Alta vs MiniMania Pulley
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5th Gear
Joined: Jun 2005
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From: Maryland
Originally Posted by karvinbass
Why not Helix?
What does Helix offer over the other two?
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 3,382
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From: Denver
Helix offers there own brand that is a unique pulley.
For the record, I can install just about any brand out there, and I choose to use the M7, Alta and now Helix pulley.
Why? There are a few reasons.
First, the supercharger shaft is steel. The pulleys above are all steel as well (albeit stainless) which have close to the same thermal expansion properties as the shaft. There are no keys or bolts holding the pulley onto the shaft, it is a taper bore interference fit. That makes thermal expansion an issue to consider. Aluminum has vastly different expansion properties.
Second, all of the above have a positive stop surface on the inside face of the pulley for the shaft. That makes alignment a cinch.
Third, they all have very easy methods of removal. That doesn't sound like an issue now, but what if down the road you want a change (like a TurboKompressor kit for instance)? Now you wish it was a lot easier to swap pulleys (one of the key reasons I don't use the Mania pulley).
Lastly, the aluminum types have a much higher tendency toward corrosion, whereas all of the above units are stainless steel.
There have also been some vendors trying to sell pulleys made of aluminum by stating how much lighter their brand X is. The truth of the matter is, the radius of the pulley is less than 1.25" making the rotational mass just about totally insignificant. We could make the unit out of iron from railroad rails with no appreciable loss in performance over a magnesium unit (we tested the lack of difference in stainless compared to aluminum).
I hope that helps a bit. There are certainly a number of units on the market, and you have to choose wisely. Most are high quality pieces.
If we do the install of any of the above brands, we warranty our work and parts. We have now installed over 650 pulleys across the country!
Hope that helps,
Randy
For the record, I can install just about any brand out there, and I choose to use the M7, Alta and now Helix pulley.
Why? There are a few reasons.
First, the supercharger shaft is steel. The pulleys above are all steel as well (albeit stainless) which have close to the same thermal expansion properties as the shaft. There are no keys or bolts holding the pulley onto the shaft, it is a taper bore interference fit. That makes thermal expansion an issue to consider. Aluminum has vastly different expansion properties.
Second, all of the above have a positive stop surface on the inside face of the pulley for the shaft. That makes alignment a cinch.
Third, they all have very easy methods of removal. That doesn't sound like an issue now, but what if down the road you want a change (like a TurboKompressor kit for instance)? Now you wish it was a lot easier to swap pulleys (one of the key reasons I don't use the Mania pulley).
Lastly, the aluminum types have a much higher tendency toward corrosion, whereas all of the above units are stainless steel.
There have also been some vendors trying to sell pulleys made of aluminum by stating how much lighter their brand X is. The truth of the matter is, the radius of the pulley is less than 1.25" making the rotational mass just about totally insignificant. We could make the unit out of iron from railroad rails with no appreciable loss in performance over a magnesium unit (we tested the lack of difference in stainless compared to aluminum).
I hope that helps a bit. There are certainly a number of units on the market, and you have to choose wisely. Most are high quality pieces.
If we do the install of any of the above brands, we warranty our work and parts. We have now installed over 650 pulleys across the country!
Hope that helps,
Randy
Last edited by RandyBMC; Sep 11, 2005 at 03:58 PM. Reason: spelling
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From: Maryland
Originally Posted by RandyBMC
Helix offers there own brand that is a unique pulley.
For the record, I can install just about any brand out there, and I choose to use the M7, Alta and now Helix pulley.
Why? There are a few reasons.
First, the supercharger shaft is steel. The pulleys above are all steel as well (albeit stainless) which have close to the same thermal expansion properties as the shaft. There are no keys or bolts holding the pulley onto the shaft, it is a taper bore interference fit. That makes thermal expansion an issue to consider. Aluminum has vastly different expansion properties.
Second, all of the above have a positive stop surface on the inside face of the pulley for the shaft. That makes alignment a cinch.
Third, they all have very easy methods of removal. That doesn't sound like an issue now, but what if down the road you want a change (like a TurboKompressor kit for instance)? Now you wish it was a lot easier to swap pulleys (one of the key reasons I don't use the Mania pulley).
Lastly, the aluminum types have a much higher tendency toward corrosion, whereas all of the above units are stainless steel.
There have also been some vendors trying to sell pulleys made of aluminum by stating how much lighter their brand X is. The truth of the matter is, the radius of the pulley is less than 1.25" making the rotational mass just about totally insignificant. We could make the unit out of iron from railroad rails with no appreciable loss in performance over a magnesium unit (we tested the lack of difference in stainless compared to aluminum).
I hope that helps a bit. There are certainly a number of units on the market, and you have to choose wisely. Most are high quality pieces.
If we do the install of any of the above brands, we warranty our work and parts. We have now installed over 650 pulleys across the country!
Hope that helps,
Randy
For the record, I can install just about any brand out there, and I choose to use the M7, Alta and now Helix pulley.
Why? There are a few reasons.
First, the supercharger shaft is steel. The pulleys above are all steel as well (albeit stainless) which have close to the same thermal expansion properties as the shaft. There are no keys or bolts holding the pulley onto the shaft, it is a taper bore interference fit. That makes thermal expansion an issue to consider. Aluminum has vastly different expansion properties.
Second, all of the above have a positive stop surface on the inside face of the pulley for the shaft. That makes alignment a cinch.
Third, they all have very easy methods of removal. That doesn't sound like an issue now, but what if down the road you want a change (like a TurboKompressor kit for instance)? Now you wish it was a lot easier to swap pulleys (one of the key reasons I don't use the Mania pulley).
Lastly, the aluminum types have a much higher tendency toward corrosion, whereas all of the above units are stainless steel.
There have also been some vendors trying to sell pulleys made of aluminum by stating how much lighter their brand X is. The truth of the matter is, the radius of the pulley is less than 1.25" making the rotational mass just about totally insignificant. We could make the unit out of iron from railroad rails with no appreciable loss in performance over a magnesium unit (we tested the lack of difference in stainless compared to aluminum).
I hope that helps a bit. There are certainly a number of units on the market, and you have to choose wisely. Most are high quality pieces.
If we do the install of any of the above brands, we warranty our work and parts. We have now installed over 650 pulleys across the country!
Hope that helps,
Randy
When you do the installs, do you use a different belt?
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 3,382
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From: Denver
No, we have had zero problems with the 15% pulley and the stock belt. That can't be said for other belt types, where we have seen failures in testing. It is one of the reasons I like the 15% pulley (among others). If you use the 16% M7, I do use another belt that is slightly shorter. If you use a belt that is too small, it tends to shred.
Hope that helps!
Randy
Hope that helps!
Randy
1st Gear
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11
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I getting to really like the way Randy talks, "Railroad Ties", I am still laughing about it! Randy knows his stuff, that is for sure, so whenever he gets into the forum, I listening!
Since 9/02 I have had a 15% non aluminum pulley and have never had any problems. I don't even remember the make of the pulley, though I remember the removal!
Since 9/02 I have had a 15% non aluminum pulley and have never had any problems. I don't even remember the make of the pulley, though I remember the removal!
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