"Long time listener...first time caller". I have been watching the posts here for the past month while anxiously awaiting my triple black MCSC (1st week in February production). From what I have learned from all of you has convinced me that my first mod should be a pulley. Couple of questions to anyone who can help...

Does anyone know what size pulley comes on the MCS from the factory?
When will Dinan be offering a pulley and will it be a 15%, 17%, or 19% (My local MINI dealer installs Dinan with their warranty)
Why doesn't MINI just sell their MCS with a 15% pulley? Does it wear out the supercharger?

 

The MCS comes standard with a 0% pully. The percentages you are reading about (such as 15%, 17%, and 19%) refer to the percent reduction from the standard MCS sized pulley. The smaller sized pullies makes the supercharger spin faster and hence create more boost (i.e. more horse power).

BTW, MINI does sell a 15% pulley (well it's close to that anyway), it's part of the John Cooper Works (JCW) performance kit (which gives 210 bhp).

 

Pulley sizes are listed in the following thread:

Let's Dispel the Myths!

Dinan will most likely offer a 15% reduction pulley.

 

This has been discussed many times. There are a lot of reasons why a car company doesn't make every car superpowerful and without getting into it again, here are some reasons:

- People will buy it anyway. Not everyone wants/needs extra power.
- When is enough, enough? No matter how much HP comes stock, some people are going to mod it anyway so you can't make everyone happy.
- Emissions/mpg ratings.
- Warranty. Obviously more power means more risk. If a few more percent of cars fail under warranty, it may not be worth it for MINI.
- Creates a market for a special high-performance version, JCW.
- Price. Remember, MINI had to cut some corners to keep the S under $20k which was very important for its release.

 

mcsc,
Aloha and welcome to NAM.
So you're planning a pulley as your first mod? I'd advise you finish your break in period first. It will take about 1250 miles to do so. Why would you wait before adding a pulley?

Because during the breakin you are also breaking in the tires, clutch, brakes and other parts so you'd want to check out everything and get stuff fixed if it isn't working up to speed. 1250 miles helps sort out problems that are easily handled by your intact warranty. If no mods (other than cosmetic ones) then the dealership cannot give you a hard time. We are not talking about a lemon but just problems that might crop up early.

After the breakin you will have a good idea about how the car does and if you like you can add a reduction pulley if you wish and you will notice a big difference. You can do the pulley mod alone or add an ECU software upgrade at the same time.

Most people don't start out with the pulley mod but it is quite a big one for the price. Many start out with a rear sway bar or an intake, a cat-back exhaust, brake pads or maybe non runflat tires.

MINI wants to make an affordable and reliable car so the pulley on the Supercharger they have stock is enough to provide ample power for the average driver yet be strong and reliable. That the JCW supercharger has a reduction pulley of about 15% is evidence that more power can be had with reasonable reliability as evidenced by the testing from JCW and the warranty offered from them for their JCW kits for the MCS.

 

Thanks for your posts and the link provided. What an great community here on NAM! I guess I'll wait the 1250 miles

What about a 625 mile day trip on the day my MINI arrives? Pulley on day 2! :smile: