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Old 06-30-2012, 09:41 PM   #1
jpmck03
 
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Drives: 2018 Volkswagen GTI
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: PA
Posts: 893
Smile The MI LW Pulley "Not a Big 'Car Guy'" Review

Intro
This is my review of the new MicroImage Light Weight Crank Pulley, which is in the same vein as my previous review of the MI SSK. Long story short, I'm still a "noob" when it comes to cars and mods, but I'm learning.
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The Install
For this install I decided to go over to my buddy's house and borrow both him and his more extensive selection of tools from his garage. It was also a big help having someone else there to lend a hand and to hold things in place when need be. I'm sure that I could have easily done this install by myself, and I'm far from mechanically inclined.

Compared to my last install (the MI SSK last year) this one is very straight forward and you've got a lot of room to move around and get tools to where you need them. I mean all there is to do is:
  1. jack up the car and remove the passenger-side wheel,
  2. remove the plastic wheel liner,
  3. loosen two alternator bolts and move the alternator,
  4. take the belt off of the crank pulley,
  5. remove and replace the crank pulley, and
  6. put everything back together in reverse order.
The best part about it: I managed to pull off the whole install with just hand tools!
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The Ride Back
I had read that that first rev you take after installing it will be awesome, and let me tell you it is. Personally, I think that you can definitely tell that some power has been freed up for the engine to transfer to the wheels instead of that heavy OEM pulley (on a side note, the difference in weight between the OEM pulley and the MI pulley is night and day!).

Acceleration seems to be improved a bit, and it feels like a pretty decent power increase for being such a simple bolt on mod. Floored it, and it seemed like the engine had a little bit more to give when getting up to speed. Another thing I noticed was that the revs seemed to "float" a little bit while shifting, instead of dropping like they did before, which I definitely like!

Also on my ride back home I kept it at my usual steady 65 on the interstate and saw that I could maintain that speed at around 2800-2900 RPM instead of 3000-3100 RPM. Hopefully this translates to a couple extra miles per gallon on my commute to work/school!
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Overall
Overall, I'd have to say that this is one of the "must have" mods for anyone that's starting out with modding the Yaris, or is moving from cosmetic mods to ones under the hood. The install is relatively easy, and the payoff in performance (according to my posterior dynamometer) is pretty noticeable.


9/10 Driving Smiley Guys!
__________________
my {(retired) ride} - {mi ssk: review, diy} - {mi lw cp: review, diy} - {foglight install} - {painted emblem: experiment, diy}


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crank pulley, diy, light weight, microimage, review

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