I treked over to Orlando from Tampa today to have my Alta 15% installed by Downtown MINI. The Service dept guys were great - they know their stuff, and are very enthusiastic for moding MINIs - they definitely have their sheet straight! The install went well, I also got to watch a full Works install - WOW does the MINI come apart easily when you have a lift!!

Now my comments about the 15% difference on an '05 (with a Works Intake). First of all, the very first thing I thought of when I layed into it through 2nd was - that most people on the forums have no idea what a really fast car feels like. I'm refering to the frequent comments about the 15% that I read such as: 'it feels like a totaly different car!' or 'it makes 5th pull like 3rd!' or 'it breaks the tires loose whenever I want!' or 'it's a HUGE difference!'

Frankly, it's none of these things. It is a very noticeable difference, and you can hear the supercharger much more, but it is NOT some huge 'gods gift to MINI'. I think most people must have come from lower powered cars, to be that impressed. I could see someone being that excited over it if they had been driving a Civic or something. I have a 12 second GTP as my other car. 350 ft.-lbs. puts you back in your seat. When I dropped the pulley on the GTP and gained 40 ft.-lbs. it was a big gain. Not only did it hit at 1200 RPM, but it was 2x the gain of this on the MINI. That is about what I would start to call 'a different car to drive'.

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying the 15% is a bad mod AT ALL, or that the GTP is better than the MINI or any other non-sense like that. I'm just qualifying my comments. I want other MINI owners that have more experience with truely fast cars to know what this 15% is actually like.

Accelleration wise it feels like it dropped a couple tenths 0-60, if that. It basically feels like you got another inch if pedal travel of throttle. The first thing you realize is that you hear the supercharger a lot more, even when you're not on the throttle. It's a different sound, not like when you have it floored - it's almost a 1/2 muted sound. The powerband has dropped 1000RPM. Where it used to pull decently above 3500, now it's 2500. I feel the need to downshift less, and when crusing back on the freeway in 6th, I felt no need to downshift even for normal passing. Under-load power and torque has increased in 6th nicely. 6th has great pull anywhere above 3000RPM.

Millage slightly increased by 1MPG on the 80 mile trip back, under the same conditions. I found not only did I not need to downshift, I didn't need quite as much throttle to maintain, as expected. Under 1/2 throttle, besides the different sound, it's hard to notice anything is different.

 

And I don't think I could have described it any better. I was slightly disappointed by the performance gains ONLY because I had heard so many people describe it as being a completely different car. You description is spot on for me. I hear the supercharger all the time now, even at part throttle. The other thing I noticed is that there seems to be a "wall" of acceleration at about 2700 rpms. When I say "wall" I mean the pedal action seems to load up the supercharger and then accelerate all at once. Almost like getting on top of a cam in a big V-8 engine. Has anybody else experienced this or am I crazy?

 

To put it in the perspective of how I drive....

I just find that it takes less effort to get up to speed. I used to have to really work 2nd gear before shifting to third. I am not necessarily a "drive fast" person...more of a "get up to speed fast". So for me to get up to speed fast pre-pulley it seemed like I had to spend a lot more time in 2nd gear running up the revs before shifting to third. NOW post-pulley it seems like I spend significantly less time in 2nd (requiring significantly less revs) before I am ready to shift to 3rd.

Did that make sense?

Sean

 

For those of us who have had 15 cars in the last 10 years, and know what we are talking about, know what the 15% pulley has done to our MCS', good interpretation Sean.

I find it funny that 80% of kaelaria's posts are nothing but negative posts knocking the MINI, problems he is focused on, and talking down to other people. Go get behind the wheel of your 4 second GTP, and see if you have the function, reliability and form of the MCS, I highly doubt it. Take a step back and re-read your posts (not just this one) and analyze just what you are so unhappy in life about. If you really have to complain this much about a vehicle and people on these forums, maybe you should walk away quietly. For $119 mod, the pulley is absolutely the best bang for the buck. Granted it isnt as "kickin" for you, but to other people it does the job quite well. It has proven reliability, noticeable gains, increased driveability, and really does increase the mid range and lower end feeling quite a bit. Not to mention the quicker throttle response feeling.
Comments like this arent appreciated nor are you making any friends with your higher than thou comments (all the time). Just sit back and realize this is a community we all belong to, and we all share the passion. It isnt a competition of who is better, who knows more, etc.

 

And that it what I was saying with regard to kaelarias post. Alot of people describe the feeling as "being in a whole other car" or feeling "completely different." I think you and he said essentially the same thing. I find the way you drive the car post pulley changed as you said. You don't feel the need to downshift near as much and power to pass or manuever is almost always there. It's just that so many people here describe it with enthusiasm bordering on hyperbole. I found myself almost disappointed when I first stomped on the loud pedal post installation. Don't get me wrong it is a great mod and one I would recommend wholeheartedly, just don't make it sound like the second coming.

 

Kinda like when people think Evos are fast. either way though I think that $120 or so is a good deal for the performance it gives, gotta realize it is a 1.6L and it's already doin plenty. maybe alot of people haven't driven fast cars here BUUUT whatever it's a cheap mod and it gives a bit O kick for the folks. alot of these guys are comming of of quick cars, I myself am coming from a rally built mini and a modded unibody cougar that'll eat your GTP but so what we are talkin minis here, no need to try to be mean to people

 

I don't have enough time on it to tell yet, but nothing has jumped out at me over the last 150 miles.

 

I agree.

 

OMG blah blah blah - did you even read my post? I'll repeat...I'm not saying the GTP is a better car or any other such nonsense. The GTP is a POS, thus my buying a new car! It does however have a lot of torque compared to most cars, and does go in a straight line very fast compared to most including a MINI. Yes it is a 12 second car.

As far as my comments - I'm not putting anyone down here, I'm making realistic, accurate comments. If that hurts someones feelings, oh well. True I don't post PC all the time. I like the facts and the truth. That's all I'm posting here.

This has absolutely nothing to do with making friends (which I do in real life, not on message boards) or 'the community'. I'm simply giving a more accurate assesment of a mod which has been incorrectly hyped by many people here and on MINI2. If you choose to read into it any more that's your business.

 

Now what are the different effects of the pulley's to the 05's. If i remember correctly the 05's have a slightly larger SuperCharger. So shouldn't the 05's be able to either make more power from pulley's or just be able to take a 19% more reliably than an 02-04??

 

EXACTLY!

 

I'm not trying to be mean at all, just accurate. I would venture that those of us coming from fast cars are not the ones making the claims about the mod I posted. I would expect us to post results as I did. I just hadn't seen that done yet.

 

I'm afraid i have no idea.

 

I can totally understand where kaelaria is coming from. I got to autocross a Z-06 after hearing for years it is the most amazing production car made. I was sorely disapointed. I had just driven a 320 RWHP Supercharged Miata before the Z-06 and it was 10x more fun.

The point here is that all I ever heard was that the Z-06 is the best car on the road. My expectations were VERY high based on all that was being force fed to me by bowtie enthusiests. That just set me up for a huge disapointment.

I think kaelaria was disapointed based on all he had read about the miracle of the pulley. I totally understand his point.

 

I certainly wasn't disappointed when I added a Helix 15% pulley to my '02. Maybe it does add more to an '02-'04 than an '05 even if it doesn't make sense. Try topping it off with GIAC.

 

Just to clarify I'm not disappointed at all.

The GIAC is going on in about 4 hours

 

The 15% helped my car start out on an uphill in the Georgia summer heat with the AC on. It makes a cool sound and when coupled with a performance cat-back makes an even cooler sound. I have a ton of fun in my car at under 60 mph in the mountains and drive it all the time to relax and enjoy the road.

 

It's good to hear that there are MINI Service Departments out there that are mod-friendly. We should start an underground list, lest BMW find out and crush them


I'm glad to hear your impressions. Having driven and owned "faster" cars in the past myself, I chose the '05 MCS with my eyes wide open, knowing it would probably not be quite as fast, but way more fun I do want more power and a pulley is an obvious mod to accomplish that. Hearing your perspective on the impact is helpful to me. By looking at many different dyno curves comparing reduction SC pulleys to non-JCW factory pulleys, your statement that the powerband has dropped 1000rpm is exactly what I expected. (And really, it's all I'm hoping for out of this mod.) It sounds like a great move.



Just the facts, right... Just be gentle when you can

 

Glad to help - drivers like you are who I was aiming for

 

I don't think you were out of line at all. Very good detail and observations without any prejudice. As you can see in my sig, I come from the big horsepower background as well.

I'm looking to do the pulley change soon myself and bang for the buck, it's probably a good modification. I've noticed you surely don't get much for your money when modding a 4 banger as opposed to a V8. But that's the way it works, the effect is multiplied when there's twice the cylinders on tap. I want more out of the Mini but am not going to drop $1000 to get 20 hp at the wheels. But like said above the little guy is already working hard to churn out that kind of power, I'm impressed with my '05's abilities as is.

Thanks for the honest interpretation!

 

OT comment here, but please edit this. It's just not true, the difference's are a different coating on the Supercharger rotors and the gear ratio's in the transaxle are lower.
Someone new here will pick-up on this and away we go with needless threads.

It is a nice mod with respectable results ( best bang for the buck ) on a (remember) 1.6 liter engine.

I think you might find the huge 'gods gift to MINI' with the TwinCharge Mod.:smile:

 

What is a GTP? Seriously. Is that some sort of Pontiac?

 

Pontiac Grand Prix GTP, yes. 3.8l supercharged, 240HP/280ft.-lbs. stock, pulling low 14's. Full mods are pulling 10's, very modded streetables pull 11's, mine is fairly modded, 12's, religated to jetski tow duty now...god I hate having to drive it! I had to drive it in this morning because of the flat I got over the weekend on the Mini...it's like driving a boat. BLAH!

 

That explains why I don't know anything about it. My last GM ownership experience (10 years ago) was so bad that I don't even read articles about their products; forget consider purchasing one.

 

Your impressions after the GIAC install?
I am toying with the idea of a 15% or 19% with GIAC, but wanted hear what you thought about 15% with GIAC.