05 Crank pulley different to O3?

[Drewski]

I'm sure i saw someone say fitting an 05 crank pulley to earlier cars improved responsiveness. Are they different and if so is this worth doing?

[MINIAC]

The crank pulley weighs in a 5.5 lb versus the earlier 7.2 lb version.

[Drewski]

Thanks, would you get much of a gain from having a crank pulley that's 1.7lb lighter or is it not worth the cost/effort of changing it?

[k-huevo]

I put the later model vibration damper on my 03 because my damper had become loose causing a rattling noise. Recently there have been some bad experiences with complete failures MINI COOPER :: North American Motoring - Crank Pulley Busted MINI COOPER :: North American Motoring - HELP!!! crank pulley got torn off
I think it would be good preventative maintenance to change the older model vibration damper past the 50,000 mile mark. Of course some have exceeded 100,000 miles with the old damper but it would be a gamble to expect that kind of reliability. It is not difficult to replace using the correct tools and it helps to have someone apply the brakes during the install stage.