 |  | | | Production vehicles are designed with a large safety factor. Automotive engineers have no idea if the vehicle they design will be used in Phoenix, Arizona or Juno, Alaska, so items such as cooling and heating systems are overkill. That's good news for performance enthusiasts, who can turn this excess capacity into measureable rear-wheel horsepower gains with a little "engenuity."
Companies such as March Performance offer underdrive serpentine (single ribbed belt) pulley sets that slow the alternator, water pump, power steering and air conditioning pump by 30%. By installing a smaller diameter crankshaft pulley, all of the driven accessories are slowed down. This conservation of energy translates to a claimed 15-hp and 10 lb.-ft. of torque at the rear wheels on a 2000 Mustang Cobra 4.6L. And March assures us that the electrical charging system, engine cooling, power steering and A/C systems will not be affected.
The March Performance underdrive pulleys are available for a variety of vehicles and applications. The pulleys we installed on our 2000 Mustang Cobra were precision machined out of 6061 T6 billet aluminum, then black hard-coated for durability. Three primary pieces were included in our kit: an aluminum crank pulley, an alternator pulley, plus a smooth (non-ribbed) steel water pump pulley and assorted small hardware. It took us approximately two hours to install the pulleys, but once you've done it, it's a 45-minute operation. (Some special tools are required such as an impact wrench and a crankshaft dampener puller.) March Performance retails this underdrive pulley set for $129. Not bad for 15-hp at the rear wheels—an improvement that you can definitely feel in the seat of your pants.
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March Performance, Inc., 5820 Hix Rd., Westland, MI 48185, phone (734) 729-9070 or fax (734) 729-9075, www.marchperf.com
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