is a flywheel necessary?

[drumsbeloud]

i'm looking into getting a new clutch and possibly flywheel in preparation for going to boost. i have a question regarding lightened flywheels...is it either recommended or required to get a lightened flywheel when getting a heavier duty clutch? i understand the advantages of a lighter flywheel when staying NA or with generally lower hp, but is there any reason (e.g., reliability) other than easier reving (and freeing up power) to get one?

i guess i'm trying to say is the stock P5 flywheel going to handle a new clutch and the increased hp?

 

[zoomzoom02]

i stayed with my stock flywheel.

 

[drumsbeloud]

burp

 

[RyanJayG]

yeah, but I would have it resurfaced for the new clutch. but why not take advantage of the combo deals and just get a light weight one? just trying to save money?

 

[t3ase]

I had a new clutch put in my MSP today and chose not to do the flywheel. If I did, I was going to go with the JDM version which isn't too incredibly lighter, but it was somewhat. I just dunno about anything lighter...

 

[drumsbeloud]

yeah, but I would have it resurfaced for the new clutch. but why not take advantage of the combo deals and just get a light weight one? just trying to save money?

not trying to save money...i've just read a few posts saying some negative things (e.g., tougher launches, stalling after getting off gas) about lighter flywheels. i'd rather not have those problems if i don't have to.

 

[RyanJayG]

do like T3ase said and get one that is not that much lighter... there are quite a few options out there

 

[1sty]

not trying to save money...i've just read a few posts saying some negative things (e.g., tougher launches, stalling after getting off gas) about lighter flywheels. i'd rather not have those problems if i don't have to.

A lighter flywheel will only net you a few whp increase and that become increaingly small as the gears increse. Maybe 4-5 whp at most in first, by 3rd the difference is unmeasuable.

 

[t3ase]

Yeah, the 12lb one will give you the best of both worlds and it's cheaper than the others.. Plus if you're a JDM-freak, it's one more thing to add to your list.

 

[RyanJayG]

the benefits of a lighter flywheel isn't so much power as throtle response, not to mention the RPMs drop faster, which is a good thing for me... I shift very fast all the time... I have F1 on the brain when I drive. even if I'm only going 35 or somthing.. I still shift super fast

 

[midnightracr]

The only real advantage of a lightened flywheel would have to be that it helps a turbo spool faster. On a N/A car it's the last thing u would want it would take away a lot of your torque

 

[hukster00]

how would the flywheel spool up the turbo faster ? i would expect it to help N/A cars since it's lighter and looses rotational mass wich would help the engin rev up faster

maybe faster rev = faster spool ?

 

[t3ase]

i may be wrong here but wouldn't a n/a car benefit from a flywheel just as much, if not more, than a force fed car?

 

[midnightracr]

The heavier the flywheel the more it stores energy and helps get u movin faster. I hope someone jumps in on this cause I don't want to spread miss information but that's somewhat how it goes. I knew a guy that took his stock flywheel out of his Mustang and put a heavier one in all because it would get him off the line quicker. U have to rev the car a lot more to get it going if u have a lightened flywheel because of that. For a N/A car though it would be the last thing u would want as it will take away a lot of your torque

 

[hukster00]

duno, i just dont think lightened flywheel would take oway hp/torque

 

[hukster00]

The are no negative effects to lightening your stock flywheel unlike replacing it with an ultra-lightweight Aluminum flywheel. Most manufacturers make the stock flywheel very heavy. This makes the engine very smooth and enables it to retain energy at part throttle cruise and up long grades for better fuel economy.

An Aluminum flywheel goes completely the other direction with almost no weight. This lets the engine rev up very quickly and allows the engine to work easier due to the reduced weight spinning around on the back of the crank. This is fine as long as you are at full throttle and wide open throttle all the time like in a Road Race or Drag Race only car. As soon as you let off the gas the engine RPM drops instantly and the car slows down. In a road car this causes surging and bucking at cruise speeds and poor driveability and clutch engagement.

A lightened stock unit on the other hand gives you the best of both worlds. It is a compromise between the overly heavy OEM unit and a Too light Racing unit. You get the benefits of both with none of the bad qualities.

Turbo cars are exceptionally critical to flywheel weight. Too light a flywheel will make the car rev faster and possibly come on boost faster but that is only half the issue. When you let off the gas to shift the car will drop off of boost just as quickly causing a poor transition when you come back on the throttle.

hope this helps

 

[dominoy2k1]

link to 12lb flywheel?

 

[drumsbeloud]

Turbo cars are exceptionally critical to flywheel weight. Too light a flywheel will make the car rev faster and possibly come on boost faster but that is only half the issue. When you let off the gas to shift the car will drop off of boost just as quickly causing a poor transition when you come back on the throttle.

thanks!...that's what i'm concerned about.

 

[Little Beavis]

The JDM is 15 pounds I think. . . and can be bought from corksports.

It makes sense from the engineering end that torque will be lost with a lighter flywheel. . .not so much what the engine produces, but what it can transmit. The inertia load has changed. Whether or not the flywheel weight is enough to make a significant change is debatable. Everyone has their opinion.

Plenty of people have put in lightweight aluminum units without any real problems. But a lighter one will be a little trickier to launch with and will rev up AND down faster. Again, to each their own.

 

[EviLMaN]

from reading the posts it seems the best bet for N/a people the Jdm 15lbs or 12lbs flywheel is good to get and i think good for the turbo'd cars too right?