Assuming that a 19% pulley is too aggressive and may put too much strain on the engine, which 15% or 16% pulley is best, Alta, M7,etc and why?

I like the way the M7 16% pulley looks, but is that a good reson to buy? Will I notice the 1% difference?

Are there 17% pulleys?

And what is the advantage of adding a crank pulley? And what is the advantage of adding an Alta-nator crank pulley?

TIA Michael

 

I'd say alot of owners use either ALTA or HELIX. I have a 17% ALTA pulley

 

I plan to buy a Webb pulley, for all the advantages listed on this url, and some others that Randy explained to me in person.
It's similar to the Alta, with some improvments to reduce possible belt wear by the pulley lip.

Comes with free loaner tool for installation.

http://store.webbmotorsports.com/ind...products_id=31

 

All the pullies are pretty much the same. If you are installing it yourself, then get the one that is best for you whether it be looks or features.

For me, I like the ones with 6 screws. But it probably doesn't matter 4 or 6.
I like to M7 too for it being 16%, just to be a little different.

Some folks will say that an all steel pulley is better than an aluminum one or a combo of the two. They say that an aluminum one is more likely to loosen on the steel supercharger shaft because of the way the differing metals expand under heat. I have not heard of this happening on any of the MINI forums.

I ended up getting the MINI-Maddness (aluminum) pulley because a local shop had a deal for the pulley and installation all for only $235.

I just couldn't pass that one up.

Get a pulley and have fun!

 

has anyone tried the dinan pulley?

 

Randy Webb's pulley pulls better than all the other ones!

 

The webb pully looks interesting. I would consider a 15% pulley as well.

 

Only reason im considering the dinan is they are local, and mini's warranty honor their products supposedy.

 

Good luck getting a SA to say that on the record.

 

Last week I drove down to Philadelphia to Helix and Eric installed a 15% on my 2006 MCS which has under 3000 miles on it. This is my first mod. Their pulley is a beautiful stainless steel unit. I chose Helix because it was important for me to have an experienced "surgeon" work on my Mini. Eric has done many hundreds of pulleys on Minis.

To me this = real peace of mind.

Drove back to New York and took it up to Lime Rock this weekend and I couldn't be happier. It's everything I expected.

 

We just got the '06 CR/W, S and this is what seems to be the best idea for the first mod. I have a place in Philly, and was wondering if you could give me specifics on how to get a hold of Eric, and where his shop is...

I agree on piece of mind.

griff

 

Yup.

I've got an 06 too, I had my Alta 15% reduction pulley installed by Steve's Auto Clinic in North Hills (southern California) and drove 90 miles to get there and 90 miles to get home, for the same reason: experience.

Steve and I discussed the reduction amount quite a bit. I had originally wanted 17% and Steve would have done that for me, but he also pointed out objectively the pros and cons of all of the available reductions. After weighing it out I decided since the car is a family car and is still under warranty to be a bit more conservative and to stick closer to JCW and Dinan at 15%.

Steve also suggested, and I concur, that if you can afford it, a pulley reduction works best if accompanied by colder plugs, an intake and some freer exaust flow. In other words, completely improve the way air flows through the engine...

At 3500 miles when he did my Alta 15% pulley, I also had him change to colder plugs, install an Alta CAI and do a custom 1-ball exaust at the same time.

My car is still new at 8000 miles, but I have absolutely no regrets.

 

I like alta products... the work well for me. No problems at all.

 

VBG, what did the pulley, CAI, and 1-ball cost you installed? How long did it take? Aren't all 1-ball systems "custom?"

 

Eric at -Helix13- is in Noth Philadelphia in a neighborhood called -Fishtown- right off of I-95.

This is their website:

http://www.helix13.com/

 

19%+4% pansy!!! =P

 

DialM, the total came to $860 including the Alta CAI, the Alta 15% reduction pulley, the cold plugs, the custom 1-ball and the labor. I'm a member of SCMM, too, and that is where I got the recommendations. Steve's reputation is strong for doing it right for your needs and being fair about it. I'd go back in a moment.

The 1-ball was "especially" custom for me. I wanted the look of a "vasectomy" instead of the look of a "castration" for a couple of good reasons. So both mufflers are still there in place on my MCS, leaving it looking bone stock from the outside and from underneath until you look very closely. Steve's muffler guy worked hard and well on that for me and did a wonderful job.

The reasons? Well one of them is related to the fact that I live, drive and maintain my car in Southern California. Another is weight distribution. Another is exaust mounting hardware. Basically these to me made it worth while to keep the 20 pounds of unused muffler on the car.

I was at Steve's shop when he opened at 8:00am and left with the work done at about 12:30pm. It would have been sooner if I had just wanted the standard 1-ball exaust treatment; while it is still custom, it's a lot simpler.

 

I ran into the SCMMs at Coogies a few months ago. If I can ever get the time to hit up the meets, I will join.

 

Great! It's a very good local club, friendly, lots of activites and plenty of good information. That along with NAM, MINI2 and Motoringfile offer a full range of POVs from local (to our area) to international. I'm sure there are lots of other great sources online too.

I've not been to Coogies yet with Maniacs, our weekend schedule is pretty tight, but one day I hope to.

 

I went with the M7 16% reduction pulley. It was a great mod and added alot more power. Its a huge difference. You will enjoy the power gain. It took it from stock 10.5psi to 15.5 or 16psi... Plus there products are pretty nicely built as well... The job takes about 3 to 4 hours to do. Nothing to hard if you have the right tools. Good Luck Spike

 

I have a Mini-Madness pulley... I like it because it's all black. :P

I think all pulleys are made about equal, and I've only seen an issue with 1. It was one of the M7 ones that a DCMM'er had, and it had specks of rust on it. No idea if it was poor coating, or he did something to it... But he had no idea how the rust got there.

 

So if a M7 went from 10.5psi to 15.5psi, does anybody know what an Alta, Helix, Webb would do assuming they were a 15% reduction? TIA Michael