Lighter flywheel?

[varanus]

well shoot-now I'm just as confused as when this started. It sounds like for all out drag racing the heavier flywheel yields better 60 foot times and a better et because of that. Compared to the increase in power through the gears once the car is in motion which pobably is a better et, but not as much as the 60 foot adavantage of the heavier flywheel.
Also the point of surging with a lighter flywheel concerns me. My care surges badly where I basically get to a speed and push in the clutch. I can't see it getting any worse. If I leave the cluct in the car jerks so much, you look like a first time learner driving a stick with you head jerking back and forth.

 

[Steve 00RT/10]

well shoot-now I'm just as confused as when this started. It sounds like for all out drag racing the heavier flywheel yields better 60 foot times and a better et because of that. Compared to the increase in power through the gears once the car is in motion which pobably is a better et, but not as much as the 60 foot adavantage of the heavier flywheel.
Also the point of surging with a lighter flywheel concerns me. My care surges badly where I basically get to a speed and push in the clutch. I can't see it getting any worse. If I leave the cluct in the car jerks so much, you look like a first time learner driving a stick with you head jerking back and forth.

From the little I know about drag racing, the 60' times are where it's at. A tenth off your 60' is roughly 2 tenths off your ET. Drag racing is low on my priority list. I get to a drag strip maybe once a year(twice this year) and make half a dozen runs or so. I believe the flywheel will increase performance for xcrossing and track purposes due to the spool up time and braking with less inertia moving forward. SOTP for me, particularly in 1st gear, is enhanced. As I stated before, from a roll at 35 MPH or so, I'm putting HP to the back wheels quicker as evidenced by much more tire spin. Redline is right now.

As for surging: From day one(new), every once in a while when cold, I'll get a little surging. This has not changed with the flywheel switch. I just push the clutch in and start over, or go to a different gear. Never been a problem.

For me, the flywheel mod ranks up there with my VEC1(added 14HP&20lbs.torque), and my 'free flowing' Belanger headers and 3" exhaust--although the exhaust gets the nod for #1. It makes the car sound proper.

Steve

 

[Newport Viper]

The alumium wheel really woke up my Gen 1. I put on about 40,000 miles on the stock before the switch.

The was a huge improvement in everything that has been mentioned in this thread.

Much easier to keep the motor in the power band when shifting!

Buy one. Have it on hand when your clutch goes out!!!!!!!

 

[joe117]

If a "heavier flywheel yields better 60 foot times", then one would think that extra heavy flywheels would be available for some racing applications.
I don't think they are available. I've never seen anything but light flywheels sold on the performance aftermarket.

Just think, if you spin up a 100lb flywheel before the green light comes on, you would have all that stored energy that you could send to the rear wheels just by dropping the clutch.

There must be something wrong with the idea of storing energy in an extra heavy flywheel.

If the light flywheel has minimal advantage then the penalty for having an extra heavy one shouldn't be too great. The extra energy stored in the extra heavy flywheel could be put to use in a dragrace.

It really doesn't work that way does it?

I think a light flywheel will always give better quarter mile times.
If the light flywheel results in poorer 60ft times, I think it is simply a question of mastering a different launch technique.

When you are trying to accelerate anything from a racecar to a bullet, lighter will always result in greater acceleration.