ATI Performance vs. Innovators West

[winterboy8]

Looking for an OD pulley and of course the 2 main balancers are ATI and Innovators West. There's both a price and an aesthetics difference between these two.

I am curious if there is any performance variation between them as well. Is the $200 difference for appearance only or is there better quality/performance out of the more expensive choice?

Thanks for advice.

[Stephen12ZL1]

no performance differences. For some unknown reason, CTSv guys seem to prefer the innovators west and ZL1 guys use the ATI/Lingenfelter unit. Either are great and you can get similar sized rings for both brands.

[ZO6 Bryan]

Some info on the IW balancer

http://www.innovatorswest.com/faq.html

Innovators West Racing Balancers
Treat Your Engine to the Finest in Racing Harmonic Balancers


Lighter, Stronger and More Options than the Others!
For over 25 years Innovators West has produced high quality SFI 18.1 certified harmonic balancers right here in the United States with all American components.

With a standard all aluminum case design for lower reciprocating weight, stress-proof steel hub and 1040 steel internal inertia rings for outstanding durability, Innovators West Balancers are a great investment for your street or race vehicle.

Inside the light weight billet aluminum cover is a free floating wet friction clutch pack assembly that utilizes spring loaded inertia rings to dampen crankshaft harmonics over a wide RPM range. The rings work in conjunction with clutches to provide outstanding dampening action. That action does generate some heat, and we use a small amount of fluid inside that acts as a lubricant as well as dissipates heat to the outer body.

A wide range of features are available, some of our options include:

Light Weight Integrated Flying Magnet Crank Trigger
Overdrive, Standard or Underdrive Integrated Serpentine Pulleys
Matching 8 and 10 Rib Pulley Conversion Kits
Internal or Externally Balanced Models for many different engines
We also offer speciality services such as custom design balancers for special applications, ring gear lightening and REM polishing. Don't hesitate to give us a call, or contact us by email if you have some questions or if we can help you in any way with your application.

Harmonic Balancer or Harmonic Dampner what's the difference?

The two terms, damper and balancer, are often confused and are often used interchangeably. The function of a damper is to absorb and dampen the vibrations created by the engine from the firing pulses of the combustion process.

A balancer is used in conjunction with the crankshaft and flywheel to balance the rotating assembly of the motor. While all of our harmonic balancers are dampers, the correct use of the word would only be technically correct for those used on externally balanced motors that have an external bolted on weight. Regardless of the technical aspect, since everyone calls them "balancers" we do as well.

[ZO6 Bryan]

And the ATI

http://www.atiracing.com/products/da...s/damchevy.htm

The patented ATI Super Damper is the only crankshaft damper designed exclusively for high performance Chevy engines.

Eliminates torsional crankshaft vibrations
Exceeds SFI 18.1 specs
Black zinc chromate finished
OEM equipment on ZZ572 GM Crate Engines
Tunable, rebuildable, and extremely efficient at ALL RPM
Laser engraved 360° timing marks
Inner and outer shells are available in aluminum or steel, and contain a steel inertia weight. This inertia weight has six (2-ring design) or eight (3-ring design) computer machined grooves to retain the proper durometer O-rings (dyno tested for each application).

[winterboy8]

Bryan,

Great info as always. In reading both of these it tells me that both companies product exceeds SFI 18.1 specs, so I have to assume that both are doing well putting out quality products. Not having any experience in this field and limited knowledge, I'm trying to determine if either has an advantage over the other. Or is this another one of those situations, "What's better: ARH or Kooks, CAI or Roto-Fab, Mighty Mouse or Elite Engineering?" Can we add ATI or IW to this list?

[stc315]

IW is almost too "pretty" to install. I want to put it in a glass case and hang it in the man cave! When I do come to that point (after warranty expires), I will spend the extra money and go IW for my Z. On a side note, it's on the budget for the 540ci stroker I'm building for my 72 Stingray.

[Redlineviper]

If you aren't Ina rush keep checking on eBay for ATI's blemish sales. The dampers are about $250-280 and you would be hard pressed to tell what's blemished.

[stc315]

A buddy of mine has the IW on his 557 Ford in his jet boat with the built in magnetic trigger. He's making almost 1000hp on the motor and over 1300 with N2O. Very nice piece and works perfect. Nothing against ATI, I ran one on my 70 Nova 454 bracket racer for years with no issues. It's just my humble opinion that the IW is worth the extra $ if nothing more than sheer appearance factor. I think performance wise, they're pretty even.

[Stephen12ZL1]

Originally Posted by winterboy8

Bryan,

Great info as always. In reading both of these it tells me that both companies product exceeds SFI 18.1 specs, so I have to assume that both are doing well putting out quality products. Not having any experience in this field and limited knowledge, I'm trying to determine if either has an advantage over the other. Or is this another one of those situations, "What's better: ARH or Kooks, CAI or Roto-Fab, Mighty Mouse or Elite Engineering?" Can we add ATI or IW to this list?

yeah...it is just like these other decisions. Honestly, you can't go wrong with either.

[JDP Motorsports]

They are both great units. We do a lot more ATI Dampers here because of cost but either option is great. Please feel free to call, email or PM us anytime with questions.

Kind regards,

Jordan Priestley
888.308.6007

[JANNETTYRACING]

Originally Posted by winterboy8

Looking for an OD pulley and of course the 2 main balancers are ATI and Innovators West. There's both a price and an aesthetics difference between these two.

I am curious if there is any performance variation between them as well. Is the $200 difference for appearance only or is there better quality/performance out of the more expensive choice?

Thanks for advice.

The Hard coating on the ATI Prevents Wear.

The raw aluminum wears pretty fast and slippage becomes a problem.

Ted.