Still contemplating the pulley mod and I've seen posts stating and increased MPG. Can this be true?. How can more horsepower = better fuel efficiency?

For those of you who have this mod, what change in fuel efficeicy have you noted?

I know, I know.....in the quest for horsepower, fuel efficiency is the least of concerns.

 

Hiya!

It depends. If you drive it "normally" you do indeed see an increase in mileage. But if you drive it "fun" all those gains are lost. :smile:

BTW, I'll be in Milwaukee at International Mini having the rear bolts replaced this next Wednesday morning!

(hint)

-Jim

 

I just got it so I can't say definately but I've seen somewhere between 10-15mpg better fuel milage the day I got my pulley installed. I just got it installed yesterday so I don't want to say for sure but I've seen a LOT higher gas mileage directly after the install. I'm hoping it will eventually pay for itself in gas savings. :smile:
-Chris
[edit:]whoops... wrong guage, I was looking at average speed The mpg is roughly the same.

_________________

 

My mileage is unchanged since pulley installation. Shortly after the pulley went on, I went on a long trip where I got both the best and worst mileage ever in my MINI - 20 MPG while cruising at 85 mph with lots of WOT blasts - versus 30 MPG while tiptoeing through a snowstorm in 6th gear at 50 mph.

 

A complementary ECU upgrade that will lean the mixture out to optimum levels will also yield better gas mileage if you get a pulley. When I "chipped" my 1.8t VW a long time ago, i got about a 2 mpg better when driving it the same style, even though it maxxed the boost of the turbo, adding nearly 40HP.

 

>>My mileage is unchanged since pulley installation. Shortly after the pulley went on, I went on a long trip where I got both the best and worst mileage ever in my MINI - 20 MPG while cruising at 85 mph with lots of WOT blasts - versus 30 MPG while tiptoeing through a snowstorm in 6th gear at 50 mph.

wow, a best of only 30 mpg is not that great! My best with a rock-stock MCS was 35.8 (calculated, vs 38 indicated on OBC). Cruising at around 80-85 (steady, mostly with cruise control), my best mileage was about 28-31.

theoretically, the 15% reduction pulley migth increase engine efficiency through better breathing. However, this also comes with the cost of greater friction through higher SC revs. Definitely if you step on it I would expect a decrease in mileage, and if you drive normally at best I would expect you to get even (same mileage as with standard pulley). A 10-15 mpg increase sounds outlandish to me.

 

I can't reach the trip computer to find out anymore
because I'm allways pinned back into my seat!
lol

 

My commute is 1.4 miles, my mileage has never been that good anyway. When I go on a long trip, I'm often driving in a spirited manner so my mileage may suffer as a result.

 

>>wow, a best of only 30 mpg is not that great! My best with a rock-stock MCS was 35.8 (calculated, vs 38 indicated on OBC). Cruising at around 80-85 (steady, mostly with cruise control), my best mileage was about 28-31.
>>

I got 35+ mpg several times while cruising at 80+mph on highway trips SINCE getting the pulley. It's true - if you drive it easy like you did during the breakin period, you will get better mileage. About 3-4 mpg. But if you drive it hard (like I usually do now), you'll be about the same or slightly better. I used to average 22-24 mpg per tank on my stock S. Now with madness intake and pulley, only one tank averaged 22mpg. All the rest (a dozen or two b/c I fill up every couple of days) average around 25. So even though I drive harder, I'm getting about 2mpg better mileage! I never expected this!!! And I certainly didn't do the mods for gas mileage!

The mileage increase is most apparent on the highways. Sometimes I averageover 35mpg and once even 38mpg on a trip - and I was driving hard in the 80-90 mph range.

 

Now there has to be more of you out there in MCO-land who have this modification and could collaborate the following formula.

Mini S + Pulley Mod = Big grin :smile:

Is this "new math" or "Mini Math"?



His Chile Red all over / Hers, EB UJ on top.

 

TwOMINIs,

There are a couple of things I need to tell the truth about:

1. You may see better mileage if you drive it the same as you did before the mod

2. You will never be able to drive it the same as you did before the mod

3. Therefore, your mileage (if you have the same urge to "feel the power" and hear the whine the way any other motor-head in the world does) will go down

:smile:

 

So the pully mod gives power and better gas milage (if driven as before). What is the down side? There has to be some reason why BMW didn't fit a smaller pully as standard. Is it reliability or long-term life of the supercharger or engine?

 

I think the real reason is marketing. Going from 115hp to 163 hp is a lrge enough jump in performance to jusitfy the S model, while still leaving room for a limited performance version of the MINI (aka JCW). With the new pulley and a few other tweaks, BMW can charge a premium for a "Super S" and have three distinct models and price ranges instead of just two. Pretty smart really.

 

>>TwOMINIs,
>>
>>There are a couple of things I need to tell the truth about:
>>
>>1. You may see better mileage if you drive it the same as you did before the mod
>>
>>2. You will never be able to drive it the same as you did before the mod
>>
>>3. Therefore, your mileage (if you have the same urge to "feel the power" and hear the whine the way any other motor-head in the world does) will go down
>>
>> :smile:

Wonderfully put Randy! I got the pulley installed by the guys at Helix and I love it. Gas milage varies depending on my mood.