NST Pulleys
I did a writeup on the other parts I installed at the same time as the pulley. I'm just trying to assist in posting relevant information in the hopes that the forum members can discern the gains from one part to the other. So with that said, I'll post a quick writeup of my experience so far with the NST pulley kit. I did not install this myself, but was with the mechanic throughout most of the process.
Package: Package was very light and inside a USPS box. Alt. pulley was wrapped in newspaper and inside the crank pulley, which was also wrapped in news paper. I ordered them in grey and they came as such. There were a couple dings but nothing to get butt hurt about.
Installation: The install was about what is expected with pulleys. The radiator fans were removed for space, as well as the radiator overflow reservoir. The stock crank pulley came off fairly typical. (Only 4k miles). The alternator was removed and placed in a vice to remove and replace the pulley. Installing the NST crank pulley was a bit tougher. We had to grind it down some more because it was so damn tight. The shop took their time to do it right to prevent it from seizing and bonding to the crank (making a PITA to remove in the future).
Appearance: They are grey and tucked deep inside the engine bay... It looks great and matches my CAI :P But aesthetically, it's difficult to discern from an OEM piece from looking at it after the car is put back together.
Performance: I can definitely notice a difference in comparison to the stock pulleys. It revs easier, synchro make 2nd to 1st down shifts smoother than before with less surge, and it definitely made power throughout the rpm range. The dynos below are including the gains from my AEM CAI. CAI's are known to provide more power up top and not much below 6500 rpm where the stock intake starts to run out of breath. I have a dyno chart showing my baseline, then full exhaust, and then everything in my sig (not including M370). With the pulleys and intake, I gained an average of 10whp all the way up to 6500 rpm, and from there the gains are more substantial. This is most likely from the CAI showing it's performance advantage over the stock intakes. There are no squeaks or noises coming from the pulleys, and the engine feels very smooth throughout the rpm range. It feels like what Nissan should have done in the first place. My voltages are consistent and the same as well.
Conclusion: I bought these from NST on a group buy a while back for $190 and I spent $24 buying the appropriate belt off of Amazon (was cheaper). It is hard to get a better value (minus install costs) for the money than these pulleys. I doesn't just make power in the mid range or up top, it's everywhere. I don't need to sacrifice drive ability, start ups, voltages, harmonics, nothing. This is a nicely engineered kit that removes every negative connotation we've all heard about crank pulleys.
Dyno 2, Blue is baseline, red is LTH, y pipe + cat and exhaust, green is everything in my sig (no M370).
