My AA pulley...observation and impressions.

[DirtyJersey]

First off from a performance perspective I do notice what I believe to be more pull across the entire range after the pulley install. Additionally, the performance increase is also evident with more wheel spin when switching from 1st to 2nd gear (DCT sport plus). The rear tires scramble for traction in M mode when switching gears. Can’t get enough of that! So there is definitely a difference. Nothing mind boggling but its there.

Now for the "side effect" if you will.... First, my senses tell me I hear a slight increase in what I guess I will call whining or humming. It’s noticeable when you’re in gear and kinda just slowly bringing up the rpms to 2-3 or so (with your windows down).... The engine whines normally even when stock, just seem a little more pronounced now. I'm pretty conscious of my surrounding and despite only having the M now for a few months I think it whines more. The jury is still out until I guess I can confirm it on another stock car however it’s my impression and I would love to hear from anyone else that might have noticed this!

Secondly, this I am absolutely positive, and that is the fan definitely comes on more often now. No, its not the warmer weather either. The fan comes on more frequently despite cooler outsides temps with no noticeable difference in oil or engine temp. I could confirm this first hand as it is obvious to me.

Finally, and this is on occasion as I haven't had the pulley on for long. At times the rpms will idle a fraction or so lower than normal now. I'm talking probably not even 100 rpms or so. Funny thing is it doesn't happen all the time but I definitely noticed it. Additionally, the engine appears to me at least, to go into its normal idling rpms faster after a cold start. Not sure what this means. Just my observations. Hope some fanatics can chime in here with their thoughts.

Other than that, it delivers on what it is intended to do.

[Manny212]

I got the AA pulley installed with HFC pipes so i felt a good amount of power increase. I have had no negative effects from the pulley. I don't hear the whining you speak of either, but that might be due to the interior loudness of my exhaust system.

[armyav8tor]

I logged a hard Nurburgring weekend (~15 laps) with the pulley and it performed fine, didn't feel any ill effects car rev'd easier as already mentioned. The belt did give out on the drive back home on the Autobahn though, Right after I taped this run:

..... :P Lucky for me it didn't snap off completely, just chunks of rubber missing off the belt which made a nasty sound, like I lost a valve spring.

[armyav8tor]

Put the pulley back on Thursday night, drove around all day yesterday in 100 degrees Alabama weather. Car felt stronger, temps didn't change, no change in steering feel, a/c is very cold and the new belt looks much stronger than the one that broke. Now that my pulley issue is over, its time to shop for a X-pipe!

[mixja]

On a couple of occasions in rush hour stop start traffic I've had a DCT overheating warning with the AA pulley kit - anybody else get this?

[J08M3]

Originally Posted by mixja

On a couple of occasions in rush hour stop start traffic I've had a DCT overheating warning with the AA pulley kit - anybody else get this?

Is the transmission even cooled by the pulley??

[RL in Florida]

Originally Posted by mixja

On a couple of occasions in rush hour stop start traffic I've had a DCT overheating warning with the AA pulley kit - anybody else get this?

Haven't had this happen, but at idle and stop/start, the car definitely gets warmer inside as the a/c slows down a bit.

[King Tut]

Originally Posted by mixja

On a couple of occasions in rush hour stop start traffic I've had a DCT overheating warning with the AA pulley kit - anybody else get this?

That is what Evosport was worried about in choosing to underdrive the DCT pump side of the car. If you continue overheating you could switch to the Evosport pulley because it doesn't underdrive that side of the engine.

[stylinexpat]

Seems like the air-conditioner on these cars is not all that great. Mine is stock and once rolling on the highway the air-conditioner is fine but in the city at a stop the air-conditioner is pretty much useless from what I have seen so far. If I were in Dubai,Kuwait or Saudi this car would be a nightmare in the summer heat.

I am looking into pulleys as well but don't want any problems.

[stylinexpat]

Originally Posted by armyav8tor

I logged a hard Nurburgring weekend (~15 laps) with the pulley and it performed fine, didn't feel any ill effects car rev'd easier as already mentioned. The belt did give out on the drive back home on the Autobahn though, Right after I taped this run:

..... :P Lucky for me it didn't snap off completely, just chunks of rubber missing off the belt which made a nasty sound, like I lost a valve spring.

WTF?? They ship it to you with a bad belt??

[armyav8tor]

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

WTF?? They ship it to you with a bad belt??

They had a batch of bad belts from the manufacturer. Its good to go now.

[DirtyJersey]

Thanks for the comments guys. I'm just so critical of my car as I'm sure all of us on here are that I want to make sure I understand the conditions of a pulley especially on a $70k+ car. Over that past few days im way over analyzing everything little thing it does.

[aus]

Originally Posted by stylinexpat

WTF?? They ship it to you with a bad belt??

My stock belt blew out, so it's not just aftermarket belts that can go bad.

[aus]

Originally Posted by King Tut

That is what Evosport was worried about in choosing to underdrive the DCT pump side of the car. If you continue overheating you could switch to the Evosport pulley because it doesn't underdrive that side of the engine.

So there's a DCT pump off the main pulley? Is it in line with the A/C and power steering or a separate belt?

[King Tut]

The pulleys appear to be the same so I don't know, but I know in talking with Evosport that they said that underdriving the power steering side affected the DCT cars. The testing was done on Sticky's car.

[dhoggm3]

I just installed the AA pulley this week, as well. Very nice mod for the price. Car feels a little less anemic at 2K and enjoys this little extra pull all the way up. Woo hoo! Not a ton, just a little, and I'll take a little more torque in this motor wherever I can get it.

The belt came in a factory wrapper with part number, so it seems I'm not enslaved to AA for a replacement belt. It should be an Autozone trip.

I didn't notice any whirring or heavier steering. But I also have the AA exhaust and had the top down, so I really wasn't paying attention - I love this car!

[Eugene-TAIWAN]

Originally Posted by King Tut

The pulleys appear to be the same so I don't know, but I know in talking with Evosport that they said that underdriving the power steering side affected the DCT cars. The testing was done on Sticky's car.

So its safe to say that if you have a 6MT your on the safe side?
and the a/C will not get effected?? its really really hot in Taiwan.

[e46e92love]

Originally Posted by DirtyJersey

Now for the "side effect" if you will.... First, my senses tell me I hear a slight increase in what I guess I will call whining or humming. It’s noticeable when you’re in gear and kinda just slowly bringing up the rpms to 2-3 or so (with your windows down).... The engine whines normally even when stock, just seem a little more pronounced now. I'm pretty conscious of my surrounding and despite only having the M now for a few months I think it whines more. The jury is still out until I guess I can confirm it on another stock car however it’s my impression and I would love to hear from anyone else that might have noticed this!

Secondly, this I am absolutely positive, and that is the fan definitely comes on more often now. No, its not the warmer weather either. The fan comes on more frequently despite cooler outsides temps with no noticeable difference in oil or engine temp. I could confirm this first hand as it is obvious to me.

Finally, and this is on occasion as I haven't had the pulley on for long. At times the rpms will idle a fraction or so lower than normal now. I'm talking probably not even 100 rpms or so. Funny thing is it doesn't happen all the time but I definitely noticed it. Additionally, the engine appears to me at least, to go into its normal idling rpms faster after a cold start. Not sure what this means. Just my observations. Hope some fanatics can chime in here with their thoughts.

I'm sure PG or someone else in the know will argue with me and beat me down, which they may be right. But the "side-effects" as you call them are exactly why I think after-market pulleys are a VERY bad idea. I don't remember every detail on the engineering behind why an after-market pulley is a bad idea but I know there can be many more negative "side-effects" other than you listed such as the engine being thrown out of balance and accessories running off the belt being driven to operate harder than originally intended, ones you can't necessarily feel until its "too late".

I'm glad you are enjoying your purchase but I really feel like this is one of the mods that everyone would should be worried about.

Cheers,
e46e92

[dogears]

Your post is totally alarmist and misinformed. Not gonna beat you down, but....

The M3 pulley is not involved in balance. Replacing the pulley in no way throws the motor out of balance. This is fact.

The accessories are being under-driven. This actually puts less stress and load on them. Your comment is 180 degrees fromn the reality.

The only tangible negative, is that there may be an ever so slight increase in water temp in hot weather while idling. Also, the alternator output may be slightly less at idle. Once you are driving, the accessory rpms are up and there is no negative effect. I have not noticed any ill effects at all. And my steering feels perfectly normal and fine. There is no noise associated with the pulley change, that I could hear.

It is your right to not get an aftermarket pulley but posting myths is not warranted...IMO of course.

Originally Posted by e46e92love

I'm sure PG or someone else in the know will argue with me and beat me down, which they may be right. But the "side-effects" as you call them are exactly why I think after-market pulleys are a VERY bad idea. I don't remember every detail on the engineering behind why an after-market pulley is a bad idea but I know there can be many more negative "side-effects" other than you listed such as the engine being thrown out of balance and accessories running off the belt being driven to operate harder than originally intended, ones you can't necessarily feel until its "too late".

I'm glad you are enjoying your purchase but I really feel like this is one of the mods that everyone would should be worried about.

Cheers,
e46e92

[e46e92love]

Originally Posted by dogears

Your post is totally alarmist and misinformed. Not gonna beat you down, but....

The M3 pulley is not involved in balance. Replacing the pulley in no way throws the motor out of balance. This is fact.

The accessories are being under-driven. This actually puts less stress and load on them. Your comment is 180 degrees fromn the reality.

The only tangible negative, is that there may be an ever so slight increase in water temp in hot weather while idling. Also, the alternator output may be slightly less at idle. Once you are driving, the accessory rpms are up and there is no negative effect. I have not noticed any ill effects at all. And my steering feels perfectly normal and fine. There is no noise associated with the pulley change, that I could hear.

It is your right to not get an aftermarket pulley but posting myths is not warranted...IMO of course.

Without sounding like a dick, unless PG or someone like that from these boards jumps on this thread and calls my statements myths, you describing my posts as myths doesn't make it so. Not sure why what you think is fact and what I put is myths. I specifically invited the engineers and those with experience in the industry (i.e. PG) to point out how I am wrong and explain why. Perhaps you fit in this category, but I have seen nothing to show that, sorry.

Cheers,
e46e92

[J08M3]

Originally Posted by e46e92love

Without sounding like a dick, unless PG or someone like that from these boards jumps on this thread and calls my statements myths, you describing my posts as myths doesn't make it so. Not sure why what you think is fact and what I put is myths. I specifically invited the engineers and those with experience in the industry (i.e. PG) to point out how I am wrong and explain why. Perhaps you fit in this category, but I have seen nothing to show that, sorry.

Cheers,
e46e92

dogears is right. Your statement was off by 180 degrees. Engine is not balanced by the pulley and accessories are under-driven not over-driven.

[armyav8tor]

Originally Posted by J08M3

dogears is right. Your statement was off by 180 degrees. Engine is not balanced by the pulley and accessories are under-driven not over-driven.

+1, I think e46e92love remember reading about the harmonic damper back in the e36 days and associated that issue with the e92. The e92 pulley does not remove or replace the damper. http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...armonic+damper