Ok, Flywheels... What is the advantge of upgrading to a Steel Flywheel? Is it worth the 370.00? Can anyone list Good/Bad things about the upgrade? If i were to go with a steel flywheel, does it need to be balanced? What else would be needed to install? Thanks all- Rotary-Rex

 

if you like quicker acceleration then get one .... i think the car is more fun to drive with one ....you will need the correct year counterweight, it usally comes as a kit if requested...... make sure you get the right counterweight!!!! very important! bad points .... you have to spend $370.00... but worth it! p/s no balancing needed with proper counterweight

 

i heard the stock flywheel is awhopping 30+lbs, and a lightend steel one is like what... 17lbs... thats almost half, so think of yer RPM's now, and cut the time in half that they go up i guess, im no mechanic, and i am just starting in the rotary/engine world... but thats my guess, correct me if im wrong... but i would say it would probly be one of your best upgrades along with a racing clutch to grab.

 

From what I've read, there are a few downsides to light flywheels. For one thing, they wear the clutch faster.
Yes you will have faster acceleration, but when accelerating out of a turn, there is less inertia than the stock wheel so the engine will have to work harder to spin the flywheel back up. Also I've heard that for drag racing, most people don't use the light flywheels. I'm not sure why.

Does that make sense?

Oh and if anyone finds that any of what I said is wrong, please point it out because I only read this stuff and I might have it mixed up.

 

I believe for dragracing.... coming out of the hole you need that extra weight in your *** "so to speak" to hook and book.

Picture this... You're on the line holding the pedal at a steady 6/7K rpm's w/some sticky tires to back... what do you think will give you better snap of the neck a 30pnd flywheel or a 17pnd flywheel. bbbrrrrraaaaaaaaaa'.... now you shift to second... real quick/power shift... the 30 pnd flywheel again has a heavier spin already going... inertia I believe it's called.

I don't like passing on info unless it's fact... but from my 2+2 judgement on the stars and the moons I would assume this is why a dragger who launches hard would prefer a heavy flywheel...

On the other hand... a dragger who comes out easy to save his driveline components and then puts the pedal to the medal would prefer a lightweight flywheel...

Again this is just my assumption.

 

A upgraded flywheel is worth it, the revs and responds quicker. But it aint worth $370 , thats a rip off, and yes I got ripped too, if you want a flywheel email Tim at www.horsepowerinabox.com he doesnt show any 12A parts but he can get them, and even after shipping from australia it will be a shitload cheaper... I could have gotten a nice flywheel (better made than a RB one/plus more choices) / nice clutch combo from him for a tiny bit more than I paid for the flywheel alone from RB.

The flywheel doesnt need to be balanced, you remove the old flywheel and install the counterbalance, and then mount the flywheel to the counterweight. The only balancing that needs to be done, is buy the counterweight for the right rotation assy you have (IE year and components of the motor if a hybrid)

 

You are correct.
In a low Torque engine like the rotary, you want the extra inertia from the heavier flywheel so the car doesn't bog off the line.

A Lighter flywheel is good for accelerating between gears, like road racing.

This past year, the 1000hp Supras would not stop spinning their tires off the line. Their solution? A lighter flywheel kept them in their powerband, without spinning so much off the line, and got them lower times than ever before.

A light flywheel is a good thing if you have the power to push it when the inertia isn't there. In 1993, Mazda 3rd Gen flywheels went all the way down to 19lbs - by far the best stock combination ever..

12A flywheels and and Pre 86 flywheels are notoriously heavy, although with only 100 flywheel horsepower (in a 12A) it made sense so the car would run smoother.

I don't recommend a lighter flywheel on a stock car, but if you got some power mods done, - go for it.

On a side note, I used to have a streetported GSL-SE. With the stock (heavy) flywheel, you could barely tell because the idle was relatively smooth instead of the brap-brap associated with a ported engine. Quite the sleeper.