I've always wanted to do it, but I dont trust myself installing it, nor would I pay for the labor at a shop. Recently a person with an 05 MCS told me pulleying it is really bad. He basically said it'll blow the supercharger down the road and your better off doing it right by just installing a better supercharger. He was highly against doing it.

I never heard anything like that from around here. I'm guessing he was over exaggerating. How reliable is adding a 15% smaller pulley? How long have some of you guys had them in?

Keep in mind Im a pretty aggressive driver. I NEVER drive my car economically. Ill always have it in one gear lower so im always in a decent powerband to give it some gas. (Unless I'm cruising on the highway, then its in 6th) I drive my car spiritedly about 90% of the time. Thats not to say I floor it constantly and redline it. I hardly ever floor it, and damn near never redline it. But like I said, I dont drive it like a granny. I refuse to drive a car like mine as if its some corolla. Its at 54k miles and other thatn the belt tensioner getting loose, (warranty covered it) it still runs as good as the day I got it.

 

I don't think it cuts it to the reliability at all. I believe the life of the supercharger is rated at 100k. My first one started making noises at 190,000 of which I has the pulley on for over 150k of. I have almost 80k on my second super charger (all with the 15%) and it is still running strong.
I would do it again without hesitation.

Good luck -

Nik

 

I work on them for a living and see just as many stock superchargers fail as ones with the pulleys on them. If you hear the supercharger starting to make noise then just pull it off and inspect it, usually when they go you can pull off the end cap on either side and it will no longer have any oil in it, at that time if the gears aren't trashed clean it and put more lube in it and put it back together. Or sprintex..... As far as pulleys go have at it, they don't affect the longevity of the blower.

 

The post just above this is absolutely accurate, the 15% pulley should have no effect on the longevity of your S/C, the guy you talked to doesn't know mini's.

Looking at this part of your post I would say that if anything doing a pulley on your car will actually extend the life of your motor, simply because it will give you added power, that you obviously want, without you having to push the engine so hard to get it.

"Be forewarned" from looking at that part of your post I also think you should know this.
MODDING YOUR MINI IS ADDICTIVE, you may not be able to stop!

 

It's kinda like heroine!!! No I've never done it. Just guessing!!!!

 

My ex-R53 MCS have the 15% pulley right after I got the car, besides replace the supercharge belt I never got any major issue with it. Go for it, you will be amaze how much more fun you get out of it.
Happy Holidays!

 

Just do it!!
Many, many folks have had pullies for years...no issues.many folks have no pullie, but issues...go figure. Sounds like a 15% would be right for you!! Install, and enjoy your car even more!!

Folks that have issues, i suspect, had pre-existing conditions, that causes issues, or pushed the limits of what you can do with a pully, like 19%, or lots of mods and abuse.
How would it get installed?? Imo it is best to get an experanced hand to install a pulley.

 

Thinking logically, a 15% faster rotational speed means the supercharger will turn 15% more in the same mileage (not very much). So let's for the sake of argument say that a typical Rootes blower lasts 150k between rebuilds in this application. So with that reduction, it will now last 128k before it needs a rebuild. That's really not a very big deal in my eyes. Of course I pulled those numbers out of a hat. I'm sure plenty of owners here have had pulleys since day one with more than 128k now.

 

I'd tend to agree with you. I'd only add that longevity will be determined by how hard you beat your car and how well you care for it and maintain it.

Obviously you can't expect a car that is beaten on daily and constantly red lined with little to no maintenance to last as long as one that is babied and constantly cared for.

 

hahaha thanks. thats a pretty good way to put it. Its true because the harder you have to give it gas to get up to speed, the more it strains the motor. So more power= easier on it. As long as I just dont drive it alot crazier ha.

I was pretty sure these were the answers I was gonna get but its good to know pullying isnt bad at all. Now I just need someone to install it. Anyone here do it?

 

I just did a 15% myself on my R53. If you have the usual set of tools, a buddy and an afternoon, you should be able to handle it. Theres a good reference website wih pics at:

http://www.billswebspace.com/mcs.htm#R53MiniPSP

If you absolutley don't want to tackle it yourself, check with your local mini club. Someone can probably recommend a local garage that would be willing to do it for you.

 

How much you gonna pay/give someone to install one?!
you said you would never pay anybody to install one in your first post...
one tip, paying for expertise when needed is important...
And a pulley instal gone wrong is a huge longterm $$.
In the early days, mini pullie parties were done..pizzas, beer, and a few $$ for the tools and parts, but generally it is hard to get that many unmodified cars together anymore...
for the 2 hrs of labor, it is a huge difference.... if you are too cheap to support your local shop, i hope you can fix your car....the best time to devolop a relationship with a shop is before you need s fix....like when modding.

 

Golden words of wisdom, right there.

When I did my transmission swap, I did it the "hard" way, by pulling engine and trans as a unit. Reason being is that I have a small one-car garage, and needed to be able to roll the MINI around (yes, I bolted the CV cups back in to save the wheel bearings). Therefore, I preferred to leave the subframe in place. I'm glad I did it that way, however. I know my car much more intimately by taking the longer road.

 

Having stated that, I'm wondering how you expect the pulley to install itself?!?!

I bought a 15% pulley, strut bar and DDM CAI, fully expecting to do the work myself (I have an attached garage where I work on my 3 old triumphs, doing 75% of the work on my own). After reading about the pulley install, I had a feeling it was not going to be as easy to remove as I initially thought. I went to Greasy's garage in Worcester, MA. They were incredible! After chatting with them for a long while, I changed to a 17% pulley, had them install that, AND the DDM CAI, the strut bar, a rear fog light and a Sprint Booster. Total labor time was a bit over 3 hours. That included putting in the tensioner stop, a new serpintine belt, AND removing/replacing the spark plugs. Oh yeah, the fog light - no charge to install in the bumper(I still have to figure out how wire it the way I want it)! They also gave my Mini a good eyeball once over, with several recommendations and mostly commendations on the condition of the rest of the car.
Bottom line: Yep, I do lots of my own work on my triumphs, but John and Pete and the crew are experts. This is my daily driver. They are mini owners, love the cars and customer service couldn't be better. I will bring my car back for any other mods I want done...quickly, correctly, and for a more than fair cost, with a garage that stands behind their work.

To me, that is worth FAR more than the cost of the labor. Building relationships before you have a major problem is also an important factor, as mentioned elsewhere.

Find someone in your area, pay and get it done right. The Pulley makes my Mini a totally different animal, and the SB just complements all the other mods! I can see in my crystal ball - rear sway bar, .380 injectors, JCW exhaust... oh my....

Rand

 

It's funny that about every 3 months I hear some story of somebody being told the pulley is evil and it will destroy your MINI.
That is the biggest load of CRAP around, if it was even remotely true there would be hundreds of thread on here about blown up cars after getting a pulley. I've personally installed over 400 pullies and I've seen more failed superchargers with stock pullies than with aftermarket pullies.

Get a pulley and enjoy it, if your car is going to break it will break with or without a pulley.

 

Well I'd be willing to pay a fellow enthusiast. I went to one shop and they gave me a rough quote of around $400 for the install. I cant afford that in the slightest. Also if there is a shop that does it for less than thats great.

 

It is addictive and makes the wife jelous lol I service heavy equip and I enjoy doing all the work myself with the right tools and know how its really rewarding i went with the 16% cause i have a jcw and its great

 

$400 isn't completey out of the ballpark. Especially if it includes parts. While it might be nice to have a fellow enthusiast do it on the cheap, you also have to condsider what happens if things go wrong. Part of what you are paying for in a shop is expertise and insurance. A decent shop has done this many times before and will stand behind their work if something goes wrong. I don't mind doing my own work, because if I screw it up, I can only blame myself. But what happens if a "fellow enthusiast" screws up your ride? If done incorrectly, you could be looking at way more than $400 to fix. Are you willing to take that risk?

If you don't already have a wrenchin' buddy that you trust, IMHO, you'd be better served saving for a little while longer until you can send it to the shop.

 

This is false... Changing the pulley would raise boost. The extra boost is what puts strain to the motor. Not how far your foot is on the gas. When you raise boost, the explosion in your combustion chamber forces the piston downwards then in turn forces the rods down into the crank which turns the flywheel. the harder the explosion (lets say the 17% pulley) the harder the piston would drive the rod down into the crank. The lighter the explosion (lets say an 11% pulley) the lighter the load on the piston, rod, crank etc. Therefore leaving less strain on the engine. So the amount of strain your engine takes is based on the explosions in your cylinder walls. But on a good note. Mini engines can easily handle 15%-17% pulleys.

also on another note. What also puts a strain on your engine is switching to a higher gear to early. So if you are driving 10mph and then you mash your foot in 5th gear. The engine is trying to push as hard as it can to move you but because you are in the high gear the torque is way off. If any of you have ever ridden a 10 speed bike you would know. If you set the gearing at the 10th gear and then try and give it your all and sprint. It would be disasterous on your legs. but if you put it at the lower gear and work your way up accordingly, you would increase the life of your engine.

 

I have an 03 R53. I was up in Winnipeg Canada and I drove from there to Phoenix 6 days after installing my 15% reduction. No problems whatsoever. Of course I followed the conventional directions in installing it. It is a Way Motor Works 15% reduction with the center hole for use with the puller.

Worked great for me. If you can do that plus an intake your looking at a nice gain numbers wise.

Best of luck.

 

Nope...

The boost is built at lower rpms, and on the surface your argument makes sense...but as waymotorworks said, this thought goes around every few years...and is simply not not true ....a pullie on a mini os fine....the bost increase (when viewed with a boost guage) is pretty mild, and is brought on at lower rpms, mostly due to the sc desgin, and top end boost does not go up as far as one might think...most everything is kept pretty safe.....abuse any car, modded or not, and things go boom!! Starting woth a good car is important, as any preexisting issues will be magnified!!!

 

If anyone ever tells you putting a 15% pulley on a R53 is bad remember this quote from King Arthur on his quest for the Grail, "Run Away Men, Run Away".