So, I have been doing a lot of reading about underdrive pulleys and I know that BBK (and all piggy-back style) don't exactly have a great reputation. Here is my question... I am thinking about buying an '02 GT with ~40K miles on it. It has had BBK underdrive pulleys installed for about two years. Should I be worried about the possible long term effects of this mod? Any words of wisdom would really be appreciated. Thanks.

 

A little more information for those responding...
This will be my DD and I don't want to have major issues with the engine because of the pulleys. Very minor engine repairs I could probably handle, but I wouldn't have a clue where to begin in rebuilding it if it comes apart due to catastrophic internal failures. And, I couldn't afford to hire someone to rebuild it either... at least not for a few years after I buy it. I know there are some very knowledgeable people on this forum, so any help would be great. Thanks a lot in advance to those who respond.

 

ive had bbk underdrive pullies for 5 years and not one problem, i have heard nothing bad about bbk pullies, if your worried about pullies you might as well not even mod your car, just my 2 cents

 

pullies could never hurt your engine internally?? just trade someone that has stock pullies im sure they would do it in a heart beat, then you dont have to worry about anything since its your dd

 

I've never heard of under drive pulleys causing engines to come apart. I have heard of pulleys that were not properly installed causing a lot of damage. I personally put SLP pulleys on mine 3 years ago and have had no problems.

What ever you do don't drive the car with the pulleys on because when you go back to stock it is going to feel like a brick is tied to it.

 

If you do a lot of stop and go traffic (I mean the stuff you see in NYC and LA rush hour), you should switch back to stock since Ford designed their pulleys for these situations w/ the AC running on a hot summer day. Underdrive pulleys slow the accessories which includes your water pump so on a hot summer day on the LIE at 5, the slower water pump is the last thing you want.

 

Well, so far I am feeling a lot better about having the pulleys on. Before now I had yet to read anyone's reply saying that they had their pulleys on for a long period of time (more than a couple years) without problems. The thing that made me a little nervous was that they were basing their "problem-free" experience on only a few months/one year. I know a lot of people say Steeda is the best way to go because the crank pulley is a complete replacement. I was just a little concerned because I thought I read that the extra vibrations sometimes associated with having the dampener out in front of the crank pulley could cause premature wearing of the main bearings. I hope I was mistaken... because I definitely like the idea of a few extra horses. Thanks everyone for the quick responses. This has really helped.

 

bassman97, that's a good point about stop and go traffic. I actually live in a suburb of Detroit, so I generally don't have to deal with too much of that... thank God! Also, I would think that the heat in Michigan would probably rarely (if ever) be bad enough to have to worry about the slightly slower water pump. Very good to know though in case I take a trip to hotter climates. Like I said in my last post, I was mainly concerned about the extra vibrations. Am I completely off-base on this idea? If so, I'll just leave the pulleys on, sleep well at night, and enjoy the extra power.

 

Just swap them out with Steeda UDP's if your that worried.

 

I'd not even bother. Not enough power freed up to justify the cost.

 

Make sure that they are tight. Buddy of mine bought a Mach with UDP, turned out that the crank pulley was loose. I dont know exactly how it happened, but it caused him to spin a bearing. This, I asume, is an extreamly rare case but it wouldn't hurt just to check them if you buy the vehicle. Otherwise, I dont see any harm in buying a car with pullies.

 

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to look at the car in the beginning of next week. I'll be sure to watch the pulleys while the engine is idling and look for obvious signs that they are loose.