YELLOH
Enthusiast
I read a few post about an aluminum flywheel, it just seems to good to be true .My Question is there any side affects to installing a aluminum flywheel.
Is There A Down Side Going With A Aluminum Flywheel
- Thread starter YELLOH
- Start date
zen garage
Enthusiast
I am running a Fidenza flywheel and underdrive pulleys and have no issues.
gthomas
Enthusiast
When I used to ride bikes, a friend who raced in the 750cc class and built m/c engines told me the only downside is that it will be more prone to dieing at idle when the engine is cold. However, I have never experienced this.
zen garage
Enthusiast
Ahh yes, I have heard this too but I have never experienced it myself.
SylvanSRT
Enthusiast
In my miata i have a light flywheel it makes the clutch take up a little tricky on take up, first gear only(at low rpms). the car does not have nearly the torque that the viper has. the light flywheel is a great fit for the SRT the RPS is factory balanced and is approx 19 lbs lighter than stock, additionally it has replaceable friction "pucks" that make it servicable. it was a work of art almost too nice to put inside a bell housing. i got mine from JonB @ www.partsrack.com
Vipera Russelli
Enthusiast
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2004
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Like Zen, I have the Fidanza flywheel and have had no issues.
Racer Robbie
Enthusiast
Hey Rich, A you can see SylvanSRT says the same thing as what I was telling you at my shop last Sunday. I hope you are enjoying your modified car and was able to get in some track time at Lime Rock before the rain.It was apleasure doing business with you.
Robbie
Robbie
YELLOH
Enthusiast
Thanks guys for the info , I did talk to John from parts rack.Does anyone know if Parts rack carries the Fidanza flywheel.
zen garage
Enthusiast
I believe mine came from archer.
SylvanSRT
Enthusiast
yelloh you have pm
Re:also consider the comp coupe steel flywheel
It can depend what your use is.
If you are looking for better drag strip times and running slicks a heavier flywheel will give a stronger launch and better 60 time.
Road racing with a lighter flywheel has a lot of benefit through quicker response.
For the street there are mixed reviews. Some of the early cars with lumpy cams and ngr heard the issue get louder with the lighter flywheel. Some found first gear in a parking lot at low speed to be a bit jerky. Many really like them for the street. Personal choice - find a friend or someone at a VCA club meeting with one and check it out for yourself.
Another note: The Comp Coupe light weight flywheel is not AL. It's chromoly, not just an insert, and much lighter than the stock SRT steel flywheel. It will fit into the SRT-10 but will not work in the Gen 1 or Gen 2 Vipers. I asked an SRT engineer why they didn't go with an AL insert like the aftermarket flywheels were and they said there was concern about warping with AL from long exposure to high heat and race conditions. It might be overkill, but If I was getting a lighter flywheel for an SRT-10 I'd buy the conp coupe chromoly one.
Recent news: Dan Cragin has had some chromoly lightweight flywheels made up for gen1 and gen 2. http://vca2.viperclub.org/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB24&Number=660270
(Following is from a post made several years ago, pre-Findenza-Viper days, and brands have changed)
Here's some things I have observed as well as some great info from Erik Messley on flywheels:
The lightweight flywheels out there have steel inserts. The McLeod (~16 lbs.)is most common and, if ever needed like from lots of drag racing, McLeod will replace the insert for a modest fee if you send it to them. The TNT flywheel insert can be replaced at the track, by the user, if you have a spare insert with you. The TNT may use bolts that differ from stock (use new bolts) & The TNT flywheel is about 1 pound heavier than the McLeod.
If you replace the flywheel I recommend having it balanced, then mark it and the pressure plate and balance them as a unit. The flywheels are usually VERY well balanced, but the pressure plate may not be.
The following is from a post made many years ago by Erik Messley that has lots of good info:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted long ago by Erik Messley:
We did change the flywheel to a number of lighter versions. For street use, staying around 40 lbs total weight (flywheel, pressure plate, friction disc) is very nice.....much crisper throttle response, improved engine braking, not difficult starting from a stop, no appreciable surging problems, and a marked improvement in the twisty road sections coming out of corners, etc. For a combo of track and street use, with a bit more emphasis on track usage, a 30 lb total weight will dramatically improve throttle response, etc.. Track times will be markedly improved due to the improved responsiveness and initial acceleration between corners and improved engine braking (the rear brakes are a bit wimpy for track usage and the flywheel/engine combo helps balance the car a bit better under braking). Downside is a bit harder to start from a stop, and a much smoother throttle foot is necessary to keep the car from surging at constant speeds while cruising down the freeway. For track usage, a combined weight of 20 lbs or so is wonderful. Throttle response is instantaneous, engine braking remarkable, and acceleration markedly improved. Keeping the MOI (moment of inertia) as low as possible is the key. The stock combination has a MOI of over 1950 lbs! (highest I've ever measured on a car!). A good carbon/carbon triple disk will be in the 175 lb range. You wouldn't want to try one of these on the street as stop and go driving will wear them out extremely quickly, starting from a stop is a bit touchy, plus the engine revs so quickly that without race type rubber, first and second gears are pretty useless (it just spins the tires.......kinda fun, but not very practical!). For the money, a lightened flywheel is an extremely good value for the overall performance gained. You do need to be honest with yourself as to the actual usage of the car prior to your selection though. Too light for your application or tolerance level will definitely result in disappointment. Hope this information helps you. Erik Messley
Stock clutch with McCleod flywheel makes an excellent street driver and will certainly help on the track as well. If memory serves me correctly, the total weight ends up right around 50 lbs. I haven't done the actual MOI of this combination, but since you are taking a large amount of the flywheel weight off of the outer edges (aluminum vs steel) I would conservatively guess that the MOI would fall around the 1500 lb range or roughly a 25% improvement. It's definitely noticeable but very tractible/drivable.
It can depend what your use is.
If you are looking for better drag strip times and running slicks a heavier flywheel will give a stronger launch and better 60 time.
Road racing with a lighter flywheel has a lot of benefit through quicker response.
For the street there are mixed reviews. Some of the early cars with lumpy cams and ngr heard the issue get louder with the lighter flywheel. Some found first gear in a parking lot at low speed to be a bit jerky. Many really like them for the street. Personal choice - find a friend or someone at a VCA club meeting with one and check it out for yourself.
Another note: The Comp Coupe light weight flywheel is not AL. It's chromoly, not just an insert, and much lighter than the stock SRT steel flywheel. It will fit into the SRT-10 but will not work in the Gen 1 or Gen 2 Vipers. I asked an SRT engineer why they didn't go with an AL insert like the aftermarket flywheels were and they said there was concern about warping with AL from long exposure to high heat and race conditions. It might be overkill, but If I was getting a lighter flywheel for an SRT-10 I'd buy the conp coupe chromoly one.
Recent news: Dan Cragin has had some chromoly lightweight flywheels made up for gen1 and gen 2. http://vca2.viperclub.org/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB24&Number=660270
(Following is from a post made several years ago, pre-Findenza-Viper days, and brands have changed)
Here's some things I have observed as well as some great info from Erik Messley on flywheels:
The lightweight flywheels out there have steel inserts. The McLeod (~16 lbs.)is most common and, if ever needed like from lots of drag racing, McLeod will replace the insert for a modest fee if you send it to them. The TNT flywheel insert can be replaced at the track, by the user, if you have a spare insert with you. The TNT may use bolts that differ from stock (use new bolts) & The TNT flywheel is about 1 pound heavier than the McLeod.
If you replace the flywheel I recommend having it balanced, then mark it and the pressure plate and balance them as a unit. The flywheels are usually VERY well balanced, but the pressure plate may not be.
The following is from a post made many years ago by Erik Messley that has lots of good info:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted long ago by Erik Messley:
We did change the flywheel to a number of lighter versions. For street use, staying around 40 lbs total weight (flywheel, pressure plate, friction disc) is very nice.....much crisper throttle response, improved engine braking, not difficult starting from a stop, no appreciable surging problems, and a marked improvement in the twisty road sections coming out of corners, etc. For a combo of track and street use, with a bit more emphasis on track usage, a 30 lb total weight will dramatically improve throttle response, etc.. Track times will be markedly improved due to the improved responsiveness and initial acceleration between corners and improved engine braking (the rear brakes are a bit wimpy for track usage and the flywheel/engine combo helps balance the car a bit better under braking). Downside is a bit harder to start from a stop, and a much smoother throttle foot is necessary to keep the car from surging at constant speeds while cruising down the freeway. For track usage, a combined weight of 20 lbs or so is wonderful. Throttle response is instantaneous, engine braking remarkable, and acceleration markedly improved. Keeping the MOI (moment of inertia) as low as possible is the key. The stock combination has a MOI of over 1950 lbs! (highest I've ever measured on a car!). A good carbon/carbon triple disk will be in the 175 lb range. You wouldn't want to try one of these on the street as stop and go driving will wear them out extremely quickly, starting from a stop is a bit touchy, plus the engine revs so quickly that without race type rubber, first and second gears are pretty useless (it just spins the tires.......kinda fun, but not very practical!). For the money, a lightened flywheel is an extremely good value for the overall performance gained. You do need to be honest with yourself as to the actual usage of the car prior to your selection though. Too light for your application or tolerance level will definitely result in disappointment. Hope this information helps you. Erik Messley
Stock clutch with McCleod flywheel makes an excellent street driver and will certainly help on the track as well. If memory serves me correctly, the total weight ends up right around 50 lbs. I haven't done the actual MOI of this combination, but since you are taking a large amount of the flywheel weight off of the outer edges (aluminum vs steel) I would conservatively guess that the MOI would fall around the 1500 lb range or roughly a 25% improvement. It's definitely noticeable but very tractible/drivable.
