Aluminum flywheels and daily driving

[Jeff]

I'm trying to get the Daytona finished up and one of the things I no longer have is a flywheel. I used the only one I had on the minivan. Now the Daytona will see use as an HPDE car after we put some miles on it and the glory of the new paintjob has faded. But the vast majority of its use will be on the road day after day. I need to order an adjustable cam gear anyway so I was thinking about getting an aluminum flywheel as well. Its 1/2 the weight of the stocker and "will have you bouncing off the rev limiter in a second" says the vendor. These engines build RPMs rather slow and redline at 6,000-6,500 RPM. The Daytona has the goods to be taken to 7k and I think that is where the redline is set. So, bottom line, will it be a bitch to drive it daily with this flywheel or will the gains be worth any pains? Its going to be about $450 after shipping for the wheel and the gear, which isn't going to slow the project down at all. So all those "just get it done" people can shut up and answer the driveability question. :roll: :wink:

[.RJ]

You wont have any driveability issues with a light flywheel - they're fun to have In *some* cars you may have to give a little more gas on taking off or you may get *some* chatter from the clutch but its minimal unless you have a really aggressive clutch.

Can you get something other than aluminum though?

[ViPER1313]

3 possible problems w/ aluminum flywheels:

1. More chatter. This depends on the type of clutch being used and whether you have the aluminum flywheel resurfaced directly from the factory (considered a good idea in the SHO community.) Most SHO people who have their Spec flywheels resurfaced before install don't experience significant chatter.

2. Idle issues. Because aluminum flywheels drop revs rather quickly a stall condition can occur with certain cars when the clutch is pressed in at higher revs and the car is decelerating. Once again, car dependent.

3. Harder to drive in traffic. You cannot slip an aluminum clutch as easily as a heavy iron one.

The benefits are well known though - makes the car easier to shift quickly, allows you to rev match more quickly.

I would buy and install one if I were you. If you don't like it I'm sure you wont have an issue selling it for close to what you bought it for.

[ScottyB]

i think DJ's pretty anti-aluminumiminum flywheel.....not sure why, but he could give you a decent answer i guess.

maybe it's not DJ but it'd definitely one of our DSM fools.

[BLINGMW]

I've driven a couple cars with lighter flywheels and agree with RJ, it's not much of a driveability issue. If other Daytona people who have done them don't report many problems, go for it!

[.RJ]

3. Harder to drive in traffic. You cannot slip an aluminum clutch as easily as a heavy iron one.

Thats going to depend a lot more on the clutch being used - I had no problems with the flywheel I put in my old racecar - daily driving it was just fine with an 8lb flywheel and full face clutch disc. No chatter, no idle issues, no nothing. Drove like stock, only with more oontz.

[Jeff]

Clutch is a Kevlar clutch. Its a custom made thing for TU and they are the company I'm looking at the flywheel from. I have already asked them about it and have yet to hear back.

[BLINGMW]

oontz.

oontz oontz?

[white_2kgt]

driveability doesn't suffer unless you put in a 7" flywheel .

[D_Eclipse9916]

Hahaha Scotty its me.

My only issue with aluminum flywheels are they are inherently weak. With heavier clutches and some power you are gonna more easily create hotspots on the flywheel leading to faster failure. aluminum flywheels at aleast in the DSM world are renowned for literally flexing the plates, so a chromoly is a better bet.

However, 300 horsepower is what you plan on, and you dont plan on dumping the clutch, an aluminum flywheel will be fine, but for 450 bucks I definitely wouldnt do it, considering the risks of heatspots and failure.

The driveability issue is for those that are pussies.

[ziich]

My stock flywheel is somewhere around 20lbs. I have no problems with my 8lbs flywheel. Idles fine, revs up fast and rev matches easy. Just needs a little more gas to get it moving.