Thread: Will a 3.3" pully blow a lightly moded 3800?

Originally Posted by ncccgolf5

Will slapping a 3.3" pully blow the engine?

It won't if your knock sensors work well enough to save the engine from owner stupidity.

You've got a Gen V, so that is about a 3.2 pulley in Gen III terms. I haven't really seen anyone safely run that size without a cam or intercooler. I'd suggest a 3.6 or at most a 3.5 with your mods. Don't go crazy on the pulley size. Rockers would be a nice upgrade for you and might let you run one size smaller. Get yourself a modular hub if haven't already and use common sense when playing with pulley size.

There isn't much point in trying to crunch ricer math as to how much more power you could make. Too many variables. If you put a 3.3 on you might make a bit more power under the curve but top end will be joke once the PCM pulls timing like mad to stave off knock.

Originally Posted by Going Too Phast

It won't if your knock sensors work well enough to save the engine from owner stupidity.

Knock sensors sense knock after it's happened. Tune for the best timing with no knock.

Originally Posted by BillBoost37

Knock sensors sense knock after it's happened. Tune for the best timing with no knock.

Um yes, I think we know how knock sensors function. I was just joking, hence the smiley.

Back in the day people were running 3.25 pullies with a downpipe and PCM. Some people manage to get away with a lot of knock retard without engine damage as the PCM is fairly aggressive in stock form. I sure wouldn't chance it though. Stock engines almost always have some KR stock and survive just fine for 200K miles or more so the system is far from worthless. However the potential for damage is likely to increase from knock over stock though when you increase boost. Again use common sense.