986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - View Single Post - Why doesn't anyone make a near-normal weight single mass flywheel?

JoeFromPA · 08-04-2010, 08:44 AM

Hey Cloud,

Thanks for your response. Perhaps my experiences lie in engines that are harmonically balanced elsewhere, perhaps not.

As to your statement, "As to making a "heavy" single mass flywheel, there would be absolutely no reason to bother. If you want a heavy flywheel, keep the stock dual mass. If you want a single mass flywheel, it may as well be lighter and enhance the free-revving capabilities of the car."

My original thought was that alot of boxsters get 5-10k a year on them in terms of mileage. A flywheel on a car driven such yearly distances in a normal driving scenario (i.e. few long high rpm clutch slipping events) should last a very long time. And, if it's single-mass, could be re-surfaced and last indefinitely.

Instead, from what I can tell, we see boxsters with fine clutches but flywheels that are out-of-spec or no longer engage right because their damping mechanisms are wearing out from age.

So my thought was: Why not create a similarly weighted single-mass flywheel so that boxsters that accumulate normal-driving mileage at a low rate can expect a normal lifespan from their clutch/flywheels once they replace the OEM unit.

Sounds like it's still possible, but would need to be paired with some additional dampening mechanisms.

08-04-2010, 08:44 AM	#13
JoeFromPA Registered User Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: West Chester, PA Posts: 211	Hey Cloud, Thanks for your response. Perhaps my experiences lie in engines that are harmonically balanced elsewhere, perhaps not. As to your statement, "As to making a "heavy" single mass flywheel, there would be absolutely no reason to bother. If you want a heavy flywheel, keep the stock dual mass. If you want a single mass flywheel, it may as well be lighter and enhance the free-revving capabilities of the car." My original thought was that alot of boxsters get 5-10k a year on them in terms of mileage. A flywheel on a car driven such yearly distances in a normal driving scenario (i.e. few long high rpm clutch slipping events) should last a very long time. And, if it's single-mass, could be re-surfaced and last indefinitely. Instead, from what I can tell, we see boxsters with fine clutches but flywheels that are out-of-spec or no longer engage right because their damping mechanisms are wearing out from age. So my thought was: Why not create a similarly weighted single-mass flywheel so that boxsters that accumulate normal-driving mileage at a low rate can expect a normal lifespan from their clutch/flywheels once they replace the OEM unit. Sounds like it's still possible, but would need to be paired with some additional dampening mechanisms.