15% Supercharger Pulley

[ripthejacker]

Hey guys, im not going to be modding my Cooper S apart from the wheels refurbished and recoloured. But the only other thing I am thinking of is the supercharger belt pulley for the extra BHP. :cool:

The two things I would like to know is 1. is it really that much of a difference for power and 2. If it is safe enough to do or is it likely to cause problems to my engine etc?

[Gismo]

The fact the supercharger will spin faster means it's max lifetime will be reduced, also, the engine will be working harder, so, in short, yes, it's likely to put more strain on your engine, it should manage to take the extra load, but, you never know, that's your call to make.

Add in a new tensioner as well, seemingly the original one isn't all that great ;)

[Aberdeen Al]

Go 17% - even more smiles :thumbs up:

[bigcoyote]

The 15% pulley is about the same as the JCW pulley ( 14.7% - I think ). There are hundreds of Minis here in the local club with 15% pulleys on them with no problems at all. I had a 15% pulley on my 04 for with no problems.

The main thing is to have it installed right - you will need a pulley puller designed for the MINI pulley ( not a normal puller ). I am sure someone has one near you - or most places that sell the pulleys will "rent" them out. Take your time and don't get frustrated - if you bend the SC shaft you will have to replace the SC - NO HAMMERS :hand:

Once you get the new pulley on - then you may need to re-tune your computer to handle the higher boost - or run only hi-octane fuel ( depending on outside temp. ) - here in Arizona the summer heat was a killer - I had to run octane booster all the time to keep the engine from pre-detonating. I eventually added a Unichip system with a custom tune - made a world of difference.

I also had a Dinan CAI , B&B exhaust, air diverter ( ram more air thru the intercooler ) and re-routed the hose for the rear windscreen wiper to spray on the intercooler ( instant extra boost!!! :thumbs up: ).

When we dynoed ( rolling road ) the MINI it was putting out more wheel HP than two of the clubs JCW MINI S's :p

Good luck & have FUN:popcorn:

[AndyP & Lenore]

Bigcoyote is (as usual) full of wisdom, and I would echo everything he says. :thumbs up: I never attempted to change my pulley myself though.

On our Hyper Blue Cooper S we put in the Dastek Stage 1 tuning kit, which basically included a 15% pulley and a unichip engine management chip, which is exactly the same as what Bigcoyote has done, albeit in separate stages.

Our S was Dyno'd to 210bhp. Which for an automatic, which will always lose a wee bit of power in the drive-train, was astounding. If it had been a manual, we could well have been over 210bhp.

Admittedly, this time around we went with the full JCW kit rather than an aftermarket kit. It feels just as good, although we haven't had the car dyno'd. But at least this time we have the JCW supercharger which should handle the extra payload. Although as I understand it, the only difference between the standard SC and the JCW SC is that in the JCW SC the blades are coated with Teflon.

A.

[ripthejacker]

Thanks for the replys to this guys :thumbs up:, its a dilemma for me to decide to do this or perhaps wait and get a full JCW install done on the mini, as I seen the kit advertised for the John Clark Tayside Mini. :confused:

Would I need to inform the insurance do you think if I got a remap and also the belt pulley installed, as im guessing with JCW I would need to.

[Gismo]

Always a dilemma for the insurance, to be 100 per cent truthfull or not means the difference in getting your car fixed or not.
I doubt if any insurance inspector would be able to tell the difference of a pulley just by looking at it, as always, it's your call ;)