Underdrive Pulleys...Worth it???

90LxDroptop · 09-16-2001, 01:26 PM

Hey everyone...I was looking at the March underdrive pulley set/ram air item in the summit racing catalogue...Now I was wondering how much underdrive pulleys hurt your power options in your car...cause I heard that they mess with your stereo, and stuff like that...and what does everyone think of that u.p./ram air thing. thanx

------------------
90 LX 5.0 AOD 3.73 Ring and Pinion, Removed Air Silencer...

fiveohpatrol · 09-16-2001, 02:30 PM

underdrives dont "mess with your stereo", what you've probably heard is that if you have a big stereo system you may not want to get pulleys, the reason is that the alternator gets spun alot slower and therefore cant charge as well as normal, most peoples cars are fine with it, but if you are converned you can always upgrade your alternator, they also turn your waterpump slower so if you have cooling problems now, the pulleys might make it worse, my car was perfectly fine with the stock radiator and alternator (although i think the police stangs had better alternators, so i may have a better one)
I'd stay away from the ram-air setup, i have it and it may help a tiny bit but your money could go into something else that would be better, just get the plastic cold air kit with the air filter inside the fender, NOT the chrome metal ones that retain heat and actually make it a hot-air induction

P.S. ASP have by far the cheapest pulleys that i've seen, like $75 for all 3 pulleys

------------------
88 Notch, B&M Ripper, 3.73's, Ported E7's, Explorer int. w/ ported lower, pulleys, 1.7RR's, BBK headers, off-road H-pipe, flowmasters, subframes, 65mm TB, March ram air ,MSD coil, U/L control arms, 155lph f/p, Crane Adj.FPR, Nitto drag radials, best 1/4--> 13.76@101.4 on a 2.17 60ft

Rick 91GT · 09-17-2001, 07:19 AM

The pullies are worth the money and they are one of the only mods you will ever do for $100 that you will actually feel the increase in the seat of your pants. If you have trouble with the charge being too low keep the stock alt pulley on.

ASP does have the cheapest pullies and they look great and work just as good as the March or FRPP but I do favor the polished Marchs..thats just personal preference though

Now I think the Ram air does help as it focuses nice cold air "at times" into the induction system, instead of it swirling around in the fender. I made my own ram air, first I had the scoop type that I made from Stainless Steel and polished it. It looked great and worked fine but after a ground hog took it out for a second time, I deceided to put it in the fog light opening of my car since the fog lights were long gone. This I liked it was further off the ground so you were getting colder air then the scoop which is closer to the asphalt. Now I am in the process of making my own "Power Pipe" but mine will connect to the ram air set-up I have to focus the air to the filter.

------------------
Check Out My Site 91GT,Holley SysteMAX II Kit-Heads 2.02" x 1.60" port matched to a 1262,Anderson N-61,24#,76mm C&L,Full MAC, No A/C or PS or emissions, 12" K&N Filter,RNH PERFORMANCE Ram Air,Ron Davis Radiator,Full Suspension, SPEC stage III clutch, Lakewood SFI bell, S&W 8pt "X" brace,JAZ seats,3:73's,Welds..etc,4:30's and 31 splines coming very soon!
[b]12.16 @ 113.5, 1.78 60ft..no traction in the 90 degree

09-17-2001, 01:14 PM

Get the pullies.....it's a nice cheap way to free up some extra HP.

------------------
'90 LX 5.0;12K original miles (no sh*&);3.55 gears; March pulleys;Edelbrock Performer Heads;BBK 1 5/8" equal length shorties;MSD 6AL ignition w/ blaster 2 coil;FMS E303 cam;Pro-M 75mm MAF;BBK 70mm TB; Eibach drag-launch spring kit;Southside welded subs;9" K&N cone filter charger;Hurst shifter;Cervini's 3" turbo hood;A/C delete; gutted cats;2 chamber Flomasters;Corbeau racing seats;FMS 30# injectors;JMS chip; Holley 190lb fp;TFS track heat Intake (12.299 @ 113 - 1.78 60')

90LxDroptop · 09-17-2001, 07:01 PM

Thanx for the tip guys...Pulleys sound like a go!

------------------
90 LX 5.0 AOD 3.73 Ring and Pinion, Removed Air Silencer...

Stang_ROTY · 09-18-2001, 09:50 AM

Just remember you won't feel any difference until 5 grand or higher. March says right in the ad that they make the power at 5000 RPM's. Don't be surprised if your battery charges like crap or your cooling system suffers a little.

------------------
Just need the sticker!

Red 1993 GT
1969 351 block w/393 stroker. Edlebrock Performer heads and Performer RPM EFI, FRPP 30lb injectors & Cartech fuel system. JMS chip & MSD ignition.
Dynamic Roller Myte C4, 8 pt cage, Sothside Machine bars & Sub-frames, adj. upper's, 3.73's, Koni rear shocks

blue00gt · 09-18-2001, 04:13 PM

Pullies should help make more power throughout the rev range because your accessories rob horsepower at any engine speed. 5000rpm is just where you see the largest gain.

90'5.0 Conv · 09-18-2001, 05:43 PM

I was just curious, what if you just get the crank pulley?

------------------
90 5.0 Convertible
and loving every minute
of it!!

fiveohpatrol · 09-18-2001, 05:57 PM

you will get an increase in horsepower with just the crank pulley, but you may not be able to feel it like you will with all 3,
dont let Stang ROTY scare you, they will increase horses throughout the RPM range, he's talking about max hp increase

------------------
88 Notch, B&M Ripper, 3.73's, Ported E7's, Explorer int. w/ ported lower, pulleys, 1.7RR's, BBK headers, off-road H-pipe, flowmasters, subframes, 65mm TB, March ram air ,MSD coil, U/L control arms, 155lph f/p, Crane Adj.FPR, Nitto drag radials, best 1/4--> 13.76@101.4 on a 2.17 60ft

90LxDroptop · 09-18-2001, 06:33 PM

Thanx a lot for the input everyone. I think pulleys will do much good. Thanx again

------------------
90 LX 5.0 AOD 3.73 Gears, Removed Air Silencer, more mods to come...

2FastLX · 09-19-2001, 06:12 AM

Just for the hell of it, if you have the extra money why not go ahead and upgrade the cooling and charging systems? You can get a 3G alternator off of a 94-95 GT from Auto Zone for around $90. You'll never have a charging problem with this bad boy even with underdrives!

Also, if you still have the stock water pump it wouldn't hurt to get a high volume pump from Stewart for like $70.

That should take care of any problems the pullies might cause. But you should be fine as long as your cooling and charging systems are up to par now. If nothing else get the pullies, slap them on, and if you have problems put the stock ones back on until you do get a chance to upgrade.

------------------
Gunning for 12's!

Buy your parts here
ICQ# 42269241

Killercanary · 09-19-2001, 10:20 PM

Get them, and I highly recommend the ASP units. I added the aluminum asp pulleys to my car a while back and they took me from a 14.96 at 91.5 to a 14.6 at 94.89mph- that is one hell of an increase for under $100!

Also, we added a set to my dad's 91, and while we were at it were got a 130amp alt. from a 94 3.8 V6 stang out of a salvage yard, and a electric fan from a 94 ford tempo. We made a bracket that attached the fan to the factory shroud and it works great. We also wired it up with a 3 way switch so that in one position, it comes on with the accessories, it has an off position, and we have a position that has constant power so that at the track we can run the fan without having the car on. My dad is now running 12.6 at 107mph with his holleystystemax II kit and has no charging or cooling problems.

------------------
1995 NA GT CONVERTIBLE
BEST ET: 12.92
BEST MPH: 106.85
AFR's, FTI cam, edelbrock intake, EEC TUNER and lots more.
http://www.angelfire.com/pa2/killercanary

95 King GT · 09-19-2001, 11:50 PM

I had all three U/D pulleys but after the car would reach into the upper 200 degree marks with airconditoning on I just switched out the water pump pulley, I felt no performance loss and best of all the car runs alot cooler.

88gtstang · 09-23-2001, 05:55 AM

my car is mostly stock,i put the mac pulleys on it ($55.00 on e bay) and it made a difference that was very noticeable.i have the 130 amp alternator and have no chargeing problems.i also have a 3 core radiator with no cooling problems.i didn't put the alternator pulley on,the one i have is about the same size.

88gtstang · 09-23-2001, 05:57 AM

my car is mostly stock,i put the mac pulleys on it ($55.00 on e bay) and it made a difference that was very noticeable.i have the 130 amp alternator and have no chargeing problems.i also have a 3 core radiator with no cooling problems.i didn't put the alternator pulley on,the one i have is about the same size.

stevstum · 09-24-2001, 11:25 AM

Hey Guys,

I just got the Mac cataloge and their pullies are only $69.50 for 79 to 93 5.0's.

09-16-2001, 01:26 PM	#1
90LxDroptop Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Arlington Hts. IL Posts: 315	Underdrive Pulleys...Worth it??? Hey everyone...I was looking at the March underdrive pulley set/ram air item in the summit racing catalogue...Now I was wondering how much underdrive pulleys hurt your power options in your car...cause I heard that they mess with your stereo, and stuff like that...and what does everyone think of that u.p./ram air thing. thanx ------------------ 90 LX 5.0 AOD 3.73 Ring and Pinion, Removed Air Silencer...

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09-16-2001, 02:30 PM	#2
fiveohpatrol I'd rather be basketweaving Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 2,551	underdrives dont "mess with your stereo", what you've probably heard is that if you have a big stereo system you may not want to get pulleys, the reason is that the alternator gets spun alot slower and therefore cant charge as well as normal, most peoples cars are fine with it, but if you are converned you can always upgrade your alternator, they also turn your waterpump slower so if you have cooling problems now, the pulleys might make it worse, my car was perfectly fine with the stock radiator and alternator (although i think the police stangs had better alternators, so i may have a better one) I'd stay away from the ram-air setup, i have it and it may help a tiny bit but your money could go into something else that would be better, just get the plastic cold air kit with the air filter inside the fender, NOT the chrome metal ones that retain heat and actually make it a hot-air induction P.S. ASP have by far the cheapest pulleys that i've seen, like $75 for all 3 pulleys ------------------ 88 Notch, B&M Ripper, 3.73's, Ported E7's, Explorer int. w/ ported lower, pulleys, 1.7RR's, BBK headers, off-road H-pipe, flowmasters, subframes, 65mm TB, March ram air ,MSD coil, U/L control arms, 155lph f/p, Crane Adj.FPR, Nitto drag radials, best 1/4--> 13.76@101.4 on a 2.17 60ft

09-17-2001, 07:19 AM	#3
Rick 91GT Procharged! Join Date: May 1999 Location: Hanover, PA Posts: 1,539	The pullies are worth the money and they are one of the only mods you will ever do for $100 that you will actually feel the increase in the seat of your pants. If you have trouble with the charge being too low keep the stock alt pulley on. ASP does have the cheapest pullies and they look great and work just as good as the March or FRPP but I do favor the polished Marchs..thats just personal preference though Now I think the Ram air does help as it focuses nice cold air "at times" into the induction system, instead of it swirling around in the fender. I made my own ram air, first I had the scoop type that I made from Stainless Steel and polished it. It looked great and worked fine but after a ground hog took it out for a second time, I deceided to put it in the fog light opening of my car since the fog lights were long gone. This I liked it was further off the ground so you were getting colder air then the scoop which is closer to the asphalt. Now I am in the process of making my own "Power Pipe" but mine will connect to the ram air set-up I have to focus the air to the filter. ------------------ Check Out My Site 91GT,Holley SysteMAX II Kit-Heads 2.02" x 1.60" port matched to a 1262,Anderson N-61,24#,76mm C&L,Full MAC, No A/C or PS or emissions, 12" K&N Filter,RNH PERFORMANCE Ram Air,Ron Davis Radiator,Full Suspension, SPEC stage III clutch, Lakewood SFI bell, S&W 8pt "X" brace,JAZ seats,3:73's,Welds..etc,4:30's and 31 splines coming very soon! [b]12.16 @ 113.5, 1.78 60ft..no traction in the 90 degree

09-17-2001, 01:14 PM	#4
bada$$lx Guest Posts: n/a	Get the pullies.....it's a nice cheap way to free up some extra HP. ------------------ '90 LX 5.0;12K original miles (no sh*&);3.55 gears; March pulleys;Edelbrock Performer Heads;BBK 1 5/8" equal length shorties;MSD 6AL ignition w/ blaster 2 coil;FMS E303 cam;Pro-M 75mm MAF;BBK 70mm TB; Eibach drag-launch spring kit;Southside welded subs;9" K&N cone filter charger;Hurst shifter;Cervini's 3" turbo hood;A/C delete; gutted cats;2 chamber Flomasters;Corbeau racing seats;FMS 30# injectors;JMS chip; Holley 190lb fp;TFS track heat Intake (12.299 @ 113 - 1.78 60')

09-17-2001, 07:01 PM	#5
90LxDroptop Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Arlington Hts. IL Posts: 315	Thanx for the tip guys...Pulleys sound like a go! ------------------ 90 LX 5.0 AOD 3.73 Ring and Pinion, Removed Air Silencer...

09-18-2001, 09:50 AM	#6
Stang_ROTY Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Berkshire County - Massachusetts Posts: 735	Just remember you won't feel any difference until 5 grand or higher. March says right in the ad that they make the power at 5000 RPM's. Don't be surprised if your battery charges like crap or your cooling system suffers a little. ------------------ Just need the sticker! Red 1993 GT 1969 351 block w/393 stroker. Edlebrock Performer heads and Performer RPM EFI, FRPP 30lb injectors & Cartech fuel system. JMS chip & MSD ignition. Dynamic Roller Myte C4, 8 pt cage, Sothside Machine bars & Sub-frames, adj. upper's, 3.73's, Koni rear shocks

09-18-2001, 04:13 PM	#7
blue00gt Mustang Addict Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: McKinney, TX Posts: 1,294	Pullies should help make more power throughout the rev range because your accessories rob horsepower at any engine speed. 5000rpm is just where you see the largest gain.

09-18-2001, 05:43 PM	#8
90'5.0 Conv Long time member in and out Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Albany, Ga Posts: 343	I was just curious, what if you just get the crank pulley? ------------------ 90 5.0 Convertible and loving every minute of it!!

09-18-2001, 05:57 PM	#9
fiveohpatrol I'd rather be basketweaving Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 2,551	you will get an increase in horsepower with just the crank pulley, but you may not be able to feel it like you will with all 3, dont let Stang ROTY scare you, they will increase horses throughout the RPM range, he's talking about max hp increase ------------------ 88 Notch, B&M Ripper, 3.73's, Ported E7's, Explorer int. w/ ported lower, pulleys, 1.7RR's, BBK headers, off-road H-pipe, flowmasters, subframes, 65mm TB, March ram air ,MSD coil, U/L control arms, 155lph f/p, Crane Adj.FPR, Nitto drag radials, best 1/4--> 13.76@101.4 on a 2.17 60ft

09-18-2001, 06:33 PM	#10
90LxDroptop Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Arlington Hts. IL Posts: 315	Thanx a lot for the input everyone. I think pulleys will do much good. Thanx again ------------------ 90 LX 5.0 AOD 3.73 Gears, Removed Air Silencer, more mods to come...

09-19-2001, 06:12 AM	#11
2FastLX The Photoshop Guru Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Mecca, Indiana Posts: 1,419	Just for the hell of it, if you have the extra money why not go ahead and upgrade the cooling and charging systems? You can get a 3G alternator off of a 94-95 GT from Auto Zone for around $90. You'll never have a charging problem with this bad boy even with underdrives! Also, if you still have the stock water pump it wouldn't hurt to get a high volume pump from Stewart for like $70. That should take care of any problems the pullies might cause. But you should be fine as long as your cooling and charging systems are up to par now. If nothing else get the pullies, slap them on, and if you have problems put the stock ones back on until you do get a chance to upgrade. ------------------ Gunning for 12's! Buy your parts here ICQ# 42269241

09-19-2001, 10:20 PM	#12
Killercanary Registered Member Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: Altoona, PA Posts: 336	Get them, and I highly recommend the ASP units. I added the aluminum asp pulleys to my car a while back and they took me from a 14.96 at 91.5 to a 14.6 at 94.89mph- that is one hell of an increase for under $100! Also, we added a set to my dad's 91, and while we were at it were got a 130amp alt. from a 94 3.8 V6 stang out of a salvage yard, and a electric fan from a 94 ford tempo. We made a bracket that attached the fan to the factory shroud and it works great. We also wired it up with a 3 way switch so that in one position, it comes on with the accessories, it has an off position, and we have a position that has constant power so that at the track we can run the fan without having the car on. My dad is now running 12.6 at 107mph with his holleystystemax II kit and has no charging or cooling problems. ------------------ 1995 NA GT CONVERTIBLE BEST ET: 12.92 BEST MPH: 106.85 AFR's, FTI cam, edelbrock intake, EEC TUNER and lots more. http://www.angelfire.com/pa2/killercanary

09-19-2001, 11:50 PM	#13
95 King GT Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: coweta OK USA Posts: 93	I had all three U/D pulleys but after the car would reach into the upper 200 degree marks with airconditoning on I just switched out the water pump pulley, I felt no performance loss and best of all the car runs alot cooler.

09-23-2001, 05:55 AM	#14
88gtstang Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: elkton,va. us Posts: 7	my car is mostly stock,i put the mac pulleys on it ($55.00 on e bay) and it made a difference that was very noticeable.i have the 130 amp alternator and have no chargeing problems.i also have a 3 core radiator with no cooling problems.i didn't put the alternator pulley on,the one i have is about the same size.

09-23-2001, 05:57 AM	#15
88gtstang Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: elkton,va. us Posts: 7	my car is mostly stock,i put the mac pulleys on it ($55.00 on e bay) and it made a difference that was very noticeable.i have the 130 amp alternator and have no chargeing problems.i also have a 3 core radiator with no cooling problems.i didn't put the alternator pulley on,the one i have is about the same size.

09-24-2001, 11:25 AM	#16
stevstum Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Salem, Or. USA Posts: 233	Hey Guys, I just got the Mac cataloge and their pullies are only $69.50 for 79 to 93 5.0's.