ON THE TOPIC OF VIBRATIONS, HARMONICS, AND SAFETY

Q. Do lightweight aluminum crank pulleys lead to premature engine failure?

Most American engines in the muscle car era (50s-60s) were externally balanced.  An external balancer (harmonic balancer) was attached to the outside of the engine, on the crank snout, to balance these engines externally. The crank pulley in such engines would then be attached to this balancer. Removal of this balancer was a bad idea. These balancers were most often used on large displacement V8 engines and the majority of today’s internet forums and social media discussions regarding harmonics stem from this principle.

Modern (1980s and up) Honda, Toyota, Nissan, or other Japanese engines are NOT equipped with external balancers. These engines are internally balanced and this process has improved even further since the 90s. So the topic of a BALANCER does not apply here.

The crank pulley found on many modern engines is often called a harmonic damper. This damper is a thin rubber band, less than (1/8 inch) 2mm, built into the crank pulley. This rubber is used to absorb something called NVH, noise/vibration/harshness. Suffice it to say, this rubber is actually not very good at performing its intended purpose after as little as a few thousand miles. What happens to rubber after exposure to weather conditions such as humidity, snow, rain, etc? It often becomes brittle, hard, and crunchy. Can something with these properties actually absorb vibrations very well?

Many NST customers have reported smoother running engines with NST pulleys, especially at idle. How is this possible if the rubber is such a vital important piece? As it turns out, the rubber is not as important as it is cracked up to be.

Further on the topic of the rubber damper, engine vibrations, or possible threats resulting from elimination of this rubber piece…

On a well maintained engine with bolt-ons or low amounts of boost like what most owners probably run, a lightweight aluminum crank pulley will not have any life threatening consequences.

The engineering reasons are that most modern engines have a short (increasingly strong) crankshaft operating under 8,000 RPM. The dangerous second harmonic that can cause damage occurs at an RPM that this sort of engine will never see, in the area above 10,000 RPM. Even the OEM damper is not tuned for attenuation above 10,000 RPM, so the argument is somewhat of a moot point.  90% of our customers do not fall into the latter category. How many 500 HP+, 10,000 RPM+ engines do we have on the street?

Q.  Does NST have cars/customers in professional motorsports using its products?

There are a large number of Honda, Toyota, and Nissan guys who use underdrive crank pulleys in road racing series like NASA or SCCA. Road racing is much more punishing on an engine than other motorsports. The engine is subjected to run times lasting roughly 30 minutes with the engine always in the upper ranges of its RPM limit. One race weekend is the equivlent of hundreds of 1/4 mile passes. These guys would not use NST pulleys if they were not reliable.

NST sponsored the first ever wheel to wheel Scion tC NASA Road Race car. The same car was very competitive in the Grand Am series and had factory backing from Toyota, Scion, and TRD. This car used pulleys from NST with great results since day one.

NST has sponsored several drift cars participating in the professional US drift series, Fromula Drift. Several of our cars have also competed in D1 GP USA, Xtreme Drift Circuit, and NOPI Drift series. To make things better, NST products are also used in autocross, time attack, and drag cars.

IN SUMMARY, ON VIBRATIONS, HARMONICS, AND SAFETY…

Older American V8 engines are externally balanced and require pulleys designed specifically for these applications, or damage to the engine could result. You will not find solid aluminum NST pulleys on our website for such engines.

High RPM engines, when modified well beyond the simple bolt-on stages, may have issues with solid aluminum pulleys. Such engines reach critical harmonics above 10,000 RPM, a range in which the dangerous wave of harmonics can come into play.  For such RACE engines, OEM dampers are also not sufficient.

90% of our customers’ engines do not fall into the above categories, and as a result, will benefit from the lightweight pulleys NST offers. Rest assured, your engines will not suffer damage nor will they have a reduced life in street and/or track use when NST products are installed properly.

We would bet that every “expert” preaching otherwise has little personal, practical, real world experience with the subject; as it applies in your case.

NonStopTuning ORDER & SHIPPING PROCESS 

The NST website has been designed with you, the user and customer, in mind. Our website is constantly updated to include accurate information to help educate and inform visitors.

Our site is designed to handle all orders online, it is secure, automated, and integrated with our available inventory. Debit or Credit Cards can be used and international shipping is available.  Most orders are processed within a few days and the majority of our packages ship via USPS Priority Mail (2 day service) with Tracking Numbers.  Most USA packages ship for less than $10.00 per order, most international packages ship for less than $50.00. Please use our online shopping cart to start the order process and you will be prompted with an exact shipping quote based on your address and info.

Customers can expect to receive the following:
1. Instant email confirmation of a successful order/payment via online shopping cart.
2. Follow up email with full order details and final processing within a few days.
3. Final email with detailed shipping information and tracking numbers.

When Requesting Order Info:  Please include full name, description (item number) of what was ordered, and order number. Order status/tracking inquiries are best handled via emails and will NOT be handled by phone and/or social media.  Our social media staff does not have access to the necessary information to respond to such requests. All such posts on social media pages will be deleted.

Thank you for your support of our brand and products, best of luck with all your projects!

NonStopTuning RETURN POLICY

If for any reason you are not satisfied with your purchase, you may return an item within 14 days of delivery. ALL return/warranty/service requests must be initiated by email and must be approved by NST.

Products must be in original packaging and in new condition. Any product that was used or fully/partially installed is non-refundable. Shipping Fees (Both inbound and outbound) are non-refundable. A 15% re-stocking fee will apply to all returns.

Special Order Items require payment/deposit before production and can not be cancelled.

NonStopTuning WARRANTY POLICY

NonStopTuning warrants the quality of all NST items for one (1) year. Pulley warranty is contingent upon new OEM crank bolts being torqued to OEM specs at the time of install and accessory belts being changed every 3 years or 36,000 miles. This limited warranty is extended only to the original purchaser from the NST website and may not be transferred or assigned. Any modification to NST products voids any and all warranties. Before installation, check new car warranty as NST is not responsible for voiding the car manufacturer warranty. All warranty claims must be sent directly to NST via email. If all the above procedures are followed, and the product is found to be defective in either material or workmanship, NST shall EITHER repair or replace the product, at its sole discretion, and at its sole cost. This limited warranty does NOT cover or apply to any personal injury, labor charges, or any other incidental costs or damages.

THIS LIMITED WARRANTY IS THE ONLY EXPRESSED WARRANTY, WHICH APPLIES TO NST PRODUCTS AND IS EXPRESSLY GIVEN IN LIEU OF ANY OTHER WARRANTY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY INCLUDING THAT OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS HEREBY LIMITED BY THE SAME TERMS AND TIME LIMITATIONS SET FORTH IN THIS LIMITED EXPRESSED WARRANTY AND OTHERWISE EXCLUDED. EXCEPT FOR THOSE OBLIGATIONS ASSUMED HEREIN, NST ASSUMES NO OTHER OBLIGATIONS IN CONNECTION WITH THE SALE OF NST PRODUCTS.

NST – NonStopTuning
http://www.NonStopTuning.com