aluminum flywheel.......worth it?

i would just get the stock flywheel resurfaced because as a DD I wouldnt care too much about the few lbs I'd lose with an aluminum one. If I was a hardcore drag racer, then I wouldnt think twice about purchasing an aluminum flywheel and a heavy duty clutch

it's not the weight as in losing 5-10 lbs off your total, you are losing out the best weight possible, rotating mass. alum flywheel will also let your engine rev better

it's not just a drag race thing

I hear it really helps with the revs, and it makes perfect sense. Every person I have seen that had it really recommended it.

gloves are better though :Word:

an Al flywheel will free up some power, and allow the engine to rev quicker, but on a DD there are some drawbacks. You may have a rougher idle, and you will likely lose some gas milage on hwy driving because of the lost inertia.

If you're serious about go fast goodies, don't only get the lightweight flywheel, get an Al driveshaft to go with it. You'll lose around 15-20lbs of rotating mass depending on the flywheel you go with. You could lose more, I think Quarter Master makes some of the lightest flywheel/clutch kits around. You'll accelarate harder and rev matching downshifts will be quicker and easier. As was mentioned, they may not be the best idea for a DD, but as far as go fast goodies go, if you're going to replace the clutch anyway, why not?

tomustang said:

it's not the weight as in losing 5-10 lbs off your total, you are losing out the best weight possible, rotating mass. alum flywheel will also let your engine rev better

it's not just a drag race thing

Click to expand...

true... I guess I just don't feel like dropping the money for one lol

An Al flywheel is definately worth it. Typically it can give you up to 20 hp or at least free it up. The flywheel itself will not give you any power, it will just reduce the parasitic power loss associated with the drivetrain in-general. If get an AL flywheel and driveshaft, you could gain upto 35+ hp.

Another way to look at it is like this, you typically lose 15-20% hp from the flywheel to the wheels.

Stock 03 GT= 260 hp @ flywheel = 210-220 hp @ rws

Say you lose (or actually get it back) 4-5% from the fly wheel, and another 3 or 4% from the driveshaft. You get something like this.

03 GT w/ AL's = 260hp @ flywheel = 226-244 hp @ rws

If you have mods already, this becomes even better for you. Say your Stang is making 500 rwhp and you have a steel or stock flywheel and driveshaft.

500 rwhp (stock flywheel/driveshaft) = between 588-625 hp @ flywheel

Take the average of that 606 hp @ the flywheel and figure that in with the flywheel and driveshaft.

606 flywheel hp = 570-527 hp at the rear wheels.

It doesnt matter how you look at it, you gain. Yes it can be pretty expensive. I just bought a RPS CYN-R-G flywheel for $424, and you can always pick up an Al driveshaft off of ebay for $230-250. A cheaper Al flywheel or even a Chromoly flywheel (about the same weight as the AL, but cheaper, drawbacks include that the friction material is NOT replaceable), are available on ebay as well. So if you shop wisely, you could pick up both items for somewhere around $500. A great investment with some pretty decent bang for the buck.

Sorry guys to get longwinded.....my boss tells me to shut up at least 4 times a day.