How cool is this!?! MINI of the Fox Valley is able to upgrade the pulley on your R53 MINI and save you some money while they're at it. I just found out that they have recently bought a pulley removal tool! This is great news because that saves me anywhere from $60-70 for the removal tool, and about $85 for the belt tool that is needed to do the job the correct way. And for me that is a load of my mind. All I had to do was buy the Pulley Kit from Way Motor Works and set up an appointment with MINI of the Fox Valley. So if you do a little math, you will see that you will be saving money if you pay to have them install it.

Both my Dad and I have 2006 MCS, and are now running 15% pulleys!!!
See ya on the roads!
Matson

 

Man, I remember shelling out at least $160 for my Eaton M90 puller on my former GTP. Nobody does them anywhere anymore.

 

That's what makes it great that MINI of the Fox Valley has everything that is needed to do the job. Yesterday we took my Dad's MCS in to put on the pulley upgrade kit. Then later on that day he and I went out to enjoy as much of the boring roads in and around the Appleton area. "You know, where the roads can only ever turn straight" LoL. At least we have some roundabouts in the city for a bit of fun. I can't wait for our drive on Saturday the 14 where we can actually have some turns on the roads.

 

How much do they charge (labor) for a pulley upgrade?

 

Hello Griffex,
For pricing on labor you will have to call MINI of the Fox Valley at 920-968-6464 and ask for Keo(Key~O). When mine was in getting a pulley upgrade, it was also having other things added like a Detroit Tune bypass valve, JCW fuel injectors, and an ECU tune. So my labor was a little more than if they had just put the pulley on. I am guessing that it may be an hour of labor. But on the bright side you will not need to buy all the tools needed to do the job the correct way. That is where the cost of tools vs the price of labor comes to play. You will have to make that call for yourself. For me it was a "no brainer" since they had everything at their disposal. The Techs at MINI of the Fox Valley are very knowledgeable and will look after you and your MINI.
Matson

 

What sort of ECU tune did you have done there? A full custom tune?

 

The tune I have on now is similar to the tune that comes on a 2006 JCW. I am currently looking at Extreme Performance in Greenville to do a better tune. But first I want to look at some mild cams that I could put on my MINI. As well as a GP intercooler and ported intake manifolds that flow a little more air. I am hoping to get my MCS around 216hp(the same as a 2006 GP)at the flywheel or a little more, but nothing too radical like 250hp range that may ruin a good engine. Remember stock the MCS depending on the year will make anywhere from 163hp(2002-2004)-168hp(2005-2006). But the biggest obstacle that everyone faces including myself is money. Your biggest bang for your buck is to put on a pulley hands down. A good friend of mine bought one for his 2003 MCS after he saw what a difference it made on mine. I would suggest that you take a look at Way Motor Works and look at their 15% pulley kits(that is what I have on mine). Way really knows what he is talking about and I often call him if I have a question about a part and want to know if it's good or a waste of money. He is very forward with his answers, but this is a good thing because he will tell you about "X" part, and what he may or may not like about it. For me I find this very helpful, even if I get a part that he may not recommend. Remember it's your MINI, build it up the way you want too! Well I hope I have answered your question(s). If you have anymore feel free to ask.
Matson

 

Mini of the fox valley installed my 15% pulley last month. They charged $257 with tax. I asked about jcw injectors. They wanted about $750 for the parts and $250 for the labor with jcw tuning.

Edit: icon

 

I didn't intend to put the thumbs down icon there.

 

Sounds like you are enjoying your 15% pulley upgrade. Glad to hear.
As for the JCW fuel injectors, you might save yourself some money if you order them from Way Motor Works. (there are other dealers than Way; this was just quick and easy)
Here is the link below;
http://www.waymotorworks.com/jcw-380cc-injectors.html

You could buy the parts and bring them in and have them install them. Or as I found after putting my GP Intercooler on that you could easily install them yourself. That too would save you some bucks . The intercooler isn't that hard to take off and put back on. Just take your time with it and be careful not to damage the intercooler. The fuel rail and injectors are right under the intercooler. If you know your way around some tools the job may take 2 hours. If it's your first time plan on 3 to 4 hours. Its not that hard to work on a first gen. In fact I think its fun. Yes there will be tough and bother some moments, but that is the fun of working on your own MINI .

If you go with MINI of the Fox Valley for installation you can not go wrong ether. As for the JCW tune....well I love it! Worth every penny. If you go with the JCW tune, you know you will be getting a "tune" that is safe, and backed by MINI/BMW. You will find that there are other "tunes" out there as well. Both Jan and Way have great tunes for your MINI. Down the road when I can get a high flow cylinder head, cam, and high flow headers w/ high flow Cat from ether Jan or Way. I will need a new tune from them as well. For now the JCW tune with 380cc injectors works great.

With your DDM intake, 15% pulley, JCW fuel injectors w/tune, and "one ball" exhaust. Your MINI's engine should be pushing close to around 200hp at the flywheel. Not bad for a 1.6 liter .

 

When I installed my injectors it took me less than an hour, if you are handy with tools at all it is insane to pay someone for that, there is a great DIY walk thru on this forum for it as well. I did pay my mechanic $125 to do my pulley when I first got the car though.

 

Nice!

Knowing what I know now, I wish I could of saved the money and done the injectors myself. They are that easy. As for the times I quoted...well I'm not the fastest and I love working with a beer...or two. Thanks for the heads up on the DYI forms thou. I will keep that in mind for my next project; JCW brake kit when I have more funds lol.

Zeppie

 

Madness still offers their EZ Puller I believe - great tool! We utilized it when doing our pulley some time ago. We took the time to create a DIY on the topic as well which you can view here: Underdrive Pulley Install

 

I'm going to have a tune from Jan in 6 to 7 weeks, and I have been thinking of installing the jcw injectors myself. The DIY instructions here on NAM make it sound really easy.

Way seems to have the best price for the injectors. Minipartsmass has good prices too but the website descriptions aren't as good as way's. So when I'm browsing the site, i'm not sure if the parts are for an r53 or not.

I'm going to hold off on the GP intercooler for now. I can do that after the tune. I'm trying to hold off the mods a little. I just did the CAI, pulley and one ball in the last 2 months. I'm at 139,000 miles now, so I'll save the head, cam, headers & cat for my next mini, if I can stop myself.

 

Awesome DYI page! You guys are very thorough. Anyone looking to do the pulley upgrade and install, come here first! You will save yourself time and headaches.

Motor On!,
Zeppie

 

Wow that's awesome that your MCS is at 139,000 miles and still going strong. That gives me great hope for mine in the up coming years. I can't wait to get mine back from the MINI dealership with its new shocks and rear sway bar installed. Now I will be able to take turns at a million miles an hour.

As far as the tune from Jan, let me know how you like it. I'm torn between Way and Jan's tunes. Both sound like great tunes and prices are about the same. I am hoping that I will have enough money to do the head, cam, and tune all in one go next year. I'm aiming for 240-250hp @ the flywheel with those upgrades. More hp is always welcomed. By then my MINI will be joining the 50,000 mile club. One day I hope she makes it to 200,000 mile club and still pulling strong!

Here's to you and your MINI,

Zeppie