hello all

I'm planning to put in a 15% pulley without doing an ECU remap right away. Does this have any negative effect on the S/C? Is anyone else running a reduction pulley w/o an ECU remap? what's your experience with this?

thanks

 

You are fine to run without the map, but a tune will make things. I currently have a 15% witbout a flash because ther dealer unflashed my GIAC. Once the local GIAC guy can figure things out, I will have GIAC again because it runs smoother, and has alittle more pull.

 

it will burn rich, mine is...

 

I think it may depend on what year your MINI is. S Curvz has a 2003. Mine is a 2006 built 10/05. I have a JCW intake & a 15% pulley, no other mods. Runs great, I get 28-30 mpg in mixed driving. For me I see no reason for a reflash.

 

what does burning rich mean? does it mean my MPG will be lower as a result?

I have a '04 MCS

 

I ran a 15% pully for about 6 months before I upgraded to a unichip -- You can run w/o an ecu mod with no problems.
My 04 MCS tended to ping ( detonate ) under high loads - so I ran only prem fuel and added a little octane booster in ea. tank full to stop it -- it ran fine with no problems.

An ecu flash or upgrade will help the computer re-tune the fuel / spark curves to optimize the benifits from the pully - not a HUGE increase but a little more power and little smoother operation.


Good luck

 

Every non-tuned MINI runs rich. It is the nature of the beast. If anything, adding a smaller sized pulley might help to lean things out a bit due to the greater volume of air being forced into the mixture. (Correct me if I'm wrong)

BTW, "running rich" or "burning rich" means the air/fuel mixture that gets compressed in the cylinder (combustion) has too much fuel and not enough air for optimal burn. Optimal burn = optimal power. Running rich in a forced induction motor is a safe way to go, hence why I think BMW enginered it that way.

If memory serves from reading this board too much, optimal A/F is around 12:1 (I think).

Hope that helps.

 

And yes running rich will mean your MPG is lower. I saw a slight increase in MPG after my pulley and after my right foot adjusted

 

Generally you can upgrade to any size reduction pulley alone and not change ECU or fuel injectors. Your stock ECU will adapt a little and you will be able to drive around with little trouble. You won't get the full benefit of upgrades unless your ECU is matched well with your pulley upgrade, fuel injectors and other upgrades if any.

Check your tailpipes. If they are covered with black soot in just one day then you are running rich like the rest of us. Having the ECU match your pulley upgrade doesn't stop you from running rich.

When doing any upgrades like the reduction pulley you'd be best off matching all upgrades to work with each other.

So 15% pulley alone with stock intake, exhaust and ECU will be OK but the improvements won't be as startling. You can still do upgrades a little at a time and try to appreciate the incremental changes which is nice.

 

The 15% pulley will complement the existing mods I already have on the car. They are:

K&N CAI
Borla Race Cat-bat exhaust

Bigcoyote: Your comment about the pinging (detonate). I've also read numerous threads about getting some NGK cold plugs to complement the pulley also. Did you do that already? (sorry, this is a little off-topic)

 

I've got a 15% smaller super charger pulley, larger air box, and colder plugs. I do not have an ECU remap. The car runs great. Many people do this.

 

Non whatsowever. The ecu remap is not a must but I do recommend. GIAC comes w/ a 30 day refund so you can get it loaded and if you don't like it reverse it.

 

I have the Helix 15% pulley, without the remap. Although you definitely don't need the ECU upgrade, when I had the pulley done, Eric at Helix told me that the GIAC upgrade with the pulley makes the car run smoother. After about a month of driving with the new pulley, I understand what he's talking about.

The car lags a little at about 3/4 throttle in the higher RPM range. This lag disappears instantly when I floor the throttle and all is well again. However, for the extra $300, I'd rather have that linear throttle feel.

All in all though, the increase in performance and responsiveness far outweighs the one little imperfection.

 

Where would one order a GIAC ecu upgrade? There website yielded nothing but a directory of dealers who live far from me.

 

I just put in NGK Iridium one temp range cooler plgs in and I have a feeling like I lost top end power. It used to get an extra rush of power over 6k and now it's on the same plane all the way to redline. Some say the plugs are needed when doing a pulley, others say it's a waste of money. What does everyone think?

 

will a remap or Apex-i AFC be best to adjust A/F?

 

weetee71: so getting a new GIAC ECU remap only cost $300? what about subsequent remaps after you get additional mods added to the car?

 

GIAC is $325.00 and only offers a FEW mappings. Its my understanding that if you go to a different map the charge is 25.00

suggest you read ecu giac upgrade thread - there I lay out percieved pros and cons.