ok....im caught up to speed on this thread. its a good read. kinda falls into the typical NAM back and forth stuff but, there are some interesting points and some useful info.

now i know i shouldnt do this but, it might lighten the mood in here.



carry on boys.

 

Excellent info. Thanks! Quick question for you though. Alta's website recommends NAPA belt # 060-539 for a 15% pulley and stock crank. In your post you stated 060-535 for a 15% pulley and stock crank. Between the two belt sizes, which is better for a 15% pulley/stock crank pulley set-up? Thanks!

 

what info like your subs and tv in the trunk add weight and make your car slow.
info like why is you car so damn low
why don't you come to my shop the guy doing your mods is idiot

i think you and i got all the info we needed at the dragon

 

I am personally using (and will continue to use) the 060535 belt. It's just a wee bit shorter than the 060539. However, if you have an 060539 on and the tensioner is still within spec (i.e. you can see the capture hole) then by all means run with it. It's not like it makes a difference when you are dealing with a captured system.

 

I discussed the possibility of doing this but had to decline for reasons that have nothing to do with NAM Drama. The main issue is one of time constraints. I am currently beginning construction of a car that LDG is going to run in Grand Am Koni Challenge. It's not a Mini but it is a BMW product. This is a big undertaking and besides the car we need to assemble a team and everything that goes along with it. Those that have been here recently know how busy I am just with the daily operation of my business as well as all the tuning that I do. I simply just don't have the time to commit to any other projects. There are no issues between myself and anyone in the RMW group.
I've said publicly and privately to those concerned that I welcome anyone who purchased a head from RMW to come here for a tune. And as I've also said I will tune that vehicle to the best of my ability and post the numbers accordingly. The numbers will speak for themselves.

 

oh yeeeeeaaaaaah.

"...oh, were not doin tunes today (after waiting 2 hours at the dragon....no apology or reason) why do you have all this junk on your car? take all the *** off and you'll have a happy car. where did you go? why? he doesnt know what he is doin. you should of come to me, im a town over from you. havent you heard of my shop? bla bla bla..." *** tool.

 

Sounds like a road trip for J & L or freight the car there.........Road trip sounds like more fun

 

So, your on the dyno, and you find that there are unexpected things. What are you going to do? Stop and two hours if that's not what it takes? Get the tune with leaking injectors? I really don't understand. That's why it's called an estimate. There's a difference between "it shouldn't" and "it won't". (a reference to the two hours of tuning time).

I'd say that if that the level of trust that you have in your tuner, to skip the whole thing, and find someone else to work with. They guys I work with, that I trust, can say things to me that become very expensive to me. And I pay because I trust the relationship.

I'd also hazard a guess that for those that haven't built up a car before, that working with someone that is both good and trustworthy would lead to less situations than the one that prompted this thread!

Matt

 

I also had a brand new JCW belt installed at the time of my 15% installation. Just checked the index using this photo (thanks CmdrVimes) and you can definitely see at least half of the index hole.

When I got my JCW belt from the dealership, I believe it did have a NAPA part # in addition to the BMW part #. I wish I would have copied down the NAPA # to check to see if it was a 060539.

 

Needs to be a 060535, not 060539...

 

Hey there's a size in between - 060537..... I run a Gator Back 537 w/16, should be fine for a 15. The 539 is stock. No?

 

My stock belt was a Contitech "6 PK 1388". Decoding the part number gives a length of 1388mm.

The stock NAPA belt is 060547. Decoding the part number gives a length of 54.7 inches.

1388mm is 54.645 inches.

 

You didnt mention how the fixed the issue with the SC belt.

 

If you're talking about hornguys he put a NAPA 060535 belt on.

 

When I changed my belt I looked for equivalent belts in gatorback and gates. I didn't find the gatorback in a 535 size, the closest was a 537, which specs at 53.74 in. effective length and 54.46 outside length versus the gates 535 which specs at 53.71 effective and 54.272 outside.

I went with the gates 535 (15% pulley / stock crank) and the index hole is just about right with CmdrVimes' picture.

For reference, the gates 539 specs at 53.96" effective and 54.521" outside, which is what Alta suggests in their website for a 15% pulley. (they suggest a 535 for a 19%)

 

I'm going to do a slightly more scientific breakdown of belt sizing stuff soon. Maybe this weekend.

 

man, if you people only knew.

 

they don't want to know

 

That may be the misunderstanding ... they do.

 

I have returned PGT's posts to the thread but would like all to know that his accusation of Bait and Switch is a serious and damaging statement. It is an inaccurate description of what occurred. Falsely accusing a vendor of a Federal Offense is extremely damaging be it LuckyDog or any other vendor who advertises on North American Motoring. Below is a link to a description of Bait and Switch as defined by Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bait_and_switch

Bait and Switch practices are enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and apply to all companies engaged in interstate commerce.

 

feel free to correct me then Sam...what exactly was it?

I was lured in with one price and then charged another without the benefit of being told beforehand. Heck...I would have been ok with paying more had anybody at actually LDG come to me and said 'the stock belt is slipping....you need a different size'. That never happened. In fact, John was giving me a tour of the shop the whole time, even taking me back to the bay where his tech handed me the stock pulley. Is it really that hard to set a proper expectation with a customer? Nope.

Seems if the advertised price was not an 'out the door' price for 90% of owners then bait and switch is clearly accurate (note LDG said that 90% of the cars they see need a belt for a 15% pulley swap).

 

Thanks for the info on the belt and tensioner position.

 

LOL more NAM vendor pampering

 

did you just quote wikipedia for a legal definition

 

yup. he also deleted all my posts here apparently at LDG's bidding (contending they were 'off-topic'). Go figure. Good thing cooler heads prevailed.