Engine Drivetrain 1st Gen Cooper S Most liked posts in thread: Going to get a 15% pulley and have some questions

Truthfully, all the pulleys are pretty much the same.

So, like people are recommending, talk with your wallet and buy from a good vendor. If you support good vendors, you get support back. Helix. Way, DT are always good choices; Eric (Helix) is always dispensing valuable advice/help for free on these boards; Way isn't on here as much but has helped me many a time, and I've had good experience with DT.

You buy Alta, it's your Faulta. One of my favorite MINI lines of all time; we have to find out who said that first so they can have proper credit for it.

 

Here's how little it matter whose brand of pulley you use. The great majority of pulleys that you can buy nowadays are made by Craven. They're the same design just with different names on them. Helix, Craven, Way, DT, you name it, it's Craven manufactured. Craven used to make Alta products as well, but that blew up years ago. Alta does have a different hub design with their vaunted 'Version 2.0'), which works fine once it's installed, but is a PITA to put on. It answers the question that was never asked.

So vote for the brand you like the best. Whichever you choose, you'll be getting a product that works.

 

Way is not a local vendor to me and is only on here as a sponsor and does not provide much help unless you buy something from him.

Eric at Helix and Chad and the guys at Detroit Tuned are sponsors here and they help people for free.

They get my support and business. (Truth sometimes stings)

*Oh and Jan @ RMW

 

All good advise for your pulley. As for the engine mounts, get Vibratechnic mounts from Colin at GreenePerformance.com. You'll only have to buy it once!

 

Beat me to it! Truer words were never said! Craven has offered to do a pulley with MM on it, but I saw no point in it, I just sell thiers!

 

Some folks hate Alta, but my 15% Alta pulley was going strong at 126,000 miles when I sold my MINI. It was on there for 120,000 miles. Way is a sponsor of this site so I'd say buy his.

I would also replace the belt tensioner & idler. If you have the cash I'd replace the crank damper too. At your mileage all of those things are on the fast track to failure. Replace that top motor mount too.

 

I have the WMW pulley (bought his package deal which included the proper belt and colder plugs). I think all the pulleys are basically the same design-wise....I chose the one from Way because the package price saved a few bucks and I had ordered from there before....so already had an account there.

As far as other parts, you may want to consider putting on a new belt tensioner...it's not a terribly expensive part, especially if you get an aftermarket one. I think folks commonly get the AC Delco branded on from Amazon and it is decent quality.

A common failure is the harmonic balancer/crank pulley....They go without much warning as I understand. I just replaced mine with an ATI recently just for good measure. You're talking over $300 to replace it, though....so if you're on a budget and like to live dangerously, you could skip it and do it later.

Good luck!

 

Go with the Way over the Alta.

 

I would go with Helix over both of the ones above.

Helix MINI Cooper Supercharger Pulley

Oh and you will need a Gates 535 belt.

 

So that explains why the Alta pulley never blowed up on my MINI. It's a 2006 Craven Alta, good to know. The new owner can breath easy now.

 

I have had a Way 15% pulley on my S for the last 100k miles or so. the car has been great, been tracked, gone to the Dragon many times, on twisties near and far, and it is also my daily driver.

 

CCT 100 % agree ^^^^

I like the below ALTA sayings:

It ALTA fit and work but it don't.

You ALTA know better then buy ATLA.

Friends don't let friends buy ALTA.

ALTA, you thought all parts are built to the same standards but you ALTA know better.

 

I'd vote for craven-speed....
But as said above, they are mostly the same....
Main difference is the Alta v2 uses a different mounting method than their "classic" which like all the others use the same method....and IMO, different is not better. The ONLY time the Alta v2 version is better is if you need it due to having had a improperly installed pulley slip, and chewed up the sc shaft, it MAY work....
Other than that, IMO get ANY STEEL pulley...here IMO a light weight one does not matter, and could have issues due to dissimilar metals overtime....
Waymotorworks does have a nice kit, but helix has a decent one from what I have heard, as does cravenspeed (sold by most of the mini specialist vendors, or direct).

 

.......and mine was a 2004 version!