Flywheel selection
 

im thinkin on gettin a new clutch and flywheel.....i was thinking street strip for clutch and a steel flywheel.. but i was thinking aluminum also how big is the difference and would it be worth it, im not goin to be autocrossing or anything just want a daily driver that i can have fun with

for a daily driver, i wouldn't go with a aluminum flywheel- far too light. A lightweight steel one is your best bet.

+1. ^

Go for the light weight
 

I cannot explain why, but a very light flywheel does not seem to screw up the driveability of a rotary the way it does with a piston engine. It will take away the silky smooth idle, however. I assume you realize it will only make a real difference in the lower gears.

I have a Racing Beat aluminum flywheel which has now been used in three vehicles, about 200,000 miles on the original steel facing, still in good condition. I first used it on a 13b that I installed in a 1980 GLC, used it to tow my ski boat up and down boat ramps with no problem. Now it is in my 84GSL with about a 150HP 12a, and I am very happy with the performance.

save your money and keep the stock flywheel..... light weight flywheels are over rated a heavy flywheel may take a lil longer to rev up but once its up it stays up doesint drop off as fast.. light weight flywheels is a waste of money IMO...

it does not ADD HP it just takes less for the motor to spin everything

there are alot of racers ou there that find the heavyest flywheels they can get there hands on and run them..they are stronger and they help keep the rpms up where you want them..if you car is turbo it will help keep the turbo spooled during shifts.. un like a light weight 1 that falls on its face once the gas is let off....lol thats all i have to say about that

Concur with 81gsl, except to say that the lightened flywheel will rev much quicker and is more responsive but you will lose torque which is not a good thing on a street car.

Pure bs. As soon as off you're off the gas, engine rpm has next to no effect on actual turbo shaft rpm.

How the heck can a light flywheel make you lose torque?

The only advantages of a heavy flywheel are that it has more momentum allowing you to use less throttle input when taking off and less rpm drop when shifting. A light flywheel will rev out faster and have better engine braking.

You also need to have more rpm at launch making it less streetable. You're right its not really affecting the torque curve but losing momentum has the same effect as lowering your torque it means you have to keep your revs up in the prime hp range all the time, a stock or mildly lightened flywheel is better for daily use, whether you believe it or not I've had both and the lightened flywheel was fun as hell but a bitch on the street for regular driving.

Lightened flywheels definately rev out quicker, this is great on the track or when racing but very peaky for regular driving.

Why is engine braking a good thing in a rotary sports car, we have effective disc brakes for slowing our cars down. Now in a semi it's a good thing, but a lightweight sports car?

Solution for me was for DD keep the stock flywheel and lightened flywheel on race car.

In your opinion. I've had both as well and currently have a light flyhweel and brass button on my 13BT and it's perfectly streetable. :D

My main point is that light flywheels are better from a performance standpoint.

ight cool thanks for all the info im gunna have to sleep on it..humm decisions decisions

Remember a turbo automatically gives you much more torque at a much lower rpm, if you're running a NA engine it's that much more rpm on an engine that is already making its peak HP at a relatively high rpm range

I currently have the racing beat steel flywheel and an ACT clutch (heavy duty pp and 4-puck disc w/ unsprung hub) on a streetported na 12a and its perfectly streetable. I will be putting an aluminum flywheel (~8.5 lbs) on in the future so ill let you know how it goes if you didn't already decide.

I have a steel RB flywheel and a centerforce clutch. Love the combo. zero ill effect on driveability.

smother quicker feeling upshifts and faster rev matching for downshifts. One of the best things I've done to my SE.

I don't understand what you're getting at. It doesn't matter whether it's turbo or n/a. The heavy flywheel has more stored momentum which allows less throttle input/rpm to take off smoothly. How will it help at all beyond that?

I'd think a light steel flywheel is a good compromise. OEM flywheels are WAY oversized, making the engine loose a lot of it's natural fast revving. The aluminium flywheel will be even faster in climbing to top-revs, but of course it will also loose them easier, meaning more shifts, and a more difficult standing start.
For the remark about the heavy flywheel keeping the turbo spinning: NO WAY! As soon as you lift you're foot the flywheel will keep the engine at higher rpm's, but the engine isn't burning any fuel, therefor isn't creating exhaust gasses/pressure to spool the turbine.
As Revhed said, the heavy flywheel will simply store momentum. But it will also slow the engine down when flooring the pedal. It's all about compromise...

Listen to the voices of EXPERIENCE
 

Joe, you are getting some good advice mixed in with a lot of BS from people who obviously have no personal experience with a light flywheel on a rotary engine. Many of these comments are from people who obviously are not engineers and do not understand the basic dynamics of the issue.

As rotary emotions has said, the stock flywheels on Mazda rotaries are oversized, but this is for smoothness, not for driveabilty. All this talk about having to rev up to prevent stalling at the start and having poor driveability is BS. I drove my rotary powered GLC for over 100,000 miles with the aluminum 12 pound flywheel, spent two seasons dragging a boat, motor and trailer around, and never had any driveability problems. I just drove it like any normal car.

Of course my comments assume you know how to drive. I have had several clutches that lasted more than 100,000 miles, and one that lasted well over 200,000 miles. Some people seem to destroy a clutch on 30-40,000 miles.

One of the big advantages of the very light flywheel is the reduced impact loads on the entire drive train. A slight error in rpm when you are downshifting can put big loads on the gears with a heavy flywheel. I would never rev the engine and drop the clutch on any car that I am driving, but if you do, you are much less likely to break something with a light flywheel. In 1st and 2nd gears, the light flywheel will do more than any other mod to offset the poor torque of the rotary engine, except of course, installing a turbo!

lol yeah id like to think i know how to drive pretty well, the only reason im changing all this out is the previous owner wore the clutch down and to tell you the truth i dont think its ever been replace in its 240,000miles....so i think its a good time to start replacing the old thank you stilettoman for all the info, same with everyone else