ProCharger Direct Drive
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 7,821
Likes: 412
From: Montreal
St. Jude Donor '13
I will see how it goes for a while before deciding if I need to do the cog thing. On the dyno I saw no voltage drop, which I know doesn't tell the whole story. I also almost never use my AC. Maybe a couple of times a year, so that might get me off the hook.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,177
Likes: 201
From: Your Sister's Bedroom
If you smile, wink, send some goodies I bet you could get them to do DP.
I had nasty issues with belt slip but only with mileage. <2k miles on a fresh ac and alt belt and all was good, get up there and starts to slip. Friend here had same issues. Belt kept whining and slipping, had to adjust it every few hundred miles.
I had nasty issues with belt slip but only with mileage. <2k miles on a fresh ac and alt belt and all was good, get up there and starts to slip. Friend here had same issues. Belt kept whining and slipping, had to adjust it every few hundred miles.
I just texted Doug and he said he can do the DP drive as well. So I may send that out this winter yet and be done with it. Ive got some other gremlins to chase on that car anyways.
Acct Suspended APR 2026 by request
Joined: Dec 2010
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2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
C5 of Year Winner (performance mods) 2019
I wouldn't touch a DD without the cog mod. Only person doing that is ECS. Only system they will do that too is the cartek. So I would strongly suggest going with the cartek because if you get this (if it ever makes it out of legal issues) and you have belt issues with the alternator/ps/etc which are almost guaranteed, then you are kind of screwed. Only option then would be to sell this and buy the cogged cartek.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,993
Likes: 1,136
From: League City Tx
With the DP setup ive yet to see a voltage drop on logs man, just sayin....
The cogged stuff that ECS does is great, its a true "fix" to any type of belt slip. I need to talk to Doug and see if he can do it with the DP version as well. Its a better safe than sorry type scenario.
The cogged stuff that ECS does is great, its a true "fix" to any type of belt slip. I need to talk to Doug and see if he can do it with the DP version as well. Its a better safe than sorry type scenario.
Team Owner
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 24,035
Likes: 2,342
From: Gilbert AZ
What I meant is if buying new should just buy the cogged cartek from ECS.
Yes ECS will do a DP one. Mine was the first one they did, just didn't want to put words in their mouth in case they weren't doing them anymore.
Yes ECS will do a DP one. Mine was the first one they did, just didn't want to put words in their mouth in case they weren't doing them anymore.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,797
Likes: 52
From: Boise
Cartek most likely is not willing to spend the $150-200k required to bring a patent suit against anyone they think is "infringing".
Also, unless it's a 100% replica of the flip drive they basically have 0 shot at winning.
Does Cartek already have the patent or is it pending? If it's pending you could still copy their exact product for 3 years (since their initial submission) and sell it without any risk. Patent Pending doesn't mean anything.
Race Director
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 16,667
Likes: 1,209
From: Raleigh, NC
St. Jude Donor '15
I actually talked to an IP lawyer who came to speak to my MBA class about exactly this.
Cartek most likely is not willing to spend the $150-200k required to bring a patent suit against anyone they think is "infringing".
Also, unless it's a 100% replica of the flip drive they basically have 0 shot at winning.
Does Cartek already have the patent or is it pending? If it's pending you could still copy their exact product for 3 years (since their initial submission) and sell it without any risk. Patent Pending doesn't mean anything.
Cartek most likely is not willing to spend the $150-200k required to bring a patent suit against anyone they think is "infringing".
Also, unless it's a 100% replica of the flip drive they basically have 0 shot at winning.
Does Cartek already have the patent or is it pending? If it's pending you could still copy their exact product for 3 years (since their initial submission) and sell it without any risk. Patent Pending doesn't mean anything.
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Team Owner
Joined: Nov 2007
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From: Gilbert AZ
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,797
Likes: 52
From: Boise
Either way, it's simply way too expensive for them to enforce on their patents.
If this were the import world that design would have been copied 100x over by now and there would be a handful of different companies getting it made in China and selling the virtually the same thing.
Personally I don't think that the A&A secondary drive or the DP Direct drive infringes, I'm pretty sure they are different enough. If I was them I would consult with an IP attorney and continue selling, the flip drive is the shittiest of the 3 anyway.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,797
Likes: 52
From: Boise
Some other thought on the flip drive patent. I think it would only apply to those still using the factory 6 rib balancer. With an 8/10 rib the distal and proximal planes would be different.
Also because DP and A&A use different tensioners near the alternator, a very strong case could be made that their version are entirely different products. Also almost certainly their brackets in figure 13 are different.
Also because DP and A&A use different tensioners near the alternator, a very strong case could be made that their version are entirely different products. Also almost certainly their brackets in figure 13 are different.
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 245
Likes: 16
From: nj
Some other thought on the flip drive patent. I think it would only apply to those still using the factory 6 rib balancer. With an 8/10 rib the distal and proximal planes would be different.
Also because DP and A&A use different tensioners near the alternator, a very strong case could be made that their version are entirely different products. Also almost certainly their brackets in figure 13 are different.
Also because DP and A&A use different tensioners near the alternator, a very strong case could be made that their version are entirely different products. Also almost certainly their brackets in figure 13 are different.
The thing I find hysterical is they dwell on how they use a hd stock tensioner for the belt that runs the power steering and ALT All this while using a 4 rib belt with the stock weak *** AC tensioner. You could put whatever tensioner on the 6 rib you want. There isnt enough wrap around the balancer now to drive anything really consistently. Think about the wrap that used to be available to drive just the AC. There was well OVER 180 degrees of wrap on c5 on both the AC and balancer pulleys. A little less on the C6. Now you only have about 90 degrees of belt wrap around the balancer and the work load has tripled.
Totally comical to announce a new product just about 2 years after a another company received a patent on it. Talk about way late to the party .
Team Owner
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 24,035
Likes: 2,342
From: Gilbert AZ
The single jackshaft with no additional tensioner on the PC system looks like a poor design. That is already an issue on the cartek/dp/etc that have the lower idler to put more wrap. That lower idler is also what lets you do a cog setup later, by adding the eccentric to use that to tension the cog, so without it I doubt the PC system could be cogged.