I want to know what pully would be best for me based on my driving style.

I am not an auto crosser. I might take my MINI to the track in the future but it would be once or twice a year tops.

I am concerned mostly with in town driveability. I want good low end for leaving stop lights quickly.

I also want to have more power for when I need to punch it in 5th or 6th gear on the highway.

I generaly drive somewhat spirited in town. I like to take off from stop lights fairly quickly. I will occasionaly do 5 grand upshifts from 2nd to 3rd.

I plan on keeping my MINI for a LONG time.

I currently have a ProMINI CAI with custom sealed ducting in to the cowl area. I will eventually buy some sort of exhaust replacement.

 

Personally, I'd go with the 17%... a little bit more than the 15%, but without the potential problems of the 19%... JMHO...

 

That is what I was looking for, driveability. Taking off at lights with ease and good power on the highway. I didn't want to give up my fuel efficincy but have a better driving car. Here is how I went about it. First got an alta cold air intake system, that got me 2 to 3 miles to the gallon better fuel consomption and made the car smoother but my car still have the stumble and take off was horrible. Second came the 15% reduction pulley at 3,000 miles by Helix13, this upgrade fixed the low end power filling and made the car take off much better. The pulley made the biggest diference in driveability improvement, the biggest grinning factor. Bmw's v36 got rid of the stumble and made the car feel better. At 26,000 miles I just did the MTH sofware, a milltek catback and Kosei k1 wheels/Falken ziex wheel tire combination. The wheels and tires lightened each end of the car by 19 pounds and the tire ride is more comfortable compared to the runflats.
The Milltek also got me some weight savings and some extra power without making the car loud, another improvement over stock for street use.
Then there is the MTH software, excellent upgrade in driveability. My car now takes off at lights like a properly tuned car and runs strong on the highway. My fuel consumption is 30.5 avarage on rolling terrain with a heavy foot here and there. My comute is 20 miles, 97% highway. I can now shift the car in town under 3,000 rpm's with nice torque filling. I felt every difference along the way by always doing just 1 change at a time.
Thinking 17 months back when my car was new and comparing it to what it is today I can honestly say the car is much better in terms of driveability and overall performance. I achieved my goals improving the car for street use without sacrifice to fuel efficiency. I'm very satisfied and saved money compared to jcw.

03 mcs, 27000 miles
alta cai
helix 15%
milltek catback
mth
kosei k1/falken ziex

 

[QUOTE=biggripper]I want to know what pully would be best for me based on my driving style.
QUOTE]

It sounds like you may have caught the virus known as "speed freak". Don't be afraid. The viral form can be cured by the simple installation of a pulley. The 15% may be enough. Many of us are stricken with the full-on disease form of "speed freak", which has no cure. We are forever modding our cars, only to get temporary relief.

Forgive me, I cannot chat more.....I need to order more parts!

 

Go with the 15% pulley. Not only is it more within the engineering specifications at all stock rpms, but because of this added safety zone, you can more aggressively modify your vehicle by additional means such as aftermarket ECUs (UNIchip, GAIC). The popularity of the 15% pulley has resulted in more options than either 17% or 19% programs for ECUs. Of course, you can always go custom-built, at additional expense and time.

 

I figure that whether I go with 15, 17, or 19 I will have a noticable low end improvement since the boost should happen sooner...BUT which pulley will give me the best kick in 5th and 6th gears?

 

Below 3500 and less than wide open throttle the supercharger is doing nothing. If you floorboard it, as soon as the revs pass 3500 it will start to build boost, earlier and more of it with the 19, 17, 15 and stock in that order. The 19 doesn't start to have excess heat issues until you rev past 6000, which is a pretty fast vehicle speed in 6th. In 4th and 5th, you would have plenty of vehicle speed and plenty of intercooler airflow, so shift below 6000.

 

The 19% by far, gives the most power in the higher gears. Unless you're going 130 mph all of the time, chances are you'll be in the 3k-5k RPM range in those gears. Basically, the smaller the pulley the more fun to drive each higher gear becomes. With stock, 6th gear was pretty useless. With the 15%, it was a driveable gear, With the 19%, 6th is actually a great gear. So the 17% should be right in-between. The higher gear you're in, the more you'll feel the difference with the smaller pulleys b/c you don't have to worry about other factors such as lack of traction from the higher torque levels.

 

The 19% greatly improves the engine's flexability as it brings on higher boost at lower RPM's. No need to floor it to get boost in third. Half way down will add about 7-10 psi which will pull you up any grade or around tighter turns.

I shift at 6100-6300 on the track and believe I am saving the engine and the belt without a loss in power. The 19% really pulls in those slower turns without downshifting.

Put on the 19%, understand what you have, its advantages and its limitations and you will be very pleased with your decision.

 

[QUOTE=jlm] until you rev past 6000, which is a pretty fast vehicle speed in 6th. QUOTE]


If you are revving past 6000 in 6th gear....I want a ride!

 

Well said, Blue!

 

I'm in Hawaii where its warm all year and have had no issues with my Helix installed 19 pulley. We had a dozen installs a year ago & Eric ran out of 19, then did 17 till he ran out and then installed 15.

The 19 really transformed the car- more power down low and i now routinely drive one gear higher as i don't have to keep engine reving high for power. I do 8-12 track days yr, few autocross & shift around 6000-6300 rpm on track. Its perfect for street driving as power comes on strong at lower RPM.
Any of the pulleys will void the warranty- i've already had to pay to install a faulty pressure sensor as dealer wouldn't cover under warranty due to pulley.