Best light weight flywheel ?
- Thread starter Vipermann
- Start date
comp coupe light weight flywheel is all steel.
All other aftermarket are aluminium / steel insert
All other aftermarket are aluminium / steel insert
gthomas
Enthusiast
Check out the websites of the manufacturers/distributors. I've seen them with a pound/pound and a half difference.
TCKTPLZ
Enthusiast
Basically the two flywheels that are most used with Vipers are those from Findanza or RPS. The Fidanza flywheel is most used since it runs around $100 less than the RPS. However, I do feel the extra cost that the RPS demands is definitely worth it.
Basically the sole difference between these flywheels is the friction plate, or heat shield. Traditional heat shields, like those found on the Fidanza aluminum flywheel, warp because of the uneven heat produced by a slipping clutch. Just like a car going around in a circle, in which the outside tires go faster than the inside tires, the clutch disc slides faster around the outside of the flywheel than it does around the inside. The faster moving outside surface gets hotter than the inside surface. Because metal expands more the hotter it gets, the outside of the heat shield expands more than the inside. Traditional heat shields are made of one piece metal rings, so when the outside expands more than the inside, the only thing the shield can do is warp. The CYN-R-G Segmented heat shields found on the RPS aluminum flywheels are not connected so they can expand and contract without warping. A warped heat shield causes the clutch to slip, which causes more heat and more warpage.
Compare these two pictures:
RPS
Fidanza
Another difference between the flywheels is that the RPS is dynamically balanced whereas the Fidanza is not. Common sense would lead you to believe that since these flywheels are milled out of a solid piece of aluminum they would already be balanced. However, the wheels on our snakes are also milled out of a solid piece of aluminum yet we would never think of driving them with a wheel that has not been balanced.
In terms of performance, both flywheels are much lighter than stock. For instance, in GEN II snakes, the stock flywheel weighs around 42 pounds. Aftermarket aluminum flywheels weigh either 17.5 (Fidanza) or 18 (RPS), which is more than half the weight of stock. On GEN III SRT snakes, the stock flywheel weighs around 32 pounds. While this is definitely less, you are still saving around 15 pounds. Not only does this weight reduction help in increasing performance, but it also reduces stress on the engine as well.
The choice on which flywheel to purchase is up to you. Fidanza does sell replacement friction plates if warpage does occur. But just for a little more dough you can get the RPS and never have to worry about this potential headache. In all honesty, you will never notice the difference between the two except for peace of mind with the RPS. That alone was enough for me to choose the RPS over the Fidanza. Best of luck with your decision.
Basically the sole difference between these flywheels is the friction plate, or heat shield. Traditional heat shields, like those found on the Fidanza aluminum flywheel, warp because of the uneven heat produced by a slipping clutch. Just like a car going around in a circle, in which the outside tires go faster than the inside tires, the clutch disc slides faster around the outside of the flywheel than it does around the inside. The faster moving outside surface gets hotter than the inside surface. Because metal expands more the hotter it gets, the outside of the heat shield expands more than the inside. Traditional heat shields are made of one piece metal rings, so when the outside expands more than the inside, the only thing the shield can do is warp. The CYN-R-G Segmented heat shields found on the RPS aluminum flywheels are not connected so they can expand and contract without warping. A warped heat shield causes the clutch to slip, which causes more heat and more warpage.
Compare these two pictures:
RPS
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Fidanza
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Another difference between the flywheels is that the RPS is dynamically balanced whereas the Fidanza is not. Common sense would lead you to believe that since these flywheels are milled out of a solid piece of aluminum they would already be balanced. However, the wheels on our snakes are also milled out of a solid piece of aluminum yet we would never think of driving them with a wheel that has not been balanced.
In terms of performance, both flywheels are much lighter than stock. For instance, in GEN II snakes, the stock flywheel weighs around 42 pounds. Aftermarket aluminum flywheels weigh either 17.5 (Fidanza) or 18 (RPS), which is more than half the weight of stock. On GEN III SRT snakes, the stock flywheel weighs around 32 pounds. While this is definitely less, you are still saving around 15 pounds. Not only does this weight reduction help in increasing performance, but it also reduces stress on the engine as well.
The choice on which flywheel to purchase is up to you. Fidanza does sell replacement friction plates if warpage does occur. But just for a little more dough you can get the RPS and never have to worry about this potential headache. In all honesty, you will never notice the difference between the two except for peace of mind with the RPS. That alone was enough for me to choose the RPS over the Fidanza. Best of luck with your decision.
VIPER D
Viper Owner
I have an rps flywheel and am very happy with it. The car can recover much quicker from a bad launch.
vd..
vd..
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I too have had very good luck with the RPS unit. It has survived three clutches now with just a simple re-surfacing.
Whichever one you get, make sure the tech applies loc-tite to the pressure plate bolts. These babies can back out on you if not torqued and loc-tited.
Whichever one you get, make sure the tech applies loc-tite to the pressure plate bolts. These babies can back out on you if not torqued and loc-tited.
What are the signs of a warped flywheel? My car has developed a rather annoying vibration 
around 1,500-2,000 RPM. This occured during a recent club autocross. If I push in the clutch and coast the vibration goes away. Any ideas would be appreciated.
around 1,500-2,000 RPM. This occured during a recent club autocross. If I push in the clutch and coast the vibration goes away. Any ideas would be appreciated. Similar threads
