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Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour
This is a little off-topic, but begs to be asked...
Does the lightweight flywheel feel different on the clutch pedal? I've heard it's pound for pound lighter than a normal flywheel, but does create a far stiffer clutch.
Anyone with experience want to chime in and edumakate me?
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Hi,
A typical Lightweight Flywheel will not feel appreciably different. You may find it grabbing slightly earlier.
But it should be mentioned that this is a
Speed Part. It only serves to reduce the rotating Mass, and consequent parasitic Crank Loss, allowing more energy to be transmitted to the Tranny, and therefore the Rear Wheels, and in less time. In a Car like the Boxster, any speed advantage is really negligible, maybe 0-60 in 0.05 sec. less.
But, as with many
Speed Parts, there are some Trade-offs.
The one thing never mentioned in the same breath is that these lightened Flywheels usually are not as robust as the OEM Part and will wear out sooner. It's common sense really, reduce the Mass and the wear characteristics are also reduced.
In the Past, this was less true because much of the trimmed Mass was from the outside circumference which didn't contact the friction plate. But, OEM Manufacturers today are machining better Flywheels leaving the Aftermarket to use lighter metals (often Aluminum Alloys w/ Steel inserts in the Friction Path) which don't wear as well or react as well to heat. Also, many of these may actually be priced less than the OEM Part by the AfterMarket in order to coerce Market Share from the OEM, but this may be a false economy.
If you have a
genuine need for a lightened Flywheel (read
regular Track or Auto-X use), they're great. But for a Street Driver, IMHO, it's really just another form of Automotive Jewelry which has the potential to increase your Maintenance costs in the long run.
Also, it could affect Re-sale Value as this part signals the Car was driven harder or used for
Speed more than the average prospect might like. Consequently, it might not be something you'd wish to include in your Ad description...
Happy Motoring!... Jim'99