the quicker and more natural steering in the all new U25 MINI Countryman JCW, we’d even rank it above that. But after putting 4,000 miles on my modified 2024 Clubman JCW I’ve been reprogrammed to expect more about the F54 Clubman JCW. So how can $1,000 (actually a bit under) transform a MINI with such immediate effect?

It comes down to how you spend the money and naturally what you value. My vision was simple; I wanted to focus MINIs most celebrated characteristic, handling. In other words I wanted to make my new Clubman JCW feel as close to that go kart feeling you get from an F56, R56 or even R53. Impossible? Maybe, but I wanted to how close I could get.

My (modified) 2024 Clubman JCW next to our (identical) 2024 Clubman JCW test car

The Modifications List

My goal was to improve responsiveness of the Clubman on initial turn-in and even introduce (gasp) real feedback back into the steering wheel. Then there’s the look. Namely the ride height.

Like most modern cars, MINIs tend to ride a little higher than you might want. The result is a relationship between the wheels, tires and body that looks less than ideal. The wheel gap is typically larger than you’d expect (or want) and the tires tend to be tucked into the fenders. Collectively this results a car that looks less aggressive, even on 19″ wheels. There are several reasons for this; various government regulations around the world (looking at you Japan) and aero for efficiency are high on the list.

The subtle ride height difference is the only giveaway that my Clubman has been fettled with.

While a coil-over set-up can be a great addition to a car (KW for instance), I wanted to keep things a bit simpler knowing that I might be modifying the car in a completely different way in a few years (think Safari Clubman). So instead I went with the Eibach Pro Kit lower springs which are engineered to work perfectly with the stock shock absorbers while lowering the ride 1.2″ in the front and 1″ in the back. And you can’t argue with the price of $350 msrp and the zero change in ride quality.

Next was fixing how those wheels and tires that have always look tucked too far into the plastic fenders. For that I went with 12 mm spacers ($285 msrp) to extend the wheels subtly outward. The finished product looked almost shocking at first but has quickly become not only normal but how it should look from the factory. Next to my BMW 1M and Porsche 718 Spyder the enhanced stance makes the MINI fit in perfectly.

Finally I wanted to increase the torsional rigidity to help with initial turn-in and overall responsiveness. While MINIs tend to be stiff, there’s still room for improvement. All you have to do is look under the car at the OEM bracing to see that. For this I turned to Cravespeed and their Big Pair Chassis Brace (285 msrp). The Big Pair is a beautifully made, highly rigid pair of braces that replace the Clubman’s rather sad looking OEM braces. Sad in that they’re mass produced stamped steel that are designed to meet a cost threshold while offering just enough bracing. The CravenSpeed Big Pair was engineered from the ground up to be as strong as possible while still keeping weight to a minimum.

As with everything I handled the install myself with longtime MF contributor Ken Endres providing an extra pair of hands. The spring install was relatively straightforward but took some time. The spacers were as simple as taking wheels on and off. The underbody bracing was similarly straightforward and took about 30 minutes in total.

To finish off the suspension and chassis modifications I installed the NM Engineering Rear Sway Bar from Neuspeed. This has helped with body roll management creating a more balanced car at the limit. Because it’s adjustable you can dial in as much lift-off oversteer in corners allowing you to have more control and quicker exits out of turns. The result is a car that’s more neutral and less prone to the understeer that’s found in all modern MINIs.

The Downsides to Modifying Your MINI

I’d be remiss to not talk about the downsides of non-factory modifications. Some components on the aftermarket aren’t as well made and thoroughly tested as factory parts are. Because of this they will often reduce the value of your car and may even negatively impact the way it drives. And in rare cases they can even affect your factory warranty if they cause undo stress on other components.

But if they’re from a reputable brand I’ve found that they not only match the quality of OEM parts but often exceed them. In many cases I’ve found that they can be made of higher quality materials, tested even more thoroughly and even incrementally add value. As you can imagine, that’s what I aimed for.

It all starts with research into what modifications are right for your needs and then who makes the highest quality, highest rated options. And as you’ll find out some of those companies are even responsible for the OEM parts as well. Luckily places like Outmotoring (a long-time sponsor) curate the best of the MINI aftermarket making high quality options easy to find.

Conclusions; Stock Clubman JCW vs Modified

Driving these two cars back to back you’re struck at how simple changes can really affect the driving experience. The stock Island Blue Clubman JCW we tested is the best stock MINI we’ve ever test at combining utility with the driving experience MINI is known for. So much that we’ve called the best ever daily driver from the MINI brand. While that might not be as true now that the new U25 Countryman JCW is on roads, it’s still high acclaim.

Which is why I was genuinely surprised at how much I could immediately feel the effects the few things I modified. And when I look back at my vision for the car, they’ve accomplished exactly what I was hoping for. My modified Clubman JCW has sharper turn-in with a touch more feel through the wheel.

Make no mistake, it didn’t magically create Porsche levels of feedback through the steering wheel but it did enhance what little was there. But these modifications brought this 3,600 lbs car closer in feel to the point and shoot qualities of the two door MINI Cooper JCW. And perhaps the best part, they’ve helped to create a more focused, MINI-like driving experience, without any downsides.

Has this changed my opinion of the stock Clubman JCW? No but it’s reminded me of just how mass market cars (even JCWs) are inherently designed for the masses. That’s not a bad thing. But until MINI offers true BMW M level performance models (a la the GP), even todays’ JCWs are made to please a relatively wide audience.

The good news is that you can easily recapture that focused driving experience that harkens back to the R53 days of MINIs. You just need a couple tweaks to get you there.

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