It has come to our attention that a company is offering aluminum replacement pulleys for our superchargers.

DO NOT under ANY circumstances use ANY aluminum pulley on our superchargers - use ONLY steel pulleys. Whoever is supplying these pulleys does not understand the basic operating principle of our supercharger drive system.

Use of an aluminum pulley will void the warranty. Consider this an official amendment to our warranty policy.

 

Umm, that seems kinda retarded. How the hell does pulley material void your warrenty. Unless it is just KB trying to corner the market on there own pulleys by saying if you want to change you better use our's or else.

 

Quoted from
KC@KB
Authorized Advertiser




Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 117 Just Say "No" to Aluminum Supercharger Pulleys!

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It has come to our attention that a company is offering aluminum replacement pulleys for our superchargers.

DO NOT under ANY circumstances use ANY aluminum pulley on our superchargers - use ONLY steel pulleys. Whoever is supplying these pulleys does not understand the basic operating principle of our supercharger drive system.

Use of an aluminum pulley will void the warranty. Consider this an official amendment to our warranty policy. Here is why:

The drives on all Kenne Bell superchargers utilize a unique friction drive design. The pulley shoulder mates against the seal ring and creates a steel-to-steel frictional "bond". There is no keyway or other method of "holding" the pulley against the seal ring to prevent slippage. We have tested our drive and steel pulleys for slippage up to 200 horsepower and there is none.

Aluminum is softer than steel and cannot provide the surface contact integrity (friction) the drive design requires. Aluminum will slip and deteriorate, smearing onto the seal ring. Once the pulley slips, the bolt tightens and breaks, or the weaker aluminum pulley shreds under the head of the bolt. We know - we have tested aluminum pulleys. It does not matter if they are hard anodized.

So........ "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." And don't let anyone tell you that the "lighter" pulley makes more horsepower from a "lower rotational mass" or "we're not sure, but somehow, magically it works". It absolutely does nothing but create problems for all of us.

While on this subject, our recommendation for any pulleys (other than the supercharger drive pulley) is if they are to be aluminum, make sure they are hard anodized for minimum wear and longer life.

 

Word!

 

here is what I just posted over there

"well if your pulleys had a lip on both sides of the pulley to keep the belt from comming off I would be happy to run your steel pulleys. However I allmost lost a 2 belts when I had to let off the gas due to poor track prep.

Make some pulleys that keep my belt on and i will be more than happy to run them"


Also it is funny that my first KB failed while running the KB steel pulleys. while with my alluminum pulleys have been on the replacement for allmost a year with no problems.

 

Can they unilaterally change the warranty?

something doesn't sound right.

 

I dont think they can apply that to people that say brought one before he made that rule or added it to his current warrenty. Im sure if he tried to void repairing one before his warrenty change, he would get tooken to court.

 

Poor KB owners!

--Steele

 

I am running a 3.20 reichard on top. I have no idea whether it is aluminum or not - I just know it looks aluminum, it bites into my gator and gives me a constant 16lbs of boost.

I have the metco idler system, too (there are rumors that voids the warranty).

How can I forget, I spin her over 14,000 revolutions at gear change - hey come to think of it that voids the warranty too. Three strikes I'm out - I can tell you this much, I'm not going to loose any sleep over it, that's a given.

My first KB seized, the KB boys knew of my pulley combination and didn't question sending me a new one over night. The second one has run flawlessly for 4800 miles and I am confident for many more! I don't drive my L daily, just when I have the need to speed or get down to the track, so those 4800 miles are "push her to the max" numbers.

Is there anyone out there who has had their warranty denied within the first year?

D-Day

 

That just doesn't sound right

 

Dan, as your friend and Lawyer, I'd advise you to reframe
from saying anything else that may incriminate you

Oh you did do the Magnet trick AND IT IS STEEL

Schwuuuuuuu, glad we got that straightned out

 

Although warranty contract changes usually dont apply to people that have already bought the item, in this case i believe it is different. Different because you are actually modifying the supercharger. Even though the pulley might be the same size, you are swapping out a part that came with the original supercharger. The second you changed any part on that supercharger, you lost a whole bunch of your warranty.

 

LOL, Rob and Gator

Now that I read that again, you're both right. Let me re phrase,

I have followed my warranty instructions from the date of purchase to exact requirements as stated by the manufacturer.

And

I just know it looks aluminum, it bites into my gatorback pulley belt and gives me a constant 16lbs of boost.

The last thing that bit "my" gator was blonde, 5'7", 122 lbs and she was not wearing a belt

D-Day