64.5 TX Stang
Well-known member
Has anybody ever heard of these? What are the advantages of an aluminum flywheel, and are there any disadvantages?
Weber aluminum flywheels for 8.5 inch clutches
- Thread starter 64.5 TX Stang
- Start date
If you have an engine with a lot of gearing, such as a 5 speed with a 3.00 first gear ratio & a 4.10 rear & are not turning 10" slicks, then the aluminium flywheel will give you better acceration.
If you have a very heavy vehicle with not much gearing then you need the inertia of a heavier flywheel to get out of the hole.
This topic really depends on vehicle weight, gearing, size of engine & intended use.
A vehicle which is not drag raced but wants quicker engine acceration would benifit from an aluminium flywheel.
Better have a rev limiter if you plan to race with an engine using a light weight flywheel. Miss a shift & your rpms flare real fast.
This post is a real case to case situation, some vehicles will benifit, but other applications will require a heavy flywheel to get the vehicle moving from a dead stop????????William
If you have a very heavy vehicle with not much gearing then you need the inertia of a heavier flywheel to get out of the hole.
This topic really depends on vehicle weight, gearing, size of engine & intended use.
A vehicle which is not drag raced but wants quicker engine acceration would benifit from an aluminium flywheel.
Better have a rev limiter if you plan to race with an engine using a light weight flywheel. Miss a shift & your rpms flare real fast.
This post is a real case to case situation, some vehicles will benifit, but other applications will require a heavy flywheel to get the vehicle moving from a dead stop????????William
rickwrench
Famous Member
What Will said, a case by case issue.
A super light flywheel lets the engine rev up much quicker. Great in a light road race car. For driving around town, a heavy flywheel is sooooo much easier to drive. No bog, no stall.
A great big, super heavy flywheel stores -massive- amounts of inertia. This will get you right off the line.
There were two Corvair drag race guys back mid 70's that fabricated a custom flywheel that weighed, so the story goes, 150+lbs. The plan was that the guy driving would rev the car to redline (a five second chore) while rolling up to stage and just slip the clutch all the way down the track. During test runs with various alcohol soaked clutch disks, they learned that, in addition to launching the car like a rocket, the huge flywheel acted like a gyroscope and helped keep the car pointed straight.
The car made one appearance at an AHRA event, running in VS/O F-2 class. The class index record was 17 seconds (the Corvair was a "compact", remember).
The old AHRA had over 400 classes then and if you could get your car to a race, they would either find the right class, or make one up for you. Almost everyone got a trophy...
The car made two runs, both at 12.2 @110mph, and was then yanked for further inspection. Despite being within the class rules the car was disqualified, and never raced again.
Rick
A super light flywheel lets the engine rev up much quicker. Great in a light road race car. For driving around town, a heavy flywheel is sooooo much easier to drive. No bog, no stall.
A great big, super heavy flywheel stores -massive- amounts of inertia. This will get you right off the line.
There were two Corvair drag race guys back mid 70's that fabricated a custom flywheel that weighed, so the story goes, 150+lbs. The plan was that the guy driving would rev the car to redline (a five second chore) while rolling up to stage and just slip the clutch all the way down the track. During test runs with various alcohol soaked clutch disks, they learned that, in addition to launching the car like a rocket, the huge flywheel acted like a gyroscope and helped keep the car pointed straight.
The car made one appearance at an AHRA event, running in VS/O F-2 class. The class index record was 17 seconds (the Corvair was a "compact", remember).
The old AHRA had over 400 classes then and if you could get your car to a race, they would either find the right class, or make one up for you. Almost everyone got a trophy...
The car made two runs, both at 12.2 @110mph, and was then yanked for further inspection. Despite being within the class rules the car was disqualified, and never raced again.
Rick
Would I ride in it? Not on your life.
rickwrench":527t7bpc said:
8) 
I don't know if the flywheel on my 1941 John Deere Model "A" tractor weighs 150 lb but it must be close because I know it's about all I want to handle while re-installing it by myself. I do have a reprint of a John Deere sales brochure from 1937 (their centennial). It lists some specs for the Model "D" which was their largest tractor in '37. The combined weight of the crankshaft, flywheel, and belt pulley was 526 pounds. This in a two-cylinder engine displacing just over 500 cubic inches. It maxed out at 900 rpm. Talk about flywheel effect! Quarter-mile times were about six minutes, pulling a five bottom plow 8)
Yes, this is an extreme example, but a lighter flywheel really helps an engine rev quicker. Air-cooled VW's had quite heavy flywheels for their displacement, this was a major factor in their docile performance. It sure makes them easy to drive
Joe
rickwrench
Famous Member
Had a flat six in the right place. Gotta love the 35/65 stock weight distribution.
I posted the original article I had buried in the automotive/corvair/stories section of my old desktop. I don't think it's online anymore.
There is a discussion of probable HP at the bottom, but the estimates don't take into account the flywheel mass.
Posted it here:
http://www.rickwrench.com/stinger.html
Rick
