Underdrive pulleys or shock tower brace?

[RICEATER94Bird]

I just got my subframe connectors put on and WOW. the car drives WAY better now! Now, i've read about both the pulleys and STB and i'm deciding between the two. I know alot of people have mixed opinions on both, but i want to do one or the other because of the cost.(both will cost me only around $100) This will probably be the last thing i do for my car in a long while so i need to get some advice about these 2 things. If i go with the pulleys i will get a 160 degree thermostat. Which one, if any, should i go with and why? Thanks Very much!

[Jeff_in_Atl]

How about neither. You won't notice the shock tower brace. The underdrive pully causes charging problems.

Panhard bar. Still around $100 and you will notice the difference.

[Rhode Island Red]

I'd say keep the $ and wait until you want to get into the engine for heads, cam, and headers.... why take apart the engine multiple times when it's easier to do it all at once. Consider the money an investment in future fun

[ConElite]

You should do more suspension mods. A Panhard, Control arms, Relocation brackets, or you can Have up to do a head job or something big, but I'd still recommend to finish your suspension first so you can PLant that power. Underdrive pully is only going to give you charging problems. No good. Its not worth the maybe 1hp you gain.

[RICEATER94Bird]

Yeah that is exactly what i was thinking...i've read about both and both usually didnt get good remarks. About the relocation brackets: i know they help me get alot of traction, but how are they on intallation? any welding involved?

[ConElite]

About the relocation brackets: i know they help me get alot of traction, but how are they on intallation? any welding involved?

There is 2 difference kinds. There are bolt-on ones or Weld-ons. I recommend the weld-on ones. Take your car to a local muffler shop and they should weld them on for like $20-30 bucks. They help alot. You would be surprised how much of a difference they make, And they will help dramatically for you b/c your running Sportlines (which is trash for drag racing IMO). I have the pro-kit and I think mine is to low. Get the relocation brackets+control arms and PanHard and You should have one serious Foot print on the ground. B4 I got my suspension done I would break the tires loose through 2nd and sometimes 3rd, now I can Barely Chirp them going into second. The Reloc. brackets should be your next Mod. Followed by control arms and PanHard.



This is on my car when I was Installing mine. Just did the best I could with my welder then took it to a shop to have it professionally welded.

[raroZ28]

i'm with jeff.

UD pulleys are the biggest waste of money.

[MunsonGTA]

a STB only helps the car in corners, it's a handling mod. also the part about UD pulleys causing charging problems isn't really true. you can buy kits that don't alter how your car charges at all. they come with a crank and PS pulley and that's it, no alternator pulley. it's still a waste of money though. also another thing to consider when thinking about modding your suspension. the more power you actually get to the ground, the better chance you have of breaking stock parts. i see it happen all the time. my buddy has an 02 formula that did it. in specific, he upgraded a bunch of his stock suspension to get more power to the ground, 2 weeks later the car was sitting in his driveway with a blown apart rear end. if your car is an auto you probably wouldn't have to worry about it as much.

[RICEATER94Bird]

If i do the relo brackets,panhard and controll arms i will go ahead and order them from spohn again. about the brackets, are they installed where my subframes are welded to the controll arm brackets??

[ConElite]

If i do the relo brackets,panhard and controll arms i will go ahead and order them from spohn again. about the brackets, are they installed where my subframes are welded to the controll arm brackets??

No, the relocation brackets go on the alxe side of the control arm. look at the pictures.

[MDMike]

shocks!

yr best investment is new, read HD, shocks.

[Injuneer]

a STB only helps the car in corners, it's a handling mod. also the part about UD pulleys causing charging problems isn't really true. you can buy kits that don't alter how your car charges at all. they come with a crank and PS pulley and that's it, no alternator pulley.

If you put on an underdrive pulley on the crank, you slow down everything the serpentine belt drives - alternator, A/C and power steering. To keep the alternator at full charge, you need a set that consists of an underdrive crank pulley and an overdrive alternator pulley. The crank pulley slows the alternator down and the alternator pulley speeds it back up. March calls this their "Power & Amp" set. They also make a "max performance" set that includes an underdrive crank pulley and an underdrive alternator pulley, to really slow the alternator down. Very likely to cause the system voltage to drop at stock idle speeds. I've never seen a set with an underdrive PS pulley.

U/D pulley dyno.... 0.7 peak HP gain.

http://www.ws6.com/mod-2.htm

[MunsonGTA]

If you put on an underdrive pulley on the crank, you slow down everything the serpentine belt drives - alternator, A/C and power steering. To keep the alternator at full charge, you need a set that consists of an underdrive crank pulley and an overdrive alternator pulley. The crank pulley slows the alternator down and the alternator pulley speeds it back up. March calls this their "Power & Amp" set. They also make a "max performance" set that includes an underdrive crank pulley and an underdrive alternator pulley, to really slow the alternator down. Very likely to cause the system voltage to drop at stock idle speeds. I've never seen a set with an underdrive PS pulley.

U/D pulley dyno.... 0.7 peak HP gain.

http://www.ws6.com/mod-2.htm

i knew it was something like that. i just know there are kits that makes it so your car will fully charge with the UD pulleys. i made a custom serpentine setup for my car, never wanted UD pulleys.

[Injuneer]

An underdrive pulley would provide over 10HP on your engine, because the water pump is belt driven. The LT1 doesn't gain that much because the water pump is gear driven off the timing set, not by the belt.