Harmonic damper and crank pulley question

[Eagles3k]

I was doing a little research into the stock sized 3sx crank pulley and I came across a page that happened to talk about whether it is a good upgrade or not. The conversation was a bit over my head but what I got from it was that the 3sx custom stock sized pulley did not have the rubber that the stock one has.

This rubber is apparently the harmonic damper?! I am a bit of a noob when it comes to this technical. Is this true? They also went as far to say that the 3sx one is not a very good option since it removes the harmonic damper. You would think that engineers would include such an element in design for a reason, so removing it would not be in the best interest would it? Any help on this would be awesome.

Thanks in advance!

[one day...]

well, I'm not more a expert then you about that, but I was interested in the subject, and I ear/read the same thing.

no rubber, no harmonic. it could make vibrate the crank shaft..

so I decide to stay away. I dont want to take the chance on that, even if many had no problem with 3SX stock size or unorthodox one..

maybe someone try one for more then 7-10 year could tell his story?

[2FAST4U]

I bought one of these to install during my 2nd re-build, then did the same research and also decided to stear clear. To me, the thought if an extra 5hp to the wheels isnt worth the constant worry of damage to my engine.

...That said, if you are looking to buy one, I have one for sale ;)

[Snortin93]

I'm running one, and haven't had any issues in 3 years. But the reason that I bought one was becuz my OEM unit had already lost quite a few chunks of rubber, and was going to take my engine out if I didn't replace it. IMHO, if your stock harmonic balancer is good, stick with it! As for the horsepower gain, but my butt-dyno couldn't tell any difference. The nice thing about the 3SX unit is that it is sized the same as the OEM one, so you don't run into any of the potential issues that come with the undersized one.

Bottom line: all cars come with a harmonic balancer for a reason, and it's not becuz it's cheaper than a piece of aluminum. :)

[one day...]

my butt-dyno couldn't tell any difference.

I like that lol! :bigup: