hey all i have a 98 5.2L 1500 and i was looking into getting the overdrive pulleys for it, does anyone know if they work or has any info on them please let me know. i would realy like to get them from summit.

 

If you get them, get them from www.hughesengines.com . They're like $45 there. But I've heard they can screw up some things, like not providing adequete alternator voltage, A/C, etc. Research it.

 

i have the march underdrive pulleys from summit and they seem to work just fine for me. the problem is finding a serpintine belt that fits, because the stupid people at the auto parts store dont understand that if i say i need a belt that is 2-4 inches shorter than the stock belt they just continue to ask me what vehicle its for and even with the pulleys on that it wont work. lol. but you will just have to try your luck, it will end up being a 6 rib belt instead of a 7 because they do not make 7 rib belts that small (apparently its a dodge thing).

so to answer the other questions, no it did not hurt my alternator, ac or anything else. the only thing you will notice is that when you are at a stop light at idle the alternator gauge will drop down because with the underdrives on the motor, (crankshaft,alternator)is not turning enough RPMS to charge it since it is a 25% underdrive kit, but as soon as you get the motor tached over 1200 RPMs it will start charging again so i suggest a good new battery.

Oh and if you choose to go with the polished set that is like 200 dollars you get 3 pulleys, the only diffrence is they are polished not painted. the third pulley is for the water pump and it is the same size as the one on your truck now, so its just for show. so id stick to the painted ones.

hope this helps

 

Yeah, from whatever I have read online you should be fine. The underdrive pulley set includes the proper pulley sizes for the alternator and I think the crank and waterpump too. The have managed them down to figure out what sizes are needed to "free" up horsepower but maintain the system.

The reason I say "free" up horsepower is because I have never used them so I cannot confirm/deny the results of them.

 

yes this does help alot. the ones from summit come with a belt and you can buy a new belt if need be but, the info you all provided is vary helpfull.

 

Thats why this site is here! To help out our fellow dodge owners!

 

U/D pulleys not suggested if you use the ac all the time and have a big stereo. If you want to run efans, it can be even more of an issue. A fresh gel cell battery is recommended, red or yellow top Optima a good choice.

The 7rib Performance Series alum 3pc pulleys (part # is link) are
Part # 10510 & is listed on the summit site but does not come up when you search with a specific year Ram. This is the set that Ive been running on my Indy since 97.

Part#10500 is the black steel set of 7rib 2pc pulleys, its listed for V6 but if you click the link then check application tab it does fit the 5.2 & 5.9s. At $53 its a better deal than the Hughes crank only cause it gives you the alt pulley that is smaller so its spins faster & you have less power issues at idle with these compared to what a crank only pulley gives.

I would not use the 6rib set that are Part#10515

The painted pulleys are steel and weigh more.
The polished pulleys are aluminum and weigh fair bit less. Less rotational weight means more performance gains than the steel set.
Also, the water pump pulley is not the same diameter, it is much larger than stock. This slows the water pump down which draws less hp & gives more rwhp than the 2pc set will. I have never had a heat issue with my 5.9 with these pulleys on even when supercharged with 52tb, m1, mild cam, 1.7rr, 180 tstat, laptop tuned & every single bolt on available (about 400rwhp/515crank hp)

With the 3pc alum pulleys & larger dia water pump pulley you can not run a gatorback belt cause it will rub between the waterpump pulley and the idler pulley so dont try. It will wear off the gatorback of the belt in about 3mins of run time (I know/what a freakin mess) You can see just how tight the idler to water pump pulley is in this older pic below with underdriven D-1 supercharger.

 

thank you all for your input. its going to be a tought to choose.

 

Indy I was trying to read yr post but I can't cause of the motor pick!!! It is messing me up! Looks sweet!!

 

I have underdrives on my truck form hughesengines.com I got a 7 rib belt a napa that fit I will get the number off it when I go down to my truck. And I use my radio run my A/C on high at idle in town and have never had any problems.