In 2021 what exactly are your thoughts on Lightweight Crank Pulley on Integra B18C Type R: Good or bad?

[neatrip]

I plan to tidy up some needed maintenance on my car and the crank pulley is part of the things I will have to remove as part of this process.



I've been rethinking about installing a lightweight Unorthodox or VMS light oem style pulley to my car to make it a little peppier once I get things sorted out for the next season.

As we know these lightweight aluminum crank pulleys are not dampened compared the the stock ITR or the more expensive ATI and this is where the question has always come in. Does it really matter?



It's now been 20 or more years since the last owners were asking if lightweight solid crank pulley is good to use for the ITR.



I've heard standard B16a and B18c1 can get away with using light crank pulley because of lower Rod/Stroke ratio due to lower peak vibrations but B18c type R in particular experiences more vibration in higher revolutions and more likely suffer premature oil pump and bearing damage in comparison.



For those who are currently using or have used in the past, an aftermarket lightweight crank pulley on DC Integra 1.8LType R what are your thoughts and experiences you would share to someone who is not running a/c or power steering on their car?

How many miles are you on?

Is it worth it for a stock engine with bolt ons?

I've read many years ago of negative experiences of B16B N1 Racing crank pulley particularly when used on 1.8L Type R Engines.



Watched the HeelandToe video on yt where he says engine damage from non-dampened crank pulley is a myth as long as it is balanced.



After reading on it again this topic continues to be debated by many after so many years.

Can we just clear this once and for all?

So what exactly are your honest thoughts from the ITR community?

[Klasse]

Interested to hear opinions too. I'm not sure id risk exploding an oil pump for 1hp though.

[Sporky82]

Buy a ATI or Fluidamper

With Oem crank pulleys discontinued and jobber parts ie: Dorman may not be the highest of quality your best bet is to go with ATI or Fluidamper

Both are built to survive the abuse of a racing environment, ATI has a street version which allows for alternator, PS and AC accessories.

I personally use ATI street on my car, street use and the occasional track day and it's nice to know that the bottom end isn't vibrating like crazy.

With those N1 style pulley's people don't realize that racers in Japan where the N1 program started. These engines were rebuilt at the end of the season, with zero vibration damping these are purpose built motors that require high levels of maintenance.

Here is a excellent read a member on honda-tech did years ago:

https://honda-tech.com/forums/forced-i ... -3329855/

[aklackner]

I’ve heard great things about fluidampr units. They do have a under drive pulley for b series but not sure if there’s a weight savings. My interest is more around a viable replacement for oem units with dry cracking rubber.

My only hesitation is the install seems to need special tooling where newer kseries models show compatibility with OEM style Honda crank holder tools.

Anyone with experience installing or servicing (timing belt) a b series with a fluidampr without their custom puller/installer?

[Sporky82]

Installing my ATI was quite easy, I used a small amount of anti-seize on the snout and installed the key and centered the damper by hand. It is a very tight fit but I was able to have it sit in place. Then I used the crank bolt and only by ratchet NO IMPACT GUN I was able to seat the damper on the crank snout with a few rotations.

For removal I removed the AC pulley (ATI has it mounted separately) and used a generic 3 jaw pulley remover.

Step one removed the crank bolt, the thread rod on the pulley remover depending on brand was big enough to sit on the face of the snout and not inside the threads. The ATI uses standard imperial bolt threads, three bolts through the pulley remover into the damper. And then again only using hand tools I screwed the rod in towards the snout once it made contact it pulled the damper off the crank without a scratch and I didn't have to use much force.

With the ATI there is a weight savings of 2lbs I believe and for street use you probably will.never have to rebuild it.

[aklackner]

With the ATI how do you hold it to torque?

[Sporky82]

With the ATI how do you hold it to torque?

I was able to torque it too 120 ft lbs by having someone step on the brakes.

If I had the header off and removed the transmission brace you can put a bar on the teeth of the flywheel or if its a lightened one say a Exedy you can put a large screwdriver through one of the holes and have it seated against the block.

Both units are good, ATI for me was more readily available

[aw614]

I’ve heard great things about fluidampr units. They do have a under drive pulley for b series but not sure if there’s a weight savings. My interest is more around a viable replacement for oem units with dry cracking rubber.

Hope this doesn't stray too far off topic, but has anyone had an OEM pulley dry rot and separate due to age? I took a look at the OEM pulley I had and the rubber cracks concerned me.

[coolhandluke]

For my rebuild/restore I opted for an OEM crank pulley for proper balancing. I did buy a CTR N1 crank pulley years ago, but never installed. I agree with the balancing concerns, particularly for less engineering focused brands.

As golden era Hondas age I agree with wear/dry rot concerns. I've seen older mileage cars with worn crank pulleys, which could lead to an off-balance crank assembly. I like the recommendations for ATI/Fluidamper/other properly balanced alternatives. With the OEM B-series piece being discontinued we should update this thread with alternatives:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1036

[hondarcb]

Solid Unorthodox pulley on mine. Engine has atleast 10 seasons on it and still makes power.