Racing Beat Flywheel upgrade

[Gabriel82]

So since my car has been down for the count and I have been collecting my cheese to buy all the parts the question has finally came up which flywheel upgrade should I go with. I know that Racing Beat offers a Lightweight Steel and a Aluminum Flywheel upgrade. I have heard that the Aluminum upgrade makes the engine stall more, is this true? any experience with any of these products would help. Be advised I will be running a Exedy OEM replacement clutch. Thanks

[infernosg]

I don't know so much about the lightweight flywheels and rotaries but I had a 7.5 lb flywheel in my old Protege. I didn't really notice a change in it wanting to stall. If anything it just made the "jerk" when stalling less severe.

[Gabriel82]

hmmm interesting.....

[dudemaaan]

I'm still running the stock flywheel but I haven't heard of anyone regretting going with a lightweight flywheel. You probably have to use a bit more rpms to get going since you don't have as much inertia helping you move. I'm sure this becomes very natural pretty quick.

[classicauto]

Yes they can take a bit to get used to. Other then that it really does absolutely nothing for a street driven car. I wouldn't personally spend the bucks on one.

That said - the aluminum one is the lightest obviously, and it should have decent life given the friction surface insert.

[firzen]

When I first started using my light steel flywheel, I wasn't used to the revs dropping that fast. That messed with my shifting at first so now I rev a bit higher to compensate. It would also pick up faster and rev higher at cold start. Other than that, the feel of the car is still the same.

The reason why people stall more with the lighter wheel is the lack of momentum compared to the stock wheel. They also likely run grippier clutches and that won't help.

[FC3S Murray]

I noticed a much "jerkier" response when lightly applying throttle on my FC. Yes you do have to let the clutch out at a slightly higher rpm UNTIL you find the sweet spot.

[RETed]

If it's a turbo, there's no real need to go aluminum unless you're racing and looking for an edge.

For a non-turbo, it's a good debate.
Cons - when the aluminum *insert* wears out, it needs to be replaced; you need to engage the clutch with a little bit more finesse; light load cruising might be irritating cause of slight lean surge
Pros - noticable faster revving, especially in neutral
I don't like the fact that it's another wear item.
The lightened steel one is good enough, and it'll outlast the car.

For street cars, I'd recommend a lightened steel one.
You can argue for an aluminum one if you're racing.
I think an aluminum one is a PITA for street.


-Ted

[Kentetsu]

Another thing to consider is that, with the lack of inertia, you will need to slip the clutch quite a bit more when starting from a dead stop. This means the clutch will wear out faster, and you will be performing that maintenance a bit more often than with a heavier flywheel.

The general recommendation for spirited street driving and autocross is to go with a light steel flywheel. If the car is used strictly for track racing, then go aluminum.

Hope this helps.




.

[infernosg]

^^^ Define "wear out faster". I had an Fidanza flywheel/Exedy Stage 1 clutch combo on my old car for 30k+ miles and still going strong before I sold it (granted, the car was only making about 225 whp).

If I stay on my current path my GXL will be receiving an Al flywheel and driveshaft and possibly smaller Al pullies if I can find a good machinist.

[Kentetsu]

If you have to let the clutch slip more, then it will wear out faster. Slip = wear.

[TitaniumTT]

Originally Posted by RETed

If it's a turbo, there's no real need to go aluminum unless you're racing and looking for an edge.

For a non-turbo, it's a good debate.
Cons - when the aluminum *insert* wears out, it needs to be replaced; you need to engage the clutch with a little bit more finesse; light load cruising might be irritating cause of slight lean surge
Pros - noticable faster revving, especially in neutral
I don't like the fact that it's another wear item.
The lightened steel one is good enough, and it'll outlast the car.

For street cars, I'd recommend a lightened steel one.
You can argue for an aluminum one if you're racing.
I think an aluminum one is a PITA for street.


-Ted

I had an SR al and ACT Extreme PP and stock disc many many years ago.... at the time I LOVED a stiff clutch. It was completely unnecessary for the amout of power I was making, it was a personal preference. I didn't think it was a PITA for the street and once I got used to it, it was fine. There wasn't really much jerkiness associated with it, but on hills, you really had to rev the engine up to get moving.

Then I fucked my knee up, severly and royally screwed it up to the point were 66-75% of the cartilidge in my left knee was surgically removed. THEN the clutch became a pain in the knee.

When I needed a new clutch I went with the exedy twin disc because the pedal effort was less. Not nearly as close to stock as they claim, but it was less. It took the same amount of getting used to becuase of how grabby the twin disc is.

Originally Posted by Kentetsu

Another thing to consider is that, with the lack of inertia, you will need to slip the clutch quite a bit more when starting from a dead stop. This means the clutch will wear out faster, and you will be performing that maintenance a bit more often than with a heavier flywheel.

Yes and no, if you can drive it properly, you won't be slipping it that much more than a steel or a stocker. Once I got used to mine, starting it on a flat was no different than a stocker. The inertia, or lack there of, was most noticable on the hills.

It's personaly preference to me. An AL one with exagerate all the pro's and cons of a steel one over the stocker. Faster revving, more rev's needed when starting esp on a hill.

It's certainly not like driving my truck, I can feather that clutch without touching the gas and get going from a stop, while towing, standing on a hill. Lot's of torque, heavy flywheel, stock clutch with 160k on it. The big thing is the lack of torque that a rotary makes low in it's RPM band. The heavy flywheel is there help compensate for the lack of torque and to make the car a little easier to drive.

Originally Posted by Kentetsu

If you have to let the clutch slip more, then it will wear out faster. Slip = wear.

True, but again, if you can properly drive it, you won't be slipping it THAT much more.

[Roen]

On a stock NA with a 4-puck clutch and an aluminum flywheel, it was annoying to drive in stop-and-go traffic, but that was mostly due to the clutch.

On a stock NA with a stock replacement clutch and an aluminum flywheel, I never noticed a difference in drivability.

[Gabriel82]

Well I was going to go with a steel flywheel from the get go. Its only 5lbs lighter compared to the OEM flywheel. Less inertia but not as much as the aluminum one. The fact that they can outlast the car just sold me sweet!

[Max777]

Originally Posted by Gabriel82

Well I was going to go with a steel flywheel from the get go. Its only 5lbs lighter compared to the OEM flywheel. Less inertia but not as much as the aluminum one. The fact that they can outlast the car just sold me sweet!

Are you planning to buy one new? With the prices listed on the Racing Beat site, it seems silly to me to pay that kind of cash, when you could just go get an AL unit with a replaceable friction surface. The 5 lbs also does not seem like a significant enough gain to justify spending that kind of money.

Honestly, save this money for a rebuild, new differantial, tires, wheels, racing seat, etc.... any of those will make a much more significant difference to the car.