I took the 2.5 hour drive from my house in Jersey to Philladelphia today to have a 19% Pulley installed in my 2003 MCS. Eric from Helix was great, he listed to all my questions and took his time and did a great job. It took about 2 hours for the insall due to the heat of the engine and all my questions. The result is a wickedly (is that a word) different car. It seriously feels like a different car than I had on the way to helix. The power in every gear especially lower revs is a huge change. My 0-60 times droped by about 3/4 sec! It feels like a different car, in fact it only took 2 hours to get home. My only other performance Mod is a Rouge intake. Can't decide what is next...

 

Nice!

How about exhaust, add some bass note to harmonize the high-pitch whine of the supercharger transmitting through the intake! :smile:

 

i was thinking about it, but 700 bucks for 7 HP is not much bang for the buck...

 

Rear sway bar :smile:

 

Congrats on the jumpt to hyperspeed with the 19% pulley. You don't need to break it in, and you don't need to change spark plugs or wires, and you don't need to change ECU software (unless something really good comes along).

You are free to roam the countryside in a blur.

So the question is what more can be done that is reasonable.
I assume you have an essentially stock MCS with original wheels and suspension.

When we think of modding the MINI we have to think about how you are going to use the car. Street driving only, any autocross, any track use, or driving school?

If I had to recommend one physical mod I'd choose lightweight rims and non runflat tires. Your ride quality would improve and so would your cornering, acceleration and braking. Wouldn't look too bad either. But it is a big investment and one that would take a bit of planning. If you wanted to still autocross they you'd choose a 16x6.5 rim with offset about 48mm or within about 5mm more or less.

A 22mm rear swaybar is fine for those who like to corner hard and autocross in a non stock class like STX or SM in this case. For street driving it isn't as critical. It does help on the track and for driving school events. Choose the middle setting if you do get one. It's cheap at about $200+

The other mod I really like is driving school. It will help you make good use out of all that added power.

Exhaust is good and does help the reduced pulley breathe better thus giving you a bit more than 7HP benefit. You can think of the pulley upgrade as being muted a bit by a stock intake and exhaust until you unleash the full potential.

If you want to spend less there are some good cat-back exhausts that don't cost $700. Check the Scorpion and Rspeed or maybe even a used exhaust.
Some exhausts are louder so just be aware of that.

Springs are also a common choice but the ride quality will be a bit rougher and if you keep your runflats and have the lowered springs it could be rattling rough. Negative rear camber tends to be over the stock limit due to the spring upgrade so people use adjustable rear control arms to lessen rear camber and bring it back into stock range and smooth out the ride but that is another $240 for the pair of control arms.

 

Congrats Felix,


Welcome to the Tribe, and the Dark Side at that . The pulley is the best bang for the buck going. I'd seriously consider the Denso IK-22 plugs with a 19% pulley, maybe a Unichip ECU and definately the sway-bar. Another area will be lighter wheels and non-runflat performance tires. Boy do you have some serious expenses coming up.

 

I would have to agree on the plugs. I would consider them especially if the weather is warmer. While it will not increase horsepower per se, with the increased heat that the 19% gives, it will help prevent a retard in timing that the ECU may make. The cost of the plugs is low (@$45) and it is a good added insurance. As a side note, JCW includes them on their car as well.

 

"m7 Device" and it's free :smile: :smile:

peter
team M7

 

good to hear! i have my appoinment tommorrow morning (noon) at Helix for my 15% pulley. i can't wait!

 

The 19% is hands down the best mod for the S. Nothing even comes close. The closest thing would be the 17% pulley and then a distant third would be the 15% pulley. Then there is a big gap from there to the exhausts....

 

was gonna go with 17 or 19% but reliability was a big factor for me and i think from what i read on these pages and others that 15 was the safest bet. plus i can always just bolt on a 17% or a 19% to the hub if i like when/if they become available for the taper bore style pulleys. you hear that Eric?

 

If you have a taper bore pulley, there is no hub. But can always replace it with another taper bore 17% or 19%. I have the hub-heat on type and I started with a 15% about 16 months ago. Then last summer when the heat arrived I realized 15% just wouldn't cut it - not enough torque. So I switched to the 19% this winter and wahoo!

 

Have to agree with the 19%. Sure do like mine. Single biggest improvement so far, period.

Maybe I misunderstand what a taperbore is. Mine (from Helix) is two pieces, what I call the hub and the pulley itself. The hub just slides on, no heating, bolting, or anything. Then the pulley bolts to the hub with six recessed, allen- head bolts. Isn't that a taper bore? The pulley can be changed to another size without removing the hub by removing the six allen-heads.

Personally, gotta have the exhaust next. It may not be the most bang for the buck performance wise, but when I mash on the footfeed (betcha ain't heard that in awhile) the sensation of the supercharger whine and the deep exhaust note is nothing short of addicting. :smile: Hmm, ran out of appropriate thingies. I paid 625 shipped for Borla race.

Sway bar. Yep. Very close second.

Wheels and tires. Sure, but lots of dough.

Have fun!

 

loving it so far guys! got back from Philly about an hour or so ago. Eric @ Helix is a great guy and he had me in and out of there in less than 2 hours as promised! cannot give enough praise to this guy. my 15% pulley and i burned up the road home with an ear-to-ear smile. good news too, he's expanding the shop so he can take care of more of us motor heads. if you're close enough to him use him! i wouldn't have done it any other way. P.S. Yards brewery next door has one of the best beers i've ever had... called Philadelphia Pale Ale. my new favorite beer. Thanks Helix.

 

Giddyup:smile: