aluminum flywheel reliability question

[bigr1]

i heard, through a friend of mine, that putting an aliminum flywheel on a Viper (Gen I in my case) is not a good idea. i drive the car 99.9% of the time on the street. can anyone tell me whu this may be true?

he said that the aluminum flywheel is not good for street use because its metallic comsposites are not as durable. is there any truth to this.

thanks.
randy
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[Ron]

<FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Most (if not all) aluminum flywheels have replaceable steel wear surface so durability shouldn't be a problem.

For me, on the plus side, I have noticed quicker engine spool-up, nice for blipping the throttle on downshifts.

On the downside, I have a clutch chatter that I never had before. 99% sure it's not the aluminum flywheel, but rather my decision to reuse the 6K mile disc, but it is annoying.

Worth the money, not for me. If you do go for it, though I didn't and notice no ill affects, I'd suggest getting the pressure plate & flywheel assembly balanced before install. Also you always need to install any flywheel with fresh bolts and thread sealer. Flywheel noise and oil leakage could result if you don't.</FONT f>

 

[Marv S]

Quick, tell the road racers that their aluminum flywheels have metallic composits that are not as durable as the OE steel one.

The AL flywheels have held up well under racing applications so they will hold up as well as OE with street use. They also have steel inserts where it matches up to the disc. Some inserts are pressed in and some are held in by fasteners.



<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by bigr1:
he said that the aluminum flywheel is not good for street use because its metallic comsposites are not as durable. is there any truth to this.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

[bigr1]

i knew i was going to get bashed for that comment, lol.

the guy that tole me this is a ASE Certified mechanic, so i thought me may have known a little more than me. but i do know, for a fact, that he has no expereince with Vipers.

thats why i am asking the "experts" here. thanks.

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[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Marv done said it all, and he is spot on!!!!!!

 

[Newport Viper]

Do it! Your guy is way off!

 

[MES]

I have about 8,000 street miles on the AL flywheel (Roe Racing) with maybe 50 1/4 runs and so far it works fine. The AL flywheel is not worth the trouble to replace for a "performance" gain IMHO. My stock clutch was worn out at 25K miles so I replaced it along with the flywheel. It's not any faster in the 1/4 (for me) than the stock flywheel was. The main difference I notice is on street driving, the shifts are smoother - not as much jerking when engaging clutch.

 

[JonB]

There is a NEW Viper Flywheel in town! 19lbs (not 18)

Instead of one single steel ring as the replaceable friction surface, the new flywheel has 4 "pucks" of chromoly steel. The single ring, when dragraced, was 'waffling' as it distorted w/ heat. The pucks CANNOT distort.

This new wheel is also billet cut, but then externally balanced.....a $100 option on other wheels.

It debuted at VOI-7, and is currently available for THE SAME MONEY: $479.

I agree that replacing it alone is not a good value, but when you need a clutch anyway, DO IT !!

 

[SSSSE YA]

How much does a stock flywheel weight?