Lightweight Steel Flywheels
 

I'm going to be putting a new Exedy Stage 1 clutch kit and remanufactured starter in my '84 GS soon. The flywheel will be out for resurfacing anyways so I figured I would upgrade to a lightweight steel flywheel instead. So I start looking for lightweight steel flywheels at all the usual places. Mazdatrix, Atkins, ReSpeed, Pineapple Racing, etc. Racing Beat is the only manufacturer carrying any for the 84-85 12As any more and they're $415! I don't remember steel flywheels being so damn expensive. I knew the aluminum ones were high, but aluminum is always high. I coulda sworn I remember them only being a couple hundred dollars. So now my question is "Is it worth it?" The car is a daily driver that sees some autox action. For a car that is purely for fun and not competition is the cost really worth it? Or does anybody have a lightweight steel flywheel sitting around they would sell for alot less than Racing Beat's asking price?

I installed a light steel flywheel last year. Can't really tell the difference to tell you the truth. If I had it to do again, I'd probably go with an aluminum model off Ebay for half the money. This is for a daily driver/semi-serious autocross car.





.

I went with the light weight steel flywheel on my '83 12A car. I bought the one through RB and was very happy with it. I bought it 8 or so years ago and I think I payed over $300 for it.

For a DD I wouldn't go aluminum. I could feel the change with the steel one. It was still drivable but you did feel it when starting on a hill. The car would rev quicker.

I'm currently using a steel flywheel that's the same weight as RB's aluminum ones. I've used an RB light steel as well, but I like the current one better. And yes, my FB is my daily driver. It's worth noting, though, that I have a 13B, which gives me a bit more low-end grunt.

I have one of these 8 pound flywheels in the GLC as well. They are pretty light compared to RB's light steel flywheels.

Weights break down like this:

RB light steel = 13 pounds

RB aluminum = 7.5 pounds

super light steel = 8 pounds

The above are without a counterweight attached.

kentetsu, if I ever decide to pull my 8 pound super light flywheel from the GLC, would you be interested in a trade? It was recently resurfaced and only test driven around the block a few times, so maybe a couple miles on it. One important thing to note here is these super light flywheels are for 215mm only. You can not physically fit a 225mm disc or pressure plate to these. I'll dig up a picture later.

What else I'd bring to the table, if we were to consider trading, is an RB street strip pressure plate and a nearly new thick (low mile) stock disc. It would have everything required to install it on your rear counterweight, including pressure plate bolts as all 6 must be the same (not with two shoulder bolts as there is no provision for them). I'd expect the same from you ie the RB long pressure plate bolt kit with aluminum spacers and so on.

I'm not needing to do this swap any time soon as the car is fully together and the weather is not yet pleasant enough to do an elective swap like this. Plus I'm sure you're not really interested in going through all the hassle of pulling your engine and tranny yet again so soon.

But anyway I bring this up only because my friend's rotary powered 510 used to have an RB aluminum flywheel and SS pressure plate and he would often stall it in traffic etc. The engine is a 4 port 13B with a Camden 5" SC and Edelbrock carb, same as the GLC. After I swapped his 510 over to an RB light steel flywheel, stock disc and OEM S4 pressure plate (little stringer than 83-85 part number), his driveability was nicely improved. I figured my GLC would improve as well. But then again the GLC has a fresh rebuild in it so its low end probably isn't quite as nice as it would be if it had a couple hundred miles on it. But as it sits right now, the low end just isn't there and I blame the flywheel for being too light.

Just thought I'd throw this out there and see if you're considering a swap in the nearish future, because I may have just the right package for you. Just as Percent how much he likes his superlight. :)

We can take this to PMs if the mods don't like us discussing a possible trade on the public forum.