My friend and I got into an argument over whether under drive pulleys made sense to buy... I told him that they only give a TINY bit of HP and end up wareing the belts faster anyways... What are you opinions on underdrive pulleys? Are they dumb to get or do you think they are good...

He drives a 98 Jetta w/ 2.0L...

 

Well, I'd have to agree with you but, I have different reasons. Since Honda's are internally balanced it shouldn't matter what kind of pulley's are on the outside. This, I found, was pure bullshit. We're talking 100% premium **** too. I went through 2 p/s belts in about 20,00 mile period. I also figure that vibratory stress is what caused my internals to wear out long before they should have. Long story short, I never had any engine problems to speak of before I got my Unorthodox pulleys. Now, in my 97 Civic EX (Other car was 96 EX) with no pulley work... The car has been autocrossing, drag racing and driven daily for 86,000 miles without a hiccup. The hp isn't worth it. I speak from experience.

 

i dont hear too many problems with the accesory pulleys,but the crank pulley should never be replaced by some pos aftermarket one.it acts as a harmonic balancer also.

 

that's why the AEM set don't replace the crank pulley. i actually have them on my car and didn't know anything when i got them

they don't 'ADD' any hp.. they simply cause less load on the engine which may 'free up' some hp

 

Well with the "B" series engines its true, you DON'T want to replace the ZC crank pulley since its a Harmonic Balacer also. But I think its a unique honda motor. Plus I think the Aluminum pulleys would tend to wear rather fast.