M.J.H.

So I went ahead and finally ordered my Unorthodox Racing underdrive crank pulley for my '03 CL-6. I already have intake/exhaust/headers and I went ahead and finally brought the UR crank pulley for the car. I absolutely love this mod, and I might even think it's the best mod for the buck, in terms of performance. The car feels MUCH much much stronger up top. From about 3K RPM's or more it really has a bit more of power, revs up extremely fast. Before 3K RPM's I notice a little more low-end torque, but nothing too crazy.

I haven't really had a chance yet to test the gas mileage difference, but I'll stay updated if I notice anything.

And I absolutely love how smooth the power band feels, the car feels retarded fast now up top - I can't even imagine how it's going to feel with the SC.

The only mods I really have next coming up are the satin silver custom steering wheel and the SC!

Techniques

thats good to hear. how much was it? and for installation if you paid for it

underst8

my question is this: why doesn't acura equip the Cl with the UR underdrive-sized pulley from the factory? I understand the aluminum also contributes, and that this is more expensive, but why is the diameter larger from the factory?

What is hurt/less reliable with the UR underdrive pulley?

2CLean

Other than the weight savings, the benefit (in theory) is less parasitic drag...less weight + slightly underdriving your accessories = more power to the wheels. I personally love mine, the 2nd best performance upgrade next to headers IMO.

BigLizard

when i had my acura i had the same thing happen, the RPMs jumped up crazy fast.

underst8

Oh I get the benefits and they are sweet. My question is what is the danger of installing it? Why doesn't acura have it smaller from the factory if it's such a simply power gain solution? What are the potential damages/negative side effects of having an underdrive pulley?

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

Cool. I still haven't put my crank pulley on. It's been sitting for 3 months now. No time.

turbo_911

so you sold your green cl-p? what else did i miss? lol

SPoolinspOON

iTrader: (5)

so.... the underdrive crank is the one to get? Is it that much noticable differance then then stock sized UR pulley?

TCM 01 CL-S

UD is the way to go if you don't have a powerful audio system or supercharger. Ud has a 1-2hp advantage over the stock sized. Keep in mind you will have to buy a couple new smaller belts which cost around $57 to use the UD pulley.

If you have an audio system over 600rms watts or you have a supercharger, the stock sized would be recommended. You can reuse the stock belts if they are good condition.

So in the end its what suits you best.

M.J.H.

Completely agree 100%.

And since I plan on doing the SC I used the UR stock sized pulley.

ms_cls

you can get the belts for the underdrive for $40 from excellerate. If your not wantingboost or a big system then the underdrive if definately the way to go. Thats the route i went

BigLizard

I have a bunch of aftermarket parts to be sold if you need them...just look in the BM.

underst8

Can someone answer this pleasssse? Does it put any stress on the driveline/engine? Are the gains more from the weight savings of the aluminum (expensive) vs. the smaller size (cheaper)?

2CLean

No negative impact on our engines since they are internally balanced. Why didn't they come like this from the factory? Simple, very few cars (even exotics) come from the factory with parts that are fully optimized to achieve maximum performance. Some parts (i.e. crank pulleys, intake systems) are created to achieve a balance of performance and function, but not max performance at the expense of comfort, reliability, etc. (aftermarket intakes are noisier, underdrive pulleys don't charge the electrical systems as efficiently, performance exhausts are louder...you get the idea). That's why there's a market for aftermarket performance parts.

And yes, the majority of the gains are a result of the lighter weight, not the underdriving, hence the stock size UR pulleys also create almost equal gains.

rp_guy

if you get the stock size pulley, you get say, ~9 hp vs. ~10 for the underdrive.

so, if you want to make it up you can buy the 3 pulley set and make up for the underdrive (since those give ~1hp each)

underst8

2clean - thank you. i get the whole aftermarket louder/harsher reason why things aren't made the best stock (love the noise my intake makes, can't wait for the harsher-riding drop im about to get). I just wanted to understand the reasoning behind not putting the higher-performance pulley on from the factory, which the last part of your post answered in stating that the lightness is the biggest factor in performance gains - thus the more expensive aluminum.

Thanks for the clarification - non underdrive UR pulley on order.

New Image

there is a problem with this pulley and an aftermarket flywheel

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

That hasn't been proven. It's pointing in that direction, but only have 1 case of it cause only 1 member had a CT flywheel & the UR pulley.

underst8

I think it was two members, but don't quote me on that. The logic behind the reason for failure was pretty sound if I remember correctly.

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

Unorthodox Racing has a great FAQ on their products if you go to www.unorthodoxracing.com and then info then FAQ then choose the pulley category.

redsly

That's news to me too... I haven't been here much since my cousin totaled my CL in May.

I saw a DEP 01 for sale down the road with the spoiler, if I had a license I might have looked. HAHA

No need for an auto though

AcuredCLS

when you do the pulley kit does UR give you the belt with kit....and how does ur alternator run do you need like a high output one?...or if u wanna change from stock to high output is their a problem?

Dirty Type-S

installing a UR crank pulley is suppperr easy.

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

You have to buy the belt separately or if you buy it from us we can source the belt. If you have a stereo system over 600 watts RMS or a supercharger you would want to use the stock size pulley so you don't underdrive the accessories.

horsepowercrzy18

i have a 500rms stereo. so id probly need the stock size crank pulley?

underst8

Unorthodox Racing states you will be fine with up to 600watts RMS using the underdrive...but I'd probably go with stock size since you are pushing that limit n u never know where your gonna go from here.

LUTHOR-CL

Do U Need One Of These When U Install The Xs Headers? Thanks.

rp_guy

you don't 'need' anything when you're installing headers... except new bolts and gaskets maybe.. but they're in totally different parts of the engine, so it's not like you're saving any time by doing it together..

probably better to do it separately so you can gauge yourself how powerful each mod was

LUTHOR-CL

oh ok cool, thanks good to have know this.

Renegade

So how much is the underdrive pulley along with the other belts you need with it etc? Member here is saying feels a lot of power at the high end, where I read it helps at low end. Which was is the answer? Including installation how much should I be looking at for this mod?

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

You should feel it across the entire RPM band.

Pricing is here:

https://acurazine.com/forums/sponsored-sales-group-buys-10/unorthodox-racing-special-pricing-event-acura-cl-tl-rl-mdx-tsx-301566/

We have the belts for $40 but you can also source them locally.

Renegade

Thanks excelerate..one last thing, I was searchign through all the posts, I heard mention of 14hp for the CL-S...is there any dyno results available that I could see that show hp and torque gain for a 2003 3.2 Cl Type S?