lightweight flywheel pros and cons any input

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bryan-55gmc

New Member
I am swaping a 5 speed in place of an automatic in my 1991 CRX. the car has proven itself a very dependable ride and now I am customizing it to my needs.

I recently purchased a stage 2 clutch pressure plate and lightweight filyweel for this swap. I also have the factory flywheel.

Does anyone have experiance with lightweight flywheels and could give me the pros and cons to putting in the lightweight flywheel. My main objective is good mileage. inertia vs response. I have read which means I think I should get better milage in town but perhaps not at steady speed.

Any first hand knowleadge will be helpfull

Thanks
 
Depends on how light the flywheel is. I'm assuming you are running a D16A6, which respond very well to lighter flywheels. Driving on a 12lb flywheel isn't that bad and will help you maintain RPM between shifts and will help your acceleration. Around town you will need to blip the throttle more before move to prevent bogging and stalling - but it should be easy to get used to.

A 7 or 8lb flywheel is a whole other story. Drivability is usually pretty brutal and while the car will run great at higher RPM's, torque will suffer.
 
12lb is probably the best for something DD and drag. I have a 7lb in my Civic and 8lb in my Accord; it bogs a little easier and isn't as smooth(requires more "work" to drive smooth with it). After enough seat time you get used to it though.
 
Yeah, 8lbs can be fun though. A friend had an Action Stage 3 6-puck unsprung pressure plate running an 8lb Fidanza on his GSR. He could chirp 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th with his shitty 165 profile winter tires on steelies. Hehe. :D
 
All I know is thru everything I have seen you need to use a spring hub type clutch or else your gonna get bad driveline vibrations.
 
i got a 7 pound in my civic wiht a D16z6 motor. with a stage 3. 6 puck its hard to drive around town or in traffic but ones you get some heat into it it grabs really good. and i raps up really quick you know no weight holding it back. i like it it just hard to get use to. you can also feel the pules of the motor.
 
I have not recived the flywheel yet but it was advertised as 6 lb unit. With the info. I have gotten here, It appears I better stick with the stock flywheel. I what drivability to be very good, was hoping it would not suffer much and I could enjoy the benifits of light flywheel.

Best regards,

Bryan
 
You don't lose torque with a lighter flywheel. You lose torque storage capacity, and that's not a bad thing if you know how to drive it.
 
You don't lose torque with a lighter flywheel. You lose torque storage capacity, and that's not a bad thing if you know how to drive it.

can you exlain a little more on this? what do you mean by torque storage capacity?
 
can you exlain a little more on this? what do you mean by torque storage capacity?

It means the inertia carried by the heavier flywheel is greater than that of the lighter flywheel. In a practical example, you can notice the difference durring a launch. You will not need to rev as high to launch with a heavier flywheel. The rotating mass of the heavier one is harder to stop than that of the lighter one.

I have an Action Clutch 2KS kit w/ Toda 8.8lb flywheel. Stock I would launch at about 3400rpm, now it's about 4200rpm. The lighter flywheel is harder to drive, but rewarding if done properly.

Also to note, when running boost, the heavier flywheel will keep your rpms high and thus keep you spooling more durring gear changes... ;)
 
i would have thought the lighter flywheel would launch better at lower RPMs than stock since its lighter, guess not. So how do you use the lighter flywheel to your advantage besides launching at a higher RPMS? Its seems to go through the powerband faster than a stock flywheel
 
well in a circuit racing environment, you can heal-toe downshift faster. The lighter flywheel frees up power from your drivetrain as well. You get improved gas milage also due to the lessened weight. It revs up and falls down MUCH faster. Throttle response is increased a lot. My idle did not get affected, i just wanted to say. Maybe it's because it's Toda, they engineered it well, but ya.
 
can you exlain a little more on this? what do you mean by torque storage capacity?

A flywheel is a power storage unit. Think of it like a bucket in the middle of a downhill slope. The bigger the bucket, the less you have to turn your faucet on at the top of the slope to start a flow of water. The only problem is that you have to completely fill the bucket up before water will flow past it.

The flywheel is the bucket- from a stop, if you have a heavy flywheel, you don't need as much precision or gas pedal application to start moving. The only problem is that all your power from your engine has to go through the flywheel- so you have to "fill" the flywheel up before you start changing speeds. Lighter flywheel = faster response, but harder to drive. Heavier flywheel = slower response, but easier to drive.
 
Pros: On a naturally aspirated vehicle, an ALF is a good way to reduce excess rotating mass, allowing for increased acceleration.
Cons: Excessive low end clutch chatter, premature synchromesh wear, and possible engine damage will occur if the ALF is too light or not properly balanced. If the ALF is too light, a lack of initial inertia can cause the vehicle to stall easily when moving off from a standstill.
 
Pros and cons light flywheel

I was hoping someone would have some facts regarding this such as ET improved 1.1 seconds Mileage increase 2 mpg etc.

I ended up putting on the stock flywheel and still wondering if I should have gone with the lighter.

My goal is mpg. So far I am getting 50mpg average the last 5 tankfulls.

Thanks for all the good input so far.

Best regards,

Bryan
 
How can you tell if your flywheel is to light or not balanced? I get a little clutch chatter right off the line, but thats it. It 8lb too light?
 
Sorry to interrupt but while we are on the subject, what is the stock weight of any of the B engines? It will help me understand whats going on more, comparison wise.
 
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