Flywheels...

[Ben (lurk75)]

Right what is the score with lightened flywheels???

Do you basically get a standard one and chop chunks out of it and get it balanced up?

Am i right in thinking this makes the flywheel spin faster hence creating more BHP? is there any other benefits or drawbacks?

What problems can it cause?

Thanx for any help.

[Stuart]

you get a std flywheel and mount it on a rotating clamp on a mill (not lathe) and then carefully remove material untill your happy, of course not taking anything off the clutch mounting plates otherwise its buggerd.

you can do it on a lathe but its a bit unnerving if it chatters. but its good for getting it balanced up afterwards


it will allow the engine to rev freer, ie you'll be able to get a bit more acceleration, but you have a lesser "store" of torque so if you come to a hill or anything the revs will drop quicker than normal.

it shouldnt(wont) give more power

[Ben (lurk75)]

so basically it makes it pick up faster and this should increase the 0-60 time (marginally).

Is it a worth while modification and is there a kind of happy medium for the gain/loss of tourqe store?

Thanx Cambridge

[Stuart]

if you tend to drive twisty roads/track then take lots off it so you can get pickup a bit quicker

if you do motorways/long open roads/tracks then take some off but dont go mad

its all down to how you want to drive the car.

[Bullwinkle]

A total waste of time, unless your going for all out performance.

It MAY save you a 10th of a second on a 1/4 mile, but you will find that it will do more harm than good on your car.

Also DO NOT hack chunks out of your existing one, if you do this it will fatigue very quickly and fail, with usually very catastrophic damage.

Aftermarket flywheels are heavily machined to be light and strong, if it was as easy as cutting bits out of it then why would these items cost in the range of 400 if it could be done for free?

You will not see any more power, you wont even notice if the car is faster (apart from in your head) the gains are so marginal its only ever used to extract the most out of a cars engine and usually when nothing else can be done.

If you considering this then you must have a wildly tuned Nova.

There are much better ways of improving your cars power, and much easier ones .. Whats your cars spec list ?

Lurk if you do what Cambridge says then i expect i will be passing you broken down at the side of the road in Bristol .... I will remember to toot when i see you picking bits of flywheel out of your face ! :)

I have seen the damage it can do - how big are your testicles because if you saw what it did to the car in question they would be very small ! :)

Your call, your car and your funeral !

Bullwinkle

[Ben (lurk75)]

thanx guys...

Bullwinkle:

i have not got a massiveley tuned engine as it has just been put in and have tocalm down on the spending for a while but i have got a plan to get the engine running at around 135-140BHP (its a 1600)

But i am not really worried about top speed just love getting my 0-60 time down! If it is this problamatic why do a large amount of people go for it?

I wasnt exactly going to hack chunks out i have a friend who has a family engineering company and this is right up his street.

Are you from Bristol? if so what car you got?

Cambridge:

Yes i drive through country lanes quite a lot being from a little village and only go on the motorway for about 2 miles a day. I am intrested most in getting my cars pick up speed greater from lights etc. as soon will be doing something a bit stupid to my car (february next year) for it to go on the strip at next summers events. :wink:

thanx again guys!

[Stuart]

so the gt car that we had that done to and hasnt fatigued yet :p

im not rambling aimlessly but if your technically and engineeringly minded with skilled mill operators you can achive good results for a reasonable price. also ideas with CAM machines make it soooo much easier lol

[Bullwinkle]

Sorry Cambridge, i dont intend to offend but your talking cobblers if you think you can get a stock flywheel and hack chunks out of it.

I may not have an engineering degree, i may not be a mechanic but i paid attention in physic's and i know you cant get a piece of metal (Flywheel) and hack chunks out of it and expect it to stand up to forces that will be inflicted on it.

The Nova item will only be cast steel anyway, you start taking anything substantial out of it and it will fail, thats fact !

Even extremely high grade fylwheels like JUN and Fidanza warp and these are machined to extremely high tolerances, primarly for motorsport use, so what chance does a stock flywheel with material cut out of it stand - NOT MUCH !

Lurk, Mate, you simply dont need it, your needs dont even come close to considering a lightened flywheel. You can acheive good performance from the GSi block with tried and tested methods. Honest to god truth you would get better accleration, 0-60, 1/4 mile's and top speed if you just shed some weight off your car. Take out the back seats, remove the sound proofing, get rid of the spare wheel (carry some tire gunk), ditch the ICE etc.

I have just shelled a hideous amount of money on a new paddle clutch and i was offered a discounted flywheel (Fidanza) as a job lot. After talking to quite a few sources on whether it would be worth considering the resounding answer was NO !

You say your not going to hack chunks out of it, but what would you do ? If its not going to be seriously lightened then there isnt any gain, and to get it lighter than stock your going to have to shed some serious metal off it.


If it is this problamatic why do a large amount of people go for it?

Cant say mate, i just know fr a raod car its a waste of time and can seriously affect drivability.

If your serious about getting your 0-60 down then get to a drag strip and practice, practice, practice :) Its amazing how many people think they can do a 1/4 mile (or 0-60) to the cars maximum ability. Simply just by knowing how to launch your car properly will make you instantly quicker than other "non informed" drivers. For faster times, there is a plethora of better mods wich are easier to do and will show more effect ..... want a list ! :D

Whats the engieering company, i am looking for some custom stainless steel (maybe aluminium if costs are ok) fabrication for my car. I cant seem to find one locally that will entertain my ideas :lol: If not i will just have to learn how to weld myself.

Yeah I live just outside Bristol, my car .... well its black and f*cking loud .... thats all i am saying .... you never know you might pick a drag with me .... I like the stealth approach :D


Bullwinkle

[Dan]

Hmmmmm well for me personally it was seems to be a good move to have all that work done (check out my spec in gte features section) but then i live out towards the forest of dean so if you bristol peeps know the area you will know how fookin twisty the roads are but also how fast they can be. I'm glad i had all the work done, but i have had everything else done to suit so that could be the crucial difference :?
And getting r/r on tues so back on top form for trax :twisted:

[Ben (lurk75)]

i havent got a gsi engine i have got a 1600 16v engine in and the flywheel weighs a bloody ton!!! thats why i was thinking of chopping the weight down.

i know of a couple of engineering companies in and around bristol but it sounds like you want a fabricator more than an engineer and it just so happens that my bro's best mate has his own s/steel fabrication company.

let me know what you actually want done and i will ask the most appropriate people for a rough price. would be good to meet up and let you see what has been done to my car so far so you can see for yourself.

Ant: yeah i know the roads inthe new forest well was delivering all over that way yesterday, i bet your glad all those bloody sheep have gone. it was murder trying to avoid them on the bloody roads :lol:

thanx guys i think i am swaying towards having it done!