[aperez49]

I emailed Hartge about those of us in the States..

Dear Mr. Perez,

Thank you for your inquiry.

The cost of the HARTGE Mini conversion (147 kW / 200 hp) is 1250.00 EUR (excluding shipment) and is only possible with usage of 98 octane.

To have this conversion installed you would have to find a BMW dealer, who can do the modification of the ECU (special 'down- and upload' cable required).

Alternatively you can send us the ECU (free of charge). We modify your ECU with our car, if available, and send the new pulley and the tuned ECU to your BMW dealer for installation.

The easiest way by far is to have the conversion done at our premises.

There is a possibility that there will be a dealer in the USA, who will offer our conversion in the near future (Please check in a couple of months).

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact our technical dept. on Tel. +49 6835 5060.


Kind regards

HERBERT HARTGE GmbH & Co. KG



So far, TMS = $1700, Hartge = $1300+/-, Helix = $???

Still haven't gotten a response from Mini-Design.

Anyone know if MINI-madness is going to do a pulley to go with their ECU? How about mini-mania, are they offering an ECU with their Pulley, maybe they should get together as MINI-mania-madness, and sell their ECU and Pulley as a kit...lol

[QQQ]

I was told by my Hartge dealer that you can also use RON 95 fuel without any problem, be it that you will not get maximum output (loose maybe 3 or 4 bhp). He told me that it is certainly not harmfull for your engine to use petrol with a lower octane than 98. Also, other tuning companies (Hamann for example) only recommand RON 98 for optimum performance (not to protect your engine).

[aperez49]

Someone here actually mentioned that the ratings over there tend to be a few points higher than over here. Someone on MCO gave me this link..

http://www.btinternet.com/~madmole/R...RONMONPON.html

[QQQ]

Funny, I posted exactly the same link on another thread a while ago. Conclusion then was that you would be alright with octane 91 - 93 in the US

[QQQ]

It was in this thread

[dukesantos]

I'm still going to see what Dinan comes up with. Many USA BMW/MINI dealers have experience working with his products and won't give you a difficult time over installation and warranty issues.

He is in Calif. and understands the emissions certification or exemption requirements. This is important for owners in areas that have annual inspections. Some major modifications, like the Mini Mania turbo for the Cooper are technically sold for off road use only because they have not gone through the certification process. It may pass but the testing process can be costly and time consuming.

Pulley/ECU mods may be OK, not affecting emissions, but if the manufacturer has not done the testing how will you know? Combining major engine products from different sources only adds to the uncertainty IMHO.

It's a shame the government regs have come to this point.

In the meantime here are three easy steps for better performance:
1. Lighter wheels and tires.
2. Mix 100 octane unleaded with premium to blend up to 95 octane (about 98 RON).
3. Install a lighter, HP producing CAT back exhaust system.

I've done these and they do make a difference, especially No. 1.