Aluminum Flywheels
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Aluminum Flywheels 1. Do they really generate the horsepower claimed on the C5's? (25HP)
2. I have heard arguments made that while lightweight flywheels rev quicker and spool down faster, thus increasing road racing ability, from a drag racing perspective the lightweight flywheels have less inertia and so OVERALL generate less power. Is this accurate?
3. Does anyone have before/after dyno's or even better 1/4 mile times who has done this mod?
Thanks.
= )
2. I have heard arguments made that while lightweight flywheels rev quicker and spool down faster, thus increasing road racing ability, from a drag racing perspective the lightweight flywheels have less inertia and so OVERALL generate less power. Is this accurate?
3. Does anyone have before/after dyno's or even better 1/4 mile times who has done this mod?
Thanks.
= )
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 507
Likes: 2
From: Ankeny, IA
Well I just switched to aluminum flywheel when I got a new clutch. You won't see a 25hp gain. Not a chance. I did see an article in one of the Vette rags where they did nothing but changed the flywheel and got 7rwhp/rwtq out of it. Now I don't believe eveything I read, but in my case SOTP wise I think it was a great improvement. The car rev's much quicker. 3rd and 4th gear feel awesome. Drag racing wise it will adversely affect the cars launch some because of less inertia. Whether you make it up due to the car reving faster, I don't know. It feels much quicker to me overall and I don't drag race it enough to care if I lose a little off the 60ft. Also its worth noting that in the article I mentioned earlier the car was 2 seconds quicker to a simulated 14xmph on the dyno (can't recall the exact figure). Now there's no wind resistance involved there, so you won't see that on the street, but that 2 seconds shows just how much faster the engine revs. I'm going to the track tomorrow, but since I've added heads since my last trip, the results won't show just the flywheel. But would I pay to get one again? YES
6600 rpm clutch dump of death Administrator
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 4,983
Likes: 13
From: Texas
David Vizard did ant article in one of the Mustang Magazine last in which he tested an AL. flywheel.
I am from the school of drag racing where an Al wheel just ate up too much power off the line. Vizard admitted up front he felt the same way.
With real testing though they found that they had to raise launch RPM by about 1000RPM, and that they gained HP and ET over a stock steel wheel. We had an Al wheel, and have switched over to an Exedy CrMo wheel now. The car does rev quicker, and it requires a bit more clutch than a big heavy wheel but I consider the tradeoff worth it.
I am from the school of drag racing where an Al wheel just ate up too much power off the line. Vizard admitted up front he felt the same way.
With real testing though they found that they had to raise launch RPM by about 1000RPM, and that they gained HP and ET over a stock steel wheel. We had an Al wheel, and have switched over to an Exedy CrMo wheel now. The car does rev quicker, and it requires a bit more clutch than a big heavy wheel but I consider the tradeoff worth it.
