Are pulley's worth it??

Hey what kind of gains can I expect from some good AEM underdrive pulleys on my 93' SI Prelude??

You will end up with.. let's see.. 160 crank horse power :smile:

you rev quicker basically. I don't know if there's a huge difference. Less parasitic drag, quicker acceleration. They look nice too.
I've got the unorthodox racing pullies

Your stock crank pulleys act like an engine damper with their rubber mid lining. You are compromising your engine's stability (and life) using these all metal 'racing pulleys'. Plus you'll vibrate alot more. Honda dampened their stock pulleys for a reason. You're pretty much asking for trouble.

Your stock crank pulleys act like an engine damper with their rubber mid lining. You are compromising your engine's stability (and life) using these all metal 'racing pulleys'. Plus you'll vibrate alot more. Honda dampened their stock pulleys for a reason. You're pretty much asking for trouble.

Then WHAT else can I do to my H23 SI prelude.. and DONT say H22 please!! I dont have that kind of budget.. I already have a cold air intake.. I want some more HP and Torque.. where can I go for some performance?? not a big turbo or nitrous fan either.. i'm an all motor guy

Then WHAT else can I do to my H23 SI prelude.. and DONT say H22 please!! I dont have that kind of budget.. I already have a cold air intake.. I want some more HP and Torque.. where can I go for some performance?? not a big turbo or nitrous fan either.. i'm an all motor guy

Nothing really, if you don't have the money. You can take out the A/C and P/S.. Won't help comfort much though. I would suggest saving up some money, and having some machine work done. Port and polish is always nice. Sleeving.. lighter weight/stronger (forged) internals. Dare I say.. Turbo.. oh wait.. you don't have the money.

To extract any power out of a 4 cyl. engine, you need to have money..

I'm glad you asked. Since you already have a CAI, I would suggest investing in an exhaust system. Nab the RSR Exmag. If you have money after that, get some new tyres (and wheels, if you want) and if you want, a CF hood and trunk lid. If you are feeling brave and think you're competent enough, get an SAFC and start tuning away.

Money is really what it's about. You just can't add a 20 dollar muffler and think you're gonna get anything out of it.

ITS NOT WORTH IT!!!
SAVE UP FOR FORCED INDUCTION!

Sorry, had to say it. Sadly, it does cost A LOT of money to get noticeable gains from an NA car. Your best bet is to start saving up now (every penny counts, trust me), and eventually slap in a supercharger (if you don't wanna worry about maintenance and strengthening your block), or a turbocharger (sometimes cheaper, but more maintenance-bound). personally...thats what i'd do. with what i spent on my CAI and headers, plus the tools to install the headers (i did it myself), and all the other money i had to dish out when i screwed up, i'd be halfway to the turbocharger mark by now

Get lots of NOS stickers, and a huge double decker wing.... that will give you about 100 HP... haha, j/k. But seriously though, since you already have the intake you could have your throttle body bored out and get bigger injectors, then upgrade the ignition, headers, & exhaust.

Just for the record... the stock Prelude ignition system is adequate until nearly 300whp. And larger injectors are useless until you have the means to control them (... and an SAFC is not the equipment to control them).

I am going with NA.

lsd and a stage 3 clutch

Prelewd is absolutely right. Pulley's won't add any hp but they do take a little stress off the engine. I know everyone downs it but n2o is actually one of the cheapest methods of achieving hp for the money. The only problem is that a dry shot (which is about what you can afford) isn't the best thing for your engine if you overuse it. A weight reduction (cf hood and trunk, back seat, a/c, spare tire, etc) is actually a effective and cheap way of improving quarter mile time. Good luck with going NA though. I have a lot of respect for racers that go all motor because its quite a difficult thing to do. Its so tempting to put on a turbo......

Just would like to note that the backseat weighs a whole what.. like 5 lbs? If that.. Take out your scissor jack and you'll reduce more weight than that.

Racing pulleys actually add more stress to your block and reduces engine life. And yes, nitrous is the best bang for the buck (even moreso than a turbocharger).

Just would like to note that the backseat weighs a whole what.. like 5 lbs? If that.. Take out your scissor jack and you'll reduce more weight than that.

Your radio weighs more than 5 pounds. Your backseat weighs prolly about 20. Don't quote me on that or anything but I know that it weighs more than 5lbs though Prelewd is correct in that taking out your jack will take a few pounds off. Just pray you dont get a flat or you will be wishing you had that jack and the spare!

Whats the point in turbocharging or supercharging a stock engine anyway?? how can a person force induct a stock engine?? THATS where the problems come in. I'm wanting an ALL motor engine first before I even THINK about forced induction or NO2. These kids go out and turbo charge their stock civics and crxs are completely WASTE their engines because they get impatient and want big power now.

You're buying into the hype. We don't have some shitty Civic or CRX here, the H series is a great block. With a few mods here and there, it is pretty much bullet proof. But on the stock motor, you can still handle about 7 psi's with a turbo or supercharger.

Someone says that the stock pulley is dampened. WhenI pulled off my stock pulley I didn't see or feel and rubber or softer material, nothing but heavy metal. You can really feel the change in acceleration off the line. there is no drag and hitting 8000 rpm come that much quicker. I know everyone rags on pulleys but I know a few people with aftermarket crank pulleys and they seem to not have a problem and we run our cars to hell and back.

Someone says that the stock pulley is dampened. WhenI pulled off my stock pulley I didn't see or feel and rubber or softer material, nothing but heavy metal. You can really feel the change in acceleration off the line. there is no drag and hitting 8000 rpm come that much quicker. I know everyone rags on pulleys but I know a few people with aftermarket crank pulleys and they seem to not have a problem and we run our cars to hell and back.

The debate constantly goes both ways with everyone. Some people swear by them, some swear against them. I wouldn't risk it, but that's me..

The stock pulley has three layers: metal, rubber, and then more metal. It's in between. You need this dampening material as you get more power. In lower levels, you won't feel the vibration and it would seem like a great mod to have. Old little roadsters with puny hp counts don't have any dampening material at all. They don't need it. However as your horsepower climbs, the crankshaft begins to vibrate alot more. That vibration causes everything in your bottom end to vibrate. It doesn't take long for pieces to fall apart. The dampening material absorbs the vibration and extends the length of your engine's life. You're putting your engine's balance out of whack using aftermarket pulleys.

whats the difference between underdrive pulleys by AEM for the alternator and pump rather than the crank pulley by UR?
does the underdrive pulleys by aem do damage to engines life also?

i don't care what anyone says an unorthodox pulley kit is great i got 33peakwhp and 26peaktq with my kit (i'm also running 272*&268* cam gears)

Then WHAT else can I do to my H23 SI prelude.. and DONT say H22 please!!

intake
header
exhaust
hiflow cat
cam gears
64mm bored out throttle body
modified intake manifold (4 butterfly mod, :headshake it not what u thinkin' http://dayne.dobrynet.pl/forum/images/smiles/icon_twisted.gif)
More aggressive cams
fuel pressure regulator
U2Q7 tranny (if u can get one)
8 pounder with good clutch and u ready to go with safc

^Umm, this thread is almost 2 years old. :rolleyes:

u know what, im not posting anymore, this is 3rd post that is outdate it, what i was thinking yesterday :confused: , probably about new years party :icon16:

Your stock crank pulleys act like an engine damper with their rubber mid lining. You are compromising your engine's stability (and life) using these all metal 'racing pulleys'. Plus you'll vibrate alot more. Honda dampened their stock pulleys for a reason. You're pretty much asking for trouble.

getting the trupower pullies isnt asking for trouble tho. It's only when you go switching the crank pulley.

There was no dampener on my stock (h22) crank pulley...it's solid metal all the way thru.

Here's an interesting quote from the Unorthadox Racing website:

"The pulleys on most of the new import and smaller domestic engines have an elastomer (rubber ring) incorporated into the pulley that makes them look similar to a harmonic damper. The elastomer in the OEM pulley serves as an isolator, which is there to suppress natural vibration and noise from the engine itself, the A/C compressor, P/S pump, and alternator. This is what the manufacturers call NVH (Noise Vibration & Harshness) when referring to noticeable noise and vibration in the passenger compartment. It is important to note in these applications, the elastomer is inadequate in size and durability to act as an effective torsional damper. If you look at the pulleys on some imports there is no rubber to be found at all. We have samples of these, mostly from Acura/Honda, the Nissan Altima, 1.8L Eclipse, 2.3L Fords, Chrysler 2.2L's, and 1.8L VW's, to mention a few. This is not to say with our pulleys you will hear a ton of noise or feel more vibration from your engine compartment. Most owners who have installed our pulleys notice the engine actually feels smoother. This is result of replacing the heavy crank pulley with our crank pulley. NVH is variable and unique to every car. NVH will increase with the installation of an aftermarket intake and/or exhaust, for example. Think of OEM intake systems in newer cars, they use baffles and resonators in the intake to quiet all the intake noise. Aftermarket intakes eliminate these resonators and create dramatic increases in engine noise from the throttle opening and closing. So to most tuners, certain types of NVH can make the driving experience more enjoyable.

The purpose of a traditional harmonic damper is to protect against crank failure from torsional movement. This is not necessary in most modern engines because of the many advances in engine design and materials. Factors such as stroke length, displacement, inline, V configurations, piston dwell time, piston pin off-set, power output, etc., do determine when and how these harmonics and torsional movements occur.

Again, there is a lot of internet hearsay about crank pulleys. When engine problems occur, too often people are quick to blame the pulley first, rather than taking the time to look logically into why there was a problem. We hope that after reading this you will understand the crank pulleys better."

http://www.unorthodoxracing.com/faq_pulleys.html

Of course UR isn't going to say their pulleys are harmful, but this is the first time I've read an actual explanation of the mythical "dampeners" everyone talks about.

Weight, is better than HP. Good plugs and wires. Sythetic oil, it last longer tween changes too.

I've seen dampened pulleys for the h22, think they are worth it? Ill post the site when I find it.

Get lots of NOS stickers, and a huge double decker wing.... that will give you about 100 HP

That is the most hilarious thing I've ever read in my life!:grinyes:

Old thread.