AxRxP

So I plan on making upgrades to my 2013 Scion tC. I been kind of stuck on what to do first. I been reading around and some people say to TUNE first becuse you can get HP out of your car from stock tune and to use that as your baseline.

Then I see some people say upgrade your car first, then tune after all the upgrades that you want to add to your car.

- So what should I do first?
- What upgrades should I make first?
- Should I consider getting light weight crank pulley?
-What upgrades can I make that aren't complicated.

Thoughts anyone?

evolving_machine

It is a good scientific method to tune the car first, you will get a benchmark. However, some modifications would require the car to be tuned again.

I have not done the modifications that I am about to suggest for a TC, and have not done them in a car for a while now, but a cold air induction would let more air flow with less restriction into the the engine, and then you can do headers to let the air flow out of the engine with less restriction. These are typical inexpensive modifications to all cars. But, after the headers and the air intake go on, the car may require an additional tune up to get the best efficiency out of the modifications.

AxRxP

Thank you for your reply. That's exactly what I was thinking. I would need a tune after those basic mods. I figured I would probably install cold air intake then headers then get a tune. To see where I would be at with those two upgrades.

Also, do you think getting a light weight crank pulley is a good idea?

evolving_machine

I have not heard about that before, and first reaction was that it would not seem to be advantageous but I wanted to see if I could find something that would explain it. I searched the internet and there were many opinions similar to my own. I do not think it will give you any noticeable improvement. I would really like to be proven wrong on this if someone could explain the physics on how decreasing the weight of the pulley will show a significant improvement in hp.

CBechdolt

Less rotational mass makes the engine rev faster, so you get a better throttle response, not necessarily all about horsepower.

evolving_machine

On one end of the engine you have the torque converter/ flywheel, connected to the transmission and drive wheels. On the other end you have the pulley, belts, alternator. The weight of the pulley seems to me to be a very small fraction of the bigger picture.

CBechdolt

People have been changing them for years and talking about how much better of a throttle response you get, I know it for sure made a huge difference on my mustang when I had it. Every bit of weight matters when it comes down to it.

Just an example, wouldn't recommend buying nst though.

http://www.nonstoptuning.rpmware.com...i-1829775.aspx

AxRxP

Does the crank pulley have a chance if damaging the motor?

I been reading around and some people say it can and some say it won't have any affect.

I want to change it out but don't want to run the risk of damaging my motor.

AxRxP

Wow, you have perfect timing. I was looking into getting NST. Lol

So, why not buy NST?

evolving_machine

I saw something on Ebay that was interesting, yet I have no clue whether it works or not. If throttle response is the issue, I wonder if this would have more bang for the buck. The pulley in the above link is what looks like anodized aluminum pulley in CBechdolt's post and selling for $150.00. This is $250.00 but makes more logical sense to me.

However, I do not know if either works for response time on the throttle. One thing that I am thinking that may be happening with the aluminum pulley, is that aluminum has higher coefficient of friction than steel. Perhaps what is happening with the aluminum pulley is that the aluminum is grabbing the belt better without slipping. Also the steel pulleys are usually rolled and very thin. So the aluminum is thicker and may not flex as much. To me, these seem more logical then the weight issue for response, if there is a throttle response.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/290862699116?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

CBechdolt

I'd go with agency power, from purely customer support, nst has had so many complaints about almost everything from taking 6 months to receive the parts to never getting refunds. That's why I would never buy anything from them, they are identical parts.

hampton1100

Nothing new, but good way of looking at how a light weight pulley would help the engine make more lowend power, you will not gain more HP but you will have more available throughout the rev range just based on fundamentals of Torque.

The Relationship Between Power and Torque | FCP Euro

yes, I use to drive euro :p

disaster06

I have the agency power pulley and can definitely feel a little extra power. It doesn't add any HP, but it frees it up. The stock pulley is something like 5 x the weight of the agency power pulley. You won't damage the motor because everything nowadays is internally balanced, not externally.

A good example of more power and torque; drive your car by yourself, then fill it with 3 other people. It feels like your car has no power and can't get out of its own way. After the pulley, I have power to get up and go with the extra people in the car. It won't win you any races, but it is definitely nice to have the power back