Hmmm...
1- I don't think you need colder plugs with the 19%.
2&3- Intake air and the intercooler versus engine temp and the cooling system are two separate issues, no? And how would upgrading the intercooler change the life of the engine???
JCW - I believe uses a 14+%, not 13. Why is anything over the JCW "stretching it"?
As for the 19% needing an ECU upgrade, not true. If anything, probably the smaller the pulley, the less likely you need an ECU upgrade.

 

From my experience, Greatgro you are correct in that with the 19% the changes by doing the ecu, are reduced to minimal except in the lower rpms, not that AN ecu would help just none of the ones available and it would only be in the lower rpms,......

 

>>I'm going to do the pulley upgrade soon and can't decide between the 15 and 19.
The prices are nearly the same. Get the pulley parts that can be swapped from 15% to 19% easily.
If you are risk averse then choose 15%- it works fine. 19% if you want to go all out- it works fine.

>>I live near Atlanta so heat is an issue where I live.
We don't have any reports of heat in the US causing trouble with normal street driving or for autocross.

>>To go with the 15, I believe you really only need one step cooler plugs?
No, You can do whatever you like from keeping the stock plugs to going to cooler plugs like IK-22.

>>For the 19, what kind of plugs do you need?
Stock plugs or change them to colder. Doesn't make much difference as far as a dyno test goes.

>>Sounds like the extra heat only affects the life of the SC, not the engine?
Heat is always something that is a byproduct that needs to be watched out for and minimized.
There are alot of other factors that could affect engine life besides the pulley upgrade size.

>>So to increase the SC life and lower the heat to get the most performance out of the 19, a larger/better intercoller is recommeneded? Are most people with the 19 using a larger intercoller?

Due to the high cost of the larger intercooler most people with 19% pulleys have stock intercoolers. To lower the heat you can just drive sensibly. A larger intercooler would be useful on a high speed long track with hotter ambient temperatures on the track.

>>And, is a different belt or any other parts recommened for use with the 19?
For the 19% pulley a smaller NAPA pulley belt is required. Change it every 25,000 miles.

As far as we can tell the 19% reduction pulley is doing quite well. For street driving/autocross it works very well.

 

It's been warm to hot on the East Coast lately. Any updates on 17% / 19%???

_________________
B&M S/S, DIY K&N W/Cowl Mod., Rota Slipstream's 16X7.5x45/56.1, 205X50X16 Yoko. ES-100. DIY Oil catch can, DIY exhaust next..

 

You're right! It's hit in the 90's several days already. I plan on writing a longer review soon but in the meantime...

The 19% is great in the heat so far! On the days in the 80's and 90's, I'm running the A/C on full blast and the car runs great! It also still has plenty of power (read: torque) with the A/C blasting! The stock S, IMO, absolutely sucked on a hot day with the A/C on. The 15% last summer was a disappointment at best in the summer - I originally thought that an intake and 15% would be enough - and it almost was in the cold weather. But in the heat, too much power was lost. With the 19%, of course SOME power is lost with the A/C on and in the blistering heat, but guess what??? It's still fast! It still has torque above 2k RPMs and it's still a very fun car with the power-robbing heat - something I definitely couldn't say about a non-pullied S or the 15%.

So I'm sticking with my original posts on the 19%. It's night and day BETTER than the 15%.

 

Finally had time to swap my 19% on... Car pulls over .5G's in straight line acceleration. Goes from 80-120 KM /h in 3.6 seconds, and still coasts smoothly. Getting about 17-17.5 lbs boost, and about 20nm vaccum on idle. So far so good. Going to do some more testing this weekend on a lng drive.

Thanks
Dan

 

>>Finally had time to swap my 19% on... Car pulls over .5G's in straight line acceleration. Goes from 80-120 KM /h in 3.6 seconds, and still coasts smoothly. Getting about 17-17.5 lbs boost, and about 20nm vaccum on idle. So far so good. Going to do some more testing this weekend on a lng drive.
>>
>>Thanks
>>Dan

Dan,

You had the 15% before, right? How would you describe the difference? Noticeable?

 

>>>>Finally had time to swap my 19% on... Car pulls over .5G's in straight line acceleration. Goes from 80-120 KM /h in 3.6 seconds, and still coasts smoothly. Getting about 17-17.5 lbs boost, and about 20nm vaccum on idle. So far so good. Going to do some more testing this weekend on a lng drive.
>>>>
>>>>Thanks
>>>>Dan
>>
>>Dan,
>>
>>You had the 15% before, right? How would you describe the difference? Noticeable?
>>
>>

I did have the 15% first. The car has much more low end torque. at the high end, I notice a bit less. But it is definatly noticable.

I replaced the pulley with out jacking the car up, or the engine. It took a little while, but was not that hard..

 

It seems like the biggest concern for the 19% pulley is using it on the track due to the extra heat that it creates. A larger intercooler would be nice for cooling, but then you run into probs with pressure loss. Has anybody tried the 19% pulley along with a water injection system like an aquamist to keep the heat down?

Seems like a possible solution for track use