F-Body Europe

Ok, is the only benefit of getting an aluminum flywheel, as opposed to a steel one, the fact that it's lighter, or that it's stronger also?? Just wondering, 'cause $439 is a lot of bones for a flywheel!!

It reduces rotational mass, which will in turn reduce drivetrain loss and allow you car to rev quicker.

Anytime you can reduce rotational mass, you are doing a good thing.

Spend the bux...it's only money!!!

Think of it this way Jack.

Which one can you spin up faster? A lighter flywheel, or a heavier one? The aluminum will build revs quicker than the steel because of less (probably 4lbs or so) rotational weight.
The flywheels reason for being, is to smooth the transition of power, so if you got a really light one, it would affect the idle in a bad way, but your probably just talking about a oe flywheel that is aluminum instead of steel.

BTW, Where are you pricing it? $439 sounds a bit on the high side to me.

Thunder Racing

I do most of my business through them, if not Ebay!! If you can tell me of a better deal when I get back, I'll be all over it!

Thanks,
Jack

I just went shopping, and found the price you said just about right. It wasnt at thunder, it was at LS1 something or other, and the GP is over. It was like a 25-30% savings. But it seems like there is a new GP everyday, so you should have no problem getting a bargain.

I think that Spec / Star has some that they sell with their clutches. You may want to check that out.

Jame and Rob
You are both right for certain reasons.

Jack The type and weight of the fly wheel depends on what you want to do with the car.

For example Drag racing . this is one area where heavier and bigger in diameter is better. The fly stores inertial energy which when released aids in the inital movement of the car. Also the bigger flywheel helps to kep crankshaft flex or twist down to a min.

Now for autocrossing or road racing . This is where a lighter flywheel show its benefits. Once moving the car is able to accelerate faster and also able to decelerate faster than a heavier flywheel. But the draw back is the car is a little stubborn to get moving when off idle accelerating from a stop which is what we do most of the time.
Bottom line Jack is that you will probably want to do a little more research . The cost to benefit ratio is not there if you are driving 90% or more on the street.

Also remember our cars are not the lightest things out there. If your car was 3000 lbs or less than it would be a good thing , Lighter cars can benefit from a lighter fly wheel better than heavier cars.

The aluminum flywheel the star/spec sells isnt the 10lb flywheel that you can upgrade your Gran Turismo cars with on the playstation however. (I'm trying to pull from memory so dont burn me for this) The stock flywheel is like 37lbs, the aluminum is in the 33-34 lb area.

The 2 or 3 places I checked for prices list the clutch price and then for the "extra" charge the send the flywheel. You can also get a lighter one (by about 4lbs) if you request it, but even then it still isnt considered a road race piece.

Roy brought up (and I knew he would, luv ya man) that in drag racing heavier to a point is better. You get that big bastard spining, then when you engage the driveline, you are hitting it with all your power right now.

Pretty much the bottom line as far as the normal person is concerned. You can go Mcleod or Spec and get a good streetable product in either steel or aluminum flavors.

There are lighter flywheels out there. Mine for instance
weighs 7lbs!

I agree with Roy, I have heard of people snapping cranks because the aluminum flywheel can not store the energy. During hard launches with a 3000lb car he had over 500hp before NOS. A light FW will hurt your nasty holehot bud. Rotating mass after the flywheel to include the clutch, PP, driveshaft wheels and tires. Is where you should focus on a street car, This is only advice. It is your money and you can spend it if you want.