Are lightweight crank pulleys worth it?
On a well maintained engine with bolt-ons or low amounts of boost like what most owners probably run, a lightweight aluminum crank pulley will not have any life threatening consequences. The engineering reasons are that most modern engines have a short (increasingly strong) crankshaft operating under 8,000 RPM.
What does a lighter harmonic balancer do?
A balancer adds weight to help (externally) balance the lower rotating assembly of an engine, while a damper, quells the vibrations during crankshaft vibration which occur as a function of the combustion process. Keep in mind, while all harmonic balancers are dampers, all dampers are not balancers.
Does a lightweight crank pulley increase HP?
A lightweight pulley accomplishes this simply by reducing rotational mass – or in leymans terms, because it weighs less, it takes less horsepower to spin the pulley, so more horsepower gets to the wheels.
Does a lightweight pulley do anything?
Can a harmonic balancer add horsepower?
Adding an upgraded harmonic balancer is a great way to keep your engine from having serious issues as horsepower increases. LeBarron goes a little deeper into the issues a stock harmonic balancer will experience as you up the power.
How much do a harmonic balancer cost?
The price of harmonic balancers varies widely depending on the brand, year, make and model of your vehicle. You can expect to pay between $50 to $500.
What does a lighter crank pulley do?
A lightweight pulley accomplishes this simply by reducing rotational mass – or in leymans terms, because it weighs less, it takes less horsepower to spin the pulley, so more horsepower gets to the wheels. Consider that stock crank pulleys typically weight 4-10 lbs… this varies depending on manufacturer and engine size.
Do pulleys add horsepower?
Horsepower gains from underdrive pulleys can vary by vehicle, engine, number of accessories and the amount of underdrive (improvements of up to 5–15 HP at the wheels have been seen). Additional and significant performance improvements can be seen by reducing the weight of the pulley versus the original pulley.