The MI LW Pulley "Not a Big 'Car Guy'" Review

[jpmck03]

IntroThis is my review of the new MicroImage Light Weight Crank Pulley, which is in the same vein as my previous review (http://yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35909) of the MI SSK. Long story short, I'm still a "noob" when it comes to cars and mods, but I'm learning._________________________________________ _________
The InstallFor 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:

jack up the car and remove the passenger-side wheel,
remove the plastic wheel liner,
loosen two alternator bolts and move the alternator,
take the belt off of the crank pulley,
remove and replace the crank pulley, and
put everything back together in reverse order.

The best part about it: I managed to pull off the whole install with just hand tools! :thumbsup:________________________________________ __________
The Ride BackI 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!___________________________________________ _______
OverallOverall, 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.

:burnrubber: :burnrubber: :burnrubber: :burnrubber: :burnrubber: :burnrubber: :burnrubber: :burnrubber: :burnrubber:
9/10 Driving Smiley Guys!

[cali yaris]

Thanks, wow 9/10 that's good.

We should post the torque spec for the crank pulley bolt, but I can't recall it off the top of my head. It's VERY tight, maybe 96 ft/lbs?

[jpmck03]

Thanks, wow 9/10 that's good.

We should post the torque spec for the crank pulley bolt, but I can't recall it off the top of my head. It's VERY tight, maybe 96 ft/lbs?

Install was easier than the SSK. Now that install was a tight squeeze! This was a walk in the park in comparison.

I'm 99% sure that it's 96 ft-lbs. Right now it's on "as tight as we could get the damn thing without breaking our arms" ft-lbs. Going to get my last "cover my ass" oil change at a shop this week as the 3 year warranty on the car is about to end, so I'll have them check it while it's on the lift.

[Golddeenoh]

I think when I was looking it up I found that the bolt was listed at 95ft-lbs. Mine seemed to be way lower than that when I took it off, but when I put it on I went somewhere just north of 90ft-lbs before the rope i had tied between the control arm and the pulley broke. but if you find something else that says the bolt should be something else please post it :biggrin:

[jpmck03]

^ Ha, we used 550 cord looped between the pulley and the control arm too! Mine also seemed like it was a lot less than what it should have been. One decent tug on the breaker bar and it broke free.

[auxmike]

Wow, I thought it was really hard to break that bolt free, interesting.....
How much is the pully and what's it made of?

[jpmck03]

Wow, I thought it was really hard to break that bolt free, interesting.....

Either I'm very strong (which I'm not) or I got lucky and it came off easily (I think that's closer to the truth).

... How much is the pully and what's it made of?

Right now it's on sale for $139 over on MicroImage (http://shop.microimageonline.com/MI-Lightweight-Crank-Pulley-MI-LWCP-Yaris.htm). Don't know how long that price is good for... maybe Garm'll chime in and let you know.

It's made out of aluminum and the OEM one is made of steel.

[matthewai]

hey do you think this would be a good mod for a/t or does it make more of a difference on m/t ?

[jpmck03]

hey do you think this would be a good mod for a/t or does it make more of a difference on m/t ?

I think it doesn't make a difference, as the transmission isn't really mated to the crank pulley or any of the accessory pulleys.

Should be good on an auto as well.

[cali yaris]

We are currently still running the "introductory" price of $139 shipped:

http://shop.microimageonline.com/MI-Lightweight-Crank-Pulley-MI-LWCP-Yaris.htm

[why?]

it is a good mod for everyone. No reason for the stock one to be so bloated. Light weight one makes the car feel better.

[jpmck03]

I've found out that it's really noticeable on those hills where you're going, "Ah, this hill sucks, it's lugging in 2nd gear, but I'm going to fast for 1st..."

Definitely a nice boost in power when you need it the most.

[Crazy Butcher]

I cant wait to receive mine, im anxious to see what It'll do.

[drunix]

It took about 90 minutes to install, started at 10pm and was out for a test drive before midnight. The drive was 5 minutes (low fuel warning blinking ominously), mostly to see if anything was going to fall off.

According to my kitchen scale the MI pulley is 12 ounces and according to my bathroom scale the stock Toyota pulley is about 48 ounces.

I will be driving 250 miles on Friday, hilly coastal roads. I will write another note on impressions when I get back. I think this is a good comparison test as I did the same drive last Sunday.

I am still not used to working under a car that's not constantly filthy. My MGA gave itself continuous rust inhibiting undercoat treatments.

Brian

[Golddeenoh]

did you torque it down to 95ft-lbs, that is the factory suggested torque for the pulley bolt

[cali yaris]

thanks for the post, looking forward to your review. good point about the MGB, I have a Datsun Roadster that was like that until I fixed the "last" leak.

[drunix]

Yes. I have a 1/2 drive torque wrench.

I used the rope to the control arm trick mentioned earlier in this thread to break it loose. That did not work for taking it up to 95 ft-lbs for installation, the rope is too stretchy to get a reading on the wrench.

To keep the engine from turning I stuck a socket extension through one of the holes in the pulley, braced it against the block and held it with the other hand.

As other people mentioned, I don't think it was torqued up that high originally; I'd guess the factory installed it with about 50-60 ft-lbs.

This is the first car I have owned with an automatic, I am used to simply putting it in gear and blocking the wheels to keep the engine from turning.

It's a pretty part, too bad no one will ever see it.

[auxmike]

Can the MI pulley handle road salt like we see lots of in the NE?

[cali yaris]

I'm sure you could clear coat it, or get it anodized to protect it. I could get a quote on anodizing if people want that option.

[schume]

So any documented mileage gains by anyone with this pulley? Or is any potential mileage benefit offset by everyone revving their engine more? :)

[jpmck03]

So any documented mileage gains by anyone with this pulley? Or is any potential mileage benefit offset by everyone revving their engine more? :)

Not scientific, but it might have helped a little. I've been spending some time this summer trying figure out how to best make my commute a little less expensive... (Which reminds me, I should really start that "jpmck03's Mileage" thread...)

47966

And yes, I know that one data point doesn't make a trend... just being optimistic for now though... :thumbsup:

[schume]

Not scientific, but it might have helped a little. I've been spending some time this summer trying figure out how to best make my commute a little less expensive... (Which reminds me, I should really start that "jpmck03's Mileage" thread...)

And yes, I know that one data point doesn't make a trend... just being optimistic for now though... :thumbsup:I have a good feeling about the pulley and will probably get it anyway. I'll keep an eye on your mileage to see if there's a trend.

[drunix]

The automatic trans discourages me from revving the engine. No heel and toe shifting here. :-(

I track mileage but don't drive much so I can't report anything significant. I think I have put 2 tanks through now with the pulley. I switched to Mobil 1 I think one tank before that so my numbers will be skewed.

I would guess that the pulley would have an unmeasurable effect on MPG based on how I normally drive but I am trying to do everything possible (The one exception being I added 100# of sound deadening.) Really I think the pulley improved "drivability" without adversely affecting mpg. Shifts seem a bit smoother.

Last tank was 41+ mpg. Went 412 miles on the tank. Screwed up my records forever by not filling up all the way because I had to fill up near an airport $$$.

Some day I will have to find a bone stock 2010 Yaris to compare how it feels. I have made so many small changes and don't know what a normal Yaris is like any more. I drove a rental Versa last week. Whooo, glad I have the Yaris.

[jpmck03]

So, I've had the light weight crank pulley on for just about 3 months and I'd say the verdict's in for fuel economy...

Long story short, since I'm now back in school and money's a little tighter, I've been trying to find ways to cut back on expenses. Starting around April of last year, I've been paying attention to how fast I drive, when I shift, how much I coast, etc. Very mild hypermiling. This netted me about an extra 3.5 mpg.

Installed the MI LW crank pulley on the 30th of July. Wasted the left over tank of gas enjoying the little power boost from freeing the engine from it's parasitic stock pulley... :redface:

Ended up pulling an extra 2 mpg without really changing my driving style at all. Pretty sweet, if I do say so myself!

48578

[DJYojimbo]

Sweet! Gonna save up for this bad boy soon!

[cali yaris]

Hey that's pretty cool!

[Golddeenoh]

I have noticed that even with my aggressive driving habits I can get high 30's and if I drive on roads that are less than 60 mph and drive cautiously I can get around 43 mpg, granted I have some parts added to it other than the pulley, but yes I agree, free power with out increasing fuel consumption seems to add up to better fuel millage. but that is a pretty fancy graph there, and i assume that the dotted lines are the average for that section.

[jpmck03]

...but that is a pretty fancy graph there, and i assume that the dotted lines are the average for that section.

Thanks! I just eyeballed it with the graph, but that's about the average for each bit that I was talking about: (a) pre-paying attention, (b) paying attention, and (c) after the pulley, but still paying attention.

[NaviLupets]

How long have you guys had those pulley installed? I really want to get one but I'm afraid that it will do damage. All the suppliers keep saying its fine but they just want to make money i wonder if u guys have had any problems with the lightweight crank pulley. I have intake header and exhaust, this will complete the package. I need positive feedback and conformation that it will not damage my engine!

[Foot]

I installed mine 4-27-13, put about 50miles on it and no damage yet. On a serious note though, I read a lot of threads and websites before I bought the pulley. It came across to me the only problems people had were those not installing it correctly.
Examples: 1. The pulley wobbles? It was not aligned properly.
2. The pulley came off? It was not put on at 95 ft/lb.
3. The belt now makes noise? The belt was not adjusted properly, either too tight or too lose.
There were no reports of stress failures or at least nothing I found. Granted everyone wants to make money, but no one is going to suggest something that will damage the car or they would not be in business long.
When I talked to Geoff at MicroImage he said the header, exhaust, air intake and pulley will net you around 15 to 20 horsepower total for the 1.5L Yaris. Which for around 1000 dollars you get almost 20 percent increase in power.

[Astroman]

The only reported damage to a yaris was a race model, that went above the 8k RPM mark. The stock rev limiter won't let you get that high. I've had my pulley for close to 90k miles with ZERO issues, except a more fun to drive car.

[cali yaris]

Let's make a distinction between the Micro Image pulley and the now discontinued NST pulley. I prefer to address concerns about ours, since it's the one that is available now.

Our first production run had thinner edges on the ribs, which on Jason's race car caused a problem over 8000 rpm. This caused belt wear issues on that car. Stock limiter is 6250.

Our second run included a pass with a special machining tool to square off the edges, closer to factory shape. This is the red/black version we sell now.

I would trust either pulley on a street or mild race car. We do have a commitment to providing quality parts and improving the parts we make when we see a need for that.

Happy to answer any questions or concerns, always.

[DJYojimbo]

+1 with Garms above statement! I totally trust the products that he makes. I've had my pulley installed for about a month now and i'm 100% happy with the results and performance of the microimage pulley! BTW i have the black pulley

[NaviLupets]

OK cool I'm going to get a red one!!!

[NaviLupets]

to FOOT. $1000 haha yea no I payed 50$ for a ebay cold air with filter that goes into the bumper and is totaly legit, 225$ for obx r race header, 60$ at the local muffler shop to cut my resonator and cat off replacing it with a straight pipe and, 140$ for the pulley will total 475$ hahaha yea!!

[Foot]

Well I guess I overspent =).

[jetblast]

I thought our engines have an inspection cover over the flywheel. Wedge a chunk 'o' wood in there and it should stay safely stationary. Hafta double check when I do mine. Yet another happy purchase from Micro Image!!!!