Are underdrive pulleys worth it?

[Big Turkey]

Someone told me that if I put power pulleys on my explorer it'll mess up my heater and I'll have A/C probs and whatnot. Is this true? Anyone have any pulleys on? And how are they performance-wise? I don't know if it's worth getting...

 

[CBoug76]

As far as I know the under-drive pulley's are a new thing, and I do not know of anyone that has gotten them yet. But they did peak my intrest.

 

[aldive]

This is not a new comcept; hot rodders have done this for years.

I don't know how well they work on a street driven Explorer.

I too am interested in the concept in my quest for better gas mileage.

 

[CBoug76]

As far as I know the under-drive pulley's are a new thing For the Explorers! opps!

 

[Sandy]

Big Turkey,
Determine what your use is then decide.
The Underdrive pulleys may be new to the Explorer set but they are an old idea as stated before.
The problem with the pulleys is that they do not drive the accessories at the specified rpm.
The alternator will produce less amps, the A/C compressor will not move the coolant the way it should, the water pump will not circulate water at the same rate to keep the engine cool.
Yes you gain a little HP but is the trade off worth it?
Consider an electric fan or a better air breather or maybe a set of headers with a good exhaust system instead of the pulleys.

Of course this is my opinion, but for off road use everything that matter is affected by underdriving the accessories and I for one do not want problems on the trail.

Good Luck on your chice,

 

[yob_yeknom]

Are under drive pulleys worth it? Simple answer: NO

Unless your vehicle is used for racing, under drive pulleys cause way too many problems. In no way will they be worth the trade off for the small amount of extra HP they will free up.

 

[RTStork]

I have them on my S10 and my Mustang and I have no overheating, or charging problems. They cut a tenth off my Mustang's 1/4 mile time, so they are definately worth it. The only other mod that has that "bang for the buck" is gears. So far the only company that I've found that makes pulleys for the Explorer is JET, and they didn't fit. If you find another brand, let us know. Steeda or ASP are probably working on some.