Aluminium Flywheels

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This is what I know.

2 = cars, 1 with a standard flywheel and one with a lighter flywheel, the one with the lighter flywheel will be faster.

But you get to a point (when removing weight from the flywheel) that you can have low rpm stalling issues. You mostly see this at idle with very light weight flywheels.
 
Hey burnt orange,
Did your buddy go to a Aluminium set-up, Is that what slowed him down or did your Dad just bump draft him. LoL
 
....bottom line....it's a race car part and acts like one when used on a car, regardless of race! lol
 
highwaystar said:
Anymore SB 4 spd drivers/racers with encounters with Flywheels?
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Yes.

In my GTX with a 440 I went from a heavy SFI steel 11" flywheel to a 10.5" aluminum and the car turned from a sleepy rever to "HOLY SH*T WHY DIDN"T I DO THIS BEFORE"

A friend of mines 440 automatic car could just slowly pull away from me in a good race, after the GTX would b*tchslap that Sebring like he was in reverse.

The downside is you use to have to be a bit sharper on the gas pedal pulling away at a stop light due to the lack of energy being stored by the flywheel.

I used the same flywheel on the street with my 3500 lb 340 Dart- 10.5 squeeze with ported X heads, 528 mech cam with a TM5 intake with headers and a 625 Carter carb with 4.10 gears.

On street tires the car would run 13.0's at 112 mph.

I don't think I would run a very light flywheel with a 273/318 with a heavy car, but a 340/360/408 in a a-body would be fine. With a 340 and 3.23/3.55's it might not be to some peoples taste though as you would have to really be mindful taking off from a stop.
 
shanson30 said:
IMO running pro stock 3200# demon w/ a 426, we always ran a 90 # flywheel. The Motown Missle was Chyslers' proving ground and what they proved was the best set up they would past on to the factory backed teams. 90 lbs.
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a 90 pound flywheel ?
 
hi, the 273 flywheel was about 20# . I ran the aluminium flywheel in it also ,on the street and raced it. it liked it!!! a lighter flywheel does require more expertese to drive on the street. just from a four speed guy. btw, 90 # was back in 1970 era.
 
I honestly can't recall a flywheel weighing that much.
90 pounds is 3 stock flywheels!

For the record, my turbo build will have either a aluminum flywheel or a lightened steel flywheel.
Anyone can run one but just remember to compensate for the lack of inertia when starting off. I don't think a stock (read-underpowered) vehicle would benefit in any way from a light flywheel. You would probably lose some momentum at shift too, compared to the heavier stock flywheel, and you would not have the power to overcome that loss.
 
Well the last couple post have gave me confidence in my purchase of this Aluminium Flywheel i bought. The motor in my car runs 12.50's with a 4.30 gear, So it's not a stock motor or under geared car. Plus when i make the move to put this in it will go behind a stronger motor, my new recent motor build, which I am shooting for 400- 475 h.p depends on how much cam i decide to go with. that probaly should really break shxx, axles, housing, driveshafts, etc. LoL.

Keep it coming guys, more real life experiences with the aluminium Flywheels.
 
I know you are mostly talk'in small blocks here.
Just to add some to this to help clear some ideas.
4.25" stroke 440 18spline 833 in a 3100lb 69 dart 4.10 to 4.89 gear. have both.
90% drag 10% trip to the drive in.
What flywheel lb would you run? Mid rpm solid roller cam, med size port aluminum
head. There seems to be different trains of thought in this post so far. What
would you use with this combo?
Thank you all,
Rick
 
, ok , underpowered cars won't benefit from a lighter flywheel? way back before most you were born, the trick back then was in a model A ford, was to lighten the flywheel. instant gain in acceleration. you could outrun any other model A on the street. I know, its not with todays cars. I run light flywheel, 12# in my duster, I launch at 4400 to 5000 on the mat, car wheelstands and doesn't bog. this is a 340 low comp motor.
 
It would seem to me that on launch, spinning up a heavy steel flywheel will definitely HELP get you outta the hole when you dump the clutch, but...as soon as the clutch pedal is all the way out, now the engine is fighting that heavy inertia as it's revving up. So, to me, it's sort of a double-edged sword. And also, IMO....the only way that heavy flywheel could help you BETWEEN shifts is if you're screaming the engine (pedal to the metal) while you're shifting. I say go aluminum.
 
This may help,it is from another site but I think it applies,generally light is for road racing as the engine needs to come to a lower speed for corners and the heavy is for drag racing as the engine needs to stay in it's power band. At one time I raced a normally aspirated RX7 with 350 HP that ran low 10's in the 1/4 and went to a heavier than stock flywheel to help keep the engine at its 9200 rpm band.

"FLYWHEELS: The actual horsepower of the engine does not change related to the weight of the flywheel. However, to increase the engine RPM, and accelerate the car, all rotating weight (as well as the entire car) must be speeded up. This requires power, and the heavier the part, the more power needed to speed it up. The less power needed to speed up the flywheel (and rotors, clutch, driveshaft, wheels, tires, car, etc.) the more power available to speed up everything else. The question we are asked frequently - "How much more horsepower will my engine have with a light flywheel" - is not the right question, because the answer is NONE. What you will have is more available horsepower to accelerate the car and yourself down the road.

The trade-offs are as follows: the heavier the flywheel, the smoother the idle, the easier the starting is from a stop, and the smoother the cruising/slight throttle changes are. BUT - the slower the acceleration is. The lighter the flywheel is, the harder it is to get the car moving from a stop (just requires a somewhat higher RPM before the clutch is let out - which wears the clutch faster), depending on porting, intake, and exhaust, the idle will be somewhat rougher, and some "jerkiness" may be noticed while cruising. BUT - you will be able to accelerate faster. This is true to a much lesser degree on fuel injected engines than on carbureted engines."
 
heres my 2 cents think about this a nissan maxima from the 90s wieghs in at about 3800 lbs some heavyer with options. the flywheel is smaller in diamitor and lighter then a mopar around nine inches is my guess. those engine curtainly have less torque the a 340 or 360 and work fine from stop light to stop light. mopar put these heavy fly wheels in for driving comfort not for a performance gain on the street. so grandma could drive it to the grocery store with a smile and helps run smooooooth. engines like 340s are curtainly not a race engine straight off the showroom floor though they tend to kick chevy butt all day. the stock flywheel is a street compromise like only 10/5 compression 3.23 gears weak springs and shocks smooth idling cams.
(witch also helped with federal emisions). so if your willing to drive around with a lopey cam then your probley ready for a alumanim flywheel small compromise that will gain you every time you go to smoke a crapy chivy
 
perfacar said:
hi, I can see most you don't drive a stick car!! the aluminuum flywheel is better over a heavier wheel. i have ran one in a 265 55 chev on the street. now,true, it didn't have the power to break the tires loose like heavier wheels could. I could out run them and out accelerate them. when racing them, i could launch at 5500 rpm, andthey were held to bout 3000 max to keep from blowing tires off, I was long gone and beat them!! I use one in all my drag cars, the aluminuum wheel is two tenths and two miles an hour faster. simple physics, the lighter the rotating mass , the faster the acceleration is. mcleod makes an 18 # steel wheel for mopars. gives you best of both. just foodforthought!!
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yea the reason was is that the 3000 launch with a heavier flywheel didn't drop as much rpm as ur aluminum
 
I have an aluminum flywheel in my Challenger and love it! One my favorite musclecars to drive I've ever had!

Car runs a 13.9 @ 100 mph with a stock internally 375 HP 440, aluminum flywheel, Centerforce Dual Friction clutch, OD four speed and a 3.23 suregrip with 26" tires.

Now that I know where my combo has started I plan to start modifying it and picking up some more speed and less ET! :)
 
hi, the RPM drop between gears is dictated by gear ratios in the trans. the flywheel is not a factor. at 3000 RPM, flywheel effect comes into play, heavier will spin tires lot easier. if your spinning tires, your loosing the race!!
also, higher RPM, makes more H.P. I been driving and racing stick cars since 1964, I am a stick shift racer. I have seen a lot of different combo,s over the years. back in days of modified elim, the chevs ran a 40 # wheel, small inch motors and lots of weight. heavier was needed to get car moving. in a regular, type car, the lighter wheel works better. just food forthought.
 
wow, glad to see my thread still being productive. This is good info. I still haven't put my flywheel in yet to see what difference it will make. I got sidetracked on the duster this summer. When I do, I will make a run at the strip the week before and than after. baseline any improvements. keep it coming.
 
Has anyone lightened a stock flywheel, I am thinking of getting the machine shop to some of the extra mass off of the back of my stock flywheel. It looks to serve no purpose other than extra weight. it is a 69 340 going into a 64 dart
 
trapster said:
Has anyone lightened a stock flywheel, I am thinking of getting the machine shop to some of the extra mass off of the back of my stock flywheel. It looks to serve no purpose other than extra weight. it is a 69 340 going into a 64 dart
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I have not but know people who have. Machine shop should know what to do and where.
 
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