Current setup- 88 n/a with full RB exhaust and k&n intake.

The idea of being able to rev higher, accelerate faster, and be more durable while shedding pounds sounds very attractive to me. But is it worth the cash? I can get a carbon fiber driveshaft for $870 which weighs 10 lbs less than stock. Or an aluminum that weighs 5 less for $470. flywheels for around 400 weigh anywhere from 9-12 lbs. Unfortunatley this is the first manual car and rw car ive owned so i really dont know what kind of gains to expect or how it will effect drivability. For that kind of money i want to feel a noticeable increase in throttle response and acceleration(and a half second of my 1/4 time would be nice too). What should i do???

 

Is the aluminum one that much less? I thought it was only like 2 lbs less. Unless this is a track car I don't know if it's worth the effort.

As for flywheels I have a very light one in my Turbo II, and it made a huge difference in revving and shifting, and a minor improvement in acceleration. It hurt ease of driving on the street considerably, but I run the car on the track a lot so overall I think it was worthwhile.

 

Do you do a lot of stop and go driving?

I suspect the bang for your buck would be greater if you spent your money in other areas. Spending $1300 on a 4.3 gear and an LSD would make your car accelerate a bit faster and wouldn't impact your driving if you do a lot of stop-go nearly as much as a lightweight flywheel.

If you do want to take the route you mentioned above, I'd advise making the change to your flywheel first. Keep your stock setup, drive it for a while and see how you like it. That way, if you don't like it, you can go back.

 

Yea i called the company to confirm it was 5 lbs less. I do use it for commuting, I would put in 4.3 gears but i dont want to hurt my mileage as it already isnt that great...

 

Honestly the "bang for the Buck" factor for Lightening the Driveshaft Will not be Worth it.
I am Sure for 850 bucks you can get Some Nice coilovers and it will be an Investment that will be well worth it.
Mileage Sucks on a Rotary anyways.I hate to say it,But anything over 30 MPG is not going to Have Triangles IN it.Not from the FC or FB.

 

The flywheel yes, but if you are daily driving then stay steel. (ACT)

 

Due to the small diameter of the driveshaft, the benefits in terms of rotational inertia will be MUCH less than for a flywheel with an equivalent weight reduction. Also keep in mind that the driveshaft accelerates much slower than the engine does, so then again, the benefit will be MUCH less than for an equivalent reduction in the flywheel.

I'd only do it if I was in need of a new driveshaft anyway and the aluminum unit wasn't that much more expensive than a steel replacement. Then the real cost of the upgrade is only the difference between the two, then it MIGHT be worth it.

 

For that kind of money you could buy a standalone, that would make improvements on your setup more then a driveshaft would. Remember, going from a stock flywheel to a lightweight aluminum one sheds more than 10 lbs of rotating inertia, and +1 about what Black91n/a said, flywheel will be way more noticeable.

So start there and see how much that pleases you, if you think it's worth it to add half of that performance again for double the price, you can make that decision afterwards.

 

Just an observation, we put the ACT Street lightened steel f/w on and it's fine but if you're going thru neighborhoods at the posted 25mph speed limit the f/w doesnt have enough inertia to go along smoothly in 2nd. Nothing major but mildly annoying.

 

I think Im gonna go with a flywheel and see how i like that. From what Ive read the stock is 22 lbs and ive seen lightened ones anywhere from 8-17 lbs. Im thinking 11-14 would be good for maintaining some drivability.

 

Don't the aftermarket flywheels not include the weight of the counter weight?

 

aftermarket flywheel at 17lbs? i haven't seen one that weight. i have only seen 9 or 12lb. i currently have a 12lb and low speed driveability does take some time to get used to, it's not horrible but annoying sometimes. i want lighter than stock but not that light, maybe i am over exaggerating.

 

my s4 t2 gets 31 on the highway ciity is around 20

 

This man speaks the truth. I wouldn't waste my money on one

RB Steel = 17 lbs
RB AL = 12 lbs

Then there are a few co's out there that offer aluminum flywheels that are 8-9 lbs. Be smart about it though. A 9 lb solid flywheel is going to have less of an impact than a 9 lbs ACT flywheel with much of the outside material removed.

 

http://www.aascomotorsports.com/ makes a 8lb flywheel for the n/a rx7's. Had it on my 86 GXL made a big difference on acceleration.