Hey guys, I'm looking into purchasing a Fidanza flywheel but I've heard too many mixed reviews about the pros and cons of a light flywheels. I've done lots of searching and researching but I still can't come to a conclusion.

I know that the engine will rev much quicker and that it's awesome for the track, but it also sucks really bad on the drag and during stop and go traffic.

One of my concerns is that the Fidanza is something like 7-8lbs (depending who you ask and where you read it from), this sounds really light. This is my daily driver/weekend warrior so I am looking for a compromise between the two.

Please post your experiences and your clutch/flywheel combo so I can base my decision on what to get or not get when it's time to do my clutch in about two months time.

Thanx

 

I have the Fidanza flywheel. It is half the weight of the stock one. Driveability was not reduced to the point that I would have problems on the street. It is enough of a difference that rev matching on the track is so much easier that I would definitely do this again.

 

I have a Fidanza flywheel and LuK clutch on my GSR. I have had this installation for around 20k daily driven miles.

There is very little driveability compromise, in my experience. You might have to use a bit more throttle on launches, but not anything significant.

Throttle response when rev-matching downshifts is much quicker. Acceleration is not dramatically affected.

I think that the people who suffer the most driveability loss are those who combine the reduced flywheel inertia with a very aggressive clutch. If the clutch modulates well, and has a progressive torque build-up characteristic like my LuK unit, the loss of flywheel energy can be easily compensated for. However, if you combine that with a light-switch clutch, then it's much harder to deal with.

 

There is no better unit than the Toda.

Mass is more centrally located than any other, built quality is second to none.

 

I just recently purchased the ACT pro-lite flywheel (8.8lbs) and have yet to install it - I'm still in the process of building up the car and still have to put my new J1 transmission together - which is waiting on me getting the ATB Quaife Differential. I haven't heard much about the ACT flywheels since they are fairly new, but decided what the heck since it is steel and not aluminum and was just over $200...

 

Did anyone feel any loss of torque? I don't have much to lose.

sohc vtec

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SuperRice &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Did anyone feel any loss of torque? I don't have much to lose.

sohc vtec </TD></TR></TABLE>

Not possible. Flywheels do not affect the amount of torque your engine produces.

Flywheels store rotational energy, which has a twofold purpose (primarily):
1) Smooth engine firing impulses
2) Assist the driver in launching the vehicle

Torque is produced as a result of the combustion in your cylinder, transferred to the crankshaft. It is proportional to the cylinder pressure and bore. Flywheels do not affect this.

However, it is a common myth for this reason: The difficulty some people experience in launching the vehicle due to the reduced energy storage is mistakenly attributed to a loss of engine torque.

 

I plan on ordering the ACT Prolite on Monday. What difficulties in launches are we talking about? You have to rev high when launching? Does the car "bog" more than usual? Can someone be more specific in the "difficulties of launching" please? If I can't have good launches then I might not even get this thing. I thought it would help with acceleration, since you can rev the engine faster, no? or does it give the impression that you 're accelerating faster?

 

Toda FW here.

All Pro's, No Con's... Mine's 9lbs for the record BTW.

 

i have a ACT prolite 8.8 in my b18c1 hatch. i also have the HD pressure plate and street organic disk. there is absolutely NO LOSS OF STREET DRIVABILITY!!! it drives better than stock and is not at all harder to drive. you will be use to it in less than a day of driving and love it. the engine revs very smoothe and quick. for drag racing, you might have to launch from a little higher due to the less inertia. i dont see it hurting the 1/4 mile time at all if you can adjust your launching technique.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1GreyTeg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Toda FW here.

All Pro's, No Con's... Mine's 9lbs for the record BTW.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

What he said. I havnt had a single problem with mine.

In my book

 

I have a 8.5lbs fidanza on my 99 prelude. There is a certain readjustment to your driving style on the street, since you can gently roast the clutch that much easier, but it doesn't impede your ability to drive your car, at all. Most people that blab, ad nauseum, about the reduced drivability (i hate using that word.) are moronic parrots regurgitating something their uncle baby moma cousins roomate overheard in shop class, and probably had nothing to do with flywheels to begin with. Get one, with out question one of the most noticable, and advantageous modifications to a stock drivetrain.

 

Just don't forget, getting a aftermarket clutch or fly changes yoru classing if you AutoX. Just thought I would let you know.

This is what I'm told anyways.

 

Yes I am very aware of that. However, I'm already in a class that allows for flywheel modifications. Thanx for the heads up tho.

Actually, I'm in a different dilemma (sp) now. I need the clutch in asap, but I only have cash to either do the flywheel or the lsd. Which one will be more beneficial to me right now? My car is used as a daily driver/weekend solo2 racer. I'm leaning towards the lsd as of this moment but still uncertain, any suggestions?

 

If you only have the cash - get a lsd. The lsd will help your autocross/racing times much more so than the flywheel IMHO. I have a flywheel instead of a lsd because my fidanza was $280 & the quaife lsd was near $900. If I might ask, what lsd are you considering and for how much?

 

Can someone be more specific in the "difficulties of launching"

The ease of launching a manually-clutched vehicle is controlled by a number of interacting factors:

1) The amount of engine torque available at launch RPM
2) The linearity of the clutch pressure plate diaphragm spring
3) The linearity of the clutch disc "marcel" spring
4) The linearity of the disc friction material coefficient of friction
5) The amount of energy stored by the rotating inertias of the engine/flywheel/clutch

It boils down to this: If the engine provides sufficient launch energy, a combination of the torque available at low RPM as well as the amount of energy stored by the rotating masses, AND your clutch has reasonably linear (and thus controllable) characteristics, then the car tends to be easy to launch. Conversely, what happens to many people is that they combine a low-torque engine with low rotating inertia components (flywheel/clutch) and then add a heavy, non-linear "light-switch" clutch characteristic that makes launching difficult.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by allenp &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have had this installation for around 20k daily driven miles.

There is very little driveability compromise, in my experience. You might have to use a bit more throttle on launches, but not anything significant.

Throttle response when rev-matching downshifts is much quicker. Acceleration is not dramatically affected.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i completely agree. i have 7.5lb clutchmaster w/exedy organic, and same results as described above.

 

thanks Allenp. I think I understand what you 're trying to say but how does one "add a heavy, non-linear 'light-switch' clutch characteristic" that adversely affects launching?
By using a HD Pressure plate? Do you recommend staying with an OEM one?
Would an ACT organic street clutch compromize launching with an 8.8-9lb ACT chromoly flywheel? Assuming my B18C only has about 10% more power & 7% more torque than stock (low a*s torque..).

 

When I say "light-switch" clutch, I am referring to a clutch that has some typical characteristics:

1) Very heavy clampload and thus pedal load
2) Little or no "cushion" in the clutch disc (called marcel by some companies)
3) A very aggressive friction material, such as ceramic or ceri-metallic composite.

I have no experience with the typical "HD" clutches. However, I would stay away from non-organic friction materials unless you're putting down gobs of torque.

Typically, a OE clutch has AT MINIMUM SPEC 130% torque capacity of max engine torque. In production, this translates to around 160-200%. So, unless you've drastically altered your engine torque, you simply don't need all that capacity.