MINI2 - MINI Forum - View Single Post - has anyone upgraded their pulley yet on a 05 mcsa ?

aquaanox · May 3rd, 2005, 10:50 PM

its done .

ECU remap, 15% pulley and BMP cold air intake. Drove it for about a 100 miles this afternoon, the car feels rock solid and smooth, sounds great, and pulls a lot! harder in each gear.. I shift sooner now, and the car will pull in both 5th and 6th. Huge improvement over stock and its very noticeable.

After reading several threads I was especially looking for -

1) the infamous yo yo effects,
2) Drove it in D, SD and manual
3) Tried to feel for any strange noises (well the fist time i revved it to 6k, i was a bit shaken up since i wasnt expecting the supercharger whine to be that loud)
4) Make sure the idling rpm had not changed. The car does not go upto 5 mph in D without giving it some gas.
5) No odd vibrations in the engine compartment.

Contrary to info in some threads and from shops like madness etc.. the foreman strongly suggested not to use the stock belt. We used Napa 060535 which is the right size for the Ultrik 15% pulley.

I could have done the pulley upgrade myself, but decided to get it done at the dealer for the warranty concerns and for the ECU remap (true or not true only time will tell, im just happy that atleast a certified MINI mechanic worked on the car, vs a regular tuning shop which would definately void the warranty - both MiniMania's and Mini's - ive got the receipts and hopefully there wont be any problems) . Again, i read several threads that the ECU remap is not required for a 15% pulley and intake, and yet again the guys there strongly suggested that i get it done. (and they decided not to charge me for it - their usual price is around $300)..

The increased sound from the supercharger can be heard as soon as you step on the gas. While i was there i test drove a JCW on the lot.. to be very honest these upgrades cost me a fraction of the works kit and the car just as smooth as the JCW for what i can tell. I really felt it pulled harder in 1st and 2nd than the JCW equipped mini. Granted i dont have the JCW brakes, the carbon fibre interior and what not, but do i really need more power than this ?

I used to race in tibet when i bit younger (and when i lived in that area

... The mini is not my only car, we have a s600, e320, c230k, xk8, a 05 deville DHS in the family, and ive formerly owned a 04 330i stick, and shelby cobra etc.. and several other cars, some of which i raced. So i hope to be able to tell the difference in smoothness between a JCW and a mini with a 15% pulley. so please dont bash up on these somewhat cheaper AF mods, they are supposed to work pretty well for most of us that dont have the funds to shell out for a full works kit which in my mind is not noticeably better. I would defanately not recommend going crazy with AF mods, but the pulley and intake is pretty standard stuff.

Anyways, dont mean to sound arrogant, and i hope this review helps. I didnt take to well to several comments posted earlier. At the end of the day, its just an opinion and everyone's got many

cheers!

May 3rd, 2005, 10:50 PM	#14
aquaanox MINI2 Regular Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Wash DC Local Time: 07:06 AM Posts: 88 Offline	Is this the first MCSA on mini2 with just a 15% pulley and AF intake ? its done . ECU remap, 15% pulley and BMP cold air intake. Drove it for about a 100 miles this afternoon, the car feels rock solid and smooth, sounds great, and pulls a lot! harder in each gear.. I shift sooner now, and the car will pull in both 5th and 6th. Huge improvement over stock and its very noticeable. After reading several threads I was especially looking for - 1) the infamous yo yo effects, 2) Drove it in D, SD and manual 3) Tried to feel for any strange noises (well the fist time i revved it to 6k, i was a bit shaken up since i wasnt expecting the supercharger whine to be that loud) 4) Make sure the idling rpm had not changed. The car does not go upto 5 mph in D without giving it some gas. 5) No odd vibrations in the engine compartment. Contrary to info in some threads and from shops like madness etc.. the foreman strongly suggested not to use the stock belt. We used Napa 060535 which is the right size for the Ultrik 15% pulley. I could have done the pulley upgrade myself, but decided to get it done at the dealer for the warranty concerns and for the ECU remap (true or not true only time will tell, im just happy that atleast a certified MINI mechanic worked on the car, vs a regular tuning shop which would definately void the warranty - both MiniMania's and Mini's - ive got the receipts and hopefully there wont be any problems) . Again, i read several threads that the ECU remap is not required for a 15% pulley and intake, and yet again the guys there strongly suggested that i get it done. (and they decided not to charge me for it - their usual price is around $300).. The increased sound from the supercharger can be heard as soon as you step on the gas. While i was there i test drove a JCW on the lot.. to be very honest these upgrades cost me a fraction of the works kit and the car just as smooth as the JCW for what i can tell. I really felt it pulled harder in 1st and 2nd than the JCW equipped mini. Granted i dont have the JCW brakes, the carbon fibre interior and what not, but do i really need more power than this ? I used to race in tibet when i bit younger (and when i lived in that area... The mini is not my only car, we have a s600, e320, c230k, xk8, a 05 deville DHS in the family, and ive formerly owned a 04 330i stick, and shelby cobra etc.. and several other cars, some of which i raced. So i hope to be able to tell the difference in smoothness between a JCW and a mini with a 15% pulley. so please dont bash up on these somewhat cheaper AF mods, they are supposed to work pretty well for most of us that dont have the funds to shell out for a full works kit which in my mind is not noticeably better. I would defanately not recommend going crazy with AF mods, but the pulley and intake is pretty standard stuff. Anyways, dont mean to sound arrogant, and i hope this review helps. I didnt take to well to several comments posted earlier. At the end of the day, its just an opinion and everyone's got many cheers!