Is it worth replacing my standard flywheel in my el xr8 with a lightened one?

What are the pros and cons of having a lightened flywheel?

Also, i tried asking this question in another post a while ago, but didnt get much of a response, so here goes again:
What would be a good brand sports clutch to use in my t5 box?

Thanks in advance.

On a T5 I wouldn't use a ceramic type as the shockloading will kill the transmission..There are slightly firmer pressure plates you can use however, strengthen firewall and pedal box...

For every 20 grams taken out of flywheel is like taking 20 kg off body...Makes engine more respnsive....

Good info man, thanks heaps for that!

Should i get the rear main oil seal changed aswell, just incase, while the new clutch/flywheel get installed?

Also, i heard something a while ago about if you go too light a flywheel, you lose torque? Is that true? Or is light better?

I've been trying to get my head around flywheel weights too.

From what I can gather a heavier flywheel will hold revs easier/longer, and probably improve driveability too.
Like if you rev it up to 2 grand and dump the clutch the engine will not bog down a quickly as it would with a light flywheel.

A lighter flywheel will help make the engine rev quicker/become more responsive.

I dunno, I just don't see any big advantages of having it lighter with these bigger motors.

Can someone enlighten me?
EBXR8380 can you elaborate about the 20gram/20kg thing?

Cheers.

Im not too sure either.

If its not going to REDUCE performance in any way, then i'll deffinately get it. Especially seeing that the box will be out anyway, the flywheel will be easy access, true?

If the side effects are merely things like making it harder to change gears by not holding revs as long, then i can live with it.

dunno about flywheel but about the clutch:

I'd recommend the RPM series clutch. You can have 4 options going from organic face all the way to 4 puck ceramic.

I went for the first one and it pretty much in or out anyway so I'd hate to think what the ceramic would be like.

Anyway......good clutch.

Anyone wanting to know what a light flywheel does, think about this.

Jack your car up and spin one of the front wheels. Can you get it spinning @ the same speed as it's rotating @ 100km/h? Nope. Now double the weight of the wheel. It takes a hell of a lot more energy to spin the wheel.

So, when you're trying to spin a flywheel @ 6000RPM, it sucks a s**t load of power! If you lightened the flywheel, it takes less power which is more power at the wheels.

This means better acceleration and better economy. Also, if you lighten the flywheel, the gyroscopic forces acting on that flywheel are a lot less.

Just don't, under ANY circumstances, get an alloy flywheel!!! Don't do it!!

I knew a panel beating place who had an employee with a commodore of some description. They had just put an alloy flywheel on the car and were testing it out. 5 mins after starting up the car, the flywheel let go @ 5000RPM. It destroyed the bell housing, the engine and gearbox fell to the floor, there were holes in the floor of the car, the roof of the car and to roof of the factory, and there were bits of flywheel buried 30cm into solid concrete.

Now, that gives you an idea also of how much energy it takes to get a flywheel spinning @ 5000RPM.

So, get you existing flywheel lightened by all means. DON'T go alloy!!

Also, that thing about more inertia for nailing it off the lights, it doesn't help at all to have a heavier flywheel. Sure you've got less inertia, but you've also got less available power.

Ok that all sounds good and well, but if lightened flywheels are so much better than a heavier one, why doesn't everyone have them, or why aren't they ridiculously light in factory cars?
Is it anything to do with cost, or durability???

Dave

Ive found a lightened Yella Terra flywheel made from billet steel for $330.
All the other quotes i got were around the $400 mark.
It weighs 8.5kg. I think the factory one is around 10.5kg or something?
Correct me if im wrong.

What are your opinions. Does this sound alright?

If you wanna have a look at the site, here's the link:
http://www.yellaterra.com.au/flywheels.php?page=app1
Part number: YT 9909L

Hey, found this:

http://www.se-r.net/car_info/drivetrain ... 0Flywheels

Thanks for that mate!
Good read!