I installed a Fluidampr on my EJ205 as a reliability mod and I love it. It might be a stretch but I feel like I'm burning less oil after. I think MotoIQ's article comparing all three of these on a relatively stock BRZ speaks volumes; despite the extra weight the Fluidampr made more horsepower on the dyno and showed a much smoother power curve.

Hey Tanner, I really like these informational videos you've put out, they really have broadened my knowledge of subarus specifically and, also, cars as a whole. Thanks a ton dude!

Really glad you made a video about this, i knew Im going in the direction of a Fluidampr for my 17 wrx, but could never get a full answer as to why its better for everything. I'm only around the 370 wheel mark rn, but with a lightweight flywheel i feel a ton of bouncing. Definitely made the mistake of going with LW after only having the car for a week lol

Great topic to discuss. I feel like for the small hp gain probably safer to use stock and if I do a big build I'll go with the fluid damper. Thanks for the edumacation lol.

I'll add a forth option to this that might be worth considering as a cheaper alternative. Some quality aftermarket dampened pulleys are lighter than stock. On my old hawkeye the OEM pulley as you mentioned separated the two rings. In desperation I ordered a Febi-Bilstein pulley from Amazon due to next day delivery. On arrival I instantly noticed the Febi one to be lighter.. Not only did the engine rev more freely, it also seemed to reduce the NVH a little. But that could have been due to the old worn rubber on the OEM pulley. I've considered just replacing my hatch pulley before the OEM one fails. Keep up the great work. Awesome content as always.

Great video man! Wish I had it years ago when I started my build 😅 I started with a lightweight and then switched to a fluidampr when doing turbo swap, bigger injectors, etc.

Great video explaining the difference between all 3 pulleys!

I read about Fluidamprs a lot in the NA community. It's a must-have, especially for NA EJs built to rev upwards of 10k RPMs.

let’s go, more questions answered everyday. my love for this channel keeps growing

Thanks for passing your wisdom to us from your lessons learned.

Nice vidya. I thankfully had an expert convince me to get an OEM instead of a lightweight pulley for a 400whp bb500 build and I’m very happy with it. Maybe if I go rotated I’ll do the fluid damper

I love when you upload, gives me something to watch when I get home from work 😅

I have a fluidampr on my MK7 GTI. It has not only smoothed out the idle, but has also allowed the car to pull all the way to redline before I was experiencing some timing retardation due to the false knock. This has completely cleaned all that up highly recommend.

I swear by fluid dampener on EVERY motor I've ever build! reason being the balancer/pully affects the harmonics of the crank and thus affects the valve train. this is why belts are preferred as they help dampen these harmonics. This harmonics can cause tuning disruptions, valve bouncing, and so many other weird phenomenon leading to destruction. This was an awesome very well informative video with a great explanation! 10/10 said it like you read the same books or followed the same builders!

I’m new to your channel and this is some of the best Subaru content I’ve seen. Thanks so much for the great explanations and detail.

Great video!! That’s good knowledge to share!! Also just noticed you hit 100k plus subscribers, Congratulations 🎉

very articulate! goodstuff mang ur helping us out alot, appreciate u!!

This reminds me, I grew up working on old vw's, and I thought it was so weird how most other engines had big chunky dampers and vw's ran these single row, really light weight pulley that was mainly just used for timing marks.

Oh my goodness, I have been waiting for this exact video ever since you said that a fluid damper was something you installed when you cared for longevity! :D

Awesome visuals! I’m going to have to do some researching for my stock power track car.

Ever since I was a little larva I was told to always upgrade the pulleys on your car. Im done with mods for my wrx for now. I'll for sure look into a pulley for my mustang. Thanks for the educational video Tanner!

Fluidamper rocks !! Thanks for putting some basic science behind harmonic balancers. Noticed a wobble coming from my noisy 02 WRX. Decided on the Fluidamper and I can say that my 02 still Loves me !!🙂

Thanks T. I'm uk 09 wrx, perrin pully stage 1 map 3 years now. Working out pretty good with full decat 💯🤘🤘🤘

Great information Tanner. My 14 Hatch is pretty stock, but longevity is my thing so a fluid dampner maybe overkill but help longevity. Thank you for the info, now get that Hatch on the scales, I want to see some power bro!!!! 🥃🥃🥃

My stock one did exactly what he said and split thank god it was in my driveway. Got a fluidampr never looked back significantly smoother. 13 WRX 330whp/350wtq

Solid topic not a lot of people talk about. I went fluidampr when I went to a e60 tune due to my tuners advise.

Great info Tanner, I just realized I shouldn't go light weight pulley on my boosted Nissan Spec V, and will def go with Fluidamper on the STI build. Thanks a million man!

I've been running the Fluiddampener for a bit now. Seems to work well for my application. And for less rotational mass I plan to install a carbon fiber driveshaft.

Thanks for explaining all of this. My crank pulley seized on my 05 STI. It's moderately modified. I was going to order the perrin buy the cons aren't worth taking a chance. But God damn that damper is expensive! Guess I'm just getting OEM. Thanks again. ❤

I’ve been finding myself coming back to your page more and more when it comes to info on parts. Thank you for doing what you do man. Just grabbed myself a fluid dampner

Nothing gets me more excited than Tanner talking about vibrations! Lol.

it helps me a lot considering i have a 07 wrx tr which i will keep as a daily but will being a transmission swap from 5 spd to a sti 6 thank you humbly and keep them right. subie life

Yup, my factory damper delaminated. I was able to get another from a member of a local subaru group for $5. I have a Fluidamper for my new build, since the ati has a rebuild interval.

I’d highly recommend fluidampr as well. My blobeye drives a lot smoother and it’s a good reliability mod

When I bought my wrx it came with a gfb lightweight pulley kit. I really want a different pulley tbh. But I don’t wanna spend $450 on the fluidampr and I don’t want to spend $180 on an oem pulley. I need to find a used oem pulley lol. Great video tanner

Got one for my RB in my r32. A must have

I can’t wait for some more parts talk and what are the benefits!

Great information!! Thanks

@smeedia awesome video! what is your opinion on replacing the oem crank pulley with the fluid damper, for the sole purposes to increase reliability on an otherwise stock vehicles?

You did say "frequencies" very frequently in this video. Thanks for the to-the-point valuable information!

I don't even own a car. Damn, I haven't even finished getting my license and I'm watching this video super fascinated.. Great content!

Great video, There is some type of maintenance must be given to fluid damper?

Great topic thank you

Im glad my sbc has both a pulley and damper. Ill get the light pulley and the fluid damper! Win win

timely as always, dood! So, lets say stage 3 is the upper limit of what the engine will see (Upgraded intercooler, ID1300s, 16G or similar, full 3" exhaust...etc.). What would your recommendation be here? assume 325-375whp ish...

I did a fuji racing AC delete pulley (1.8 lbs) and a act street light flywheel and I felt like the engine revs whicked fast. (Na mind you 253) but I have heard you can make the vct go wonky if you Rev too fast. I also got the Perrin engine mounts and the group N trans mount and the chassis does vibrate. I do keep the idle rpm up to 950 though so its not unbearable. However got me thinking on longevity. And like oil pump cavitation.. Wonder if I can gear down the unit..

@smeedia can you please discuss lightweight flywheels? 🙏 I’m curious if there’s also a concern for torsional stress on the other end of the crankshaft. About to install a fluidampr and exedy LW flywheel (sti) 😬

I paid $366 for my Fluidampr pulley almost 3 years ago. I haven't installed it yet because I'm probably going to save it for my V9 EJ207 that's on standby in case my EJ205 pops. From what I read while in the rabbit hole, the lightweight pulleys are worse in the long run if you are combining them with lighter flywheels. You will start to notice that the daily driveability will suffer, meaning your revs will be all over the place. OTOH, if you track the car, then you'd be better off because you're not trying to maintain a set speed limit. The EJ's crankshaft is also balanced with the damper installed, and by installing a lighter pulley, you will increase oscillations. That is not a good thing. IMHO, I feel that a lot of newer Subaru owners comb over the aftermarket sites and look for something that claims more power but doesn't break the bank. Hence, the slick marketing for the lightweight pulleys. Just my .02 cents. Anybody is welcome to do as they please. Just do your research.

As someone who's looking to boost their car, fluid dampeners sound pretty promising. Plus I see them on a lot of built/crate engines

Have you done a video on the installation issues on the newer fa/fb’s? I was scared off the lwp because of some pin that supposedly could be dropped into the engine. Now I can’t find anything on it but do see the boss required to install an aftermarket pulley from grimmspeed.

Question: what are your thoughts for the FA? Now this platform does not come w a harmonic balancer. Oem pulley is already light weight compared to an EJ. Grimmspeed and maybe perrin finally came out with a ver. For the 2018+ wrx. I am at 36% power increase over stock. (324 whp, 336wtq)

On a DI engine, the LW pulleys do beat the accessories to death due to crank chatter, but on non-DI, a lightweight one also with smaller diameter is good for maximum HP as in racing use.

For FA WRX's, the issue to look out for is the rods which are connected to ... the hip bone (j/k); crank shaft. My assumption is that this is that rod failure typically happens from "bigger booms" after say 350 to 375 torque. Would a fluid damper help? Hopefully I asked the question right. Sorry if I didn't in advanced. BTW, I've learned so much from your channel man. Sooooo much. Thanks big time.

My oem pulley ripped from the middle rubber part n it ripped my belt too so I ended just going for a fluid damper 😮‍💨🔥🔥n never failed again 🦾🦾

Tanner, do you have any tips for installing the fluidampr on an EJ? They have 3 bolt holes so you can’t really use the Company23 tool to hold it while torquing the bolt. Thank you as always for the great content!

Great vid! question can a lightweight pulley be fitted but still running the OEM Pas and Alt pulleys?.. Thanks 👍

I have had my Perrin LCP since 2012 with ZERO issues on my 06' Hawkeye STi pushing just north of 500 crank hp.

I noticed after running a perrin lwp after an oil change for 5000kms it looked like I had metal shavings in the oil I never changed it as i had to many other issues with the car. Throttle response was increased about %3 and daily driving it was alot peppier based off my ej201 na at the time

This is something I would have never thought of.

I wonder if my 2019 wrx would benefit from this. Its currently at 320 whp which is assuming 80 hp to the wheels over stock (could be wrong) any suggestions? I do get some odd vibrations in 4th.

I've had a lightweight cank pulley on my -89 Supra for 6-7 years, runs 10k-15k kilometers a year, still stock, only exhaust, intake and added boost

Good topic.

they're called harmonic balancers for a reason, and i think that name pretty much sums up everything you just said.

Great video except what siginicant horse power if my power goals are 5-600 would would that be fluid>lightweight

I put lightweight pulleys on my 92 5.0 Mustang and put well over 100,000 hard miles on it and never had a problem.

Fluiddamp crank pulley and lightweight pulleys combo. I had full lightweight pulleys and intake on an frs. A bit louder engine idle and maybe 5 hp. Just get a fluid damp and reduce weight without reducing reliability.

I bought my 02 wagon last year and it came with a lightweight Cobb pulley. I’m wanting to make around 320 to wheel, do you think it’ll be fine around that power range still?

I have an 04 blobeye wrx with spec-c built motor, i'm currently on a Blouch Dom 4.0 Turbo supplied by 1000cc id injectors not expecting to squeeze too much out of it because im still on the 5speed. Would you recommend i go fluid damper? My rpm range because of the built motor has been increased to 8,300rpms

Hey tanner just watching this video and was wondering what you would recommend for me for my 06 sti trying to hit around 400 hp but also daily it?

8:40 the AXIS of rotation. an axial flow turbojet / fan flows along the axis. a wheel rotates around its axis or axle.

Hey man. Before I forget while watching the video. Any way you could make one of your great install videos on turbo inlets? I trust your stuff so it would be greatly appreciated if you get the chance! But if it isn't happening I understand! If there is a good video somewhere you can recommend that would be great. Just seems like there's not really anything great out there that I could find! Thanks again man! Now onto watching your video and leaving a like of course!

i used a grimmspeed pulley for 5 years and maybe 20,000 miles on it. not bad. going back to oem now to see how my 4.44 gear ratio will be with ej255, vf48

The correct pulley makes a big difference. I have a cranky old man (machine wizard) building a Chevy 327 for me, getting fully balanced and all. He still recommended the 10in 350 HB over the 327 6in stocker. Bigger, heavier one worth 15hp in the mid range since it smooths out everything a lot. The actual harmonics from the combustion pulses causes hp loss cause it starts to resonate and shake the engine apart

My 2015 WRX is modded making a bit above 300 hp. Stock flywheel and other stuff. However my belt is autozone and pully is stock. Going towards 100k. Maybe I should swap out for that pully you recommend. My car is a daily driver. Planning to keep my car so maybe thos is a thing I should get. I live in NY also so it's exposed to the weather there also.

What power level would be the sweet spot for the Perrin lightweight pulley ? What about 450 whp ?

I have a jdm ej205 with and 18g, ewg, and 750s. In your opinion is it safe for me to run a lightweight pulley at my power level

And what about for BRZ? Would be beneficial or having lightweight pully?

My bugeye came with a cobb pulley when i bought it at 140k. Previous owner put it on at 70k. I transferred it to my new engine at 186k (ringland failure) and now has 233k. 0 issues

5:16 To add a bit to this discussion, I'd like to relay to you guys that, an engineer once told me that the only two piston driven engine rotational assemblies that achieve a "natural balance" at any point of their cycle is the flat four and the V12. This bit of info led me to form the opinion of, this inherent stability being the reason that the Subaru h4 can get away with just a little bit more tortional vibration than other engine designs.

I am so glad I came across this video, so i just have a question. ill be around 350wph for my build (RA, headstuds, b25 heads) vf48, 1050s, top mount, intake. so im just wondering if you think the grimspeed lightweight pulley will be good compared to that perrin.. has a bit more weight to it and isnt as "lightweight" as that red perrin... do you think there is a certain limit to horsepower you think only to run the dampr from then on?

I have a IAG built FA20 with full bolt ons and a steam speed turbokit I’m at 440hp on E-60 , will running a light weight throw off my tune ?

Random place to post this but I have a 2020 STI with just 11k miles on it. Today I got a CEL and a code P0301 cylinder 1 misfire. Seems quite low mileage to be having this type of problem no? Any advice?

what do you think about the ATI one? i think you have to change the fluidampr becase of the winters…

I've had a light weight crank pulley on my shelf for a year. Would it be safe for a 2.5 n/a impreza??

I'm going for a lightweight crank pulley on my engine. It's a straight O.E.M. plug and play replacement, no special belts or bolts blah blah. Just a lighter mass pulley. Stock pulley is about 4LBS and the aftermarket one is 1.5LBS give or take. What should I expect aside from what they advertise??

I just installed a fluidampr on my 18 STi. the stock balancer just shit the bed. car only has 36k on. after installing it, I hear this aweful squeaking when I cold start the car, and when I turn the wheel. I retained the original belts. any idea what is causing this?

thank you tanner!!!

So if i decide I want one lightweight pulley cause I have a cheap ass 2.5RS and my only future plans are a turbo kit and at least 6psi im fine right plus turbo plan is pretty far

My question is looking into lightweight pulleys is I have seen some say it may be more difficult to charge the battery while it’s on your car. Is that true or is it vehicle dependent?

So, if I am SC my 8th gen civic si with a kraftwerks kit, then I should go fluid damper? Since the SC blower relies on the crank pulley and belt, would the fluid damper lose power for me, because it is heavier? I was thinking of going lightweight pulley before I saw your video.

If you want to rev up faster, get a button clutch and super lightweight flywheel. The fluid damper is indeed heavier than stock, but it's the same outer diameter as stock, which means the mass is added on a shorter radius, which is easier to accelerate anyway. A smaller diameter clutch and flywheel has 4-times the effect that a somewhat heavier damper has.

What do you think for an STI making 352whp and 340tq?

I have an exhaust and am getting a j pipe. I have a lightweight flywheel being put on. My buddy claims I need a fluidamper, is that true?? I have a 2018 wrx

What is the part number for that Perrin hub adapter? I can't find it on the Perrin site.

2009 subaru legacy had the outer ring of the pulley come off and eat through my plastic timing belt cover and well now I own a 2013 Outback (timing chain)

Im thinking of upgrading. Can you help me choose? lightweight pulley or lightweight flywheel?

what about the lightweight alternator pully Is that safe for high whp cars or should i not do it

Wait so I have a 2007 wrx with like 350hp and stock hp is 224 so what should I end up going with?

As a stock wrx would the fluid damper be beneficial as a reliably/prolong life mod?

Dampner. For a flat motor or opposed anyhow. The harmonic resonance in them is brutal.