aluminum vs steel flywheel for stroker

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Ernie B

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I'm building a 429cu stroker, and looking for opinions on a aluminum vs steel flywheel. I was thinking the less rotating mass of the aluminum flywheel, may kill a little of the low end torque. Therefor have less excessive wheel spin, and be more streetable.
Any opinions?
 
I had an 11# aluminum flywheel on my 57 chev shorty years ago. It made the engine sound more lumpy at an idle, gave it more acceleration, and lost a bit of low end torque. You may end up slipping the clutch a bit more than with a heavier steel one and go through clutches a bit more but they are fun.
 
A alluminum flywheel will be more resposive on acceleration in gear. But a heavy flywheel will keep the motor spinning on shifts and on pulling out . It actually makes the rotating assembly harder to stop because it stores the torque already made to start it spinning . A drag car heavy fly wheel, a oval or road course car light flywheel , A sprint car none if rules permit.

I would always replace the 70 and up BB flywheels with 69 and early for the street They were bigger in diameter and heavier. Instead of the 70 up cars just chirping the tires they would keep-em spinning like the 69 and back.
 
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.
 
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.


Inertia. Sometimes it is helpful. Light weight flywheels can cause stalling (or difficult starts) in normal city driving.

If we didn't have a downside to light weight flywheels, production cars would all have them.
 
Has anyone been paying attention to all the lightweight stuff in prod cars lately. . . notice anything in weight as per TC's and many other areas... they are using lighter stuff

If you stall a car with a AL flywheel thats the drivers fault, not the flywheel. . .

Good excuse so you don't look like a dope. . . . Ah stalled my car, my flywheel is a little light... what about light TC's and AL TC's . . . haven't seen a auto stall when dropped into gear with a AL lightweight TC
 
Has anyone been paying attention to all the lightweight stuff in prod cars lately. . . notice anything in weight as per TC's and many other areas... they are using lighter stuff

If you stall a car with a AL flywheel thats the drivers fault, not the flywheel. . .

Good excuse so you don't look like a dope. . . . Ah stalled my car, my flywheel is a little light... what about light TC's and AL TC's . . . haven't seen a auto stall when dropped into gear with a AL lightweight TC


We are talking about a flywheel not a torque converter.
 
Same applies, it's weight the motor has to turn it to accelerate . . . . Anytime you are using a manual engaging device and you do it wrong you can stall the motor. . . That is not the fault of the light flywheel, that is the fault of the operators left and right foot and brain not coordinating together
 
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.
 
Same applies, it's weight the motor has to turn it to accelerate . . . . Anytime you are using a manual engaging device and you do it wrong you can stall the motor. . . That is not the fault of the light flywheel, that is the fault of the operators left and right foot and brain not coordinating together

Im just going to flat out say it.

You are wrong and don't know what you are talking about.
 
I have run aluminum flywheels before multiple times. In each car, I had to crank the idle speed up some to keep the engine from stalling. I have a solid aluminum flywheel with NO steel insert that I plan on running behind my early Hemi in my rat rod. I like how they make an engine react, but, with everything, there are pluses and minuses.
 
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..



My dad runs a clutch like that on his sand car. Multi disc 7.5 inch clutch with a light weight flywheel. The whole thing is only 16 lb. Before that he was running a 35 lb set up and I think an 11 inch clutch. He has no trouble taking off from a stop at all. He does have a 700 hp stoker though but the power is all up top. Hell he even does just fine with his stock LS6 back up motor.

Any way the thing picked up quit a bit when he tossed that 35lb boat anchor.
 
Im just going to flat out say it.

You are wrong and don't know what you are talking about.



I never stalled my truck. . that has a even further lightened flywheel then you can buy. . .
That truck also has a lightened balancer, crank, rods, diffs, front and rear shafts. . . .

I gotta remember to tell the truck you gotta stall when i engage the clutch this time because other people THINK that's what you should do....

You have NO CLUE wth you're talking about....

Let me simplify it for you, if it is easier to accelerate!!! it also makes a LIGHTER assembly easier to stop when ENGAGING A BRAKE. . .WHICH is pretty much what you are doing to the motor whenever you let the clutch out. . .IT'S WHY YOU NEED 2 FEET and a functioning BRAIN to apply the right pressure to and off the pedal to get GOING. . . . SO . . . . AGAIN. . . . a bad driver, or steering wheel operator will blow it and look a fool. . . . there now i said it...you can't coordinate your right and left foot and brain. . . .
 
I never stalled my truck. . that has a even further lightened flywheel then you can buy. . .
That truck also has a lightened balancer, crank, rods, diffs, front and rear shafts. . . .

I gotta remember to tell the truck you gotta stall when i engage the clutch this time because other people THINK that's what you should do....

You have NO CLUE wth you're talking about....

Let me simplify it for you, if it is easier to accelerate!!! it also makes a LIGHTER assembly easier to stop when ENGAGING A BRAKE. . .WHICH is pretty much what you are doing to the motor whenever you let the clutch out. . .IT'S WHY YOU NEED 2 FEET and a functioning BRAIN to apply the right pressure to and off the pedal to get GOING. . . . SO . . . . AGAIN. . . . a bad driver, or steering wheel operator will blow it and look a fool. . . . there now i said it...you can't coordinate your right and left foot and brain. . . .

You are totally wrong about the reason for a heavy flywheel. Sure you will gain torque when the motor is engaged . It takes less motor to spin less recipricating weight. But the reason for a heavier flywheel on a stick car is for enertia. When you have the motor at 3000 to 3500 for a launch it give the motor more spinning weight. Which take alot more to slow up. This gives the car a stronger launch. Also when shifting to the next gear it keeps the recipricating mass turning,

Now when it comes to accelerating in gear the light flywheel is the way to go. For an automatic you want a light converter. I use a 8 inch . Its in gear on the launch and it doesn't take as much torque to get it spinning.

On my 4spd car I use a heavy flywheel because I like letting the clutch fly and pulling gears at higher RPM's. The motor does not die on the gear change. The flywheel keeps the motor in it torque range.

On a car that you want to accelarate in gear with a stick car Lighter is better. One reason you don't use one on a sprint car . decelerate quicker going in and accelerate faster coming off.

I tried a light flywheel on a car with 456 gears with 10 inch slicks. I had to come off at 4500 and the motor would drop to 3000 on the launch. With the heavy flywheel I could launch at 3500 and it would just pull without droping off at all . It ould also not drop off in rpm's on the shifts. The Light flywheel I would have to start over on every shift.

So there is a purposefor either. But for every day driving heavy is better. It has nothing to do with your foot. It is just easier to drive. and alot easier on clutches. You can idle out rather then ride the clutch with more throttle.

this is not rocket science it is just common sense. If you don't see it .its your loss in competing with others who know better .

I only do what works and we are usually competetive. You won't change my mind with your B.S. I have been there in all types of Racing.
 

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Street Car I say run the Aluminum especially on a Hot/Hot Street engine It will actually help you stop the car a hellofalot quicker than the Steel flywheel. Saved my *** many of times!
 
You are totally wrong about the reason for a heavy flywheel. Sure you will gain torque when the motor is engaged . It takes less motor to spin less recipricating weight. But the reason for a heavier flywheel on a stick car is for enertia. When you have the motor at 3000 to 3500 for a launch it give the motor more spinning weight. Which take alot more to slow up. This gives the car a stronger launch. Also when shifting to the next gear it keeps the recipricating mass turning,

Now when it comes to accelerating in gear the light flywheel is the way to go. For an automatic you want a light converter. I use a 8 inch . Its in gear on the launch and it doesn't take as much torque to get it spinning.

On my 4spd car I use a heavy flywheel because I like letting the clutch fly and pulling gears at higher RPM's. The motor does not die on the gear change. The flywheel keeps the motor in it torque range.

On a car that you want to accelarate in gear with a stick car Lighter is better. One reason you don't use one on a sprint car . decelerate quicker going in and accelerate faster coming off.

I tried a light flywheel on a car with 456 gears with 10 inch slicks. I had to come off at 4500 and the motor would drop to 3000 on the launch. With the heavy flywheel I could launch at 3500 and it would just pull without droping off at all . It ould also not drop off in rpm's on the shifts. The Light flywheel I would have to start over on every shift.

So there is a purposefor either. But for every day driving heavy is better. It has nothing to do with your foot. It is just easier to drive. and alot easier on clutches. You can idle out rather then ride the clutch with more throttle.

this is not rocket science it is just common sense. If you don't see it .its your loss in competing with others who know better .

I only do what works and we are usually competetive. You won't change my mind with your B.S. I have been there in all types of Racing.

The way you explained it made perfect sense...My dad believes in steel flywheels as well, so usually what he says, goes...lol. I chose a RAM Billet steel Flywheel for my application..street car mostly....but one day, I'll try out an aluminum flywheel.....I would say, it's not a matter of whats better, but just simply a matter of personal preference....
 
Going from steel to aluminum on my cars on the street was not that big a deal.
It was just a simple matter of relearning how NOT to stall the car.
On the track I did have to raise the launch by about a 1000
But they did go quicker in the1/4.oddly-the sixty foot more or less stayed the same.
 
Now you sound just like a Woman with that comment. Just hit the brakes, it fixes everything!! Yeah right.....
The POINT was that an aluminum flywheel will help stop the car QUICKER, I thought you knew everything?? Apparently not.


Sorry if I offended you. It just seems we have a difference of opinion. Wonder why all tractors and trucks come with heavy Flywheels? Maybe they didn't talk to you bafore they engineered them. Did you ever look at a hit and miss engine and what keeps it going. I never heard anyone say " I am going to install a aluminum flywheel so my truck or car stops better" Wake up and smell the coffee . Maybe I should have said.

No brains
 
Sorry if I offended you. It just seems we have a difference of opinion. Wonder why all tractors and trucks come with heavy Flywheels? Maybe they didn't talk to you bafore they engineered them. Did you ever look at a hit and miss engine and what keeps it going. I never heard anyone say " I am going to install a aluminum flywheel so my truck or car stops better" Wake up and smell the coffee . Maybe I should have said.

No brains

Well, I never said I disagreed with you on your theory. I also never said to put an aluminum flywheel in a car so you can stop faster. I merely said it will help stop the car quicker than a Steel Flywheel, that is it. You are taking everything out of context.

As far as brains, I have plenty and then some.:D You must have me confused with someone else!
 
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