well, 2 of the 3 are on...

the machining on the inside of the hub of the power steering pulley was off center, so i'll be sending it back. since the purpose of this exercise was to replace my bent crank pulley to get rid of some nasty vibrations, i figured it wasn't a good idea to trade one bad pulley for another. besides, the difference between the stock ps and alternator pulleys and the lightened ones are a matter of maybe a few ounces.

besides, the crank pulley is the biggie...just holding one in each hand, the difference in weight is huge.

so far, i'm still kinda up in the air about any difference in performance. i ran the car around in traffic and on the highway, and i'm thrilled to death that the engine doesn't shudder anymore in 2nd and 3rd at 2500-3000rpm, and then above 70mph. my car runs smooooooooooth now. it was always smooth at idle, but now idle is imperceptible, and there isn't a hint of vibration until above 4000rpm. and no more pulsating vibrations that should be measured on a richter scale at highway speed. and no more lurching under engine braking with the a/c on.

so i guess except for the ps pulley, they've served their purpose.

i must say i was expecting a little bit more zip...but i did have a passenger with me, and most of my high speed antics take place with only myself in the car. having said that, the fact that acceleration and such seemed to be about the same with more weight in the car...haha, that sounds so mean...sorry alan! :lol:...anyway, that suggests to me that i should notice something next time i go out for a spin.

installation notes: i don't reccomend trying to install them yourself unless you have the subaru dealer big crank pulley-grabbing-chain-tool-thingy (tm), and an air wrench to get the alternator pulley off (and you have to take the alternator off). pretty much the only part of the install that's easy is the ps pulley, which of course didn't fit right because of the machining error. it's very deceptively simple looking...just unbolt the old pulleys and put the new ones on, just make sure you have the proper tools.

-adam-

Would you recommend purchasing the pulleys?

Robmat

I have the set too, i amn also waiting for the install. But everyone says that the real gains should be at lower RPM's because once the pulleys are already moving at speed the weight reduction does not make much difference... Also which pulley is the PS one? and how could i know if mine is machined wrong?

Damn, now I have to get these! I HATE the vibration at highway speeds, feels like the cars gonna explode!

Thanks for the review

left my g/f's last night and decided to cruise around and soak up all the nice post-hurricane 60 degree weather i could...and of course test the pulleys further.

i was creeping through a turn behind someone in 1st gear at about 2000rpm, and as soon as i could get around them i got on the gas, and YOWZA! it pulls HARD.

i got stuck in traffic rolling in 4th (40mph, 2000rpm)...as soon as i had an opening, i rolled on the throttle instead of downshifting, and had plenty of power to pass. nice. :D

the added throttle response alone definitely warrants the purchase. except for the problem with my ps pulley, i'm REALLY happy. my car drives like a completely different car...relaxed at cruise, pulls at almost any speed, and winds smooth as a (gasp) honda to redline.

DoomEquation-- the ps pulley is the medium sized one with the 4 big holes in it. you'll know if it's not machined right...mine didn't want to go on straight, and then once it was torqued down it appeared to straighten out, but didn't rotate true to center.

i can't wait to get my new one on, but the difference on the ps and alternator pulleys compared to stock is hardly noticeable...i'm guessing the difference in weight would make the set comparable to the gain provided by a single UD crank pulley, but then there's the matter of dealing with non-stock belts and dimming headlights.

all in all, i'm happy happy happy happy...and now i'm climbing the walls waiting for my intake to get here.

-adam-

ps-am i the only one that has this set installed? i've been seeing lots posted about it lately, but i think i'm the 1st one to actually have them installed...

Nice, im glad that you have noticed an increase in power after reading all that SCC project focus about how underdriving lays waste to weight saving as far as performance gains i was getting skeptical about my purchase... I was going to go to isr wednesday or so to get these bad boys installed but now that this freaking wierd throat bacteria illness i had is coming back i have no idea when i will get around to doing it...

Wish i had a way of knowing if my power stearing pulley is machined wrong before i have to pay ISR for labor to find out for me..... By the way how much did it cost you to have them installed is it labor intensive? Im wondering because Install fest is this weekend and i could in theory have them installed there but then again im not sure that the specific tools needed would be available... well thanks for the good review...

as far as cost goes, i had professional help... :D if ISR knows what they're doing, it should take about an hour.

So, how much did you pay for the parts, and for the labor?

i thought i had kinda made it blatantly obvious, but here goes...

here's the answer:
(print it out and hold up to a mirror to decode the secret code)

00.0$

:lol:

Ill buy them for that price! :D :D :D :p

how long did install take, and what tools do you need (besides a larg breaker bar to loosen those bolts up)?

install took about an hour. a good socket set should take care of this and most other subaru-related jobs, a torque wrench helped quite a bit though...i don't remember the specs though.

i got to cheat and used an air wrench to get the alternator pulley on and off...shhhhh...

First lets end this.
Race car riot you ordered the wrong pully set..
The 1994 Impreza takes a 17 spline pulley ,and since you have a 18 spline pulley, it will not fit unless you force it. (Get a bigger hammer theroy)
You have a pulley set for the 99-02 Impreza.
I know this as the manufacturer has accounted for every 17 spline pully sets, as they have delivered none as they just came available 4 days ago and none have been shipped to customers as of this time....
If you count the splines on your p/s pump you will find you have a 17 spline p/s pump not a 18 spline..
the 18 spline pulley will not fit your car.
this is not a manufacturing defect it is a miss communication when ordering parts, if you gave no year of vehicle when ordering from whoever you ordered them from, you got the incorrect parts.

If you are concerned about ordering these parts and getting the correct p/s pully pull the pully and count the splines

18 spline is for the 99-02 RS and the rest take a 17 spline and the WRX is pressed on and we dont sell them for that application

Braden
Suby Sports

Overall I am pleased with my pulleys that i got from larry at Imprezars.com. The engine spools up faster and it seems to improved torque throught the power band but especially at low end range. you can keep it in second when going around a corner at super low speeds as long as the rpms are above 1000 or more it doesnt bog down.
PS. I also have a cold air intake exhaust with midpipe and headers, and the pulleys were the last mod that ive done so im not sure how just the pulleys would perform by themselves.

let's end what? i'm not attacking you or the product you sell, or N1. it would have been nice if i was informed of this when i ordered these way back in the day from a certain company (*cough*cough*JC sports*cough*cough)...they knew my car was a '94, as i was asked that MANY times when i ordered. so THEY sold me the wrong set.

when they finally came months later (they were ordered back in the days before JC was banished to the depths of hell), i ended up sending the p/s pulley back for a correct replacement pulley. then a month later they go out of business, and i'm out a pulley.

i found out about the spline issue a few weeks ago. nice.

whatever. i disputed the charge with my cc company (defective merch).

-adam-

lets end what? the confusion of the proper fitting of your pulley

You Stated

"the machining on the inside of the hub of the power steering pulley was off center, so i'll be sending it back"

The machining was proper just not for your application

You then stated

"ps pulley, which of course didn't fit right because of the machining error."

The machining was proper just not for your application

As you bought this from JC Sports I can not help with their failure to realize your model year and sent you the wrong pully

we entered this post to try to help end the confusion over weather pulleys would actually fit right as we have them on group buy in the vendors section and there were a few concernes on fitment

Unlike most vendors we may be slower to enter the marketplace but we test every part that we have made and then test some more then evaluate for Quality and fitment to ensure a happy customer and no end user problems

our parts may even cost more but we have a reputation that I will fight to keep with the highest quality parts available, because anyone can get "Cheap parts made" but we will not sell any parts before we would be willing to buy them at retail for our cars

no offense taken and please do not take this post as a personal attack there is nothing personal here

Braden