Lightweight Flywheel

[RF_Racer]

Probably not legal in some championships, but I thought I would ask anyway.

I am not sure how heavy a std formula ford zetec flywheel is, but by using a light one how much difference will it make? thoughts comments..

[Al Weyman]

I use very light flywheels on both my cars one being an automatic flexplate and the back of a tilton 7.5 inch clutch assembly and thats it and the biggest noticible difference is they rev up and slow down a hell of a lot quicker which allows for snappier gearchanging, better engine braking and probably better accelleration but I am not convinced on that one. It also makes it easier to stall and a pig to drive around the paddock and I have been tempted in the past to ditch them for something heavier! Don't half sound cool when you rev it up though!

[Redracer77]

I have a light flywheel from Schalor in my F4's makes reving the engine a lot easier! Saves a lot of weight off the crank as well. Not sure how much faster it is or not.

[RF_Racer]

Seems an option, as I am about to change the clutch.. Do you know the std and light weights?

[Redracer77]

I think a standard FF flywheel and clutch is 13.9 kg. I run a lighter flywheel and a 7.5 racing clutch and it comes in at 6.8kg. I know people in F4 who have the combo at less than 5kg...

[GORDON STREETER]

A lightened flywheel makes a hell of a difference in acceleration.
1 kilo less off a flywheel is equal to about 40 kilos off the weight of the car, when accelerating in first gear.
In a race car it outweighs any downsides IMHO

[Al Weyman]

Must make my chevy weigh the same as your Anglia then Gordon!

[GORDON STREETER]

No Al, your Chevy flywheel weighs as much as my Anglia !

[Al Weyman]

What flywheel. its an autotrans flexplate!

[tristancliffe]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

A lightened flywheel makes a hell of a difference in acceleration.
1 kilo less off a flywheel is equal to about 40 kilos off the weight of the car, when accelerating in first gear.
In a race car it outweighs any downsides IMHO

I'm not saying I don't believe you (although I've never felt it was that much), but would you happen to have the working or source for that snippet of interesting information. My brain has seen it, and wants to know more!

[GORDON STREETER]

http://www.pumaracing.co.uk/FLYWHEEL.htm
Hopefully this is correct, I remember reading all about this in a Ford tuning book in 1963 !
But as a rule of thumb the ratio is normaly over 1- 30.

[Al Weyman]

On the other side of the coin, it's not worth spending much money lightening the flywheel of a 7 litre Chevy engine revving to under 5,000 and geared for 60 mph in first as the vehicle will be very insensitive to the reduction in weight.

They say that so its probably why I don't really feel that much benifit infact because of the difficulties manouvering it around and its so damned heavy to push has me wondering if it was worth the bother on my cars!