Whiny boi is about to become more whinier

"ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability" (italianjobr53)
12/18/2018 at 12:31 • Filed to: Mini

Smaller supercharger pulley. Much excite!!!

DISCUSSION (9)

Party-vi > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
12/18/2018 at 12:44

I s the added strain on the supercharger negligible with an underdrive pulley? I was always under the impression that your supercharger would need rebuilt sooner, but didn’t know if it was something like 100,000 miles or 10,000 miles.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Party-vi
12/18/2018 at 12:52

From what I’ve read it’s quite unpredictable the SC on the R53 . Some with the stock pulley go bad at 100k, some with a smaller pulley are fine at 150k miles. Now mine is at 200k so there is that...

But m ine is still making factory spec boost (10.5psi) according to OBD2 and INPA, and theres no weird sounds or hesitations so I’m modding as much as I can.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Party-vi
12/18/2018 at 12:53

If you keep replacing the SC oil, it should be fine I guess...

Also, kinja wont allow me to edit comments

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
12/18/2018 at 14:04

I ran mine with a 19% pulley. It did not last long. Maybe 12,000 miles, crapped out with 98,000 hard miles . Replaced it with a R56 . The R53 was way more fun to drive, on and off the track.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > GoodIdeaAtTheTime
12/18/2018 at 14:16

I don’t track it (yet) so maybe it’ll last longer

And yes just the SC sound make the R53 more exciting the the 56 imo.

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
12/18/2018 at 14:25

I started tracking mine when it had 1300 miles on it. It went through lots and lots and lots of power steering bits, 1 oil cooler, 2 superchargers (water pump seized and sheared off the drive gear in the s/c) and a throw out bearing. Other than that, it was solid. Well the finish wore of f one side of the center console from using it as a brace during hard cornering. The R56 was so much softer and heavier, better for long distance cruising, but abysmal on the track . Been looking for a good deal on another R53, just haven’t came across the right one.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > GoodIdeaAtTheTime
12/18/2018 at 15:53

Those water pumps are the most pita thing on these Minis.

I think the TVS SC comes with an electric water pump. Maybe that can be retrofitted to the stock?

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
12/18/2018 at 16:01

I don’t see why not.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > GoodIdeaAtTheTime
12/18/2018 at 17:13

Its not that difficult to fit a generic electric water pump in there apparently. Interesting...