Who will fit my 15% reduction pulley?

[ScottishcooperS]

okay mate no problem nothing we can do about that! keep in touch.

cheers for the info.

Willie

[ELFMAN]

Just a note of caution - according to MED/PROTEK, who are reputable "proper" tuners, it's NOT a good idea to fit a reduced pulley without a RE-MAP, as the mixture is then running lean becuase of the extra air going in. Your standard ECU Air/Fuel mixture is (obviously) set for the standard pulley. So get it re-mapped when you fit the pulley or you could end up with a knackered engine and no comeback re. Warranty etc. Very costly for your BHP increase. These MED guys know their stuff, so I'd listen to them! They NEVER supply pulley upgrades without a re-map.

Re. Fitting Pulley: My local BMW Dealer would refuse point blank to fit non-BMW parts. Funny if they said they “couldn't get the standard pulley off� if they're a BMW outfit - how do they fit the 'Works' engine stuff, then? Like you said, sounds as if they don't know what they're doing.

Finally, Exhaust - try a 'Playmini' system - sounds better, in my opinion, it looks better (chunkier tailpipes!) and fits a treat for D.I.Y. - and my Warranty's still good. How much are they charging for the JCW system? My Playmini (S/Steel) was around £395.00 a while back.

Best of luck with the mods.

[MartinSullivan]

The works kit comes with a whole new charger , including modified pulley - so they never have to remove a pulley from the shaft under normal circumstances.

[ELFMAN]

Cheers Martin,
Re 'Works' Pulley removal/replacement. I stand (or sit) corrected. However, I'm just puzzled about the apparent trauma the BMW garage had with it. Given that they didn't turn down the job on grounds of Warranty issues and a "BMW O.E. parts only" policy (the usual refrain round here), you'd think they would have the proper tools/knowledge to tackle it. All the tuning companies seem to manage it without much fuss as it's such a common and (relatively) easy tweak.

My dealer wouldn't even fit my Manifold, not because they couldn't, but because it wasn't a BMW part. Some BMW dealers appear to have a 'Zero Tolerance' policy on this, which I suppose is fair enough, but can be a pain.

What do you think about the 'MED-prompted' Re-map issue? Would you recommend going for the smaller pulley without a suitable re-map? I have a terrible picture in my head of an 'S' with melted valves and all sorts of expensive smoky problems... and a BMW Service manager just shaking his head saying “Sorry Sir, your Warranty is Null and Void�. Ker-Ching!

PROTEK (a 'NEW MINI only' subsidiary company of long-established Mini Tuners MED) were in the last (ever) issue of 'GO MINI' where there was an article on one of their tuned S's and a feature on the company itself. MED have been around for years and I like them 'cos they know what they're talking about and do conversions with well-worked Heads and Camshafts which they manufacture "in house". Proper gear!

[MartinSullivan]

I would think if you turned up at a dealers with a smoking engine/burnt valves etc they would take one look at the pulley and tell you to take a hike, whether you had a remap done or not.

It is a pain to remove a pulley cleanly from the shaft - a lot of tuning companies have tried (and failed) LOL, it can be done but takes patience and some ingenuity.

When the S first came out a lot of tuning companies produced pulleys for them - but not many offered remaps. Lots of people ran the car with upto a 15% modified pulley without a remap without any problems, but the remap would get the best out of the car. Some companies - such as GTTuning - have run much bigger modifications on the standard map with pretty impressive results (cant remember the exact figures but sure GTT got 230 bhp with a standard map at one stage) and without any signs of damage to the engine. What they in fact found was that the standard map was quite adaptive - which enabled it to set itself to match the mods to the engine.

I would however recommend that any modifications be followed by a suitable remap in order to get the best out of the products you have spent your hard earned on.

[ScottishcooperS]

Yeah i got told from lohen and a few others that i should get a re-map when i put my pulley on! Im thinking of waiting untill i can afford the re-map before getting the pulley put on now.

Cheers

Willie

[ELFMAN]

Thanks Martin - useful info as usual.

I know the Dealer would just laugh if the engine was knackered with or without re-map, and you've confirmed the benefits of modding the ECU and that the standard one's more flexible than I thought.

Here's an interesting point regarding more possible pulley reduction effects, which I read in the 'Mini Cooper Register' (Nov 05) magazine. I quote:

“I have spoken to MINI owners who have tuned their cars and heard stories of overheating problems caused by the water "cavitating" (being turned into a 'milkshake') due to such a small pulley being fitted to the supercharger. Not many people realise the WATER PUMP runs off the other end of the supercharger, obviously sending water round the engine at twice the designed water flow speed will not quite work!� (Quote Ends).

Interesting point Re. the Water Pump. Has anyone heard of this happening? I haven't. Maybe these problems have been caused by going smaller than 15% reduction. I presume the JCW kit takes this into account, as they'll have to make it 'bullet-proof' for Warranty cover. I know the JCW 'Charger has different internals (ceramic coated blades?) etc, so are they running a slightly "less small" pulley to avoid potential water problems and making some of the power elsewhere? The more you know, the less you know. Ignorance is bliss..... until you melt you engine!

I reckon if the Water Pump issue was serious, there'd be a whole field full of seized S's by now - but you never know... maybe they're all just about to go 'BANG' for Christmas!

[Cooper_si]

i know of many 15 and also 19 percent reductions that have done some substanial mileage, with no affect on the cooling system. YET i have seen problems with people running sizes such as 21% reductions...but im not so sure why people go this small to be honest. The 16% that i keep in stock is spot on and has had no problems what so ever....

[ELFMAN]

Cheers Simon,
Always handy to have as much info as poss. on these things!