lightweight flywheel
04-07-02, 09:24 PM
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lightweight flywheel
i have this question posted in gen forum i should have posted it here but any way is a 9.5 lb flywheel the best bang for the buck ,some performance retailers say so ,is the car quicker, is stalling a prob
04-07-02, 09:40 PM
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I asked this question in more detail last week. Just search for "flywheel" under my name. From what I've learned, it's not worth it if you plan on doing any dragracing. Also, check out www.maxcooper.com he has a great write-up on it.
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04-07-02, 09:44 PM
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Going to a 9 lb flywheel will dramatically increase the engines revving speed. You will have more difficulty getting the car rolling from a dead stop - you will have to slip the clutch a bit more. Shifts will be more abrupt and so will throttle position changes. If you live in a really hilly area or you drag race, you might want to consider a light steel flywheel instead. These weigh about 17 lbs, stock is over 20 lbs. You will get slightly quicker revving with only very minor side effects.
04-07-02, 09:45 PM
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i have moved to sc 6 yrs ago the only thing i miss about pa is pizza and penn state football this is sec country and they dont televise ps football but that prob isnt a bad thing considering the last 2 yrs
04-07-02, 10:01 PM
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i have posted my car for sale and 0 replies take a look at it its not the highest priced i would put it up aganst any orignal paint and engine low mi 7 on this forum what gives i dont have a picture ,or do people think they need a 2nd motor 7, i am old school u can tell a lot about a car w orig paint and engine with a compression test to back it up too
04-07-02, 10:14 PM
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wow...10 posts and only one of them is about flywheels. 
if you plan on doing any serious drag racing, do not get a lighter flywheel. stay with the stock one. the reason is that the lighter flywheels dont carry as much momentum at the heavier ones, giving you a shitty launch and 60 ft. time. this is why Ari still uses the stock flywheel on his 9 second FD.
but if you dont have any plans on drag racing, a flywheel is a great upgrade, and makes you rev up much quicker. for example, i could remember how my buddy's M3 was with the stock flywheel, but after he got a lightweight flywheel...boucing off the rev limiter in 1st for a few split seconds before shifting to 2nd is inevitable.
if you plan on doing any serious drag racing, do not get a lighter flywheel. stay with the stock one. the reason is that the lighter flywheels dont carry as much momentum at the heavier ones, giving you a shitty launch and 60 ft. time. this is why Ari still uses the stock flywheel on his 9 second FD.
but if you dont have any plans on drag racing, a flywheel is a great upgrade, and makes you rev up much quicker. for example, i could remember how my buddy's M3 was with the stock flywheel, but after he got a lightweight flywheel...boucing off the rev limiter in 1st for a few split seconds before shifting to 2nd is inevitable.
04-07-02, 10:27 PM
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Hey black99, I'm in Mechanicsburg - about 20 minutes from you. The lower the gear you're in, the more you'll notice the flywheel's impact on revving. In 1st and 2nd gear the car basically goes to redline in a blur. Somewhere I read a test on how 1st gear alone you lose 50 hp with the stock flywheel and 25 or so in 2nd - 3rd and 4th are very minimal - like 3 or 4 hp. But the car does rev faster. The car is harder to get going from the start - bit I also have a streetport, flywheel, non-seq, and blown primary - so my car's a dog until it get's going. Like earlier stated, if interested in drag racing - just stay with the stock one. Although it hasn't hurt ErnieTs times - he ran mid 11s with stock non-seq. turbos and a lightweight flywheel if I remember right. I have heard that if you're non-seq, a lightweight flywheel helps build boost faster.
04-07-02, 11:23 PM
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kwikrx7, you're going to carlisle right? I am supposed to meet spooledup300z up there so I might see you there as well. But I am hoping Dave from KDR calls me sometime this week and let's me know how long before my tranny's done. There won't be too many 3rd gens up there and mines a black base, so if you see one it'll probably be me..
04-07-02, 11:42 PM
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Originally posted by kwikrx7
Somewhere I read a test on how 1st gear alone you lose 50 hp with the stock flywheel and 25 or so in 2nd - 3rd and 4th are very minimal - like 3 or 4 hp. But the car does rev faster.
Somewhere I read a test on how 1st gear alone you lose 50 hp with the stock flywheel and 25 or so in 2nd - 3rd and 4th are very minimal - like 3 or 4 hp. But the car does rev faster.
04-08-02, 12:06 AM
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Joe, I *think* you have it flipped around. What Barry is saying (I think) is that your lose 50hp with the stock flywheel because it has more rotational mass and requires more centrifugal force to get spinning compared to a lightweight flywheel...
04-08-02, 12:16 AM
#24
You reduce drivetrain losses with a light flywheel and recover about 50 HP in first gear. It takes 50 more HP to accelerate the stock flywheel from 3000 to 8000 RPM (in the time it takes to rev the car through that range when driving) than it does to accelerate a light one. The difference is less in higher gears because the time it takes to rev from low to high RPMs is longer. I was just trying to get an idea of what changes you experience when going to a light flywheel. The change in the way the car feels is dramatic, and I think my estimates are reasonably accurate.
-Max
-Max
04-08-02, 12:18 AM
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But Max, how often are you in 1st gear. My problem is I have almost no traction if first gear now. Allowing the car to accelerate quicker in the low gears is going to be counterproductive. Aside from exiting a 2nd gear corner, when can you see the lighter flywheel being beneficial?