aluminum vs steel flywheel for stroker

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lol i aint skeert of aluminum. just dont think it's worth the money sometimes. alum heads and intake definitely. pistons of course. water pump sure. aluminum hood for a body would be awesome if someone would make it (i'm thinking about getting an aluminum hood fabricated next year; take out the springs, put hinges in and use stock latch up front. use a hood prop instead of a spring loaded hood)

flywheel/driveshaft maybe if the price is right.

rods probably not. there is a durability factor too.


In 2 of the most important areas where it WILL improve performance you say "maybe if the price is right "

In both areas you're talking about spending less the $100 more, but a hood that will net you 0.0 you'll spend stupid money on. . . .

so you know before you waste money on a hood... It takes the loss of 200 lbs of carried weight to have the same effect of losing 8lbs in your driveline, so losing 8 lbs from the back of the crank to the axle is WAY more important and beneficial than a hood.

$280 stl shaft vs a $370 AL shaft. . . . $290 stl flywheel vs a $340 AL flywheel. . . . pick up a tenth with each, and AND get better mpg, easier passing (great for a street car) . or . .OR . .have a AL hood fabricated and p/u 0.0 ? really ? ? ? . . . I rest my case
 
Welp. LOL...

I’m gonna give the Aluminum flywheel a shot. I will have both and I’ll do a back to back run. I’m interested in how the engine will respond.
 
I wanna see a test where a motor lost torque using a lighter flywheel...

A heavier ANYTHING bolted to the motor WILL make the motor work harder to accelerate... flywheels, balancers, shafts, ANYTHING heavier is F'ing you.... anyone telling you the heavier wheel will help you..... insert something derogatory
END of story.

AN 18 TIME NATIONAL RECORD HOLDER RUNNING A 265 SBC , I KNOW CAN ATTEST TO THE FACT THAT A LIGHTER FLYWHEEL WILL KIL TORQUE .
 
I dont think with a 429" you wuill have any loss of torque, nor make things easier by limiting wheel spin. That's all going to be up to your driving. Like Super says, heavier will always take away power. Iron heavier flywheels store more energy than aluminum. But, they also take more energy to turn. There's no way around it. So it all comes to your driving. If you've ever heard a Cup car leave the pits, they have very light multi-disc cluthes, so the rpms have to be raised to not stall when they begin moving. Iron can help with shift recovery on the drag strip, and they do in my opinion make street driving easier.
their rear end gearing has a lot to do with that !^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
Your clutch was slipping with the heavy wheel and why it didn't drop off at all according to you....

Tell you what.....

I have seen this so many times, how much do you want to bet the lighter wheel is faster.....



IF, if this is true to the best of your recollection.... and your back talking bs and then using a sprint car as an example....
You realize you're gonna look bad right now...

1, IF, if your recollection of how you left is true... the clutch was slipping with the heavy wheel and why you supposedly had 0.0 rpm drop at launch...

2, All any of my customers have EVER had to do GO FASTER was launch anywhere from 600 to 900 rpm higher....and GUESS what... faster 60, faster 330, 660 1320 by as much as a FULL tenth thruout the run...

3, My truck, primarily used so i don't have to drag a trailer by hand and off-road so i don't have to walk.... WITH 10,000 pounds behind it and a lightened AL wheel breaks the tires loose if i hammer it off a light (without dropping or sidestepping the pedal), and AND will break the tires AGAIN during shifts if i get back to the pedal to hard....
So with the heavy wheel the truck never did that, the truck never accelerated so easy and never GOT the mpg it has with the lightened stuff....

4, WTH are you saying here, sounds like a contradiction to me

You say that

Then you say the sprint car uses no flywheel or trans so IT CAN . . . You are so caught up in things you really have no understanding about...

sprint cars like EVERY car wants to accel fast and decel fast, sprint cars probably have the lightest reciprocating systems of all....
Why in the HELL would you believe that a heavy wheel is helpful...

I will bet large and you WILL lose on this with a DRAG car. . .




I can count how many times i have lost using only my hands and i still have fingers to spare.....
Hows that for competitive. . .

CAN U SAY BALANCE / The need for just the right combination.
 
hi, I read all these comments on light versus heavy wheels. I run a a stocker 340 duster with a mcloed alum flywheel and a soft loc clutch. I have ran the mcloed l/w steel wheel, (18#) also. the difference from a heavy (30# )wheel to 11# alum wheel is .2 tenths and 2 mph faster. the heavy wheel slowed the engine down badly. I have ran l w flywheels on all my stick cars. first was a 265 chev, and 4.56 gears, could launch at 5500 rpm, and not spin the tires. most guys ran a 30# wheel, and spun tires, I won. true, you have to leave at higher rpm, with alum wheel, you're making more power at higher rpm, so the car will go faster. the reason the factories used heavy wheels was so the average idiot could drive with out ruining the clutch. they had to make it idiot proof. less warranty problems. the faster a engine can rpm, faster it will run, simple ,

Not me , but change that to over a 6; to 1 rear gear , and side stepping the clutch at 8600, " flywheel weight very important !"
 
The only problem with heavy flywheels and clutches is inertia, They have a lot of pent up inertia which does help to accelerate the car and get heavy vehicles moving. But inertia is like the IRS, it wants to be paid back ASAP. As soon as it is used up your engines torque and horsepower has to split its duty and pay back the inertia and accelerate the car at the same time, about the time its paid back you have to shift the next gear, now the process starts all over again. Did I mention that heavy flywheels are harder to power shift and like to destroy driveline parts because of all that pent up inertia( this why automatic cars accelerate faster then stick cars). Now let's add an aluminum flywheel and an adjustable sintered iron clutch, very little inertia to pay back and the slipping of the clutch always keeps the engine in it peak torque and horsepower( acceleration on par with an automatic car), easier to power shift and on driveline parts. That is a win/win no matter how you interpreted the debate.
 
Never seen it, you got answers now..... But in case you didn't see it put the AL wheel in it. . . . I haven't had 1 customer ever go slower... Anyone who claims they went slower from the lighter wheel needs a driving coach.
If you leave off the throttle on a shift sure lighter is better if you have to start over at a low RPM. but you pull a gear with the throttle planted like a real man would shift heavy is the way to go.

When the rear wheels are constantly connected to the engine lighter is better. You get out of the throttle the engine slows the car. You get back in the throttle you don't have to re-spin the weight.

If your hitting the brakes in gear sure it will take more to stop a heavy flywheel. Just push the clutch in that is why we were born with to legs.

Less reciprocating weight lets the motor apply more torque to the wheels.

Go to ATV extreme dirt track site. We were beating all the liquid 450's with a 1998 400EX. in 2005 Steve Kiss #7 The quad would come off the turns so hard it was unbelievable and accelaration in gear on the straights is where we would just pull away. We lightened the fly wheel. aluminum sprockets we cut everything down that was spinning. Curtis Sparks came to us in Illinois and was wondering how we got the once electric start now kick start air cooled quad to pull like that.

We applied the same thing to our 636 Kawasaki sprinter. That is the only way we could compete with the big money quad guys. We had a lathe and a mill to do our own work in 2005. We wpould lighten everything for Dirt and oval

Sprint cars have no flywheel at all. If someone showed up with a flywheel they would get massacred.

Stock 383 4 speed let the clutch fly and pull second without leaving of the throttle. Like I said a 69 heavy flywheel car will pull on a 70. But put both in second gear going slow and stand on it the 70 will pull on the 69 until the shift to third without leaving off the throttle then the 69 would just pounce up on the 70. Its called inertia. read about it

If you ever owned a oval track car you would know that. Automatic cars need a light converter, stick cars need a heavy flywheel or you will need RPM's to pull out.

Trail quads have heavy flywheels race quads do not.

The reason your customers are going faster with light flywheels is they leave off on the shift because they miss gears when trying to shift quick. The reason you want to shift quick is to keep the inertia up. Now go do some research before you embarrass your self more than you already have.
 
Evidently you do not race a stick car and if you do it's not very fast and it breaks a lot of parts. I put an aluminum flywheel and soft-loc clutch in my street Dart and pick over a half second( 11 teens at 120 to 10.70 at 126) with no other changes. Recently I pull the flywheel and clutch for a rebuild (new heat shields and springs in pressure plate), Dart dropped back into the 11 at 120) with 30# steel flywheel, should have the aluminum flywheel and soft-loc back in soon. Oh I also use a Jerico DR-4 trans and before that I had a pro shifted and faceplated 833, you do not let off to shift these kind of trans(fastest way to break them) you shift them fast and furious. Now I suggest you do your homework so I don't have to get in to arguments with people that don't understand the logic behind going quick with a stick car.
 
Evidently you do not race a stick car and if you do it's not very fast and it breaks a lot of parts. I put an aluminum flywheel and soft-loc clutch in my street Dart and pick over a half second( 11 teens at 120 to 10.70 at 126) with no other changes. Recently I pull the flywheel and clutch for a rebuild (new heat shields and springs in pressure plate), Dart dropped back into the 11 at 120) with 30# steel flywheel, should have the aluminum flywheel and soft-loc back in soon. Oh I also use a Jerico DR-4 trans and before that I had a pro shifted and faceplated 833, you do not let off to shift these kind of trans(fastest way to break them) you shift them fast and furious. Now I suggest you do your homework so I don't have to get in to arguments with people that don't understand the logic behind going quick with a stick car.

Kind of slow for a light weight stick race car with all that technology. Don't you think. I hope your talking about a small block non stroker . My 340 duster went faster with the spare and jack in the trunk listening to the radio on the return lane. And it weighed 3650.

When i was comparing the 383's. I had them new 68-69 and 70 r RR's. I street raced them for money in the 70's The heavy 11 inch flywheels made a big difference in the early cars. Right off the show room floor with slicks. All I did to get my 70 to launch was install the bell and flywheel from a 69. I probably owned more heavy b-body stick cars then you ever sat in.

Now your talking a soft clutch to keep the rpms up on the launch. I am talking about a factory street driven every day 3600 lb. car. Next time you are at Carlisle ask some of my old race friends what worked for them before the expensive slipper clutches. Direct engagement clutch will pull the motor down on a launch unless you have inertia. Go to a local truck pull and ask how many are using a aluminum flywheel.

A aluminum flywheel will wind a gear faster if you leave off to shift or if the rpm's drop. The idea of a heavy flywheel is to keep the motor up in RPM's where the gear change is like a dirt bike. There were cars that as soon as I would pull second I was shifting third. If your motor is dropping off and winding every gear you need inertia.

Get a heavy flywheel put that thing to the floor let the clutch fly and start shifting. I had a GTO you could not shift it fast enough. I was pulling hard in forth while they were still winding third. And I had the higher ratio

I put 340's in 65-66 stick cars and left the little flywheel in the cars. You then needed low gears just to pull out on a hill unless you rev it and ride the clutch. How long does your soft clutch last. I have been around these car since they were new.

I put an aluminum flywheel in this Omni it killed the drivability. To each his own, On some days it pays to be the hunted in stead of the hunter on the big end. I grew up doing some crazy **** with mopars. And many of them from the early 70's to date. I never like seeing brake lights through the traps. The lighter flywheels even turned the Six pack's and Hemi's into slugs on the street race days. from 69 through the 80's I have had them all. I am only stating what worked before the slipper clutches. Which get destroyed on street use

No traction or launch problems with that divorced case 833 4spd 66 plymouth. I would have never thought of using a light flywheel in that car. Yeah that car didn't need slicks. It stuck like glue. These are old pictures. I walked the walk.

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1966 4x4 small block 833 stick car with a divorced case.
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Kind of slow for a light weight stick race car with all that technology. Don't you think. I hope your talking about a small block non stroker . My 340 duster went faster with the spare and jack in the trunk listening to the radio on the return lane. And it weighed 3650.

When i was comparing the 383's. I had them new 68-69 and 70 r RR's. I street raced them for money in the 70's The heavy 11 inch flywheels made a big difference in the early cars. Right off the show room floor with slicks. All I did to get my 70 to launch was install the bell and flywheel from a 69. I probably owned more heavy b-body stick cars then you ever sat in.

Now your talking a soft clutch to keep the rpms up on the launch. I am talking about a factory street driven every day 3600 lb. car. Next time you are at Carlisle ask some of my old race friends what worked for them before the expensive slipper clutches. Direct engagement clutch will pull the motor down on a launch unless you have inertia. Go to a local truck pull and ask how many are using a aluminum flywheel.

A aluminum flywheel will wind a gear faster if you leave off to shift or if the rpm's drop. The idea of a heavy flywheel is to keep the motor up in RPM's where the gear change is like a dirt bike. There were cars that as soon as I would pull second I was shifting third. If your motor is dropping off and winding every gear you need inertia.

Get a heavy flywheel put that thing to the floor let the clutch fly and start shifting. I had a GTO you could not shift it fast enough. I was pulling hard in forth while they were still winding third. And I had the higher ratio

I put 340's in 65-66 stick cars and left the little flywheel in the cars. You then needed low gears just to pull out on a hill unless you rev it and ride the clutch. How long does your soft clutch last. I have been around these car since they were new.

I put an aluminum flywheel in this Omni it killed the drivability. To each his own, On some days it pays to be the hunted in stead of the hunter on the big end. I grew up doing some crazy **** with mopars. And many of them from the early 70's to date. I never like seeing brake lights through the traps. The lighter flywheels even turned the Six pack's and Hemi's into slugs on the street race days. from 69 through the 80's I have had them all. I am only stating what worked before the slipper clutches. Which get destroyed on street use

No traction or launch problems with that divorced case 833 4spd 66 plymouth. I would have never thought of using a light flywheel in that car. Yeah that car didn't need slicks. It stuck like glue. These are old pictures. I walked the walk.

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What a crack of crap. Do you even know what a sintered iron clutch is? Ever use one? There is no reason to use a steel flywheel. Ever.
 
Evidently you do not race a stick car and if you do it's not very fast and it breaks a lot of parts. I put an aluminum flywheel and soft-loc clutch in my street Dart and pick over a half second( 11 teens at 120 to 10.70 at 126) with no other changes. Recently I pull the flywheel and clutch for a rebuild (new heat shields and springs in pressure plate), Dart dropped back into the 11 at 120) with 30# steel flywheel, should have the aluminum flywheel and soft-loc back in soon. Oh I also use a Jerico DR-4 trans and before that I had a pro shifted and faceplated 833, you do not let off to shift these kind of trans(fastest way to break them) you shift them fast and furious. Now I suggest you do your homework so I don't have to get in to arguments with people that don't understand the logic behind going quick with a stick car.

Agree with this^, do u use the clutch ?
 
What a crack of crap. Do you even know what a sintered iron clutch is? Ever use one? There is no reason to use a steel flywheel. Ever.

One thing I learned from your posts to everyone. If they would say the sky was blue you would say no its red. Your brain is so far up your *** you actually believe your Bull ****. How about showing us some of your builds from your past. More than likely most of them say TONKA on the side.

I am only stating what I have seen by using both . Light weight race car is a totally different comparison then a heavy dual purpose car or truck.

Read this it can be found on the web.

Light flywheels: pros and cons – Infinite-Garage


Or another comparison

Steel Flywheel vs. Aluminum Flywheel | Astro Performance

You are an Idiot. Do you have any of your 18 sec time slips from your 500 HP aluminum flywheel TONKA. If not Troll on. LMFAO
Or how about some pictures of your past where you gained all this knowledge from experience reading books on the shitter.

I only ever state what worked the best for me with many different make and model cars through the years . We would cruize the ciruit in my GTO's, Firebirds ,Camaro's, R/T's or RR's Cuda's, Challengers. ETC. More makes and models than most of you could imagine. Sometimes 4 or 5 passengers two cases in the trunk and a bag in the console looking for street races to place bets and make money all the while wondering if our draft number would be picked the next month.

Even though most of my friends became ghosts of the past I continued street racing until I got married and had my son. If not for my wife I probably would still be hanging with a fuel team. After owning many new cars from 69 and on. I started putting Cams and headers and slicks and all the stuff that worked to cruise and race the same car on the street.

I kept my W2 4 spd. Dart motor and put it in my Duster . Then recent yrs a Indy headed motor. My son just totaled that car but they all sounded the same and ran very well. I kept some pictures of what I had. Did you?

Or are you just blowing more smoke out of your *** as you always do. Also , When are you all going to get a gold membership or is this just a place to cause trouble.

I'll stand my ground on the steel flywheel for the street/strip application. just from experience. Some may think different due to there car being a light weight strip car. Put some people and luggage in that car and see how you like it then. I drove my cars in NY city traffic. Let the clutch out at idle and shift it quick to keep the noise down after 12. Thats where the money was in the 70's

Again I only state what worked for me. no assumptions, behind the wheel real life trials on old muscle street driven cars. Steel flywheel cars are also more consistent with a 450HP on down street motor.

This is the way I rolled in the 80's . It was hard to get money runs back then. But it did turn heads back in the day. The RB B-bodies were an easy car to make money with. The smooth sound and size didn't scare the light weights off.

 
One thing I learned from your posts to everyone. If they would say the sky was blue you would say no its red. Your brain is so far up your *** you actually believe your Bull ****. How about showing us some of your builds from your past. More than likely most of them say TONKA on the side.

I am only stating what I have seen by using both . Light weight race car is a totally different comparison then a heavy dual purpose car or truck.

Read this it can be found on the web.

Light flywheels: pros and cons – Infinite-Garage


Or another comparison

Steel Flywheel vs. Aluminum Flywheel | Astro Performance

You are an Idiot. Do you have any of your 18 sec time slips from your 500 HP aluminum flywheel TONKA. If not Troll on. LMFAO
Or how about some pictures of your past where you gained all this knowledge from experience reading books on the shitter.

I only ever state what worked the best for me with many different make and model cars through the years . We would cruize the ciruit in my GTO's, Firebirds ,Camaro's, R/T's or RR's Cuda's, Challengers. ETC. More makes and models than most of you could imagine. Sometimes 4 or 5 passengers two cases in the trunk and a bag in the console looking for street races to place bets and make money all the while wondering if our draft number would be picked the next month.

Even though most of my friends became ghosts of the past I continued street racing until I got married and had my son. If not for my wife I probably would still be hanging with a fuel team. After owning many new cars from 69 and on. I started putting Cams and headers and slicks and all the stuff that worked to cruise and race the same car on the street.

I kept my W2 4 spd. Dart motor and put it in my Duster . Then recent yrs a Indy headed motor. My son just totaled that car but they all sounded the same and ran very well. I kept some pictures of what I had. Did you?

Or are you just blowing more smoke out of your *** as you always do. Also , When are you all going to get a gold membership or is this just a place to cause trouble.

I'll stand my ground on the steel flywheel for the street/strip application. just from experience. Some may think different due to there car being a light weight strip car. Put some people and luggage in that car and see how you like it then. I drove my cars in NY city traffic. Let the clutch out at idle and shift it quick to keep the noise down after 12. Thats where the money was in the 70's

Again I only state what worked for me. no assumptions, behind the wheel real life trials on old muscle street driven cars. Steel flywheel cars are also more consistent with a 450HP on down street motor.

This is the way I rolled in the 80's . It was hard to get money runs back then. But it did turn heads back in the day. The RB B-bodies were an easy car to make money with. The smooth sound and size didn't scare the light weights off.




TL;DR and don't even care. You don't know what the hell you are talking about. It's like reading a car magazine. All bullshit. There isn't one COMPETENT clutch guy out there who will tell anyone to use a heavy flywheel. It's just ignorant. It's not even worth talking to you about it. You are full of ****.
 
TL;DR and don't even care. You don't know what the hell you are talking about. It's like reading a car magazine. All bullshit. There isn't one COMPETENT clutch guy out there who will tell anyone to use a heavy flywheel. It's just ignorant. It's not even worth talking to you about it. You are full of ****.
You have any pictures of your ****. We would all like to see them. Increase torque in gear lighter is better. Increase torque transition from a stop without the drive line already engaged Heavy heavy is better. Side step the clutch at 2500 with a light flywheel and see what happens compared to a heavier one. You never seize to amaze me how stupid you are. But none the less I have nothing better to do. troll on.

Oh yeah, I Love you to you Knucklehead. I was wondering if you had any input on why my grass is green here in Pa.? Or is it? LMFAO
 
You have any pictures of your ****. We would all like to see them. Increase torque in gear lighter is better. Increase torque transition from a stop without the drive line already engaged Heavy heavy is better. Side step the clutch at 2500 with a light flywheel and see what happens compared to a heavier one. You never seize to amaze me how stupid you are. But none the less I have nothing better to do. troll on.

Oh yeah, I Love you to you Knucklehead. I was wondering if you had any input on why my grass is green here in Pa.? Or is it? LMFAO



FWIW...it never cease not seize. Let's get that correct.

So pictures make you smart? Ok. I don't take pictures.

Who side steps a clutch but a douche? That's been proven slower decades ago.

Stupid knows no bounds.

Let's hope no one listens to your dumb *** and ends up with a 30 pound tire killing, parts breaking flywheel. That's just stupid.

Like I've said before, you are nothing but a blowhard. You run your mouth about **** of which you know NOTHING. Heavy flywheels went away with junk clutches. I can watch hour offer hour of video, made by "pros" like you, where the tire is getting its brains beat out by the FW and the clutch. And all the fence leaners think its cool because it barks the tires going into high gear. That's just one sign you are going slow.

Enough for now. This isn't 1980 any more. Has been for decades. Rather than vomit a bunch of stupid ****, maybe you should step up to the late 1980's. That would be an improvement.
 
Can't help it. Someone may come along and read it. Dude was wrong in 2012. Still wrong today. Will be wrong for years to come.

I'm not gettin in YALLS argument. But I'll tell you this. What you don't think will work someone else might make work. And vice-versa. You don't know someone else's experience anymore than they yours.

I'll also add this.....and I'm not takin sides, BUT, Steve has posted DECADES of evidence of HEAVY Mopar and other makes worth of experience. Where's yours?
 
Sly...
Re ignite an old arguement and then watch it burn. Start a new thread you sick puppy! lol

Ps, you'll have to row it faster.
LOL... ;)

I could have but there’s this fine thread right here!! :)

PS:
I’m still gonna try the aluminum flywheel just for fun! I’ll report back with my over-revved blown motor. :$
 
I'm not gettin in YALLS argument. But I'll tell you this. What you don't think will work someone else might make work. And vice-versa. You don't know someone else's experience anymore than they yours.

I'll also add this.....and I'm not takin sides, BUT, Steve has posted DECADES of evidence of HEAVY Mopar and other makes worth of experience. Where's yours?


Decades. You seem to think I don't have the proper credentials. You'd be shitting yourself.

You see, I've spent most of my life watching people screw **** up, and then continue to screw that same **** up?

Want a perfect example? Setting power valve opening from idle vacuum. It's never been right, it will never be right, and yet every week or so that same **** comes up again. And the defenders of ignorance fight to the death because some jackass put it in a book.

Seriously, there is NO reason, none...to ever use a heavy flywheel. There just isn't. Regardless of all the bullshit posted in this thread. It's a parts breaker. That's all it is. By the early 1980's the stick cars were switching to automatics by the thousand. All because they wouldn't buy a clutch worth a ****, and wouldn't ditch the bullshit heavy flywheel. They didn't learn.

For the record, the only race cars I've owned and driven have been sticks. I don't race with an automatic. It's boring. Any twit can do it.

So there's my experience. At the track. In the shop. And dealing with stupid bastards who post **** their kids do, that they can't, and post the hero **** they were doing in 1980.

So maybe you should just bow out of this thread. You are in the deep end of the pool.
 
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