NightShade

Does a light weight pulley actually generate a little more hp like +10hp?
Is it safe and easy to install?
Are there any mods to be done?
What are the best brands?
Size?
Material?


Does any one have positive feed on a light weight pulley of any size for at least a month?

Im just curious, I want to milk out all the hp i can get. Getting a new cat back soon, and waiting on a cai, and idk about a new header yet. Thanks all.

Sam_J84

a lightweight pulley won't give you the much whp, but it'll give you some. along with bette throttle response and acceleration. i've been running the NST 3-piece set with the lighweight crank pulley for a about 30,000k miles with no problem. i love it. NST makes some really good products. check them out at www.nonstoptuning.com and if you wanna get as much whp outta of your car, i think pulleys should be one mod on ur list.

CuRiOuSfIsH

I am not 100% certain but I think it's more along the lines of freeing up HP, not really producing anymore from the engine. WHP may be noticed but not crank HP.

NightShade

are they easily installed? I mean what are the steps to installing them?

CuRiOuSfIsH

easy if you have the right tools (air tools)

NightShade

ive never done anything major on a car before other than exhaust. But what are the steps? and tools? Who makes the best performance pulleys and price?

mattvs

it's not a horsepower modification. slap one on and hit a mustang dyno and you'll register no gains. a dynojet will show gains, but a dynojet doesn't mean anything.

davedavetC

iTrader: (4)

3 words....

NON STOP TUNING :D

you will get power, safty is there if the install is right. more people have them with no problems then those with problems NST's quality is top knotch. the ony mods needed is to take of teh stock one and put the new one on (unless u get the underdrive pulley and that requirs a smaller belt).

any questions talk to Mike from NST on AIM @ NSTonAIM and he'll answer all your questions and then some. hes a great guy, and NST's customer service is 2nd to none :D (and even tho i have their link in my sig, im not sponsored by them just a VERY firm believer in their products)

davedavetC

iTrader: (4)

as for install check this thread out :D

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=100062

kungpaosamuraiii

I think ZPI carries the lightest non-underdrive pulley. Otherwise, go with NST.

Pulleys don't make power. They don't even "free" up power. That doesn't sound very optimistic but a new pulley lightens the drivetrain so you'll get the same performance "gain" at all RPM.

However, before you get a pulley, educate yourself.

Start here. Then click here. Then click here for information directly from Toyota, the guys who designed your car and engine.

soros151

Actually NST does make a same diameter Pulley.

NightShade

ok, well im getting that I shouldnt upgrade the pulleys? is that it?

soros151

Look at this then also...

hPower

Lighter pulleys do "free up" more power. Anytime you can drop some rotating mass you will notice better throttle response and quicker acceleration. You will not see 10WHP on any dyno from just one single pulley. But you car will feel more alive and will rev much easier than before. Money well spent for daily driving.

A properly designed pulley will be safe and is easy to install if you have proper tools. An air gun is the only serious tool you will need.
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=100062

No mods to be done, just swap and throw on the proper belt.

NST, ZPI, AP, and UR all make pulleys for the tC. Most people here seem to go with NST because they have the most pulleys available for the tC, best variety, and best prices. I have been using NST pulleys for several years and will not use any other brand.

NST offers both a stock size crank pulley that they call the CR-Lite and they also offer an underdrive crank pulley that is a smaller size. You should go with the underdrive crank pulley if you are after the most possible performance gains.

All the aftermarket pulleys available for the tC are built out of high quality aluminum.


Some people will go to great lengths to tell you that aftermarket pulleys are a very bad idea and will blow your ish. Here is a thread on SL with about 30 people who have been posting about their first hand experiences with pulleys over the past year or so. Take a look and read a bit, then decide for yourself:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=122725

Have fun [/url]

soros151

Look at this then also...

mattvs

You will rev quicker, but that doesn't mean anything. All you did was take a few pounds off of the car. It's the same power in your engine.

Put a 30lb weight in your back seat. Accelerate to 60mph while timed. Take the 30lb weight out and time yourself again. Notice anything? Not really? Darn.

Your engine will rev and 'respond' quicker, but since you're not adding any power to your car, you still have to accelerate the same amount of weight.

stillmatic

It's an easy install. Took me about 30 mins to do it on a RWD car with hand tools. Air tools would make it easier but not necessary. Loosen belt tensioners to remove the belts or just cut em if you're gonna install a new set of belts. Remove the fuel pump fuse and open the gas cap to release fuel pressure, prop a breaker bar against the crank pulley bolt and crank the motor once. The bolt should be loose enough to use a ratchet. Take the bolt out and use a long flat head screwdriver or pry bar to get the pulley out. Align the new pulley into the motor. Put the tranny in 4th gear and torque it down to spec. Install belts and tighten the tensioners. Get a timing light and make sure it's up to spec and you're done

soros151

Actually it took me 1 hour in the tC, with air tools. The belt is a pain in the butt!

engifineer

Laws of physics, lighter pulleys do not increase hp one bit. They do not "free up power" in the least either. They allow the engine to change speeds quicker (revving up and down) but have no effect whatsoever on power. Once at a static speed, a lighter pulley actually makes it easier to slow down the engine. Reducing rotational mass in any way follows the same rules. This does trick an inertial dyno (which, due to this are not very accurate) into reading more power to the wheels, but it is not occuring. Read a little on rotatioal mass and moments of inertia and you will see what I mean. Or google "load bearing vs inertial dyno" and you will find some info as well.

Practially no one has enough experience or mileage on the tC to tell how good or bad these are for the car. But so far only ONE person has stood up and given me real track times before and after the pulley. The night after the pulley, they ran a LITTLE faster, but they admit it could have been a lot of things. The next time they ran, they ran slower than they did stock. In other words, the effect was so negligible that normal variables over-ride the results. They eventually determined that it made no real difference in performance. I dont care about butt dyno results. And to tell the truth, this is not a sports car or race car, so 1 tenth on a track is meaningless to me. 99.9999% of us rarely, if ever drive on a track, and any number of variables could over-ride that result (a result you wont feel on the street). This person (look over on ystc at the threads already mentioned in this thread) also has heard too many bad stories with the pulleys and decided that no gain + any type of added risk is just not worth it.

For much, much better results (Again, only in revving quicker, no added hp) , get a flywheel. More money and work, but much better results without removing the damping the manufacturer spent time and money to install.

But physics is physics... reducing rotational mass does not "free up" power.

WhitetC21

Flywheel is sweet, but it makes a 5spd harder to drive for a beginner no? I have the 07 sw tc 5spd, and its my first 5spd ever.

Pulleys make the revving quicker, which can be an advantage to a good driver. Had one on my auto.