What are the pros/cons to the lightweight crank pulley from ecstuning.com? I am going to be ordering my timing belt kit from them soon and was curious whether it was worth it to spend the money and get the kit with the lightweight pulley.

 

You just might be in luck... Tomorrow I will install BlauParts enhanced timing belt kit along with the ECS lightweight crank pulley and a new accessory belt tensioner.

Personally I haven't read anything about the lightweight crank pulley (didn't bother searching) but it seems that shaving 77% mass off from the crank pulley can't hurt... reducing inertia [especially] at the crank is a good thing.

 

But it doesn't dampen at all. I've heard its best to run the stock one for dampening unless you drop the cash on a fluidampr

 

You're definitely right that it does damp any vibrations. But after installing it my engine still feels super smooth. Considering everything else I changed out (entire timing belt service, including accessory belt tensioner) I'm not sure how drastic of an impact the lightweight crank pulley has had.

Also can't tell if it has freed up the engine at all. My water pump is still bedding in according to the Blauparts instructions, and I'm pretty sure my power steering V-belt is tighter than it should be (maybe it just needs to wear in?).

 

Personally the potential risk is enough for me not to run one. The wear is going to depend on the engine, but there's been a lot of cases where people have had crank-walk due to a solid crank pulley as it provides zero dampening. Dampening the the vibrations also has the added benefit of reducing friction so I would stay with the stock pulley.

Just my .02