FAQ

Last updated on January 1st, 2016

  1. What Is A Harmonic Balancer, aka Crankshaft Damper?
  2. What are the different types of Crankshaft dampers/accessory pulley’s?
  3. Why Do I Need A Performance Harmonic Balancer, aka Crankshaft Damper?
  4. What is so bad about Elastomer Harmoic Damper’s?
  5. Elastomer Harmonic Damper vs Viscous Torsional Damper (FLUIDAMPR)
  6. How Does A Fluidampr Damper Work?
  7. When To Upgrade Your Harmonic Balancer?
  8. Why should I use a Fluidampr on my Volkswagen/Audi/Seat/Skoda?
  9. Why Does Fluidampr Use Silicone?
  10. How Performance Parts Increase Engine Vibration
  11. Harmonic Balancer & Drive Pulley Weight Is A Good Thing
  12. Fluidampr Dampers Performance over 6,000 RPM
  13. What SFI 18.1 Certified Means
  14. Fluidampr's Rigorous Testing Procedure
  15. How a Fluidampr Damper Can Improve Gas Mileage
  16. How Can I Identify A Genuine Fluidampr Damper?

1. What Is A Harmonic Balancer, aka Crankshaft Damper?

A harmonic balancer reduces destructive crankshaft torsional vibration, which is the end-to-end twisting/rebound motion, that is naturally generated during each power stroke. A harmonic balancer contributes to greater valve train and timing efficiency, plus reduces wear of critical engine components such as main bearings, oil pump and the crankshaft itself.A harmonic balancer often incorporates the main drive pulley and by appearance is often overlooked as having no essential function to the life of the engine. If the drive pulley is incorporated with the harmonic balancer, removing or changing it to a lightweight design, or using a low quality product MAY BE THE SINGLE BIGGEST COSTLY MISTAKE YOU CAN DO TO YOUR ENGINE.
 

2. What are the different types of Crankshaft dampers/accessory pulley’s?

As of the MK2 Audi TTRS we have seen OEM’s use Viscous Torsional dampers but the 4 basic types of crankshaft dampers are:
  1. Steel accessory drive (this unit does not have a damper built into it)
  2. Aluminum accessory drive - most aftermarket companies will remake steel pulleys out of aluminum to save weight but in hind sight , they are causing more harm than good
  3. Elastomer Harmonic Damper
  4. Viscous Torsional Damper – i.e. Fluidampr
 

3. Why Do I Need A Performance Harmonic Balancer, aka Crankshaft Damper?

Performance parts that increase torque, such as intake, exhaust, cams, and ECM changes typically cause an increase in torsional vibration magnitude, but keep frequency the same. Evidence that your stock harmonic balancer is not performing adequately will be cracked, bulging or missing rubber between the hub and outer ring. This is caused by excessive heat retention, over stretching and age. A common failure will be the outer ring separating from the hub causing damage inside the engine bay. Most race sanctioning bodies require a SFI 18.1 spec damper as a safety caution.Performance parts related to the rotating assembly, such as rods, pistons, crank, flywheel/flexplate usually changes both torsional vibration magnitude and frequency. A stock harmonic balancer typically is only tuned for a 50hz peak variance. Move beyond its parameters and it may leave your critical engine components unprotected when torsional vibration is at its peak.Due to the countless combinations of performance upgrades the simplest and more effective solution is to install a Fluidampr performance damper. By design, Fluidampr protects across a broad frequency and can become more effective as magnitude increases.
 

4. What is so bad about Elastomer Harmoic Damper’s?

Elastomer Harmonic Damper is a fancy name given to a crankshaft accessory pulley that has a Rubber (hence Elastomer) ring between 2 halves on an accessory pulley. Elastomer Harmonic dampers do the job they are designed and intended for i.e. work on an OEM application removing torsional vibrations from the driveline. Rubber has a material by nature unfortunately cracks over time and the process is accelerated if you live in a Cold climate where salting the roadways is mandatory. These cracks cause the pulley to fail and essentially have run out hurting performance , reliability and long term durability of your engine.
 

5. Elastomer Harmonic Damper vs Viscous Torsional Damper (FLUIDAMPR)

Fluidampr performance dampers are an upgrade to stock elastomer style harmonic balancers. Stock elastomer harmonic balancers are designed to be cost effective under original engine conditions and are cheap for mass production. Elastomer harmonic balancers use a tuned rubber strip bonded between a hub and outer interia ring. When a predetermined peak vibration resonates the rubber strip, it throws the inertia ring to counteract the twisting/rebounding of the crankshaft. Frequency range is determined by the durometer of the rubber, while the amount of throw is determined by its elasticity and inertia mass bonded to it.

A stock elastomer damper is limited to function within the narrow predetermined frequency range under stock conditions. Performance parts that increase torque, such as air kits, exhaust, cams, ECM tuners may cause the damper to overwork itself. As the damper works harder, heat generated becomes trapped longer in the rubber. Since rubber is a poor dissipater of heat it will dry crack and/or heat bulge. As the rubber loses durometer and elasticity its ability to protect the engine diminishes with the real possibility of catastrophic failure. A common safety hazard found in street performance and racing occurs when the outer ring separating from the hub and launches inside the engine bay.

Uncontrolled torsional vibration can also accelerate the wear of main bearings, timing components and even break the crankshaft. A simple preventative maintenance tip is to routinely inspect an elastomer damper for cracked, bulging or missing rubber. Some manufacturers even recommend this in their Owner’s Manual.A more severe and unnoticeable shortcoming is when rotating assembly parts such as the pistons, rods, flywheel/flexplate or crankshaft are changed. This will cause a change in the assembly’s resonate frequency and may negate the effectiveness of the damper during peak torsional vibration altogether. Your first sign of an incorrect harmonic balancer could be a broken crank. Why would you install a performance damper made from the same materials that cause an OEM elastomer harmonic balancer to fail in the first place? Fluidampr is a performance viscous damper. Viscous dampers remove vibration energy from the system by shearing a free rotating inertia ring back and forth through a highly viscous silicone fluid. This converts the vibration energy into heat, which is easily dissipated through the sealed inertia ring housing. A free rotating inertia ring adds an extra advantage of controlling torsional vibration across a broad frequency range and provides the necessary protection as engine modifications are made.Superior engine protection, broad range performance and durability are why you will find a viscous damper as original equipment in high quality sports cars and diesel trucks, such as the V10 equipped Audi R8 & Lamborghini Gallardo, and the Ram 6.7L Cummins. Plus, nearly all high power engines that we depend on to move our economy are protected with a viscous damper.
 

6. How Does A Fluidampr Damper Work?

Unlike a stock elastomer harmonic balancer, Fluidampr performance dampers protect across a broad frequency range and can become more effective as magnitude increases throughout your RPM range. Each Fluidampr performance damper is designed for the engine application it is intended for. Fluidampr performance dampers consist of a free rotating inertia ring inside a laser sealed outer housing within tight tolerance of each other. Both the inertia ring and the outer housing are computer balanced to exceed OEM specifications during manufacturing. Between the two, an area referred to as the shear gap is pressure injected with viscous silicone. This specialized silicone maintains stability across an extreme temperature range and provides superior heat dissipation.

As soon as your engine fires torsional vibration is present. To damp its destructive effects, the outer housing turns at engine RPM, while the inner inertia ring immediately self-centers and is free to be ‘shocked’ by each torsional vibration event. As the inner inertia ring moves in-and-out of RPM with the outer housing, the shearing force through the silicone transforms the vibration to heat, which rapidly dissipates through the housing. Since the mass of the inertia ring is engulfed in a thin film of silicone and not directly connected to the crank, it can be calculated that only 2/3 of the total Fluidampr weight is rotating at RPM. The Fluidampr design originated from top race engine builders requesting Vibratech TVD (formally Houdialle and parent company to Fluidampr) to bring its viscous damper technology engineered for long-life, high power diesel applications to professional motorsports in the early-1980s to replace failing elastomer designs. Viscous torsional dampers are used today as original equipment on select luxury sportscars, light-duty diesel trucks and even military spec engines. Meanwhile, nearly all high power engines that move our economy depend on a viscous damper for superior protection, performance and durability.
 

7. When To Upgrade Your Harmonic Balancer?

The harmonic damper protects from destructive crankshaft torsional vibration that occurs naturally from internal combustion and improves overall efficiency. Properly controlling torsional vibration increases torque and horsepower, improves main bearing life and valve train operation, plus reduces the risk of crank failure.

The majority of passenger car and light trucks come equipped with an elastomer style harmonic balancer. These low-cost, rubber-based OEM harmonic balancers are tuned from the factory to protect only a narrow band of the worst harmonics and are intended for stock conditions. Performance upgrades that increase torque such as an air kit, exhaust, tuner and injectors or carburetor will increasingly accelerate elastomer harmonic balancer failure. Performance upgrades that change the composition of the rotating assembly such as, pistons, rods and flexplate/clutch or flywheel/torque converter will cause the OEM damper to be out-of-tune to provide optimum protection.

The harmonic balancer is a fundamental building block of engine performance. An upgrade should be done in conjunction with your basic air kit, exhaust, and tuner setup for optimum long term performance. If you have already performed this set up without upgrading, then the stock harmonic balancer is working harder to compensate for the added torque. Routinely inspect the rubber layer of the stock harmonic balancer for signs of cracked, bulging or missing rubber. These signs indicate that an elastomer harmonic balancer is deteriorating and may not be properly protecting your engine. Elastomer harmonic balancer age, exposure to the elements, oils and solvents, and excessive towing/hauling will also accelerate the breakdown of the rubber layer.

Cracked, bulging and missing rubber are early warning signs that your stock elastomer style harmonic balancer needs to be upgraded to a viscous damper.

Beyond a basic performance set up, a broad band viscous damper upgrade, such as a Fluidampr performance damper is a requirement and needs to be installed with any rotating assembly changes. The reason is that different pistons, rods, crank, flywheel/torque converter or flexplate/clutch will potentially shift the damaging harmonics out-of-range of where the stock tuned elastomer harmonic balancer is designed to protect. By design, a viscous damper provides long lasting protection across a broad range of harmonics and is the most cost effective approach. Only a professional torsional vibration analysis based on your specific parts combination will determine the durometer needed for other aftermarket o-ring based performance dampers, then rountine o-ring replacement is required.
 

8. Why should I use a Fluidampr on my Volkswagen/Audi/Seat/Skoda?

The OEM Crankshaft accessory pulleys (Crankshaft damper) that are equipped on your vehicle from the factory work great for their intended application and usage. V.A.G. designs engines as a system. Change a parameter and you are changing the system. Expecting an OEM component to support an aftermarket performance product is futile. Over time , your OEM unit will fail as the cracks become prevalent. Coupled with the fact that all post 1999 vehicles whether 5/6 speed or DSG come with a dual mass flywheel , it would be a perfect upgrade to compliment the increased harmonics from the transmission. The earlier a Fluidamper performance damper is installed, the more you’ll benefit from the protection, performance and durability in the long run.
 

9. Why Does Fluidampr Use Silicone?

The engineers at Vibratech TVD, the parent company of Fluidampr and inventor of the viscous torsional vibration damper, have perfected the use of silicone for over 65 years. Without looking, some assume the fluid in a Fluidampr should be like motor oil or hydraulic shock fluid because that’s what is commonly used in other fluid dampening devices. This leads some to believe that our silicone turns to a gel over time after cutting a used one open. However, this is torsional vibration from internal combustion we’re dealing with. The silicone Fluidampr uses is 45,000 times more viscous than 30W motor oil! Truth is, it’s a gel when we precisely fill the damper housing on the assembly line and it needs to be a gel to do its job. Fluidampr performance dampers and Vibratech TVD heavy duty dampers are rated to -40oF. They can be found protecting engines in the frigid cold of the Alaskan oil fields, to the non-stop abuse of heavy construction equipment, to the blistering heat of the race track. Viscous engine dampers are the preferred choice for premium engine builders and are stock equipment in supercars such as the Audi TTRS & R8 and the Lamborghini Gallardo.
 

10. How Performance Parts Increase Engine Vibration

Torque is created by the piston and rod weight, bore diameter, stroke length, valve timing, air flow, fuel ratio, ignition timing, and compression ratio. Change any of these characteristics from stock for performance and you are applying more force against the crankshaft, therefore generating more severe torsional vibrations. Apply more torque into top end horsepower and you take those more severe torsional vibrations and amplify the frequency.

If increased engine vibration is not compensated for, through using a performance damper such as a Fluidampr, it can lead to quicker destruction of main bearings, timing components, valve train components, belts and accessory pulleys, even catastrophic crankshaft failure.
 

11. Harmonic Balancer & Drive Pulley Weight Is A Good Thing

The weight and density of the damper, even if it is just a crank pulley, is essential to the performance of protecting your engine against torsional vibration. Back to the analogy of the punching bag in “How Does A Fluidampr Works.” The torsional vibration energy created with every power stroke of your engine is repeatedly ‘punching’ the crankshaft damper. When you hit a light weight punching bag it does not absorb much force. In fact it swings away and right back at you. Or in the instance of your crankshaft, sends the torsional vibration right back through the crankshaft to do damage. When you hit a heavy weight punching bag it absorbs a lot of energy and doesn’t budge. Inertia mass and stopping this destructive force is what a quality damper is designed to do. For any damper to effectively prevent damage to your engine, it must have some weight behind it. Just like a big heavy punching bag.

Our engineers design for superior torsional vibration control across the entire rpm range and optimal weight. In a Fluidampr the inertia ring mass is free floating within the housing. Once the crankshaft starts rotating centrifugal force and torsional vibration takes the weight of the internal interia ring off the crankshaft. This does allow the engine to rev faster. You’ll notice two weights listed in our catalogs, overall weight and rotating weight. In engine building, rotating weight is the more important number to focus on.
 

12. Fluidampr Dampers Performance over 6,000 RPM

The damper is engineered to allow for quick acceleration and the rapid increase in torsional vibration frequency associated with higher rpms.

There is a clerical difference between “meets SFI standards” and “SFI certified”. The former means we construct our Streetdampers to the same rigorous standards as those that are SFI Certified. The later means, we have worked diligently with SFI Foundation Inc., who sets the rules and regulations for most racing organizations, to have our Race Series dampers independently tested, officially certified and regularly scrutinized by SFI. SFI Certified is a very scientific and costly endeavor to ensure that the construction of our product will hold up in the racing world. Regardless of terminology, the engine owner wins because our Streetdampr are manufactured to the same high level race quality outlined by the SFI Foundation Inc.
 

13. What SFI 18.1 Certified Means

Section 18.1 refers to Crankshaft Hub Harmonic Dampers. Article 3.0 Construction, dictates that “the damper shall be constructed in such a manner that the inertia devices shall not become disengaged during use… For inertia disc style dampers, the containment device must cover a minimum of 50 percent of the cavity containing the disc. The thickness of the containment material must be a minimum of 0.062 inch steel or 0.180 inch aluminum.” Article 5.1.3 B Testing Procedure mandates that “The damper shall be driven to a rotational speed between 12,500 and 13,500 rpm and maintained at that level for one hour.” Furthermore, the steel of a SFI certified Fluidampr housing must meet a minimum 40,000psi yield strength and 60,000psi tensile strength under testing.
Read more about SFI
 

14. Fluidampr's Rigorous Testing Procedure

Each new Fluidampr is carefully designed to match the mounting and envelope tolerances necessary for each application. After a prototype is completed, it along with its individual parts are shipped for independent laboratory testing and SFI certification.

Once approved, we utilize a chassis dyno and use cutting edge measurement equipment and software to measure torsional vibration levels across the RPM range. First with the OEM damper installed and then with a Fluidampr installed. Careful measurement analysis is performed to evaluate the Fluidampr performance over stock. Only when the Fluidampr prototype meets our own rigorous testing and quality assurance for superior torsional vibration dampening control criteria do we approve for production. Once into production the manufacturing of a Fluidampr happens inside a state-of-the art ISO 9001:2008 certified facility located in Springville, New York.
 

15. How a Fluidampr Damper Can Improve Gas Mileage

Valve train drive originates at the crankshaft. Uncontrolled torsional vibrations in the crankshaft can resonate and throw off valve timing by gear slippage, valve chain lash, and valve float. Once valve timing is out of sync gas mileage is compromised.More vibration also means powertrain components wear faster. Worn components do not operate as efficiently, therefore mpg is not optimized.
 

16. How Can I Identify A Genuine Fluidampr Damper?

In a global marketplace, some countries of origin do not regard and adhere to registered trademarks and patents filed in the United States of America. The Internet and on-line retailers make the ideal environment to push these products. Here’s how you know it is a genuine Fluidampr:

  • Fluidampr is a registered trademark and is not licensed to any other company for use. If the name is Fluidamper, Fluid Damper or any variation of, it is not genuine.
  • Fluidampr is 100% made in the USA. Even the raw materials are sourced in the United States. If it is made anywhere else, or contains material listed from any other country of origin, it is not genuine Fluidampr.
  • Fluidampr contains our distinct logo machined into the housing. The “Meets SFI Spec 18.1” seal is also either stamped or engraved.
  • Fluidampr precision machines timing mark into the housings to meet or exceed the OEM timing adjustment precison. The tolerance in spacing the marks are held to the thousands. This is verified by the CAD designer, CNC programmer and the CNC lathe operator using ISO 9001:2008 Certified measuring tools. If the timing marks are not accurate or there is variation in the spacing, it is not genuine Fluidampr.
  • Fluidampr is a premium product and we believe deserves a premium customer service experience when purchasing. Therefore, we sell only through well known and reputable distributors who stand behind their products and support the aftermarket performance parts industry.