I want to upgrade my flywheel and clutch next time my clutch goes and i was wondering what anybody recommeds to go to i want the revs to go up as fast as they can but ive heard that tha Aluminum Flywheel makes ur car non streetable? Which would be better?

 

Aluminum is a bitch on a stop and go traffic. It requires more downshifting and requires higher rev to move out of dead stop.

What do yo want to do? Drag or street-use with occassional...

 

well its gonna be my daily driver but how bad is it for stop and go? i wanna use the car for racing also. i dont think i would really mind bringing the revs up more and downshifting sooner

 

the steel is 17lb and the aluminum is 12lb?
stock in some cases in up to 26.
unless your really serious about racing i would go with the steel.

 

I have an aluminum one put on by previous owner - its quick annoying in traffic. If I ever have te occasion to replacing a tranny or into the engine its getting replaced with a steel one.

I'd suspect its pretty hard on the clutch too.

 

that depends on which lining you use on aluminum or lightened steel. Carbon kevlar lining is good for them especially on the 215mm aluminum flywheel where replacement friction plate is no longer available.

 

keep the stock flywheel... find the heaviest one you can for drag racing... dont listen to on thos import mags that talk about light weight flywhees its all just a bunch of hype... and if you are ever going to go turbo the light weight flywheel will drop in rpm fast and will make the turbo lag.... heavy flywheels are the weight to go

 

Aluminum is great with a supercharger. The extra rotating weight of the SC makes it feel more like a light steel and therefore easier in stop-n-go. If NA, go light steel.

 

I have an 8.5 lb in mine that was installed by the previous owner (ex-IT racer) and I can really say it doesn't bother me to drive it in traffic. Revs EXTREMELY quick and acelerates great. It doesn't launch as hard at the track and ckutch wear is increased but not to the point where I'd get rid of it. As for the turrbo comment above, I don't know yet, but I will be bossting the 12a soon and I'll post my findings on the forums. I should also note that I do live in central Florida so there aren't many hills to contend with so I'm not sure how fun it would be to drive with this flywheel on a daily basis in that type of topography.

 

I've never tried driving a car with an aluminum one, but the 16 lb. steel one in my 13B GLC feels fantastic. Very streetable, still very responsive (it should be even better once I get a decent carb on there).

 

I have a 9 lb aluminum flywheel and I love it. I sold a steel one to get this one. It's definitely personal preference. I went with steel originally because people said that aluminum was a pain to drive but after tasting the benefits of the steel, I wanted more. Aluminum it was. I'll never go back. In the end only you can know for sure. They do take some getting used to at first though. Even the steel.

 

My personal favorite for street use on a 12a is the factory 81-82 flywheel. It retains enough inertia for a good launch but revs pretty quickly too. A lightweight steel flywheel is pretty good for street use too.

 

I cannot explain why some people have bad experience with the light flywheels, but here is my experience with a particular RB Aluminum flywheel, 215mm clutch:

I bought the flywheel new and installed it in a 13b powered GLC which I built in 1987. The engine was basically stock, an RX-4 engine which my friend Ken Durkee built, but using later nitrided cast irons. I drove it over 100,000 miles in 4 years, sold it and the new owner put another 40,000 on it before someone hit him and totalled the car. The engine went into a REPU and I ended up with the flywheel again. My machinist smoothed it out and it went into my 1984 GSL, which has a street ported 12a with an RX-4 carb. I am still driving it after 30,000 miles and I love it.

Regarding the driveability, I was constantly telling my friends how surprised I was that the GLC had no driveability problems, and in fact I towed my ski boat up and down boat ramps with it for two seasons, drove it to work every day, drove up skiing on the snow and ice, never had any complaints, and the clutch lasted 140,000 miles to my knowledge. Granted, the 13b has a bit more torque than the 12a, but my RX-7 has excellent driveability, and other people who have driven it think the flywheel is great.

One thing you will notice with a light flywheel is that the silky-smooth idle of the rotary is gone, and it has a bit of a buzz. Because of the porting, my RX-7 has a lopey idle like a cammed up V8.

The light flywheel will be really noticeable in first and second gear, but won't have any effect at highway speeds. The very light flywheel will reduce the impact loads on the synchros and reduce clutch slippage if you do a lot of downshifting. Assuming you know how to drive, you should get better clutch life, not worse with a light flywheel.

 

Everybody's results may be different, but one of the reasons OEMs use heavy flywheels is for heat management. The more thermal mass you have, the longer the clutch will last, assuming all other factors are equal. This is a major reason OEMs shy away from extremely lightweight clutches, driveability reasons notwithstanding.

All that said, I have a lightweight steel flywheel (ACT), and I like it.

 

I also read somewhere that an aluminum flywheel is not a problem with a light car in stop and go traffic. But I do not know where I read it so I cant say its a reliable info. Maybe someone can confirm...

 

^ Of course. In a light car you have less standing inertia, so it is easier to get going.

stilettoman: Maybe eventually I'll try an aluminum flywheel in my GLC. It certainly feels like drivability wouldn't suffer much from an even lighter flywheel. But I got this one cheap, so I'm using it for now. (BTW, Ken Durkee originally did the rotary conversion on my GLC back in the mid-90s. )

 

Actually he got the car in '99 and he and a guy named Raines set to work on it. They got the RX-3 front subcrossmember thing in, cut out the original piston motor mounts, installed an old '76 5 speed that had been run for a time without oil (d'oh!) and a driveshaft that happened to fit. The engine was a Y casting based 4 port 13B with J-spec rotor housings and unknown porting. The rotor housings were stacked backwards which is a no-no on thermal reactor housings, which they were. The header was from a 12A with widened mounting holes and tabs welded on to the lower edges to hopefully prevent exhaust leaks (yeah right). It also had a very light steel flywheel from Japan. It looked like it was compatible with 215mm only and is very thin.

The gas tank was removed and a fuel cell was on top of a steel sheet facing the wrong direction. I mounted it correctly below the sheet. There was also no radiator so I had to figure that out, along with an oil cooler. I'm glad it ended up with the large streetport 13B instead of the weird Ken engine. Who knows what that thing looks like on the inside.

 

i have a 8.3 lb aluminum flywheel with an ACT clutch (HD pressure plate, 4-puck UNsprung hub disc) and i couldnt be more happy. This is my daily driven car and its still very smooth. Other people that have driven my car said its too touchy for them so again it goes back to personal preference. Also, my car has no torque (105 ft-lbs to the wheels), and i dont have any problems driving it.

 

i want aluminium, just so i can say 'ive got an aluminium flywheel'. also the old steel one can be used as a frisbee.

 

I'm guessing you've never taken a 13b up to 10k RPM? Sure boost will drop ect ect. But the stock flywheel will not let the clutch dis-engage at high rpm without hella grinding and gargantuan force.

The lighter the rotating assmebly the free-er and faster the engine will rev. I suggest using the RB steel flywheel and a nice factory replacement clutch. It'll give you the grip you need (unless you're running a 300+hp set-up strictly for track use).

Good luck.

 

I run a sock S4 t2 flywheel on my Peipheral port 13b,i shift at 11,000 rpm with no problems,the heavy flywheel keeps rotating inertia up wich is what is needed for dragracing.

 

i have a dual friction center force with an alluminum set up and it has worked great for me. never really been in an uncomfortable sittuation wether it be in a really hilly place or a real traffic heavy place.