I'm on the search for a pulley set,

Alternator
Water
Crank

As of now what are the best street options

Search

+1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/RalcoRZ-Light-Weight-Pulleys-Mazda-RX8-03-06_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ38656QQihZ002QQitemZ 120260361323QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

I got your back SON!!!!!!

the best ones are usually the ones that perform better than all others

well i have a combo...the ebay water and alt...and the AP crank. i can tell the difference in how fast it revs...and doing that combo is the cheapest to get all three pulleys

Yes, you should search.
I am running the www.unorthodoxracing.com Ultra SS pulley set.
All together they run about three pounds.

http://www.unorthodoxracing.com/Merchant2/0408018.jpg

Yes, you should search.
I am running the www.unorthodoxracing.com Ultra SS pulley set.
All together they run about three pounds.

http://www.unorthodoxracing.com/Merchant2/0408018.jpg

Thanks Mazurfer, this helps...and by the looks of it defenitely getting these.

Yes, you should search.
I am running the www.unorthodoxracing.com Ultra SS pulley set.
All together they run about three pounds.

http://www.unorthodoxracing.com/Merchant2/0408018.jpg

What do you think about those maz, I wanted to get those or the AP pulleys and got talked out of it. Lots of people said they were a waste. Any different in your opinion?

Any pulley set is pretty much a waste. You will gain very little if any. I bought them for the only reason one should...............for looks. They are lighter than stock, but that doesn't mean a lot. Anyway, I can afford them, wanted them for some strange little bling factor, so what the hell. They may not even be the best pulley set, but I didn't care. Again...........I liked the look.........you will he people argue that you can't see them much anyway.
Most people that do this go with the AP pulley/set, but I didn't like it as much.

AP pulley FTW - ask MM about the neck snapping power gains

^^^LOL Brettus
Don't under estimate SR Motorsports pulleys.

Any pulley set is pretty much a waste. You will gain very little if any. I bought them for the only reason one should...............for looks. They are lighter than stock, but that doesn't mean a lot. Anyway, I can afford them, wanted them for some strange little bling factor, so what the hell. They may not even be the best pulley set, but I didn't care. Again...........I liked the look.........you will he people argue that you can't see them much anyway.
Most people that do this go with the AP pulley/set, but I didn't like it as much.

cool, thanks for the feedback, thats what most people say. As for me, I need to "bling up" the exterior before under the hood because my car looks bone stock with tint and TEIN stickers :lol:

Yes, you should search.
I am running the www.unorthodoxracing.com Ultra SS pulley set.
All together they run about three pounds.

http://www.unorthodoxracing.com/Merchant2/0408018.jpg

I get them if they're not underdriven ...

From the website:


Our pulley sets provide most of the power gains through weight loss (80-85%). The remaining part of the gains from these pulleys comes from underdriving of all the accessories (15-20%).

However, we do not push underdriving for two main reasons. First, it is important to keep charging systems, air conditioning, power steering, and water pumps moving fast enough for every day driving. Second, not much horsepower is gained from extreme underdriving.

In most applications all of our underdriving is done with the crank pulley, not the accessory pulleys. This is done so maximum weight loss can be achieved at the crank where most of the horsepower gains are found.

Our underdrive pulley sets are available in polished finish only

so that solves NYC's concern...

don't get them. thats not the set for you...unless you want to deal with those annoying lights coming on upon installation.

i have the e-gay water/alternator pulley in blue. they look nice... and no matter how you look at it, its less mass to turn. though only a few ounces saved...

i got them engraved before i installed them, so yea... its more for bling than massive HP gains.

personally, i'd stay away from getting a crank pulley. not only from the advantage/disadvantage of its nature. but from throwing off the balance of the crank...

if you think about it, it IS a driving gear. not a DRIVEN gear. so be careful. it can throw off some balance... long term bearing side affects are not reported.

From the website:


Our pulley sets provide most of the power gains through weight loss (80-85%). The remaining part of the gains from these pulleys comes from underdriving of all the accessories (15-20%).

However, we do not push underdriving for two main reasons. First, it is important to keep charging systems, air conditioning, power steering, and water pumps moving fast enough for every day driving. Second, not much horsepower is gained from extreme underdriving.

In most applications all of our underdriving is done with the crank pulley, not the accessory pulleys. This is done so maximum weight loss can be achieved at the crank where most of the horsepower gains are found.

Our underdrive pulley sets are available in polished finish only

Well, 11% underdriven is not a lot, but I just prefer none :(

I will get it one day, but pulleys are not my *main* concerns now.

i had the ap pulleys... i disagree to "they are a waste"

hp and tq wise yeah they dont do shit but i liked the way the car revv'ed faster and what not.. it was nicer to revv match/downshift IMO...

pick w/e ones u think look nicer.. they all do pretty much the same thing try to choose the one that underdrives the least if anything

a pulley attached to a sc would be a useful one.

beers :beer:

These usually sell for $199 for all 3 pulleys underdriven:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/_Car-Truck-Parts-Accessories__Ralco-RZ-Underdrive-Pulleys-Mazda-RX8-2004-2005_W0QQitemZ310074832745QQadnZCarQ20Q26Q20TruckQ 20PartsQ20Q26Q20AccessoriesQQadiZ2865QQcmdZViewIte m?hash=item310074832745&_trkparms=39%3A1|65%3A1|240%3A1318&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245


They were offloading them at $69 a few days ago:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310072627429

I picked up a set. Will get it powder coated a bright red :) Doesn't matter to me if there are any gains.

I have bought some Ralco pulley kit, and put it on and I've noticed a big difference where we test our cars around here and I gain 8 mph in that section. I had to reset the config to offset the lighter pulleys, but for the price of $99 for the kit and there made from billet aluminum, looks good as well as runs better, and I have not had any problems with the charging system or anything and they are underdriven by around 20%, less mass and weight to spin faster revs that help out quite a bit, but everyone has there own opinions on this subject so I figured to let you know mine if that helps any.

I had issues with the alt pulley on that kit. They redesigned it and are sending me a new one that won't rub against the alternator. Two thumbs up for customer service!

The only thing I don't like about their kit is that the alternator is smaller than stock. By making it smaller, that means they are offsetting the smaller crank pulley and so the alternator will spin close to the speed of the stock setup. For some people this is ideal (underdrive without underdriving alternator), but for me I know the underdriven alternator doesn't bother anything and I would prefer to have it underdriven too.

Maybe they'll offer two configurations in the future.

That kit they sent me all pulleys are smaller then the stock and are light as hell. that's your alt. is being underdriven when the pulley is smaller at least that is my opinion since it is not stock size it is being underdriven. I could fit my alt pulley inside the stock one, and the other pulleys also fit inside the stock pulleys real good. They do have good customer service, because I called and ask 101 question before I put them on, and they took there time instead up trying to get me off the phone as fast as they could, and when they weren'
t there they acually called me back when they opened. So I agree with you two thumbs up for them. Did you have to reset your cal. when you put them on, did you notice the difference in power gain with these one, cause on my 7 I had mr pulleys and it didn't make to big of a gain with them. These made quite the difference on my 8 so I think for the $99 dollars I got my money worth out of it.

That kit they sent me all pulleys are smaller then the stock and are light as hell. that's your alt. is being underdriven when the pulley is smaller at least that is my opinion since it is not stock size it is being underdriven. I could fit my alt pulley inside the stock one, and the other pulleys also fit inside the stock pulleys real good.

The alternator pulley is smaller, therefor it is NOT underdriven.

Look, when you have two pulleys of equal size, they will spin at the same rate. When you have two pulleys, one smaller than the other, the smaller one will spin faster. With me so far?

Now let's apply this to your vehicle. The pulley on your engine is X size. If you change it to X-2 (a size smaller than the original X), it will spin faster, therefor your other pulleys will now spin slower relative to the original setup. This is what underdriven is all about. You want your accessories to spin slower so that they don't leech as much power from the vehicle. You don't want it too slow, or your alternator and water pump will not work properly.

Now, if you make the engine pulley smaller and the alternator pulley smaller by the same percentage, what you end up is the same exact ratios as you started out with. This is why the smaller alternator pulley is not ideal and why I want a stock sized one.

btw, the Ralco main pulley is even smaller than the Agency Power (AP) pulley. It's only a little bit smaller, but that makes it the highest underdriven pulley available AFAIK. So getting this 3 pulley kit for $70 or $90 and using just the water pump and main pulley makes it have the highest gains of any pulley kit available. If you use the alternator pulley, you don't underdriven the alt and your gains will not be as much.

Ultimately in the end the gains from this are maybe 5 hp, so don't take what I'm saying out of context and think you're going to make +100 hp :)

Ralco on top vs AP on bottom:

http://www.rx8club.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=126968&stc=1&d=1222744092

Well thanks for that info, I knew a little about being underdriven, but not to the full extent. I know it wouldn't give that much power just the 5 to 10 max was all I was expecting from it, but I wasn't taking anything out of context so sorry if it sounded like it. That 8 mph increase is not in the 1/4 mile, it's about a little over 1/2 unfortunately.

so your saying dont use the alt pulley?

using just the water pump and main pulley makes it have the highest gains of any pulley kit available. If you use the alternator pulley, you don't underdriven the alt and your gains will not be as much.
so your saying dont use the alt pulley?

all i know is i like my SR motorsports pulleys.

So where the crap are you finding all 3 pulleys for $70 mysql? lol I'm looking around and no dice.. I found 2 of them for $70, but only the alternator and the water pump

this is the seller:

http://tinyurl.com/5w7ctm


his current auction is $30 more than what I paid, but it's still a good deal. You'll need to buy belts, so that's another $30 or so. Just leave off the alternator pulley since it's smaller than OEM and reverses the underdrive of the main pulley.

Right. Unlike other posters, I read what you said :D Thanks for all the tips.

nice any pics of the ralco pulley installed?

http://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php?p=2667005&postcount=280

^ looks very clean and love the color of the pulleys

just need some bhr ignition coils with the red spark plug wires :)

I had issues with the alt pulley on that kit. They redesigned it and are sending me a new one that won't rub against the alternator. Two thumbs up for customer service!

The only thing I don't like about their kit is that the alternator is smaller than stock. By making it smaller, that means they are offsetting the smaller crank pulley and so the alternator will spin close to the speed of the stock setup. For some people this is ideal (underdrive without underdriving alternator), but for me I know the underdriven alternator doesn't bother anything and I would prefer to have it underdriven too.

Maybe they'll offer two configurations in the future.

OK, I have an update to post. They sent me a redesigned alt pulley and there is no rubbing anymore. It runs flawlessly. They said I'm the only one to complain about rubbing, but even so they redesigned it for me. All new kits shipped will have the redesigned version, and if anyone has the old one and rubbing, they'll take care of you too. You can tell if you have issues because if it's rubbing, the alt will not spin freely (without the belt tightened).

They also tell me on the dyno they found more gains with all 3 pulleys instead of doing the 2 pulleys that I've suggested. The pulleys are extremely light weight, so maybe the gains from lighter weight alt pulley outweigh the loss from not underdriving the alt as much? I don't know.

I've asked them to post the underdrive % and pulley weight since without that there is no way to directly compare one pulley set to the next. Far as I can tell this is the best combo for gains and the best price.

http://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php?p=2667005&postcount=280

those things look sexy!

i might just sell my agency pulley for those.... hmmmm

this is the seller:

http://tinyurl.com/5w7ctm


his current auction is $30 more than what I paid, but it's still a good deal. You'll need to buy belts, so that's another $30 or so. Just leave off the alternator pulley since it's smaller than OEM and reverses the underdrive of the main pulley.
Mysql Do you mean new OEM belts??
Thanks.. And..
This seems like a nice somewhat "cheap" mod cost wise, but I couldn't find a DIY on it, would I need a shop to do this? Or is it a basic swap?...

you'll need new belts. they will be smaller than oem since the pulleys are smaller.

it's easy and can be done with normal hand tools. the only exception to this is for the alternator nut. You'll need an impact wrench. You can get a cheapo one at walmart for less than $30.

Cool.. Got it.. Thanks for the fast reply...

I have the Agency Power pulley. I dont really feel anything. I put it on because it was cheap and wanted to do something to the car.

I have the Agency Power pulley. I dont really feel anything. I put it on because it was cheap and wanted to do something to the car.

Ditto :lol:

What about the SR Motorsports pulleys? I have seen two people in this thread say that they like them but nobody has talked about them. I only ask because they were on my 8 when I bought it, they are the only mod on the car. I have never driven an 8 other than this one so I have no idea what difference they make....just wondering if they did anything? The SR Motorsports page shows a dyno sheet saying 12hp gains....is this true or a bunch of crap?

What about the SR Motorsports pulleys? I have seen two people in this thread say that they like them but nobody has talked about them. I only ask because they were on my 8 when I bought it, they are the only mod on the car. I have never driven an 8 other than this one so I have no idea what difference they make....just wondering if they did anything? The SR Motorsports page shows a dyno sheet saying 12hp gains....is this true or a bunch of crap?

More than likely a bunch of crap........

I havent seen pulleys give more than a 5 horsepower gain, at least not around here. Or I didnt search well enough :spank:

Yeah... people quit talking about it because its not worth discussing.
The price isn't really worth it for what little you gain.
Money is better spent elsewhere.

I almost bought cheap ebay underdrive pulleys just to dress up my engine bay. For 50 bucks you can find them any color and they're lighter than stock.

This mod if more cosmetic than anything else...

i would have to disagree about the comments on the SR pulleys. those comments were posted in 2009. and its obv late 2011 so who knows if they have changed them in anyway, but i just put mine on like 3 weeks ago and had it at the dyno last week and i got an 11 horsepower gain out of it.

and im extreemly happy with my SR pulleys.

Point is you are paying almost 500 bucks for 10 hp

pictures or it didnt happen

Point is you are paying almost 500 bucks for 10 hp

Agreed but it's not always a purely empirical value vs. hp.

The SR Pulleys look good as well, so that has to be worth something.

I have no evidence that mine added any horsepower (most likely did nothing), but they never seemed to cause any problems either (aka AC or idle issues).

But I was always happy with how they looked.

It's easy to spend 500 dollars on strictly dress up items.

Back to Paimon's point, it's a lot of money for little gain but such is the way with the RX8.
Look at the cat back exhausts, many of them are over 500$ and like the pulleys may only net a couple of hp, but people do it for the aesthetics.

the best performance pulley set eliminates the AC and the alternator doesn't generate sufficient voltage below 1150 rpm and even it doesn't free up 10 whp ...

Agreed but it's not always a purely empirical value vs. hp.

The SR Pulleys look good as well, so that has to be worth something.

I have no evidence that mine added any horsepower (most likely did nothing), but they never seemed to cause any problems either (aka AC or idle issues).

But I was always happy with how they looked.

It's easy to spend 500 dollars on strictly dress up items.

Back to Paimon's point, it's a lot of money for little gain but such is the way with the RX8.
Look at the cat back exhausts, many of them are over 500$ and like the pulleys may only net a couple of hp, but people do it for the aesthetics.

I hear ya, my thought is that if you have the 500 to spend, might as well put it somewhere else if you can. When it comes to aesthetics, pullies are rarely noticed especially on an engine bay that still has a stock intake box and battery location. Grabbing an AP, or saving up just a tad bit more for a BHR midpipe & HF cat would be far more effective.

think of all the fun you could have with $500 of gas........:wiggle:

The hooker better be hot if you're getting a pully for $500 :eek:

Test 1 of our Pulleykit.
We have tested them by Street and also on Nürnburgring (Green Hell), Hochenheim, Spa Speedway and the Sachsenring Speedway.

Our Pulleys come incl. Belts so you do not have to Buy them extra.
Also they have lifetime Warrenty we have absolved corrosion tests which simulates about 20 Years and we are surpriced and happy that there where no changes of the look.

Here is an Link to Ebay Click (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Diamond-Performance-Underdrive-Lightweight-Pulley-Kit-Pulleys-Mazda-RX-8-RX8-/170756355127?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3ARX-8&vxp=mtr&hash=item27c1df3437)

We can offer one Kit for testing -20% = 159 USD
PM me if someone would have it to test!!!