Autowave high performance harmonic balancer

**etang789** · 07-11-2011, 19:45

Originally Posted by ken sampson

You can order this directly from ATI. This one was my design to support 600HP @ 8000 Rpm's It is a 8 Groove and has a recess for a crank trigger wheel if needed for an after market computer. This is the real deal no bolt on pulley's. You can see the part number in the drawing for ordering.
Ken

If you change the crank pulley to a 8 ribbed pulley, what other pulleys do you need to change?

And where can you find a 8 ribbed supercharger pulley?

**Peter D** · 07-13-2011, 06:32

how much is the damper?

**dynomike** · 07-14-2011, 08:08

The dampers are $685

**Coz** · 07-14-2011, 16:33

I believe Titanium Dave makes them.

Originally Posted by etang789

And where can you find a 8 ribbed supercharger pulley?

**Ric** · 02-06-2012, 19:46

just had the ATI damper installed on my NSX at Autowave last week, and my car feels the same way as you described.

I just got my car back, and wanted to say that throttle response is such a big difference with instant response after installing the ATI High performance Harmonic Balancer.

Revs don't feel slack anymore.

**DRIFTER** · 02-28-2012, 12:24

What is required to install this? Tax returns are burning a hole in my pocket.

**L_RAO** · 03-14-2012, 08:43

Do we have any long term updates? Owners/users please chime in.

**Coz** · 03-14-2012, 08:49

Been using one for 3+ years now with no problems.

Originally Posted by L_RAO

Do we have any long term updates? Owners/users please chime in.

**L_RAO** · 03-14-2012, 09:14

Thank you for the input.

**gsrboy** · 03-16-2012, 15:18

I had mine for about a year now and I havent had any problems with it.

**DRIFTER** · 03-16-2012, 16:07

Any idea in the labor involved in installing one of these?

**dynomike** · 03-18-2012, 13:41

estimated time is 1 hour

**HBui39** · 03-18-2012, 14:53

this is probably my favorite mod so far for the NSX and i recommend it to EVERYONE. how smooth it makes the engine is just ridiculous. shows why Honda blueprinted and balanced the R engines.

**vf2ss** · 03-18-2012, 15:35

I currently have Titanium Dave's Harmonic Balancer Shield on the OEM harmonic balancer...in upgrading to this should/could the shield still be used with Autowave's harmonic balancer or not?

**9doors** · 03-21-2012, 08:30

Originally Posted by vf2ss

I currently have Titanium Dave's Harmonic Balancer Shield on the OEM harmonic balancer...in upgrading to this should/could the shield still be used with Autowave's harmonic balancer or not?

I have the same question.

Thanks!

**dynomike** · 03-21-2012, 15:21

the shield can still be used. The Damper was made to be identical to the stock damper so there should be no clearance problem. I have yet to see one of these dampers come apart over the years so the shield will not be necessary with the ATI damper

**HIJACKER** · 03-23-2012, 18:23

I've read quite a few threads on the harmonic balancers and I dont quite understand what their purpose is in the motor. Can someone explain more details on what this part actually does and what it should be replaced/upgraded? Is this also applicable to the 3.2L 6-spd? Where is it on the motor and what are the instructions to replace, is this something for a DIY mechanic with common garage tools/compressor?

I'm just trying to understand what exactly this part is and its purpose.

**USAFguy22** · 03-24-2012, 04:32

Originally Posted by HIJACKER

I've read quite a few threads on the harmonic balancers and I dont quite understand what their purpose is in the motor. Can someone explain more details on what this part actually does and what it should be replaced/upgraded? Is this also applicable to the 3.2L 6-spd? Where is it on the motor and what are the instructions to replace, is this something for a DIY mechanic with common garage tools/compressor?

I'm just trying to understand what exactly this part is and its purpose.

Snagged this from wikipedia:
"A harmonic balancer (also called crank pulley damper, crankshaft damper, torsional damper, or vibration damper) is a device connected to the crankshaft of an engine to reduce torsional vibration and serves as a pulley for drive belts.
Every time the cylinders fire, torque is imparted to the crankshaft. The crankshaft deflects under this torque, which sets up vibrations when the torque is released. At certain engine speeds the torques imparted by the cylinders are in synch with the vibrations in the crankshaft, which results in a phenomenon called resonance. This resonance causes stress beyond what the crankshaft can withstand, resulting in crankshaft failure.
To prevent this vibration, a harmonic balancer is attached to the front part of the crankshaft. The damper is composed of two elements: a mass and an energy dissipating element. The mass resists the acceleration of the vibration and the energy dissipating (rubber/clutch/fluid) element absorbs the vibrations.
Additionally the energy transferred from the piston to the crankshaft can induce as much as 2 degrees of twist in the crankshaft, which has many follow-on effects on all engine elements that require adequate timing such as valve opening, cam timing, ignition timing etc.
Over time, the energy dissipating (rubber/clutch/fluid) element can deteriorate from age, heat, cold, or exposure to oil or chemicals. Unless rebuilt or replaced, this can cause the crankshaft to develop cracks, resulting in crankshaft failure."

And here's a good, general, installation video to understand the concept.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex_yJ_V5UH8

**winreboot** · 03-28-2012, 18:46

Does the car have to be re-tuned after installation of this harmonic balancer or it will work fine?

Is anyone running it on turbo nsx and how you like it? Any feedback appreciated.

Thanks,
David

**USAFguy22** · 03-29-2012, 03:48

Originally Posted by winreboot

Does the car have to be re-tuned after installation of this harmonic balancer or it will work fine?

Is anyone running it on turbo nsx and how you like it? Any feedback appreciated.

Thanks,
David

I was wondering this too, as it seems the timing could be thrown off a bit with the swap

**winreboot** · 04-11-2012, 14:43

Originally Posted by USAFguy22

I was wondering this too, as it seems the timing could be thrown off a bit with the swap

Does anyone have info on this?

**ScienceofSpeed** · 04-11-2012, 17:27

This will not have an effect on timing, the sensors are on the cam gears and the gear that drives the belt off the crankshaft is a separate part to this.

cheers,
-- Chris

**eamelgar** · 04-11-2012, 21:41

I've had this on my Autowave Built NSX motor for approx. 2+ years, no problems, no complaints, runs perfect!

**greenberet** · 04-14-2012, 04:28

Originally Posted by HBui39

how smooth it makes the engine is just ridiculous. shows why Honda blueprinted and balanced the R engines.

Just to build on USAFguy22’s post: the purpose of most harmonic balancers (also known as harmonic dampers) is to dampen torsional vibrations in the crankshaft, not to make up for poor blueprinting and balancing.

When a piston pushes down on the crankshaft, it pushes down on one point, not evenly across the entire crankshaft. Pushing down on one point causes the crankshaft to twist a little and when you're done pushing it springs back, vibrating at its natural resonant frequency like a clock spring. The flywheel end of the crankshaft can’t resonate much because the flywheel dampens the vibrations on that end. To prevent resonances at the other end without resorting to another big heavy flywheel, harmonic dampers are installed in crank pulleys that are tuned to resonate out of phase with the crankshaft. By damping the crankshaft’s natural resonance at both ends, it will twist less, last longer, and can drive the camshafts more precisely, giving you more horsepower and a smoother running engine.

Those are very good things but they’re due to the crankshaft twisting less, not because the harmonic damper has made up for poor blueprinting and balancing.

STMPO pointed me to a webpage that explains the subject matter very clearly. From that webpage: Question: Will a harmonic damper solve an out of balance condition? Answer: No damper will compensate for an out of balance condition. The vibration damper is designed to reduce crankshaft torsional vibrations, not to balance the motor. It is a common misconception that a damper will "fix" an imbalance condition in the motor. This is absolutely not true.

**HBui39** · 04-15-2012, 20:50

Originally Posted by greenberet

Just to build on USAFguy22’s post: the purpose of most harmonic balancers (also known as harmonic dampers) is to dampen torsional vibrations in the crankshaft, not to make up for poor blueprinting and balancing.

When a piston pushes down on the crankshaft, it pushes down on one point, not evenly across the entire crankshaft. Pushing down on one point causes the crankshaft to twist a little and when you're done pushing it springs back, vibrating at its natural resonant frequency like a clock spring. The flywheel end of the crankshaft can’t resonate much because the flywheel dampens the vibrations on that end. To prevent resonances at the other end without resorting to another big heavy flywheel, harmonic dampers are installed in crank pulleys that are tuned to resonate out of phase with the crankshaft. By damping the crankshaft’s natural resonance at both ends, it will twist less, last longer, and can drive the camshafts more precisely, giving you more horsepower and a smoother running engine.

Those are very good things but they’re due to the crankshaft twisting less, not because the harmonic damper has made up for poor blueprinting and balancing.

STMPO pointed me to a webpage that explains the subject matter very clearly. From that webpage: Question: Will a harmonic damper solve an out of balance condition? Answer: No damper will compensate for an out of balance condition. The vibration damper is designed to reduce crankshaft torsional vibrations, not to balance the motor. It is a common misconception that a damper will "fix" an imbalance condition in the motor. This is absolutely not true.

really? a harmonic damper dampens engine harmonics? who woulda thought??? my point was a counterpoint to those who think father Honda made a perfect engine that cannot be improved upon, not that a harmonic damper magically balances and blueprints an engine with fairy dust and unicorn power.