Only if you dont want it to fall off

 

OOC,
If you are asking if you have to use a smaller diameter belt with different pulleys, then see below.

15%: standard belt is OK
16%: might get away without change, but most NAM guys say, "change it"
19%: standard belt is not OK and a smaller belt is a necessity

 

It's 20-25 bucks...you're in there anyway, so I'd say change it. I had mine changed out to the JCW model# when I got my 15%. Say you have 25k miles on your car, you do a pulley install, you keep the old belt and then the belt snaps. Was it because of the belt or the install? I think you'd be more likely to know if you use a new belt...

 

OK, time for this dummie to ask.

1) What does the sway bar do and how does it help?

2) What the heck is an engine damper?

Thanks

 

a sway bar connects one side of the suspensionto the other. It resists lean in turns, but if you go over a speed bump or some undlation in the road, it has no effect because the suspenion on both sides is doing the same thing. there are two bars on the Mini, one in front and one in the rear. Changing the effective stiffness of the rear bar decreases understeer, something pretty much every new car comes with for safety of the masses, but degrades performance handling. One of the best mods for a Mini is a stiffer rear bar because this undoes some or all of the facotry understeer.

And engine dampener is a little springgy/shock looking thing that increases the resistance to motion of the motor in the engine compartement. The engien is held in rubber bushings to isolate the vibration from the passenger compartment, but this results in some engine movement that has to happen before full power gets to the wheels. STiffening the busings (changing the materail or using inserts that fill up some of the open spaces) or using a separate device to stiffen the mounts helps with this.

Now, don't take this the wrong way. As I got into cars, I lead with my credit card and followed with understanding. It's a very, very expensive way to go. I STRONGLY reccomend that you spend a little time on Amazon to find a few books on various parts of how cars work and how they are tuned. I've reviewed a few books in the reviews section, and I'm, sure others will chime in as well.

For power, I found the two books I put in the review section to be very, very helpfull. I'm just starting to do my formal education on suspension stuff.

Matt

 

Answer already covered. Delete this post. Apologies.

 

Great discussion...and I don't do anything without fully researching it (just see my thread on car-washing for the Non OC ) I had just never heard of an engine damper and never knew what "problem" a sway bar fixed. Both are way away. Next year maybe a pully/CAI/Exhaust.

 

Hi
I just bought a 05 MCS at 13K miles and it is my 1 st time driving a S/C car.
Is there anything special i should do while driving or before turning the car off? I mean anything different than a n/a car...
I have posted this in another topic but could not get anything so posted under this post
Thnx in advance
Regards

 

KMT pulley for 80 bucks.
K&N panel filter with some mods on OEM airbox for cca 60 bucks
OBX header for cca 200-250 bucks
oneball exhaust cca 100 bucks

That all will cost you at all not even 500 USD and you will be very happy with that mods.

 

#1- Breath in = CAI
#2- Breath out = Cat Back
#3- larger lungs = Pulley
That is the order I went in and enjoyed the changes along the way!

 

pulley
used exhaust / one-ball
HAI
and
Jan's ECU tune. u will be fly by 99% of minis on the road for sure.

 

Personally I am focusing getting the power to the ground. I have done a few minor HP mods like an Alta CAI and Ireland Catback exhaust...but everything else is suspension. Once I get that dialed in I will focus on braking and power.

 

-15% Pulley cause u need to spin the SC faster to make power
-CAI to allow the engine to breath better
-Exhaust to allow the air that's coming in get out faster
Pretty much in order to make power you need AFR and you need both, a custom tune would help after all that.
I have all those mods plus a couple more next is the custom tune, since I live in Las Vegas I decided not to go with the 19% since the SC gets hotter with it and the Summers here will destroy it, I have the Stock IC and haven't had any problems with it. I added the Alta Air Diverter and made a difference since the silicone couplers sealed everything so much better than stock.
I hope this help you some.

 

Very, very true.

Jan's tune after pulley, CAI, exhaust.

You will beat a lot of MINI's with the above mods if you have Jan's tune because yours will be tuned with the mods, they won't be.

Also go with the 19mm sway bar, it is all you need.

I switched to the 19mm from an Alta 22mm. The 22mm bar will not ride as well.



After the pulley, Jan's tune will help the most.