Welcome to MA! You may want to run the vin the pump may be covered by Mini. I cant remember if it was a recall or if they extended the milage for replacing it.
The delete & 195s will obviously give less resistance than wider tires. I'd second the idea of checking the VIN for possible warranty coverage. The delete kit is a good contingency/emergency part to keep in the parts bin. The gen1 pumps will eventually fail.
Hit or miss, this isn't much of an investment. It's reversible, simple and has been done not only in Bimmers & Miatas but also an R53. Da_Ghost attempted a looped hose version of a delete to encouraging results. This block will make the fluid pass-thru shorter & more direct than Da_Ghost's version.
I've driven w/o PS twice when my stock damper broke & when my alternator died, so I know how bad steering w/ a dead pump is. I'd welcome anything of less resistance if only to get rid of this failing & hazardous part!
Yes, mine went intermittent during several sessions before failing completely. I drove two complete sessions without the PS. It was doable, but I'm sure arm-pump was just around the corner.....
I'm curious. How does boosted or non-boosted steering make a difference on the U/J stress? All the angles and forces are the same. It makes it easier to turn the wheel.
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