Ive been thinking and I am pretty sure I am going to do the pulley as my first mod. My question is.. alta or WMW? Alta claims 3-5 psi increase and 15-20 hp gain. Am I better off going with Way's kit for 200$ or the alta pulley for 200$? Also, which is better 15% or 17%? whats the difference

Cant Wait to order it

 

I went with the Way at 17% because i wanted the lower end boost.. I don't do enough high RPM to worry about the extra heat at constant red line.

Alta doesn't have a 17% offering anymore so the choice was pretty clear for my needs. Your driving style might be different.

 

I'm kinda bias. But the HP and boost gains for either 15% are going to be the same because they are the same size, unless you go with our 17% pulley. Which will give you a little more low end torque than what the 15% will.

For your money you'll get more with our kit cause it has everything you need. And our pulley is 100% Stainless steel so it will not corrode or even wear. If you have any other questions feel free to call us anytime.

 

I use Alta with no problems, but WMW is trusted as well. Toss a coin.

But on the flip side, WMW is really involved with MINI community and offer a lot more than just parts .

 

Thanks I try my best, and I love MINI's.

 

Get the Way pulley kit with plugs, belt, and tensioner strap. My car has an Alta and it's fine, but my shop did a Way kit on a customer's car and it's just the best way to go to get everything you need for a safe and effective pully upgrade.

- Andrew

 

True dat.

 

I'd buy the pulley from Way. He bailed me out with a quick pulley shipment after I ordered the Alta, waited 3 weeks, and, when the parts arrived, they delivered the puller, but no pulley (backordered). Working on a car in late November temps here in Michigan is not fun and I couldn't afford to wait any longer for the Alta unit.

On the plus side, Alta didn't charge me for the puller even though I used it and they seemed genuinely sorry for the long delay/not telling me of the backorder status while on the phone. Credit for the pulley was also promptly refunded.

Scorecard: Way - 1, Alta - 0

YMMV,

--Rich

 

ok seems like WMW is the way to go. Which is what I was leaning to. Next question.. 17% or 15%? I drive sporty and am always up around 4-6 rpms usually. Unless im cruising around

 

I have a 15% Alta, but if I had it to do over again I would get a 17% from Way. Live and learn.

 

i like my 15%.

 

The Way kit is what you want to do for sure. I would not buy anything from Alta personally for my own reasons.

 

IMHO the ALTA is a good pulley as is the one WMW sells. My 15% Alta has been on for 80,000 miles with no issues. Whichever pulley you choose to use make sure the installer knows what he is doing. I know a couple of people who have had problems due to poor installations.

 

Thanks for the input... but I am still confused about the sizes. 15% or 17%? Which offers more performance?

 

I went with a 17% Alta a good while back. No issues at all (20k miles) and they lent me a puller. I also really liked the design of the belt grooves.

 

17% offers more performance. Smaller size, faster spin, more boost (more heat). A good choice if you're not a redline junkie. (I went 15% for margin of safety.)

 

If you plan to continue with the progression of mods then once you get Meth/Water injection the 17% vs 15% will be almost a mute point. If you don' track your car regularly then I don't see any issue with the 17%

 

If your MINI will see a race track where you do sustained high rpm running I'd go with the 15%. If you won't be on track the 17% will give you more scoot.

 

ok.. so I guess Im going with the 17% thanks for the clarification

 

So for a daily driver a 17% is better than a 15%?? I thought the 17% would cause the car to overheat faster?

 

The difference is negligible if you aren't constantly running at a very high rpm such as you would when taking a car to a track.

 

Im happy with my 15% ALTA, they lent the puller for free, with a refundable deposit. No issues on delivery time. Ive heard theres more belt wear with anything smaller than 15%.

 

Hey all, sorry to dig this post back up but I wanted some opinions! I am in south florida and am debating between a 15% and 17%. My concern is the extra heat since, for example, today will hit 91* ! I would say I drive a lot of highway with the RPM's between 2400 and 2900 (70 - 80 mph). while around town I try and keep my revs low for the sake of MPG and wear and tear I would like to put the Alta water and meth kit on but wouldn't be able to do it at the same time as the pulley. To error on the safe side should I just go with the 15% since I drive in stop go traffic in 95*+ heat some days of the year? Thanks in advance for the opinions!!

 

Both companies are great to deal with. I ended up with Alta because somebody had the 15% kit for sale for $80. I almost went 17% but in the higher rpms your supercharger will just spin and produce heatwith not much forced air. I like to drive in the mid to high rpm range when in the twisties so the 15% was great for me.

 

No worries! I run an Alta 17% and lived in FL for many years.