Bypassing the A/C pulley (which is a FREE wheel pulley) garners no performance benefits at all.
Plus what you said about the A/C unit locking up do the heat cycling without lubrication is another reason why not to do this.
If you don't want to free wheel the A/C pulley then you might as well remove the entire A/C system and lighten the car a bunch.
However the part about that being why you lose power in defrost mode (or bi-level) is wrong. You lose power because both of the modes employ the A/C system to supply dry air. This clears the windshield much faster.
I just think it should be the DRIVER'S choice to have the A/C run or not. Not the manufacturer's. The majority of the time I don't need dry air and I Definitely do not want the A/C unit running killing my performance and mileage.
