NST vs Stillen pulleys--which one?

earwicker7 · 12-09-2009, 03:45 PM

Hey, all. I'm wanting to add some aftermarket pulleys; I'm going to have Tony over at FI install them, and in response to my question as to which is the better pair, Stillen or NST, he said the following:

Quote:

You have to be careful when you change the diameter of a crank pulley. It is good to go overdriven yes, but if other pulley's run off of the same belt then you will most likely have to modify them as well to compensate for the change in the crank pulley. I really do not know about either one of the pulleys you are referring to. I recommend that you ask around on the forums and when you are ready let me know, I can install them for you.

I thought I'd take his advice and let you guys help me make the call. I'm assuming that his point about modifying the other pulleys is taken care of when you order both of them as opposed to just the one?

1slow370 · 12-09-2009, 04:09 PM

stillen is a 20% underdrive for every accesory as it is just a crank pulley. NST is a 10% underdrive for a/c, and power steering, but comes with a 10% overdrive pulley to get the alternator back to normal speeds. Stillen also offers a factory size pulley but i don't think that is what you are asking about.

In order of performance: stillen 20% > NST 10% > NST 10% + alternator pulley

reverse that for the order of driveability

vipor · 12-09-2009, 04:12 PM

stillen crank with the nst a/c ooooooo

GZ3 · 12-09-2009, 04:46 PM

i personally would never go underdrive, strictly lightweight OEM sized for me. I have seen and heard allot of people with underdrive issues

NonStopTuning · 12-09-2009, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by earwicker7

Hey, all. I'm wanting to add some aftermarket pulleys; I'm going to have Tony over at FI install them, and in response to my question as to which is the better pair, Stillen or NST, he said the following:

I thought I'd take his advice and let you guys help me make the call. I'm assuming that his point about modifying the other pulleys is taken care of when you order both of them as opposed to just the one?

With respect to staying away from underdrive/overdrive pulleys... Tony was probably speaking on experience, or what he may have heard about, regarding older pulley options for some of the older import cars and trucks. It is true that going with an excessive amount of underdriving (or overdriving) led to drivability issues in certain applications in the past.

With regards to the NST Pulley Kit for the 370Z, we took what we have learned over the past few years and came up with our "best of both worlds" kit for this application.

There is a GREAT deal of info on our kit in the following thread...
NST (NonStopTuning) 370Z VQ37HR Pulley Kit Review w/ Dyno Charts

I will share some of it here with you, and you can visit the above thread to read further for yourself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NonStopTuning

The NST Underdrive Crank Pulley is a 10% underdrive (slow down) pulley, and as you can see in the pic here, it is very close to the OEM pulley in size. This pulley is designed to slow the accessories by roughly 10%... not enough to "kill" any of the accessories, but just enough to free up a nice amount of hp and tq to send to the wheels. The excellent weight reduction also aids in providing better throttle response, quick acceleration, and better fuel economy. We did a bit of testing and decided that 10% is the sweet spot for this application. 20% or 30% underdrive may provide an extra 1/2 or 1 hp or tq at the wheels... but it may do so at the expense of some of the other accessories' functions, so we decided to stick to 10% for our pulley.

The NST Overdrive Alternator Pulley is a 10% overdrive (speed up) pulley, and as you can see in this pic, it is also very similar in size, to the OEM pulley. This pulley is designed to bring the alternator back to OEM speeds. No slower, no faster. There will be NO hp or tq loss when using this pulley. The crank pulley is the SENDER pulley and it is the pulley that decides how much power the accessories will receive. The size of each accessory pulley determines how this power is used. The alternator will not be overworked, underworked, robbed, killed, etc. when the NST pulley is used. It will work in the same efficiency range as it would with the OEM Nissan pulley.

NST Pulleys are NOT a "one size fits all" type of design. We take the needs of each application into consideration, we come up with a few prototypes/configurations, and ultimately we sell the KIT that works best based on the data we collect.

Both pulleys are compatible with the OEM belt and the OEM belt has shown to work very well during the past several months of testing. As long as you are using a new belt, or your current belt is in good condition, you should be good to go!

There are other options out there, and some of them are excellent options. We feel that NST offers the best all around kit, with the best all around options, at the best possible prices. Our customers feedback and reviews have consistently proved these to be the truth.

Thanks again everyone, good luck and have fun with all your projects!

and...

Quote:

Originally Posted by NonStopTuning

All NST pulleys have the proper timing marks on them ... and you can see them in some of our pics if you look closely!!!

In addition, I will point to a few other benefits of the NST kit...

We are available here on your forums for customer service, questions, answers, etc. as well as via Email on our website, phone, and AIM. I take great pride in providing each of you with personal responses on a daily basis.

NST is the only company currently offering you HARD ANODIZED color options for your pulley kit. Customers looking for the tuner look can go with red, while customers looking to go for the stealth look can select graphite gray.

NST is the only company that offers you a TWO PIECE kit for an MSRP under $200.00.

NST also has the ability to build custom pulleys and pulley kits for special projects and custom applications. We are one of very few companies who offer such services.

Stillen is a great company and has been offering excellent products for Nissans for years. We have been offering excellent pulley options for sport compacts for several years now and 90% of our business is pulley kits. We feel very strongly that our kits stack up very strongly against other options when it comes to quality and affordability.

Good luck and have fun with all your projects!

earwicker7 · 12-09-2009, 07:33 PM

Just to clarify, when I said "order both of them," I was talking about pairs from the same company... so Stillen doesn't have a pair of them like NST?

earwicker7 · 12-09-2009, 07:35 PM

Thanks, Mike! What I love about this forum is that the manufacturers seem to have a lot of respect for each other... I know other websites where this could have degenerated into a "That other company sucks!" thread.

NonStopTuning · 12-09-2009, 10:21 PM

I have a great deal of respect and admiration for any company in our industry that builds products of high quality and backs them with great service and support. And Stillen definitely falls into this category.

And to answer your question... NST is the only company that offers a full pulley kit. We were the first company to offer Overdrive Alternator Pulleys with our kits and have built a great reputation over the past few years for providing kits that offer, "the best of both worlds."

NonStopTuning pulley kits are very popular with Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Scion, etc. owners!

Josh@STILLEN · 12-09-2009, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GZ3

i personally would never go underdrive, strictly lightweight OEM sized for me. I have seen and heard allot of people with underdrive issues

Would like to reiterate what NST has stated, back in the day there have been issues with certain vehicles, and certain underdrive percentages that would cause unwanted side effects, lack of charging, dimming lights, water pump issues, etc.

We've sold hundreds of pulleys on this platform and dating back to the 350Z, and no one has issues underdriving, the amount isn't significant to affect anything. Research was done for the appropriate amounts, we have engineers to tackle questions like this before the product is developed.

If you're building a monster audio system, stick with the stock pulley, you're probably taxing the alternator already, or you've upgraded.

The dramatic decrease in weight on that pulley makes a large difference, the other in the amount of underdrive percentage, and we're happy with the balance we have.

We also have the stock sized for those wanting to not underdrive, and those looking to add the supercharger in the future.

And whatever happens, get a pulley from a reputable source.. please! Not something you want to troll ebay for, construction and engineering are key with a precision piece like this..

LiquidZ · 12-09-2009, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by josh@stillen

we also have the stock sized for those wanting to not underdrive, and those looking to add the supercharger in the future.

thank you

1slow370 · 12-10-2009, 04:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by earwicker7

Thanks, Mike! What I love about this forum is that the manufacturers seem to have a lot of respect for each other... I know other websites where this could have degenerated into a "That other company sucks!" thread.

AWWW come on i wanted to see a pulley get thrown across the chatroom. Pssh business conduct...

GZ3 · 12-11-2009, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh@STILLEN

Would like to reiterate what NST has stated, back in the day there have been issues with certain vehicles, and certain underdrive percentages that would cause unwanted side effects, lack of charging, dimming lights, water pump issues, etc.

We've sold hundreds of pulleys on this platform and dating back to the 350Z, and no one has issues underdriving, the amount isn't significant to affect anything. Research was done for the appropriate amounts, we have engineers to tackle questions like this before the product is developed.

If you're building a monster audio system, stick with the stock pulley, you're probably taxing the alternator already, or you've upgraded.

The dramatic decrease in weight on that pulley makes a large difference, the other in the amount of underdrive percentage, and we're happy with the balance we have.

We also have the stock sized for those wanting to not underdrive, and those looking to add the supercharger in the future.

And whatever happens, get a pulley from a reputable source.. please! Not something you want to troll ebay for, construction and engineering are key with a precision piece like this..

good to know, great info thanx. Just a quick question for you, the majority of the performance gained from a pulley comes from its light weight correct? And only a very small, even marginal gain is due to it being underdriven?

Josh@STILLEN · 12-11-2009, 11:22 AM

Gains from underdriving are definitely present, but yes, the majority of the performance is from the significant weight reduction..

12-09-2009, 04:12 PM	#3 (permalink)
vipor A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Euless, TX [ DFW ] Age: 42 Posts: 13,531 Drives: Nismo 09-0183 QAB Rep Power: 49	stillen crank with the nst a/c ooooooo __________________ 2009 NISMO # 0193 \| QAB \| Albums! \| 05.04.10 (Dynojet) 291.94hp/248.28tq Oil Cooler (DIY) \| Custom Headlights \| GTSPEC Braces \| F.I. Long Tube Headers

12-09-2009, 07:33 PM	#6 (permalink)
earwicker7 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Burbank, CA Posts: 265 Drives: 09 370Z (maxed out) Rep Power: 16	Just to clarify, when I said "order both of them," I was talking about pairs from the same company... so Stillen doesn't have a pair of them like NST? __________________ 2009 Magnetic Black 370Z with Touring, Sports and Navigation Packages--Fast Intentions CBE with 12" Resonators/Carbon Fiber Mufflers and LTH--Stillen G3 Cold Air Intakes, Underdrive Pulley and Grounding Kit--Uprev Tune

12-09-2009, 07:35 PM	#7 (permalink)
earwicker7 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Burbank, CA Posts: 265 Drives: 09 370Z (maxed out) Rep Power: 16	Thanks, Mike! What I love about this forum is that the manufacturers seem to have a lot of respect for each other... I know other websites where this could have degenerated into a "That other company sucks!" thread. __________________ 2009 Magnetic Black 370Z with Touring, Sports and Navigation Packages--Fast Intentions CBE with 12" Resonators/Carbon Fiber Mufflers and LTH--Stillen G3 Cold Air Intakes, Underdrive Pulley and Grounding Kit--Uprev Tune

12-09-2009, 10:21 PM	#8 (permalink)
NonStopTuning NOT AN ACTIVE VENDOR Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: USA Posts: 869 Drives: AE86 Rep Power: 17	I have a great deal of respect and admiration for any company in our industry that builds products of high quality and backs them with great service and support. And Stillen definitely falls into this category. And to answer your question... NST is the only company that offers a full pulley kit. We were the first company to offer Overdrive Alternator Pulleys with our kits and have built a great reputation over the past few years for providing kits that offer, "the best of both worlds." NonStopTuning pulley kits are very popular with Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Scion, etc. owners! __________________ www.NonStopTuning.com Offering the best in Pulleys, Clutches & Flywheels, Coilovers, and more. Be sure to keep up with us on the NST blog!

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12-09-2009, 04:09 PM	#2 (permalink)
1slow370 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: In the D Posts: 3,732 Drives: v8 74 260z ;) Rep Power: 7251	stillen is a 20% underdrive for every accesory as it is just a crank pulley. NST is a 10% underdrive for a/c, and power steering, but comes with a 10% overdrive pulley to get the alternator back to normal speeds. Stillen also offers a factory size pulley but i don't think that is what you are asking about. In order of performance: stillen 20% > NST 10% > NST 10% + alternator pulley reverse that for the order of driveability

12-09-2009, 04:46 PM	#4 (permalink)
GZ3 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: SATX Posts: 3,296 Drives: Z Rep Power: 21	i personally would never go underdrive, strictly lightweight OEM sized for me. I have seen and heard allot of people with underdrive issues

12-11-2009, 11:22 AM	#13 (permalink)
Josh@STILLEN The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Costa Mesa, CA Posts: 1,197 Drives: 2004 G35 Coupe 6MT Rep Power: 533	Gains from underdriving are definitely present, but yes, the majority of the performance is from the significant weight reduction..