Hawks vs Katech tenisoner - experiences?
#1
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Hawks vs Katech tenisoner - experiences?
Still running stock tensioner on my 500+rwhp C5Z but it is starting to squeak. Hawks is $100 shipped and Katech is $147 shipped and stock ~$60. Anyone use this Hawk:
https://www.hawksmotorsports.com/bil...2-ls3-ls6-ls7/
Just a few comments in the General section about them and they were all good.
Thoughts?
https://www.hawksmotorsports.com/bil...2-ls3-ls6-ls7/
Just a few comments in the General section about them and they were all good.
Thoughts?
#2
Safety Car
What makes that pretty billet piece better than a OEM one? Why not go with another OEM one?
Look into what springs are used on each part to see how they differ.
Look into what springs are used on each part to see how they differ.
#4
Thoroughly chapped
Member Since: Oct 2006
Location: If you're not angry, you're not paying attention
Posts: 20,355
Received 409 Likes
on
327 Posts
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17
NCM Member '09
I have the Katech, and it needed a bearing pretty quickly, but it was probably my fault as my balancer was going away at that point. I replaced the bearing with a high-quality Japanese bearing, and all is well now.
#6
Safety Car
ive bought two that looked like that hawks one off ebay for much cheaper. both worked great! one was on my track car that kept throwing belt at 6000 rpm (stock spring wore out) it fixed that. and the other was was on a street car.
i may still have one off the street car, (we were hunting a squeel, didnt fix that so removed) if your interested i can try to find it if you want to buy it. PM me if interested.
i may still have one off the street car, (we were hunting a squeel, didnt fix that so removed) if your interested i can try to find it if you want to buy it. PM me if interested.
#7
#9
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Thanks for all the input.
#10
Burning Brakes
I’ve been using the Katech for 6 years. It’s a proven, race quality piece that has always done its job flawlessly and has never needed any maintenance. If you had a bearing fail prematurely, I’d be willing to bet you had it too tight.
#11
Race Director
I've used several from Katech and all worked well, but those cheaper ones look just fine. You really only need a fixed tensioner if you are running a lightweight clutch and/or underdrive pulley. I throw belts with OEM tensioner since I have a 5.5" clutch and underdrive aluminum damper. That 50lb reduced rotating mass wreaks havoc!
#12
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Got the $50 one from LSX Innovations installed and squeak is all gone. Will see how it holds up when track season comes back around. Now off to fix power steering line leak.
#13
Supporting Vendor
#14
I assume the reasons are ease of assembly and ease of maintenance. With a spring controlling the tension, installation is trivial and the tensioner won't need maintenance over a lifetime of typical usage.
Race cars see a lot of atypical usage though. With a fixed tensioner, installation requires a torque wrench or good judgment, and it needs to be adjusted periodically. I'm OK with that.
Also, cost. A tensioner that can last for years of atypical usage is probably feasible - but if it costs more, manufacturers won't choose it for typical cars.
Edit: ...and I wonder if supercharged vehicles really do require a spring loaded tensioner, due to belt stretch. A supercharger making lots of pressure at high flow probably puts a lot more tension on the belt than the accessories on naturally aspirated cars.
Race cars see a lot of atypical usage though. With a fixed tensioner, installation requires a torque wrench or good judgment, and it needs to be adjusted periodically. I'm OK with that.
Also, cost. A tensioner that can last for years of atypical usage is probably feasible - but if it costs more, manufacturers won't choose it for typical cars.
Edit: ...and I wonder if supercharged vehicles really do require a spring loaded tensioner, due to belt stretch. A supercharger making lots of pressure at high flow probably puts a lot more tension on the belt than the accessories on naturally aspirated cars.
Last edited by NSFW; 12-23-2018 at 10:07 PM.
#15
Why is that exactly? I still don't get why GM bothered to spend a ton of time and money and R&D equipping millions of cars with a spring loaded tensioner if the spring wasn't necessary. I don't know enough about it which is why I ask. Every time someone talks about using a fixed tensioner I think about this video and figure there's a reason these things are spring loaded.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NnM...Iu6qL8ep8LZGw4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NnM...Iu6qL8ep8LZGw4
#16
Premium Supporting Vendor
Why is that exactly? I still don't get why GM bothered to spend a ton of time and money and R&D equipping millions of cars with a spring loaded tensioner if the spring wasn't necessary. I don't know enough about it which is why I ask. Every time someone talks about using a fixed tensioner I think about this video and figure there's a reason these things are spring loaded.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NnM...Iu6qL8ep8LZGw4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NnM...Iu6qL8ep8LZGw4