56 replies to this topic

[Horace]

I have the opportunity whilst my gearbox is out, to have a lightened flywheel fitted (approx £250) I recall.

 

My Stage 2 vxt is my daily drive, and I do spend time in slow traffic alot.

 

Will the lightened flywheel cause me issues when stop/starting all the time (in terms of stalling or being a pain in the arse)?

 

I never track the car.

 

Is it worth it?

 

Opinions welcome.

 

Thanks

[Pidgeon]

I'm on my own with this one Horace, but yes, the car is harder to drive with the light fly and requires more concentration in traffic, plus fast getaways are harder.  No longer can you release the clutch at idle and let it pull away.  Careful balance of throttle and clutch is needed for a smooth start.  Some of that may be the clutch, but the 'release clutch, press accelerator' is gone.

[Rosssco]

Will depend how much lighter it is than standard..

[Gedi]

And whether you also have the balancer shaft removed

[tommobot]

I've got one of the TTV ones, car was  used daily up until recently.. It is slightly more annoying in stop start traffic, noticable but not unworkable thats for sure...

 

I've found I could release the clutch without accelerator, revs would slightly dip but would still pull away..

All in all, a slight disadvantage, for the benefit, seems to fly through the gears even more so (Stg 2 SC)

 

Never found any problem with fast getaways either..

[Ivor]

I have lightened flywheel on stage 4 and use on road but not daily, I don't notice any problems really

[Bumblebee]

My cars not my daily but I've noticed it's not as easy to get away quickly, if I was doing it again I don't think I'd bother

Edited by Bumblebee, 09 April 2014 - 08:34 PM.

[ghand]

I didn't like the big loss of engine braking. Felt very strange at first but I suppose you get used to using the brakes more. I wouldn't bother unless your after every last bit out of the car.

[CHILL Gone DUTCH]

I found there isn't a issue if you attack your starts, It's not the best in traffic

[chris_uk]

ive never had an issue tbh.. like anything and everything, it will feel wierd to start with but you will soon get used to it. 

[drunknmunky]

I didn't like the big loss of engine braking. Felt very strange at first but I suppose you get used to using the brakes more. I wouldn't bother unless your after every last bit out of the car.

Now I'm confused, I was under the impression a flywheel helped to maintain revs when off the throttle, so a lighter one would let the revs drop more quickly, hence giving more engine braking not less, because less energy is expended just slowing the flywheel inertia down??

Edited by drunknmunky, 09 April 2014 - 08:57 PM.

[mbes2]

I just found the car revs more freely You get used to it

[techieboy]

Now I'm confused, I was under the impression a flywheel helped to maintain revs when off the throttle, so a lighter one would let the revs drop more quickly, hence giving more engine braking not less, because less energy is expended just slowing the flywheel inertia down??

 

Spot on.

 

A chav exhaust, a lightweight flywheel meaning 1800rpm to move away and instant loss of inertia the soon as you touch the clutch plus squealing brake pads and stupid suspension all combined into a VX does not make for a comfortable car to use in traffic. Fine on the open road though.

[ghand]

I didn't like the big loss of engine braking. Felt very strange at first but I suppose you get used to using the brakes more. I wouldn't bother unless your after every last bit out of the car.

Now I'm confused, I was under the impression a flywheel helped to maintain revs when off the throttle, so a lighter one would let the revs drop more quickly, hence giving more engine braking not less, because less energy is expended just slowing the flywheel inertia down??

The one I had had very little engine braking it just kept going when you took your foot off the gas that had lightened fly and balancer delete but I was comparing the turbo to my old NA ? So not sure I just thought that's what it was, sure Chill experienced the same Just been reading a few posts of people experiencing the same loss of engine braking after fitting them ? Glad it wasn't just me

Edited by ghand, 09 April 2014 - 09:45 PM.

[Cookies220]

I noticed quite a difference in the ease of which the engine revs with a lighter flywheel (I've also had the balancer shafts deleted).  I find it's no more difficult to drive  

[Pidgeon]

Engine braking - that's general resistance from the drivetrain.  The effect is lessened on turbo cars by the lower compression ratio, but countered in the VX by the low weight 

 

Balancer delete - there is some intertia in the shafts, but minor compared with the fly and I didn't notice any difference with or without.

[drunknmunky]

Engine braking - that's general resistance from the drivetrain.  The effect is lessened on turbo cars by the lower compression ratio, but countered in the VX by the low weight 

I believed engine braking to be the torque of the engine acting against forward motion when the throttle is off, not the rolling resistance of the drivetrain. I believe there is also something about they measure torque on a rolling road on the run down aswell to work out drive train loss, maybe this is where confusion is coming in. Lighter fly would effectively lessenn transmission loss hence give the idea of less engine braking, but theoretically is should provide more braking as there is less inertia for the torque to work against in slowing the car down

[Horace]

Thanks for the input.  I'm veering away from having it done.

[2-20]

Engine braking is like trying to "accelerate" the engine + flywheel rotation from the wheel side of the transmission.

A lighter flywheel gives less engine braking because the engine + flywheel  is easier to rev:  less resistance to rev = less braking

 

[drunknmunky]

Sorry if I'm seeming stupid here, but I don't get it, because as soon as you lift off the gas, the car would try to freewheel at a constant speed (as evidenced by putting it into neutral) so just by the act of lifting off you are not trying to slow the car from the wheels or any part of the transmission. Its the effect of the torque of the engine without any fuel being put in trying to slow the revs, the light fly just lets it loose revs faster, so because less of the energy is wasted in trying to slow the flywheel down, more is converted to slowing the end product (the wheels) because at this point its in gear not neutral, ergo, more effective engine braking.

Edited by drunknmunky, 10 April 2014 - 09:36 AM.