The Honda-Tech Shout-out: Fidanza Performance
An up close view of the Fidanza multi-plate clutch kit and flywheel.
The hottest Hondas have always used manual transmissions. Honda transmissions are smooth as silk and make the motion of changing gears enjoyable. Whether it’s B18 swap paired to a 5-speed or a K-engine with a 6-speed, the manual transmission makes for way more fun on street and track.
As fun as manuals are, they are not bulletproof. The common failure points are the clutch and flywheel. The flywheel is bolted to the engine and the clutch is attached to the transmission. As the flywheel spins with the engine revs, it is the job of the clutch to transmit that rotational energy through the transmission, which then powers the drive wheels. Age (general wear and tear) and heat, usually from racing or increased engine power, will cause the clutch disc to wear and in some cases cause hot spotting and excess wear on the flywheel. Here is where Fidanza shines, offering lightweight aluminum flywheels and stronger clutch kits that will handle that extra engine power.
This is a lightweight Fidanza aluminum flywheel in their signature green color.
This all-American brand has been branching out and is really ramping up their Honda product line. They now offer lightweight flywheels for almost every Civic model from the EF-onwards, as well as parts for the rigmarole of D; B; H; F; L and R-series engines that power pretty much every four-cylinder Honda/Acura product. From there, the reps at Fidanza wanted to let the readers know that they are developing complete clutch and flywheel packages for most of the common Honda engines and transmissions.
Why Should I Buy a Fidanza Clutch and Flywheel?
The benefit is two-fold. First off, flywheels are rotational mass, which means that the lighter it is, the less the engine has to work to spin it. Going from the stock flywheel to a lightweight, aluminum unit means the engine will rev up much more quickly. In terms of acceleration, dropping ten pounds of rotational mass is roughly equivalent to losing 100 pounds off the curb weight. On a low displacement engine that works off of revs, like most Hondas, this results in a few extra horsepower. A lighter flywheel means the engine will rev up much more quickly and have sharper throttle response. When driving aggressively, you will find rev matching down shifts to be much easier.
Pictured above is a Fidanza multi-plate clutch kit and flywheel assembly.
A Fidanza clutch upgrade brings the next benefit, which is torque capacity. What does that mean? Well, Fidanza clutches are designed with overhead in mind. If you want to add more power to your engine, a Fidanza clutch will handle more power than a stock Honda clutch. They offer two basic solutions: V1 for upgraded street cars and V2 for serious track builds. Both options are sprung to dampen vibrations. V1 uses a full-faced, organic clutch disc which has great street manners, and a stock-like clutch pedal feel. The V2 uses a “6-puck” clutch disc which features tougher construction and greater heat tolerances.
What to know more?
[Check out Fidanza’s product line here.]
