AcuraTl203

I bought a crank pulley off ebay, pretty much Machined to the exact specs of an UR pulley but only costing about $45. I had it put in saturday 10/23 along with a new battery and so far i can feel more power off the line but other than that so far there isnt much difference but the instructions do state it takes about 5 days to kick in so lets just wait and see.

PenguinQX

iTrader: (1)

Nice. Can't wait to hear the results. BTW, did the pulley seem to be good quality? Did your mechanic make any comment about the quality of the pulley?

AcuraTl203

he had a hard time getting the old one off but the new one fit like a glove and he didnt say much , just get the right belts and your good, uses the same size gates belts as the UR pulley. Napa sells them

PenguinQX

iTrader: (1)

Was this a no-name brand pulley? I've done a bit of searching on ebay, and it seems that there are a few options.

Example:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...929633049&rd=1

Does anyone know how reputable Megan racing is?

Other options I've seen are Bomz and Cosmo(?). I'm assuming pulleys for the 98-02 V6 Accord fit on our TL too.

Oh yeah, how much did you pay to have your pulley installed?

AcuraTl203

this is the exact one i bought from this seller. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW

1fasttl

Is the pulley you bought the same size diameter as the stock?

AcuraTl203

no its smaller like the unorthodox pulley, uses the same smaller belts as the UR pulley too

ou sig

so how has the new pulley done so far for you???

SLAMMED_WDP_TLS

wonering the same. Maybe acouraYL203 can comment. pLease this will help out alot of people INCLUDEING ME!!!

car_lost

updates?

patrick

Please do a dyno if you can. I'm interested in seeing how the gains compare to the UR pulley.

AcuraTl203

wow u guys dug up my old thread, unfortuanately i havent dynoed the pulley but it came with identical instructions to the UR pulley same belts and everything. so its pretty much the UR pulley without the name at a much cheaper cost $45 shipped. feels a lil stronger across the power band more pull off the line is the biggest thing i notice. If it was $200 i probally wouldnt have done it. Unfortunately i got a broken right leg right now so i cant really enjoy the mod right now.

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

Honestly, if these were door sills, headers, or a test pipe, then I would recommend going with a cheaper alternative. Even headers, how bad could it be if the welds are not top-quality?


But a crank pulley? What if it's slightly out of spec? It spins hundred and thousands of times per minute, and I wouldn't risk it. Better to go with a reputable company.

Tunaboy

How did you feels gains off of the crank pulley 2 days after you put it in??? It usually takes about 5 days for the ecu to calibrate the change.

I wish my UR pulley came with belts. bastards costed me an extra 40 bucks.

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

It is one thing to change an exhaust and there is a leak b/c of a bad weld or a torn gasket, but to take a crank pulley, which could not be machined right, you're asking for trouble. This is one thing I have never understood about some members on this site: WHY SPEND $20K-$30K ON A SPORT LUXURY CAR AND THEN CHEAP OUT ON THE PARTS? What is the point of buying poor quality parts and putting them on a high quality car? I have just never understood this.

elah

coming from a UR vender i see were its coming from. but its only a peice of metal! machined in a leathe or whatever what could go wrong? i dont see it justifiable for a piece of metal weighing under 6 pounds to cost 200+$ remember we're not comparing a very complicated peice... it'd be different if the UR had a harmonic balancer and the other didnt but its the same thing. acuratl203 keep us informed. i'm sure the 45$ peice you got has the same quality as the UR 200$+ peice

PenguinQX

iTrader: (1)

Some people don't spend $20-30k for their car.

It's the question of why pay $200 when you can pay $45. Of course there's a risk involved... but If it IS the same quality.. wouldn't u feel stupid paying 4x more?

This argument doesn't work as well for the crank pulley I know, cuz it can actually damage your car, but I absolutely hate the "why cheap out on parts" argument for all other bolt ons, especially headers. If no one ever took a risk with cheaper items, there'd be no market for anything except comptechs. The only way for another manufacturer to enter a market that already has an established player (comptech) is to offer competitive pricing.

That's the same with the crank pulley I guess... how many people would even BOTHER trying the pulley if it cost $150? No one.. cuz you'd rather spend the extra $50 for peace of mind. But when you start entering the realm of $150 differences, THEN you start winning over buyers, esp. if you have a decent track record with other parts.

Elementz

Pretty much machined to spec? OMFG, when you shear the end of your crankshaft off dont come a cryin!

Elementz

Elah, if it was machined on a crappy lathe and there is one tiny flaw in it, your cranks days are numbered.

This is not the same argument as purchasing OBX vs. Comptech headers (which do not effect your engine if they go bad). Cheaper is not good for crank pulleys....period.

patrick

The only way to know if this non-UR crank pulley is any good is by giving it some time. There will be 2 results: AcuraTL203 will have no problems, and gets to feel good about saving money on a good mod, while the rest of us wished in hindsight we had gotten this pulley too. Or AcuraTL203 will have crankshaft failure, and we'll all say "I told you so." Let's wait and see the results folks, no point in further bashing AcuraTL203's decision.

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

Once my UR pulley set comes in from Josh next week, I'm willing to bet that if I centered the pulleys on a pencil in the dead center, it wouldn't tip over. Why? Because I bet the UR pulleys have equal weight to the outer edge from the center all around the pulleys. That's what's important about pulleys. The density and weight of the pulleys need to be the same all througout. Otherwise one part of the pulley could be heavier than the rest, which will throw the balance way off. THAT is what I'm afraid of in the cheaper pulleys. The crankshaft will go through A LOT of stress if the pulley's weight is not even all around.

I bought OBX headers because I couldn't see myself paying a thousand dollars for the Comptech headers. So it's not a question of whether I'm being cheap or not for my 30k-dollar car. That's not my point in this argument.

With headers, even if the welds or the pipes are not top quality, it won't have any serious or detrimental effects. But with pulleys, they need to be top notch. After all, ALL your piston rods and pistons are spinning on that one rod, and I'm not about to put some unproven alternative on there and take the risk.

Hey, if the Megan pulleys turn out to be of good quality, then it's all good. More power to the budget-minded buyers looking for the best deal for their money. I am one myself, but the pros of saving money on the Megan pulley seriously outweighs the cons of taking a risk with my engine.

OBX headers cost nearly 1/3 of the price of the Comptech headers. And they have a lot of more problems than the Comptechs. I have been lucky so far and my OBX headers have been holding up excellent. But it's the same principle. The Megan pulley costs about 1/4 of the UR crank pulley (not the set). They are bound to have more problems than the UR pulleys.

I'm not going to say anything like, "don't come crying when you destroy your crankshaft and consequently the engine", because that's just not cool. I'm not going to wish ill will against any of you. But I just want you to be safe and don't take unnecessary risks if you could avoid it.

Good luck, and I hope the pulley turns out good. UR has a monopoly on pulleys for our cars now, so if Megan turns out to be a good quality competitior, then it's only better for us consumers.

SLAMMED_WDP_TLS

If that is the case then why does acura keep on puttin opn POS tranny on our car is its so TOP NOTCH. People are just been smarto n what they buy. The quality of something does not depend on its price all the time. Sone ome can make a exact copy something else and without the name irs worth nothing. Look at all the brand name bags. LV Prada Gucci. Their purses are not hand made or cost any more then any other purse but then name sets itself from others.

I am not an expert though on crank pulley but if this megan pulley holds up then I am in

DeathtoToasters

I don't have ay exact numbers but I truly think that the UR Pulleys helped the low end power of my TL-S.

I enjoy them very much.

DeathtoToasters

I don't have any exact numbers but I truly think that the UR Pulleys helped the low end power of my TL-S.

I enjoy them very much.

ndawood

they do help the low end a bit.. but you really notice a big difference when vtec kicks in...

DeathtoToasters

Nope not really. I was just saying that for the low end, it really does give it a bit more jump....not tons....but a fun amount!

lol

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

If you guys read my post you noticed I said yes it is possible to go cheaper on certain items and still get your bang for the buck, i.e. exhaust, header, intake, but when it comes to a crank pulley, that is different. There is a reason why there aren't a million pulley companies. The primary aftermarket pulley companies are Unorthodox Racing and AEM, and AEM's pulleys really don't do anything besides look good. So, there is obviously a lot of technical knowledge and expertise, along with expensive machinery, that goes into manufacturing these pulleys to spec.

Josh
Excelerate LLC

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

FYI, I went with OBX headers to save money, but I gladly shelled out the 290 bucks for the UR pulleys. I'm not risking my engine.

By the way, does Megan even make the other 2 pulleys besides the crank pulley? Power steering and alternator.

moahdriven

all u need is the crank pulley...the other 2 are unnecessary. I might go for Megan ones...their headers are $345 now, dunno how much higher the price will rise so obviously their quality should be good. I'm sure pulley price will rise just as their header ones will

ou sig

umm explain your logic behind how its obvious their quality should be good because the price has gone up? If thats the case, its called economics or supply and demand not related to quality at all.

AcuraTl203

There are tons of generic parts vendors coming up all over, b4 i bought my pulley i emailed a buyer on ebay that bought one from the guy i bought mine from, he had it in his WRX said it was great so i bought it and so far so good. I notice the low end gains and the engines running fine its been over a month on my car. Just because you have a premium name like comptech or UR, it doesnt mean its the best choice, as u can see comptech parts have had their share of problems too, UR is reputable but that could be b/c untill now they havent had much competition. If you feel like taking the risk on the cheap parts becareful and just check the vendors reputation. If you rather pay 4 times the price for the same part b/c you think its bullet proof, then thats another option.

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

I've got 2 12's, and the entire pulley set is recommended for cars with systems.

car_lost

are you sure about that? with a system, if you get the whole pulley set, you're going to be getting an alternator pulley. the alternator pulley is going to cause your lights to dim and your car will possibly shut off on you. look into this some more, i think you would be better off with just the crank pulely instead of all 3.

bondboy76

yeah i getting a lil hesitant...im looking to put a nice system into my car but also get the pullies, i just want to know if i could still run a single 12' sub, and mabey an amp for the speakers?

moahdriven

for the ur pulley set, all u need is the crank pulley

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

I'm getting my pulleys from Josh (Excelerate), and he recommended the entire set if equipped with a system.

ou sig

UR makes a pulley for cars with systems.

unlemming

The set for cars with a system is NOT underdrive though, they are just weight reduction. UR claims 85% of the gains, I think, but I'd love for someone that has it to post dyno proof

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

Unorthodox Racing makes 2 different versions of their pulley sets. There is their Ultra SS pulley set which underdrives the system and which, according to UR, is good up to about 600W of stereo components. UR said that as long as you are not running under 12 volts you are not losing power. Yes, it is possible that your lights may dim when the bass hits but if you are not under 12 volts then you will be fine. Also, a cap or an Optima battery will help offset the voltage usage of a stereo. There is also the Ultra SSc Series which is also called the 12 volt series. It does not underdrive the system but makes the power via weigh reductions.

Josh
Excelerate LLC

ou sig

"There is also the Ultra SSc Series which is also called the 12 volt series"

ya that is the one I will be getting if I do get one. What is your price on that one Excelerate?