Aluminum flywheel pros/cons?

[projectmx]

I will be replacing my clutch before too long due to some slipage and when i do that i'm considering an aluminum flywheel... i need to pros and cons of them though it is a daily driver and will be so for a while at least. how will this affect the overall performance and durability? I understand they are lighter so i get more torque and Hp to the wheels but will the flywheel last as long especially when coupled with a stronger clutch... my current one is 10 years old and as far as i know still the original and in good shape and i want to know the aluminum one will be just as good.

[papa roached]

i dont know about longevity, but i do know you gotta be fast on shifts with a light flywheel and dont be reving like a nut in neutral, the motor is MUCH more free to rev

[m92_MX3]

yeah i was thinking about doing the same thing, do you have a place to buy one >?

[torpedan]

You have quite a few options out there actually, just be sure to do your research.

While driving a friends car with a 7lb i didnt have to shift that quick to account for the diffrence. Just you might hvae to blip the throttle to rev match a bit if you take four score and 7 years to shift. Even then its not really that bad.

As for streetability i have no probelms and it has proven durable. Most flywheels use a seprate insert that is steel for durability purposes. This can cause some problems but of my group of firends (me included) that use alum flywheels i have heard of 0 problems, out of about 20 people.

Pros-Better accel in lower gears, better gas milage, clutch wear is about the same, and you can launch hella hard at a dragstrip.

Cons- cost, you replace the disk you dont resurface the flywheel, uhhhh uhhh ummmm uhhhh.. You have to launch a bit harder, this can get annoying in start/stop traffic... i am diggin here...

[h8ter]

If I might speak from my experience with a different car here, then please consider this. I've been under the impression that light-weight flywheels are good for racing applications since they allow you to get the revs up faster. But for a daily driver in stop/go traffic wouldn't it be more advantageous to have the heavier flywheel? That's probably why a lighter flywheel requires a harder launch from the light. The reduced mass has also reduced the torque.

[papa roached]

the reduced mass didnt reduce torque, it freed some up it just dont have the rotational mass and i can drive my car just fine in stop and go without harder launches but i hear light flywheels are alot less a PITA on a V6 over a 4 because of smoother power delivery

a lighter flywheel makes it harder to launch a car for drag racing because its easier to pop the tires loose or you gotta feather the clutch more, they are more for track racers that wanna get the revs up fast and heavier flywheels make the car easier to launch because of the rotational mass they give

<small>[ August 13, 2004, 02:08 AM: Message edited by: papa roached ]</small>

[torpedan]

Originally posted by papa roached:
the reduced mass didnt reduce torque, it freed some up it just dont have the rotational mass and i can drive my car just fine in stop and go without harder launches but i hear light flywheels are alot less a PITA on a V6 over a 4 because of smoother power delivery

a lighter flywheel makes it harder to launch a car for drag racing because its easier to pop the tires loose or you gotta feather the clutch more, they are more for track racers that wanna get the revs up fast and heavier flywheels make the car easier to launch because of the rotational mass they give

Easy to launch and launching harder are two diffrent things though. Without a lightened flywheel i have to launch my car at about 3k at the track. With it i Can do it at about 6-7k, which as a result by the time i am hooked up and clutch fully disengaged the car is well into the powerband.

[mxprecidia]

so do u reccomend it for the street on a car with basic mods and stage 2 ceramic clutch ?

[torpedan]

Originally posted by mxprecidia:
so do u reccomend it for the street on a car with basic mods and stage 2 ceramic clutch ?

I would not recommended that agreesive of a clutch unless you actually need it. Most non organic applications have to warm up.