Ok, I searched the forms for information on ECU and Pully upgrades, but I still have questions and understanding issues so I started this thread in which I can get some advise and maybe some more knowledge to decide what to do.

1.Seems the ECU and Pully are best used as a package deal? Why?

2.ECU and Pully seem to not hurt the warrenty because JWC also uses a 15% reduciotn.

3. how do you get the ECU back after the dealer services the car? if I have a laptop can I flash it my self? do I have to hall it back to whom ever did the ECU?

4. Seems the pully that is not "Heat" installed is a little heaver and has less "Con's" and More "Pro's" so why use the heat installed version?

5. Cost, Pully, ECU, Labor etc.. I assume that the person I have seen doing most of the installs is "Randy", should I only allow this to be done at one of these "Pully Parties"?

6. How important is the Exhaust in this whole picture?

7. What if your dealership just refuses to warrenty the car because of the Mod's, claiming that the Mod's caused the problem? what course do you take, has this happened to anyone? Anyone have any problems or bad vibes from the Pully/ECU upgrade?

8. Any additional information you wish to add that would be helpful I would GREATLY appreciate. Thanks again.

:smile:

 

Get involved with a "pulley party",if at all possible.Do the pulley or pulley/ECU,if possible.I think you better be prepared for a warrenty battle if the engine,supercharger pukes.

 

>>>>>>"5. Cost, Pully, ECU, Labor etc.. I assume that the person I have seen doing most of the installs is "Randy", should I only allow this to be done at one of these "Pully Parties"?"

I wouldn't let anyone but Randy pull my pulley!!!!

 

I'll answer in the format of your numbered questions:

1. This is not really accurate. You can upgrade either the pulley, or ECU, or both. Some Tuners have unsubstantiated claims that the pulley needs the ECU, but there is no proof to back this claim. The stock MCS runs very rich. If you add the pulley, it still runs rich. If you get the ECU however, it fixes this, running the engine more efficiently.

2. Technically, your powertrain warranty is toast when you do the pulley because it's not part of the JCW install (cough:ripoff!). I would argue, however, that the warranty of the supercharger specifically is not void because even with the pulley AND the ECU it still does not run above Eaton's specified redline.

3. You can demand that the dealership not touch your OBDII port, thereby relinquishing their command over your ECU. If they do reflash your ECU, however, you'll have to take it out and send it to your reseller (no self-reflashing to date)

4. The "heat installed" pulley is the P&D design used by Helix13, BMP, and "MINI-Motorsport". The other design is a taper-bore and self-aligning, made by ALTA Performance. Both designs are sufficient; they can handle WAY more torque than the MINI will ever produce, really. The ALTA is much easier to install correctly, and although heavier, the small diameter of the pulley leaves little difference in rotational inertia (not a big deal, in other words).

5. Randy is da man for Pulley installs. He's done more than anyone else on the planet. If you have a Pulley Party coming up in your area, or are semi-close to Denver, go for it!

6. It's not, unless you want more power (and loudness), or have extra money to spend!

7. The dealership would be totally unreasonable to refuse service!!! It's highly ignorant of them to have a real problem with a car almost identical to a JCW. If they're that stupid, I wouldn't want my car serviced there anyway

8. Sounds like you covered it pretty well with your first 7 questions! Good luck!

Cheers,
Ryan

 

Ryephile gave a good summary to your questions. I have some comments.
1. Both are offered bundled because some people like to have the biggest jump in added HP and the pair tends to provide that. Cost for the ECU alone is about $720 and is considerably more than $200 for the pulley part plus labor (a few hundred $$) plus deposit on the pulley tool or buy your own tool. So as far as lower cost is concerned the pulley only will give you some added low rpm added HP. Also the supercharger noise is a little different due to the pulley upgrade. ECU upgrade by itself seems too expensive for the relatively small benefit in added HP without having the pulley. The ECU upgrade is different for with the pulley and without the pulley. So you have to commit yourself.
2. JCW kit uses the pulley and ECU upgrade so it is likely to be a reasonable upgrade and won't overtax your MCS if done right. The cost of the JCW is very high at about $6000 total but it includes the warranty for the upgrade whereas the aftermarket pulley/ECU upgrade will void the "engine/ECU" warranty.
3. If the ECU is upgraded then I would agree to ask the dealer not to touch the ECU or you will have to reflash it.
5. RandyBMC is my first choice and Chris from Helix13 has lots of experience as well.
6. You can run any exhaust you like. The more the flow through design- the more potential you could have on added HP. People have gotten good results with Magnaflow and using headers to help reduce the restriction of the stock exhaust but you will get much louder sounds. The Renntech people say that the Borla sport (very straight through design) offers the most HP performance. They say that the Quicksilver has too much restriction and that might increase heat and hinder performance a bit. Even the Y connector on the Magnaflow is said to have some restriction.
So far no dyno numbers showing all this have been posted that I know of.
7. Your dealer is obligated to warranty the car for 4 years. You still have the rest of the car under warranty. Talk to your service rep before you do anything and see if they are friendly to mods or against it. Some dealers actually install upgrades and sell the parts for MINIs.
8. The pulley alone is a great relatively cheap upgrade. You get lots of low rpm power which is lacking in the stock MINI. You will be able to use it in everyday driving or on the track. It doesn't really affect mpg unless you are driving really hard all over the place. If you drive normally you should do pretty good on mileage. The biggest downside is the voiding of warranty. If this is a big deal for you then the only way to keep the warranty is to get the JCW kit. Your choice. If you decide to do it- a good installer can do it very quickly and safely. The design of the upgrade is sound and not beyond the capabilities of the engine. It should be reliable for the life of the car and should not shorten the life of the engine. You still have to drive responsibly.
9. No matter what. Have fun

 

Thanks, these were very, very helpful. I nice to know their are so many people that have lots of experience out their in the mini world. again, Thanks

 

Just to comment on number 7... I think this issue has been blown out of proportion. Your Dealer is not MINI/BMW, they are independant dealers who make alot of money off warranty work and out of warranty work. For them to refuse to work on your car or warranty the car because of mods is only an issue if they think they would have problems getting the work covered by MINI. Your Dealer is not the bad guy here if he refuses to work on your car, he's only refusing if he has a good chance of being caught trying to pass of warranty work for work that MINI say's it shouldn't be covering. Their is no way for MINI to know your car has mods on it unless the dealer tells them. I'm sure MINI looks at warranty trends from a dealer and would probably start getting suspicious about a dealers who is consistantly returning worn out superchargers. I would be interested to hear from a Dealer to find out what MINI's policy is between MINI and the Dealer on warranty work and what happens if they get caught working on modified cars. I was told that they only have an issue with warranty work if the item that needs repair was damaged directly by the modification that was done. Again, the dealer is the only one that knows your car has mods on it. The best thing to do is talk to your dealer before doing the modifications you want to do, find out what their policy is and what will happen if you need work done on your car.

 

Well said Super_MINI!

 

>>5. RandyBMC is my first choice and Chris from Helix13 has lots of experience as well.

Don't forget Eric! Eric did my pulley and did a wonderful job. If you are in the Northeast go to helix, if you are out in the midwest go to Randy. If you are anywhere else take a little roadtrip!

 

First, I agree that if you're anywhere near Philly, let Eric Savage at Helix do your pulley. He's great and has done more pulley installs than anyone east of the Mississippi. He explained it to me in nontech speak: the car needs air to produce power and it needs to get the used air out of its system. He said to get more power you need to #1 replace your stock intake, to give the engine access to more air, #2 replace your pulley to get more air into the combustion chambers, and #3 replace your exhaust to complete the process and get the used air out. The ECU should follow to tweak many other variables and maximize the efficiency of the process. Many of us have now done all three and I haven't heard anyone complain.

 

Darxar:

A couple of points taht were left out here that might be of interest to you. HAving a pulley and ECU installed is NOT equivalent to a JCW kit that is backed by the MINI warranty. The JCW kit includes a different supercharger with ceramic coated vanes that increases boost by reducing leakage at pressure. The kit also includes new exhaust and a new ported/polished head, which provides more efficient engine gas flows and reduced heat buildup. We don't know how similar/different the ECU programming is compared to what is being done in the aftermarket. JCW is overall a much more complete performance upgrade that pulley+ECU. It was developed with durability in mind as well.

Therefore, if you do the pulley and ECU in the aftermarket, don't be at all surprised if you someday need a seemingly warrantied engine repair (which ain't cheap on BMW built cars for sure) and your dealer won't cover it, so you pay out-of-pocket.

If you do it with this understanding, and can handle the potential of a sizeable repair bill hit, then no problema. Just go into it with a REALISTIC understanding of the situation. :smile:

 

to clarify further:
The stock Eaton M45 supercharger uses ceramic coated vanes
the JCW modified Eaton M45 supercharger uses graphite coated vanes

...there is no documentation stating that the coatings modify performance or longetivity.

Thank you for your attention