Hey guys I have a stock 2004 Mini Cooper S and have been looking at the 15% or 17% pulley for quite some time now. I was just curious of what you guys thought about it whether it was worth it or not? and if it is which would be better for the Mini.

thanks!
~mickeldude

 

I drove my 2004 for 25K miles (and my calendar warranty expired) before deciding on a pulley upgrade.

Some folks seem to be able to draw a distinction that a 15% pulley is fine, but a larger size is "too much" and will cause problems, but frankly, I don't see it as anything more than gradually increasing power and gradually decreasing reliability as you move up to higher and higher percentages. I wanted to minimize the risk of long-term reliability problems, so I went with the 15%.

I went with an Alta V2 (probably the most popular) and it gives the car a nice little bump - nothing super dramatic, but definitely noticeable. I've not had any issues, but I think if you really want the most reliable car, you're better off sticking with stock - there just isn't any "free lunch". And if you want more power and are willing to run a little more risk, you might try a bigger reduction.

I didn't change out the belt when I did mine as at the time Alta said the 15% could use the stock belt, but they're now saying you should go down a size; I called Alta and they said it would be a good idea to do it next scheduled maintenance. And if you're going to be using that extra power regularly, you might want to move one heat range down on your plugs, also recommended.

- Mark

 

19 ftw

 

I think that you mean a "smaller" size.

OK, I have been running a 17% pulley for sometime and have had no problems. Heat is a bigger factor the smaller you go but a 17% on a stock intercooler works great for me.

As for the information that markjenn gave you I disagree with a lot of it. You can't really gauge reliability when there has been no study or evidence that is any less that it was. Sure, the SC and water pump are moving faster but my car has been going great with new found power.

 

15% is a rock solid mod. Great improvement over stock and perfect for a daily driver.

 

+1 Dont forget if you're going to do a supercharger pulley swap to do a tensioner stop at the same time. One is included in our Pulley Package!

 

The 17% is great for a daily driver, with mid level rpm's, with an occasional excursion to the redline. If you plan on doing auto-x, then get the 15% because you will be riding the red line much more.
Either way, plan on yearly belt changes, a 30 minute job max, and get a tennsioner...the cable style is great, no rattle.

 

I would edit one thing: 17s or 19s are fine for auto x. It's track days, where you are spending extended periods of time banging off the rev limiter where really begin to heat up the belt. Auto x runs are such short bursts that it's not going to harm the belt.

 

thanks for the correction!

A few other factors to consider...quality of fuel in your area (in the US some areas, like CA only get 91 octane, but in other parts of the US 93 or even 94 is common), since the smaller pulley makes more heat, which requirest a bit more octane, or you may find the timing getting retarted a bit, and theb
the typical temptures you drive in...again, the smaller the pulley, the hotter the air from the SC, and even with an intercooler, the warmer the intake charge for the motor...so it is possible in a very hot area, with low octane to make less power with a smaller pulley. Sorry to make your descesion harder, I antognized over it for a while...15% or 17%, the two mainstreen choices. I got the 17%, and love it.
There are a million threads on this and closely related subjects...a quick search will get you many, many threads and answers!!
Good luck again, and a pulley is the best bang for the buck mod on a gen1 Mini by far!!

 

18, 18 do I hear and 18.... anyone, anyone? SOLD to the OP at 17.

You won't regret it.

 

%15 pulley

Please do a search before open a thread, there are thousands of threads about pulley recommendation

 

Yup, I always get a chuckle with the splitting hairs with the percent reductions. For practical purposes, most people could never tell the difference between 15, 16 or 17%. It's all just marketing, the history of which I will someday write--I have promised the other site to do it there--but be rest assured any pulley, from 10 to 19% will be just fine. If you have the correctly sized belt, you'll have no worries. BTW, I still have a 22% prototype here at the shop, from when we were originally testing pulleys.

 

Go 15% http://www.waymotorworks.com/15-supe...ulley-wmw.html

NO
Go 17% http://www.waymotorworks.com/17-supe...ulley-wmw.html

NO 15% http://www.waymotorworks.com/15-supe...ulley-wmw.html

NO 17% http://www.waymotorworks.com/17-supe...ulley-wmw.html

 

Don't forget to buy a new belt for your new pulley install, as well as some colder heat range spark plugs!

And by the way, even going down to a mere 15% smaller pulley is a dramatic, noticeable difference. You'll have a big sh*t-eating grin on your face while you drive your brand new MINI. It will literally feel like a new car!

 

I could tell a difference from between my 15 and 17. The 17 has more response lower down in the RPM range than the 15 did.

 

Thanks for the replies guys it was real helpful and informative. And yes I took a look at the millions of other threads out there about pulleys haha i'm still new at this whole forum thing...

another question:
Is the tensioner stop just an insurance kinda deal or would you guys actually recommend installing one with the pulley?
(I just found out about this part from the responses and I am going to do some research but was wondering what other's opinions were about it)

thanks again,
mickledude

 

You're already in there, might as well install the part. It will only cost you about $20 to get the Detroit Tuned kind, which people seem to like the best. It is a wire instead of a metal bracket like the Alta. I don't know from experience, but some say the Alta rattles. I'll be putting my 15% on very soon and I am buying a DT tensioner stop off a guy in the local club.

It's an insurance policy, but I would say it's a must-do.

 

+1
It is just to be safe....the belt is a bit more likely to wear, or get thrown at high rpm's (not usually during street driving, but still possible), so by spending $20 and taking 15 minutes max to install the stop, you are saving potentialy a few hundread...(tensioner dammage, and flywheel damper dammage can both happen) and several days of downtime...with the stop, loosing a belt is a 20 minute, and $20 inconviance (the cost of a belt, and time to install it).

 

Anybody have experience with a 19% pulley?

 

very few use them, not sure who sells them anymore, kavs maybe? Anyhow the supercharger is just over spun at redline with a 15% and with a 17% it begins to have too much heat at redline. Basically to have a 19% will require meth at least to keep the iat acceptable and you will still be over spinning the charger quite a bit.

 

i saw a 19% tune package on pelican parts. 19% would destroy the supercharger huh. 17% it is.