boosted305

Gents…I’ve tried searching various iterations of “best supercharger pulley” and the results aren’t quite what I’m looking for and, for the most part, are quite dated…



Near as I can tell there’s a newer generation of W211 E55 owners who are coming into ownership, myself being one of them, and I was hoping you guys could help me (us) to help with some friendly advice as to your experience with the numerous pulleys available…

In trying research which one to go with…I’ve read numerous threads on the various sizes, which is best for daily driving, clutched vs non clutched, etc…but I’ve also read numerous threads about failures…and also more than one thread wherein vendors are actually disparaging one another directly…something that, frankly, left me a bit wary to go with either vendor based not only on the fact that their claims about each other’s products created doubt in either’s reliability, but also the fact they chose to publicly bicker in a forum where they are trying to sell their products…an occurrence I found to be oddly unprofessional.

Then of course there’s the SC vs CP debate…both seem to have advantages and disadvantages however at this stage of this platform’s life, I tend to feel that the SC pulley is a better value.

So I’ve decided to go with a 77mm SC pulley, a belt wrap kit, and the scatter shield to help protect against failure…I’ve already made all of the essential cooling upgrades (minus only the trunk tank which I already have and is just pending install)…now I just need to choose a pulley…

That being said, while 77mm is 77mm…is there one (or more) vendor’s pulley that has proven to be more reliable over the years? Or, perhaps more importantly, is there one (or more) that has proven to be less reliable over the years? Or is one as good (or as bad for that matter) as the next so just pick one and get the scatter shield?

The vendors I can see that offer SC pulleys, in no particular order, are

Eurocharged

Fabtech

VRP

UPD

Race IQ

Renntech and Kleeman don’t offer SC pulleys, only CP

UPD and Eurocharged’s product description is identical including the patent number so either one is getting from the other or they’re both getting from some other source…

The UPD site lists the same hp increase for the 83mm as the 77mm (45-50 hp increase)…which I’m sure is a typo, but…

VRP’s pulley is a 76mm which, according to them, is because it produces an extra half pound of boost that is still within the safety margin…however it leads one to then wonder why all the other vendors wouldn’t also go 76mm…

VRP states that their springs are thicker and are the only vendor still developing for our platform…

UPD/EC having a patent leads one to believe it must be superior in some way…

All of this to say…I’m usure which one to go with…and I’m hoping you guys can offer some helpful advice…

Thanks in advance…

mAMG

I did not hear a 77mm pulley failed. Failure was always on the 83mm pulleys.

Buy the scattershield as a precaution .

Rascal203

Great post, I'm also fresh in an E55 and the SC Pully is on my list as well so looking forward to hearing your guys views.

StarvingArtist

10 years ago when money was no object, everyone did crank pulleys. The welded ones without a harmonic balancer came off, so did the ones that weren't torqued properly. I still think it's the better option. All the issues were figured out years ago. Benefits are: more surface area for the belt, less likely to need a scatter shield and belt wrap kit. (should replace the tensioner anyway), and your stock harmonic balancer is getting old so you are replacing that at the same time. Pin it, torque it properly with a new bolt, and forget it FWIW.

The Fly 1

im looking to buy a crank pulley but the prices are still insane why are the sc pulley half the price of a crank pulley

Exotic-metal55

We (UPD) keep hundreds of the pulley`s in stock (same day shipping), been in business 18 years and sponsors on this forum for close to 10 years now. Always good to make sure the parts you purchase are from a company with staying power. SC pulley is an easy change and we designed it to be lighter, add easy power and be great option to replace the OEM Sc pulley that is heavy and when fails cost about 1K to replace. Belt wrap kits are a great mod on all 55K engines, as it braces the weak double idler and gets rid of the belt slip/power loss on stock or modified cars. The E55 is now reaching near collector status and will be in the years to come.

grizzy6360

UPD all the way. I've only used their products or bought cars with only thier products installed. Their products are engineered and machined perfectly. Need a tune.... Race IQ hands down! Just my opinion!

StarvingArtist

That's exactly why they have become so popular. Plus it's an easier job for a novice to take on. Add up the cost of a SC pulley belt wrap kit and skatter shield and it must be getting close to the crank pulley. If the rubber in your harmonic balancer fails, would you replace it with a stock on? I know I'm swimming against the tide here, just wanted to throw it out for consideration.