Another Small Block Crank Damper question

I don't drag race so a standard elastomer damper is fine for me. But for your 95% racing engine, a better damper is all that makes sense. Remember, the purpose is to 'eat up' the very high frequency internal crankshaft vibrations.

These are not the vibrations of engine balance, but are much higher frequency twisting vibrations inside the crank itself. If those are not absorbed (damped), cranks can and do break. You're using this crank repeatedly in severe duty so regular car engine experience becomes a lot less applicable.

The weight is balanced around the hub so as it spins it does not put any extra force on the crank snout. So don't worry about the weight there.

And the weight is all concentrated in a small radius; due to that, the extra energy when accelerating a 4-5 lb change in damper ring weight is truly tiny compared to what the engine is having to put into the rotating mass of the torque converter and auto trans! (Not to mention the wheels and tires. Trust me, I've done a few calculations on that matter...)