Need help with picking aluminum or steel??

89hatchlx · Feb 20, 2009

Well im getting ready to replace the clutch in my 89 hatch. Stock on is pretty beat and is no longer holding up to the abuse. Was planning on going with a aluminum flywheel, but after looking around. I began thinking. Aluminum would warp pretty easy rite? I drive my car daily, it sees the track every once and awhile and some street. Can someone help??? Aluminum or steel?? Any input would be greatly appreciated.. Thanks

old_blue · Feb 20, 2009

so no one would go to aluminum heades either right? steel heads warp too. You'd be fine with aluminum but that is if you really wanted to spend that much more on it.

89hatchlx · Feb 20, 2009

old_blue said:
so no one would go to aluminum heades either right? steel heads warp too. You'd be fine with aluminum but that is if you really wanted to spend that much more on it.

Heads i figured would be a little different cause they dont get nearly as much heat and friction do to the engagement of the clutch. But thanks for the info and the quick reply. Not sure what to go with i dont see really spending that much more for something that isn't going to be that much of a benifit. Thanks

phutch11 · Feb 20, 2009

I've always heard that the AL ones don't hold up to the abuse of drag racing and are suited better to road racing. Not sure if that's just hearsay or not.

Good luck...

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V8_Kind_Of_Guy · Feb 20, 2009

I have an aluminum flywheel in my '88, and I love it. The car feels easier to drive at part throttle and its something you can feel all the time. Its the first time I've used an aluminum out of the 3 stangs that Ive owned and would use it again if I got another stang. Its a fidenza flywheel, 12.5 lbs I think. Basically the lightest one. A little pricey but has been holding up just fine for 2 years now.

65ShelbyClone · Feb 20, 2009

How the car behaves with an aluminum flywheel is contingent on a host of factors. Some of those include race weight, rear gear ratio, cam, induction, etc. Aluminum is fun and the engine revs faster, but a heavy FW is noticeably easier to drive on the street.

I have a Fidanza in my '68 with 3.50 gears, single plane intake, and Crane Powermax 2031 cam and it's not hard to get going from a stop, but it's not as clean/easy as with an iron or steel FW.

89hatchlx · Feb 20, 2009

Thanks for all your input guys its a big help. Aluminum it is..

Duncan McDougal · Feb 20, 2009

89hatchlx said:
Thanks for all your input guys its a big help. Aluminum it is..

Damn to late, but here you go anyway. There is a middle ground. How about a 17lb billet steel flywheel. LINKY It is only $218 as well. I have driven aluminum flywheel cars and I can tell you I didn't like them. There is simply not enough inertia to get the car going without a healthy amount of throttle. On a daily driver I would stay away from aluminum and go with either a stock replacement or something like I mentioned above. Stalling out in traffic is not fun.

wythors · Feb 20, 2009

I used an aluminum flywheel when I did my AOD/T5 swap. I HATED IT! It made the clutch almost impossible to engage smoothly at any time. It was almost like an on/off switch between the engine and transmission. I yanked it out, installed a stock iron unit and all has been great since.

65ShelbyClone · Feb 20, 2009

For comparison, I had nearly the same engine setup in an '89 GT as I do now. The main difference being that the '89 had 3.08 gears. It was sluggish and touchy on takeoff and bucked through parking lots. Ironically, that was the same engine my '68 has, but it also had an EFI intake and iron flywheel. It's all in the combination.

MustangLX-5.0 · Feb 20, 2009

So what you're all saying pretty much is that with a 12 lb aluminum flywheel the engine doesn't feel quite as torquey (right word?) and it takes more gas and higher revs to get the car moving.versus a 50lb standard flywheel? That perhaps the heavy flywheel gives the crank more momentum to prevent it from slowing down as easily.It would seem that aluminum wuld warp much more easily because of how soft the metal is,especially at higher temps.

Duncan McDougal · Feb 21, 2009

MustangLX-5.0 said:
So what you're all saying pretty much is that with a 12 lb aluminum flywheel the engine doesn't feel quite as torquey (right word?) and it takes more gas and higher revs to get the car moving.versus a 50lb standard flywheel? That perhaps the heavy flywheel gives the crank more momentum to prevent it from slowing down as easily.It would seem that aluminum wuld warp much more easily because of how soft the metal is,especially at higher temps.

Don't know about there warping tendency, it is highly variable depending on manufacturer. The stock flywheel goes 26lbs btw.

2000xp8 · Feb 21, 2009

Go with the Steel.
Aluminum can be a real pita to drive on the street.
Plus a full weight street car will benefit from the added hit of the heavier flywheel.
I even know 03 cobra guys that have ditched the aluminum for steel to make the car easier to drive.
Buy yourself a ford racing stock replacement, they are plenty good, and last i checked they were fairly cheap.

Mustang5L5 · Feb 21, 2009

On a DD, i would go steel.

MustangLX-5.0 · Feb 21, 2009

26lbs? a friend of mine pulled his flywheel out.It was out of a 5 spd.He bought another off e-bay.Both oolf those mofos were heavier than ****.Wasn't no 26lbs.Had to of be at least 40 lbs.Maybe it was for an older motor.Dunno.But I could sit that flywheel next to a cast iron 50lb weight for a bench press bar and that sucker was allmost if not the same weight as the Weider.Gotta go see if he still has that flywheel.Maybe I just overexagerated and was a weakling at the time

Grn92LX · Feb 21, 2009

Aluminum. No problems going on 4 years here in my street only car.

KamiKaziDK · Feb 21, 2009

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