I have a spec lightweight flywheel and am debating whether or not to use it. It's going behind my heads/cam/nitrous car. Some say it's bad with heat others love it. Anybody have any experience with it? Car is occasionally tracked and i'm sure it will be tracked quite regularly this season. I just don't need another clutch issue. i do have a stock flywheels and non lightweight spec to use if it would be better for the clutch.

 

keep it

 

Use it.

 

I would use it too..... However you might lose a little TQ becuz of the less rotation mass. A lite weight flywheel might be more ideal for autoXing, steel one for drag racing. With the litewight flywheel, the motor should spin up faster resulting in better ETs. Theres really a flipside to that coin.

 

It is best to consider your plans for the car when choosing the flywheel you use. Are you going to Drag Race, Road Race, or use this primarily as a street car. Are you running a drag radial, slick or basic street tire. What kind of torque are you going to make?

If the car, and the tire, are going to remain the same (except for the addition of the lightened flywheel) then it helps to know if you are bogging off the launch or if you are overpowering the current tire? If you are then Aluminum can help dampen the hit of power and will thus allow you to get out of the hole with less tire spin.

I hope this info helps. Let me know what you are planning to do and I will be happy to provide more info. Thanks!

 

If you use it you'd better get it balanced. The Fidanza stuff is not balanced. You also need to get the steel insert properly surfaced before you use it. They are not good to go right out of the box. I learned the hard way.

 

I agree with everything above aluminum flywheels have there place in the world especially where weight is concerned, if you decide that this is not the piece for you. We have flywheels that are a lightweight flywheel that is 4140 forged steel and is not only SFI approved, it is also a one piece design that is. resurfaceable and still only 15.4 lbs.

 

I've got a Fidanza flywheel and straight out of the box it was balanced fine.

Oh and the argument about it not being good for dragracing isn't 100% true.

Not that I have experience with it, but according to one of the Tosto brother's, he had a light flywheel on his car for a while. He said it actually helped hit the tires smoother than a heavier flywheel. Granted, you have to adjust your launch rpm upwards by 500-1000rpm, but supposedly it allows a smoother transition of power to the wheels and helps to get traction out of the hole.

 

When did Fidanza start balancing them? The data sheet/install sheet that came with mine said it is CNC machined and as such should be close but is not checked for balance. Mine had a vibration right out of the box and the steel insert was slick and was not true. Maybe they're (Fidanza) doing a better job now. Glad yours is good.

As far as the less rotating mass stuff goes, I saw no problem with a standing start and the RPM's picked up a lot quicker.

 

Maybe they didn't specifically balance it, but my machine shop said it was balanced to the point where they had a hard time finding a heavy side.

If memory serves me correctly, it was way less than an ounce out of balance.

And they did a quick surface cleaning as well and found to be flat within 0.001"

 

I have a spec aluminum flywheel, i never heard that they don't balance them......I hope that is not true!

 

The question of balancing was not relative to our parts but to Fidanza's.