'cause its cheaper, and the average consumer has been convinced its somehow "better" to have them removed.

385 wheel HP with balance shafts installed should be enough to prove at the very least they have no "cons".

 

Well quite frankly it's an extra 15 lbs of metal and rotating mass that I don't need on my engine. You say that there's nothing wrong with having them BUT if that were the case then we should all leave our AC on our cars too right? It doesn't hurt the engine. But it's a LEECH. SOMETHING turns those balance shafts they don't spin magically. Quite frankly I don't need 'em I'd rather have the engine vibe tell me when something isn't quite right.

 

To keep my post clean.....

Just so you know, it's cheaper to leave the BS in because you don't have to add the stub or plug+labor....that's that view. The other view is the cost of a rebuilt motor over the cost of a balance shaft kit.
That's your experience with your car and that's great that you made that with your car. Did you have a 6 bolt or 7 bolt, 1G or 2G, dyno sheet, mods?
385whp is really good and is something to brag about. I would not want to think about making power and having a BS rod break from stress for having power. Did you also have the stock exhaust? To each their own.
I don't really understand your point in keeping the BS since it can be a timing belt breaker (Racer already provided that proof) on top of the other things listed in the links I provided.
My experience with my BS gone is..well, nothing really. My car does not vibrate because of the BS delete. At idle is the only time anything vibrates and that's felt at the steering wheel. I don't even notice it.
These DSM cars are capable of making serious power, most people that are looking to make power is going to want to remove the BS because that's one less thing to break........that is the point of removing them in the first place. Folks making power out of these motors don't concern themselves with how smooth their car is because smooth does not equate to power. I'm guessing that you feel that cams aren't necessary either, right? Well, cams will make a motor lope and that balance shaft will not smooth out the motor after they have been installed. Folks also remove their A/C and power steering, how do you feel about that?
I see your point, your point is that the BS is not necessary to remove. My point is, why risk it? Every car is different. My money isn't going to be thrown away by some silly shaft that only does it's job at idle. My exhaust vibrates my car more than anything, no it's not loud, it's a deep tone and that's what makes my car vibrate. As a daily driver, it suits me just fine just as yours did at the time. Besides, I would rather spend $45 on the balance shaft eliminator kit than $500, $1000, $1500, etc. on a rebuilt motor, especially if someone just spent $1500+ on a prebuilt motor...how about you?

Note, all of what I typed is to be read in a nice tone

 

If you need any more proof on what we're getting at take a good look at the pics in THIS linky!

 

actually, its 3-3.5 pounds. about 1.6-1.7 per shaft.

well, most of us do. If you're running a 100 percent race car, thats different. I certainly dont know anyone who removes ac for no reason.
sure.. but there is no "load" on them other than their own weight. there is nothing resisting them but the friction of the oil, which is insignificant. and AC doesnt have any real HP loss if its "off".
Thats odd to me.. As i prefer quiet, smooth power. the main reason for their invention by mitsu was to dull an inline 4s natural inbalance. But to each their own.

 

well, the thing is that they wouldnt need to be replaced during a rebuild. they seldom suffer any type of wear whatsoever, unless neglected. At which time you will have other issues with the motor.
a balance shaft wont "break" unless something horrible happens to an engine such as oil starvation. At which time the engine is already trash anyway.
once again, they only break if neglected... meaning either someone hasnt changed his timing belt at correct intervals, or something to that extent. incidently, the balance belt usually lasts much longer than the main belt.
on a race only car, remove whatever you want. the thing is, 99 percent of the cars here will spend more time sitting in traffic than racing. And to that extent its a waste to throw away well engineered items like PS, AC, and balance shafts, all of which make sitting in traffic a LOT nicer.

the balance shafts have no effect at idle. they come into play at higher RPMs. You wont notice them at idle at all, as there isnt enough inertia from the crank, pistons, or balance shafts to toss the engine about much at all. Its at the higher frequencies and amplitudes that the balance shafts come into play.
you're talking about a situation in which something has already suffered a catastrophic failure. Im talking about situations in which people just yank them out without reason (although I never assemble an engine without them, regardless of what has happened unless directly asked to not do so).


as is everything I wrote. Voicing my opinion is not to be taken as a "challenge", nor has it ever been.

 

dude..
thats a 23 year old 2.6 liter conquest. Not the same deal. the guides on the small chain wear, and people dont adjust them as theyre suppost to (there is a small cover on the front that can be removed so that the small chain can be correctly tensioned).
if thats not done , the small chain tears the teeth off the sprocket, as in that link. its not from balance shafts, its from lack of correct tension on the chain.

 

Actually that chain WAS at the correct tension. That guy just recent redid the majority of the engine. I know that's a 2.6L Starion engine as I myself drive a Conquest (Or I will once I finish putting it back together again which isn't going to happen till I finish the engine bay painting after the blasted noreaster flows through here). But now you understand my disdain and general hatred for the evil balance shafts. I'll never have to worry about a maladjusted guide or a weak link again.

 

listen to the brewmaster, the engine likes the BS and you will not gain any performance. DO NOT listen to the crap on ebay. There is a reason they are there.

 

then why do race shops take them out.