Light weight Flywheel?

[Noredline]

Hi, I searched and only got two hits, sorry if this has been covered before.

Has anyone replaced the stock SRT/10 flywheel with the lightweight version?

If so, what performance differences did you notice?

I am being told that it will offer quicker throttle response and a reduction of about 14 pounds?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Vipera Russelli]

Recycled me:

A lighter flywheel allows you to rev up to higher rpms faster between shifts, which can be handy when doing heel-toe shifting.

Some advertisers suggest power increases from installing a lighter flywheel, but such claims can be a little misleading unless you remember that they are only talking about obtaining rpms faster with the clutch depressed (i.e., "rev up as if you had an extra 100 hp!") and not an increase in power to the rear wheels. There are also debates on whether or not a lighter flywheel has a negative impact on torque, but, in my humble opinion, such debates are largely theoretical as I don't think you'll notice any difference either way. I certainly didn't. In short, at least in my experience, other than helping out a bit on heel-toe shifting, there are no other benefits that you'll actually notice.


Recycled Viper D:

Lighter flywheel = longer engine life due to less stress of rotating mass.

 

[nevrenuf]

I had the same questions and ended up getting an RPS flywheel from Jon at PartsRack.. All I can say is I immediately began kicking myself.. for not doing it much much sooner.. Hands down the best bang for the buck I did on my SRT.. Call Jon.. spend the cash.. no downside!

 

[Scotty B]

It's actually pretty simple,

consider it like when you were a kid and you went to give your little sister a ride on the merry-go-round, you know, the big steel one...? Remember how hard you had to work, how much leg it took to get that thing up to rotating speed and then when she got scared how much work it was to slow that big heavy thing down so she'd quit screaming before your dad came over off the park bench where he was drinkin a beer and whip yer ass for scarin your sister...?

Now think back how much easier it was to get the smaller diameter merry-go-round up to speed and how much easier and faster it was to slow it down when you wanted, heck ***** barely got the first scream out and you had the thing stopped and she was off of it and back on the swing set having a ball...

It's all about inirtia and the energy it takes to spin it up and slow it down again... It takes power to spin up that heavy wheel and it takes time or brakes to slow it down again...

So to answer your question, no it does not "make" power, it just allows you to use more of what you have where you want to use it, which is in the constant battle the tires are in to accelerate and decelerate yer hot rod...

sbw

 

[Steve 00RT/10]

Flatlander Racing

Fidanza flywheel 92-02 $399 SRT-10 $439

I got mine there a couple years ago for $389. It has worked great the last 25,000 miles. No balance problems whatsoever. I'm not sure balance is necessary to worry about for most applications. I don't think a replacement Mopar flywheel would be balanced. Maybe I'm going out on a limb here, but wouldn't a flywheel, to be truly balanced, have to be balanced with the parts it's mating up with?

Steve

 

[418viper]

So if you have a lightweight flywheel the engine will rev quicker when the clutch is depressed, but the mass of the vehicle has not changed so the acceleration won't be any quicker. Matter of fact from a standing start because you have less rotating mass in motion your starts will be slower? Or is there just so much darn torque that it would be quicker? Anyone have any numbers to compare the differences, 1/4 mile times, or lap times?

 

[Steve 00RT/10]

The drag racers swear by the heavier flywheel. Fidanza people say not so---lighter rotating mass means more HP to the back end quicker. I can tell you this. I have never had an issue starting from a stop with the lighter flywheel. I can smoke my tires from a second gear start with no problem. I am from the camp that thinks the flywheel change was as good a bang for the buck as any I've done. Less rotating mass also means you will stop quicker. Good for track use--or even just for safety in every day driving.

Steve

 

[GTSPOWERED]

My question is when you are slowly putting through a parking lot you get a small amount of cam lop surges and you have to moderate the clutch to keep the car smooth. Does this get worse when using a liter flywheel?

Patrick Mathias.

 

[Noredline]

Thanks for the input guys. I am gonna do it, not costly at all and the rev up and down benefits seem worth it. I am going to do this mod with the Quaife first of the year and see how it feels at Willow Springs in February for Viper Days. Then after that, I will do the Motons

Thanks again everyone!
Dave

 

[VIPER D]

I have an rps flywheel

The best way that I can describe it is when you have a bad launch (to light on the gas) and the car bogs down it recovers much much quicker that with a stock flywheel. With enough practice the bad light launch can become a race wining launch with the light flywheel.

vd..

 

[Scotty B]

So if you have a lightweight flywheel the engine will rev quicker when the clutch is depressed,

yes

but the mass of the vehicle has not changed so the acceleration won't be any quicker.

Not true, the rotating mass has been lightened so once the clutch is fully engaged the entire car will accelerate at a quicker rate... That is why road racers want the lightest rotating mass they can get so they don't waste any energy in trying to spin up a heavy flywheel, they want all the energy spent on accelerating the car and don't have any need at all to store any of it at any time... Also they want their shifts to be as seamless as possible both up and down matching engine revs to trans revs instead of just forcing the next upshift and barking the tires upsetting the car...

Matter of fact from a standing start because you have less rotating mass in motion your starts will be slower?

The heavy flywheel helps keep the inirtia up of the engine revs when you hold them at a specific rpm just prior to dropping the clutch, once the clutch drop is done that inirtia from the heavy flywheel is transferred to the driveline then to the wheels... If you have too light of a flywheel (not what we are talking about here) you must launch at a higher and higher rpm to keep from bogging... That's why drag racers like to have a relatively heavy flywheel so they can store that energy in the flywheel and then immediately transfer it into a great launch and then again in the next higher gear when they shift...

Or is there just so much darn torque that it would be quicker? Anyone have any numbers to compare the differences, 1/4 mile times, or lap times?

Yes there is just so darn much torque you almost can't go wrong with even a super light flywheel but the Fidanza or the RPS are a great choice and a great compromise between both drag racing activities and road racing and the other cool part someone mentioned is your cam will sound even lumpier

sbw

 

[Viper X]

noredline,

This is a good change. The RPS l/w flywheel works very well. Everything Scotty says is correct, as usual. I recently went to a Mcleod twin disk clutch with their l/w flywheel and pressure plate. I'll post when I have had some experience with it.

See you at Viper Days.

Dan

 

[steve911]

What is the difference between the Comp Coupe lightened flywheel and the Fidanza or the RPS one.

thanks

 

[gthomas]

but the mass of the vehicle has not changed so the acceleration won't be any quicker. Matter of fact from a standing start because you have less rotating mass in motion your starts will be slower? Or is there just so much darn torque that it would be quicker? Anyone have any numbers to compare the differences, 1/4 mile times, or lap times?

I have a few posts in threads regarding lightweight aluminum flywheels.


The only downside in terms of street drivability is that the car will be more prone to dieing at idle while cold, and would affect only low speed drivability.
Tis was told to me by a motorcycle builder/racer (750cc), but I have not experienced it. I also am in the car and always let it warm up for a few minutes, give a little gas, so that may be why. And I don't drive 'low'.
Clutch,pressure plate,and flywheel spin in circle(creating centrifugal force).
Lighter aluminum flywheel will have less weight,less force,easier to engage/disengage.

My calculations are already in other threads dealing with this.

EQUIVALENT WEIGHT=0.5x(flywheel weight)x[(flywheel radius x gear ratio x final drive ratio)/(tire radius])above 2(that's squared)

In essence, in first gear you shave off hundreds of pounds of equivalent weight. It does decrease as you shift up, but you're still shaving off equivalent weight in each gear.

 

[nevrenuf]

I HIGHLY recommend the RPS flywheel I got from Jon B at Partsrack. The wear points are segmented and replacable. The engineering is outstanding. They have spent alot of time addressing heat in flywheels. I would recommend going to this website to learn more http://www.turboclutch.com/flywheel.html

 

[Vipermann]

What is the difference between the Comp Coupe lightened flywheel and the Fidanza or the RPS one.

thanks

The Comp Coupe flywheel is solid billet (about 1/3 less weight), and it's a MOPAR part ... the others are multi-piece (about 1/2 less weight)

 

[SylvanSRT]

i just ordered the RPS the stock is 36 lbs and the rps-17lbs i got it from JonB at PartsRack, the CC flywheel is only 4-5lbs lighter and is solid steel the RPS is an alum. piece with friction "pucks" that are replaceable and it comes balanced from the manufacturer

 

[Noredline]

Ordered the Fidanza yesterday, when it comes in we will install that with the Quaife. Thanks for all your input guys!!!

 

[Vipermann]

i just ordered the RPS the stock is 36 lbs and the rps-17lbs i got it from JonB at PartsRack, the CC flywheel is only 4-5lbs lighter and is solid steel the RPS is an alum. piece with friction "pucks" that are replaceable and it comes balanced from the manufacturer

Not exactly correct. Per the MOPAR catalogue:

The CC high-strength alloy steel flywheel is 9.4 lbs. lighter than stock, with a 31% reduction in weight and a 39% reduction in rotating mass.

 

[SylvanSRT]

i stand corrected cc-26-27 lbs vs. rps-17 lbs vs. 36 lbs stock