I am planning on changing the supercharge pulley. Called a place for a quote and they told me that I have to change the pulley and update the software ($650) in order to get any improvement in the hp. The pulley alone will not change anything. Is that true? I was under the impression that you didn't need to change software if you use 17% or less. Also which pulley (% reduction) should I use. I am planning on adding more mods and money permits.

Thanks...

 

The "software + pulley" link is false. A pulley alone will get you a nice bump in HP and Torque. I waited until I added up the basic engine mods that I wanted to go with and then had the car 'dyno' tuned, so that a base program for my car/mods was put on and then that was tweaked exactly for my car (do a search for Jan and Revolution Motor Works). A pulley + software will probably get you more power, but it isn't an absolute necessity.

There are lots of different opinions about pulley sizes and a quick search will reveal most of 'em. I believe that I can summarize 90% of those threads into this:

• 15% is fairly safe for almost anyone as it is closest to the JCW pulley size (not exactly, but moderately close).
• 16% is a bit closer to the threshold of the supercharger. Is it much more than 15%? Probably not, but it is something.
• 17%+ is probably as far as you would want to go for the casual modder... If you like to live at high revs for a long period of time, this and higher percentages might-maybe-possibly cause you some long-term supercharger reliability issues. It is probably OK otherwise

What about the other 10% of the posts, you ask? 7% of the posts will disagree with everything that I just said... 2% will say that you should never mod anything as it will cause MINI USA to completely void the entire warranty on the car and the other 1% will attempt to flame me for my choice in detailing products or somehow relate my advice to that given by Hitler at some point in history (it is the internet, after all!)

 

If your first mod is the pulley, it sounds like the garage wants to overcharge you by $650, that is unless they're offering free re-tunes. With only a reduction pulley there is a limit to how much of the ECU they can find improvements with. Granted the stock ECU is a little staid to begin with, but it is incorrect to say that you "need" to update the software to see any hp out of a pulley. You'll get a bit more with a tune, but that's not the point. Even a 15% pulley spins the supercharger noticeably faster and you can feel (and hear) it immediately. I was very satisfied when I replaced my pulley, even with just a 15%. If you're going to start adding on other bits, I'd tell them to wait until you're ready for a complete tune. Get a CAI to improve the breathing, make sure you replace your plugs, get a cat-back for less restriction which will then put the injectors near their max efficiency which may cause the engine to run lean so you upgrade those...and then you get a tune so that all that combustion is happening efficiently and safely (and then get a new header, head, camshaft, etc and continue with the process)

The marvelous thing about getting a proper ECU tune is that the bolt on bits that you amass until you're either broke, dead or the car is unrecognizable and starts to look like the Borg, become a symbiosis. That's one of the intangibles mentioned when people reviewed the JCW-kit or GPs compared to modded cars which is how seamlessly everything worked together. That's partially the point of a good tune. I hope that prior to an ECU tune the shop recommended/required a new smaller belt, a set of colder plugs and a belt tensioner stop limiter. If they're pushing an ECU prior to these, what I consider necessary concurrent upgrades when installing a reduction pulley, I'd question their advice and authority.

 

Best response ever on the internet !

 

This is NAM, after all. You can't state a simple fact here like "2+2=4" without getting a troll to comment that it doesn't hold true for extreme values of 2...

 

You are so right my brother.

 

please I need some help is any ecu tune for R53 automatic thank you for the info.

 

when in doubt. ask jan.

 

Yes... the R53 auto can be tuned. A friend of mine had his done by Jan (Revolution Motor Works) at the same time I did mine.

I know a couple of people who have the MTH tune on their MCSa as well.

 

I had a "custom" MTH tune on my auto. Now I have an RMW dyno tune. HUGE difference in driveability and smoothness of torque curve - the RMW tune is the way to go, if you can get it. The thing that can't be done on the auto's is raising the redline, because the auto tranny automatically upshifts at about 6750RPM no matter what (even in "manual" mode).

BTW, agranger is a fascist.

 

Thank you for the info.Where can I get it.Thank you

 

I haven't had both tunes, like Blimey, but it makes sense... The RMW tune (Jan) is installed when the car is on a dyno and you can see exactly how that particular engine is behaving. The MTH software is installed blindly... it has to make some averaging assumptions about the motor. Both can be customized for the mods on your car, but I believe that Jan's tune will be better most of the time because it can be customized not just for the mods but for your particular engine / fuel / altitude / etc..

 

Exactly.

Also, Jan is (really) just about ready to start doing "remote" tunes - where he can send you a device to allow your car to be dyno-tuned without him flying to your location... contact Jan for more details.

You can find his contact info at revolutionmini.com

Note: his website sucks. But his stuff and skills are awesome.

 

PS: Blimey purposefully installed a CO2 emissions device on his car to pollute the air! He is 'anti-environment'!

 

Takes one to know one.