Random question here, but can someone possibly determine what, if any, aftermarket pulley my car has on it? This was to be one of my first mods, but after taking a closer look, I think my MINI may already have an aftermarket pulley of sorts ('04...just bought it 4 days ago). Thanks in advance for the info!



-E

 

Not stock and potentially dangerous with all the nicks on it.

 

+1

Replace the pulley anyways. It doesn't hurt. Besides you don't know what % that pulley is and can hurt for future mods. Also depending on the mileage of your MINI, a pulley belt is highly recommended. So you might as well do a pulley+belt swap.

 

Wow, thanks for the quick reply's...yeah, I noticed the nicks just now as well...someone did a hack job on that install! As for the belt comment, that brings up another good point...the dealership I got it from in SoCal (McKenna) said they'd replaced the belt. If they replaced it with a stock belt, there may be too much slack there. Hmm...time to order a pulley I suppose. Any reccomendations? They all seem to make similar claims. It's a daily driver, but I do drive "spiritedly" and plan on a track day every now and then. Thanks again for the help!

-E

 

I'm actually in the process of ordering a Helix 17% with Belt because my mechanic says that the Helix Pulley's are serviceable unlike the Alta. But at the end all pulleys will do the same. As for percentages the most popular ones here tend to be 15% 17% and 19%. The saying is 19% is for people who don't keep it at red line and they'll get the extra oomph on the street. That way it doesn't over heat since the 19% spins so fast. The 15% is more ideal for the track because it provides the extra power and you won't have to worry about it over heating on the track. I'm going with the 17% because I want the bit of extra power but don't have to worry about the heat.

 

+1 on the 17%
it's my next mod too, although i'm going for alta

 

You might want to find another mechanic, what is serviceable on a pulley?

 

+1

 

Could the mechanic have ment that you can replace the bolts that hold the two sections together? (if applicable to the helix pully)

 

that looks kinda like the mini mania ultrik pulley here http://new.minimania.com/web/Item/NME5041/InvDetail.cfm

But yea it looks like someone didn't install it very well...

 

That is exactly the one. I had this on my car for 5 years. mania 15%

 

Well the mechanic is a local around the area and he's very reputable in MINI's as I've talked to several owners whose had him work on MINIs. He recommended me to use Helix and I don't really have a problem with Helix nor Alta as they do the same. He also offered me a installation price I can't resist.

 

Helix is "serviceable" because the outer surface that the belt mates to can be replaced while leaving the "hub" of the pulley.