The F66 MINI JCW Gets 3DDesign’s Most Aggressive MINI Aero Kit Yet
MINI
3DDesign’s kit for the F66 MINI John Cooper Works comes in 1×1-weave wet carbon, with paintable urethane or GFRP versions of every part.
Article Summary
- The front lip and side skirts also fit the F67 JCW Convertible, which gets its own carbon rear diffuser, but the roof spoiler is only for the F66.
- The lip replaces the JCW’s factory black corner splitters, and the new diffuser is simpler than MINI’s original.
- 3DDesign already sells 25 mm lowering springs and 105 mm exhaust tips for the F66 JCW, and exhaust systems are in development.
3DDesign has released a four-piece aero program for the F66 MINI John Cooper Works: a front lip spoiler, side skirts, a rear diffuser, and a roof spoiler. Every piece is available in wet carbon fiber with a 1×1 weave, and every piece also comes in a paintable urethane or fiberglass version for owners who’d rather not have the weave on show.
The Japanese tuner says the design is more aggressive than any of its previous MINI programs, and the roof spoiler is where that’s easiest to see. It ends in wingtip-shaped plates on each side, an approach 3DDesign calls completely new for the company and one it says expresses the JCW’s character more strongly.
Why The Roof Spoiler Is The Piece To Look At
The wingtip plates are what set this kit apart from a typical lip-and-skirts package. On a wing, endplates limit the air spilling around the tips, which is why race cars use them. 3DDesign hasn’t published downforce or drag figures for any of the F66 parts, so we’d read the plates as a styling cue borrowed from aero practice rather than a measured performance gain. That’s true of most street-car aero, and it isn’t a knock on the part.
The roof spoiler is also the only piece without a Convertible version, for the obvious reason that the F67 has no fixed roof to mount it on. It comes in carbon or in GFRP that needs paint.
How The Front Lip, Skirts, And Diffuser Change The JCW
At the front, the lip spoiler replaces the factory black splitters at both corners of the JCW bumper and is shaped to follow the bumper’s lines rather than sit on top of them. Its side extensions do more than fill the corners, too: 3DDesign says they help reduce wind resistance around the front tires.
The side skirts attach over the original side sills instead of replacing them, and the rear section of each skirt rises to line up with the F66’s original character lines.
The rear diffuser goes the other way. It replaces MINI’s factory diffuser outright, and 3DDesign made it simpler than the original, saying the cleaner design gives the back of the car a sportier look. For a kit pitched as the company’s most aggressive MINI program, taking detail away at the rear is an interesting call.
Why Wet Carbon With A 1×1 Weave?
Wet carbon is the usual choice for aftermarket aero parts that don’t carry structural loads. The carbon cloth is laid into a mold and saturated with liquid resin, which is cheaper than dry carbon, where the cloth comes pre-impregnated with resin and is cured under heat and pressure. Dry carbon is lighter and stronger, and priced to match.
The 1×1 weave is the less common detail. It’s a plain weave, with each strand passing over one and under the next, so it forms a tight checkerboard instead of the diagonal pattern of the 2×2 twill most people picture when they think of carbon trim.
3DDesign recommends a UV-cut clear coat on its carbon parts, since sunlight degrades the surface over time, so anyone who parks outside should budget for one.
Owners who’d rather match the body color have an option for every part. The front lip also comes in urethane, while the side skirts, rear diffuser, and roof spoiler also come in GFRP (glass-fiber reinforced plastic, essentially fiberglass). All of the non-carbon parts need paint before they go on the car.
Which MINI Models Does The 3DDesign Kit Fit?
Only John Cooper Works models, according to 3DDesign’s listing. The front lip and side skirts fit both the F66 hardtop and the F67 JCW Convertible. The rear diffuser comes in carbon or GFRP for the F66 and as a separate carbon part for the F67, and the roof spoiler is F66-only.
Here’s the full aero lineup from 3DDesign’s F66/F67 product page:
- Front lip spoiler, carbon: F66/F67 JCW
- Front lip spoiler, urethane, paint required: F66/F67 JCW
- Side skirts, carbon: F66/F67 JCW
- Side skirts, GFRP, paint required: F66/F67 JCW
- Rear diffuser, carbon: F66 JCW
- Rear diffuser, GFRP, paint required: F66 JCW
- Rear diffuser, carbon: F67 JCW Convertible
- Roof spoiler, carbon: F66 JCW
- Roof spoiler, GFRP, paint required: F66 JCW
3DDesign doesn’t list prices on its website. More F66 parts are in development, including exhaust systems, additional aero pieces, and diffusers for the F67 Convertible, though a carbon F67 diffuser is already on the parts list.
Related posts
Latest Post
No Comments