Lightweight Flywheel
Lightweight Flywheel I'm doing a rear main seal and while the trans is out, I was thinking about swapping to a lightweight flywheel.
I currently have the LUK LS7 clutch / flywheel kit, which was installed about 2.5 years back. I'd love to get the RTX, that way I'm ready for future builds, but right now my budget won't allow it, so I figured I get a lightweight FL, to free up a few HP for now.
What's a good budget option for a lightweight?
Stock 02 T/A vert
I currently have the LUK LS7 clutch / flywheel kit, which was installed about 2.5 years back. I'd love to get the RTX, that way I'm ready for future builds, but right now my budget won't allow it, so I figured I get a lightweight FL, to free up a few HP for now.
What's a good budget option for a lightweight?
Stock 02 T/A vert
Might be wasted money. Flywheel is 'mass' and it is not a loss like 'friction'. What it takes it also gives back.
Car will lose a little bit of civility in every day driving, and might end up being slower 0-60 mph (slower 60 foot time). And car will gain a little bit of trap speed (mph) in the big end. Although, LS7 flywheel is heavier than your stock flywheel so maybe the difference is more than I'm giving credit.
A heavier flywheel "gives back" in a beneficial way in 1st gear and upshifts to higher gears. That's something drag racers can appreciate. It also helps your clutch have a larger window of lockup (more feel).
Road racers never use 1st gear, do a lot of down shifts, and repeat over and over for a long time. The mass of a flywheel "gives back" at the wrong moments for them and they tend to appreciate a lighter flywheel. Downside is the clutch will have a smaller window of lockup (less feel and control).
People buy these lightweight flywheel & clutch kits and complain the clutch locks up too quick, not realizing the same clutch would feel better with a heavier flywheel. Or they complain about low speed drivability of a cam when really it's because their flywheel is too light. Flywheel is pretty important to good driving characteristics.
Car will lose a little bit of civility in every day driving, and might end up being slower 0-60 mph (slower 60 foot time). And car will gain a little bit of trap speed (mph) in the big end. Although, LS7 flywheel is heavier than your stock flywheel so maybe the difference is more than I'm giving credit.
A heavier flywheel "gives back" in a beneficial way in 1st gear and upshifts to higher gears. That's something drag racers can appreciate. It also helps your clutch have a larger window of lockup (more feel).
Road racers never use 1st gear, do a lot of down shifts, and repeat over and over for a long time. The mass of a flywheel "gives back" at the wrong moments for them and they tend to appreciate a lighter flywheel. Downside is the clutch will have a smaller window of lockup (less feel and control).
People buy these lightweight flywheel & clutch kits and complain the clutch locks up too quick, not realizing the same clutch would feel better with a heavier flywheel. Or they complain about low speed drivability of a cam when really it's because their flywheel is too light. Flywheel is pretty important to good driving characteristics.
Last edited by QwkTrip; Oct 7, 2021 at 03:05 PM.
