evosevengsr

I know that it makes throttle response better and that the revs fly up faster than normal.
but I heard that the revs drop just as fast??
is this true?
any downsides to a lightweight flywheel?


thanks

MalibuJack

iTrader: (5)

Lighter weight means less inertia to transfer to the drivetrain when you let off the clutch.. In road racing that leads to better throttle response and easier upshifting and downshifting and overall ENGINE accelleration.. In daily driving it could be a bit of getting used to because you now have to rev the engine more to get the car moving since there is less stored energy to "Assist" in keeping the engine from stalling when its transferred to the driveline.

A flywheel is a mechanical "Energy storing" Device, it requires more energy to get a heavy flywheel to rotate, therefore it will change speed slower... In drag racing its the driver's preference which is better, but a heavier flywheel will help a car launch easier from a complete stop.

I tried to word this as simply as possible to try not to confuse anyone..

aaronyoung

FYI..

clutchmasters FW is made by fidanza
you would be better to buy from them and save the 50-100 bucks

aaron

superz

iTrader: (7)

the stock flywheel weighs about 14lbs. Its already a light flywheel. Spending money on maybe 2-4 lbs less would be a waste . IMHO

mitsuorder

iTrader: (106)

Seems to be the opinion of ACT as well, they could have easily profitted off of a lightweight flywheel for this car but they said, hell initially I was under the impression that they would be producing one, but they said that the weight saved would be marginal at best, we have a good stock unit just as long as you don't roast it, I've heard that you shouldn't remachine it.

gt40

iTrader: (1)

Had the clutchmaster aluminum flywheel put it about 4 months ago with an RPS clutch. Observations so far:

Okay, so it is a lot different. You have instant response. You also have loud chatter from a rattling flywheel if you stick the clutch in and hold it. Your car will likely stall when you clutch from lack of inertia unless you tune it. Is it faster YES. big difference. Does it feel stock... are you kidding?

You will need to learn to how to heeltoe at stop lights unless you tune for it...

mitsuorder

iTrader: (106)

That's cool that there is such a notable difference in performance, I really wonder what kind of weight reduction we're talking about... but just speaking for myself, I love not having to worry about my car stalling, used to have a vehicle that was pretty heavily modded and this was a major concern between lights and in stop and go traffic, really ate away at my nerves, so now a days I personally cherish driveability. Do you know how much that Clutch Masters flywheel weighed in at? Thanks for the input as I'm sure it will help many along their decission making process.

evosevengsr

I will weigh the flywheel and post up the weight by tomorrow.
I am heavily into drag racing but at the same time I want my car to be completely streetable and easy to drive.Right now it makes about 450hp and it still is easy to drive. Well hopefully as u said, if tuned right I should not have a problem.
thanks for the help everyone

gt40

iTrader: (1)

mitsuorder,

The flywheel weighs 8 pounds. It is a lot lighter. Regarding drivability, evosevengsr is right: if you tune the car right you should not have a problem. Mine all went away after I put on the aem ems and I am running dual hks 272's also. The car idles just fine...

alex_alex

iTrader: (7)

GT40, how, in theory, can you tune for the flywheel? I am curious b/c i have the flywheel waiting to be installed, and now im kinda having second thoughts

evosevengsr

he just means that with a lightened flywheel some ppl experience stalling etc when the car comes to a complete stop. the post above by malibu jack explains it in an easy way.
therefore once it is tuned properly you will not have to rev to keep the idle up.

Z1 Performance

iTrader: (185)

I would personally stay away from a 2 piece unit if at all possible.....have seen way too many fail over the years.

Also, look forward as to your future mods...at a certain point in the power curve, the heavier (if stock is 14lbs, thats very light already) unit will help you, especially in the upper rpm ranges.

Mike W

iTrader: (1)

What do you mean by a "2 piece unit"? Are you calling the Fidanza a 2 piece unit?




The difference in feel between the stock14 lb flywheel and a Fidanza 8 lb flywheel is quite noticable.

A properly running car should have no trouble with the stock electronics catching and maintaining an idle with an 8 lb flywheel.

With enough power on tap, you dont need stored energy. Any negative experiences with light flywheels would have to be from honda boyze with no hp.

Clutchmasters does not make flywheels. Nor is there a UR, RRE, BR or BFD flywheel. They are all made by Fidanza.


Mike W

evosevengsr

please explain this as this is what I have heard also.I heard that for street racing applications a lightweight flywheel is perfect and there is a noticeable difference.
but someone told me that if I am using it for a drag racing application(which I am going to do) then there will be a downside.

could anyone give some input on this?

MalibuJack

iTrader: (5)

Once the clutch is already engaged (your already moving) then the engine is free to increase RPM's faster.. I don't know that a lightweight flywheel is going to benefit you much in street racing (As in on the street and stoplight drags) you'd likely end up lugging or stalling unless you rev the crap out of the car, which in all honesty isn't all that different from a typical AWD launch anyway.. But its a slippery slope, without that intertia you are more likely to bog the engine.

In ROAD racing (on a track with turns..) the less rotating mass in the driveline, the quicker the engine can spin up, so you can get a more immediate throttle response. Also, upshifting and downshifting with a heavy flywheel could cause you to lose traction easier if you aren't RPM Matched adequately.. with a very lightweight flywheel, downshifting will rapidly allow the engine revs to change since there isn't as much "Mass" to change the speed of in the engine.

You really need to determine what you ultimately are going to do.. I would not run a lightweight flywheel on a street car, it does end up sacrificing drivability, even on a V8 car you will notice it.. IF your making very little torque at low RPM's, your only going to make drivability MUCH worse.. You will end up with all sorts of weird noises, chatter, you can also potentially do more harm than good to the driveline.

Just remember that monster drag racing launch on an AWD car is due to the combination of the inertia in the flywheel, the torque of the engine at the rpm you launch at, and the rotating mass of the reciprocating assembly.. Lightest is not always the best, it really will depend on the type of driving you will be doing.