my clutch is going, and when i replace it, i want to upgrade the flywheel while i'm in there. i've heard that it is possible for the lightened flywheel throw off the crank balance. this makes sense. anyone have a comment on this? what are some drawbacks to putting in a lightened flywheel? is it harder on the engine when you drop the clutch?

my boss told me you can just take the stock flywheel to a shop and have them shave off portions of it and lighten it that way. anyone hear anything about that?

 

o yeah and can anyone recommend a good one?

 

when you get a lighter or lightened flywheel you will need to have it balanced...period...

biggest downside to a lighter flywheel is that it will slow down faster inbetween shifts because it has less inertia...this is no bueno for cars with smaller powerbands, but works well if you are dragging...however, i would not recommend it for a highend nor a drifting car. the main benefit to a lightened flywheel is that it takes less power to get it spinning...

i dont think its any harder on the engine when you drop the clutch, if anything, my guess would be it would be easier on it, however, simply having less metal would cause the flywheel to be weaker in general. no big worries tho.

i would recommend having ur flywheel shaved and balanced as it is def the cheapest way to go and is a good balance between the pros and cons of a real lightweigh flywheel...

if going all out, i would personally recommend the JUN chromoly fly

 

Well I personally have a SPEC lightened flywheel and it makes a world of difference. There was no balancing involved or nothing when installing it new.

It makes the engine rev a lot faster I mean a lot, thus better throttle response. And handles better due to more inertia. It did take away a little torque from the beginning of the powerband, but did add later on. It is a great upgrade and just have to be a little patient on the shifts because with a upgraded flywheel and clutch and short shifter, you don't realize that the car reaches the rpms so fast, but its definitely makes a difference. went from a 22.5 pound flywheel to one that is about 10-12 lbs. BIG difference.

 

I hear of problems with the JUN flywheel. Something about them strpping teeth either on the flywheels itself or the starter. So I think if you want a flywheel you should look more into that.... I would recommend the Toda flywheel. A lot of places recommend it and have no problems.

 

If you are going to purchase a lightened flywheel you have to take into effect that you will be driving the car everyday and that will have different effects than the track work it was made for.

Just like with any part.

Is there anyway to get a lighter but not ultra light sensative flywheel?

 

you can just have your factory one lightened by a machinest.

 

i do believe that the light flywheels have less inertia due to the less weight being "thrown" around the circle

 

this is a common falacy. the engine is self balanced and does not depend on the flywheel to keep it balanced what-so-ever.

 

I've heard of the same thing, uuh stupid. Don't know your first name bro, and your handle says stupid. Sorry no offense intended. But yes I've heard of that same problem, but with the OS Gikken flywheel. From what I was told about that flywheel, the OS Gikken(and now the JUN from what you guys have been saying) it wasn't designed for the KA. When put into an SR powered car everything is fine. Its has something to do with the positioning of the KA I believe, at first everything is fine, then the teeth of the flywheel and the starter start knonking heads so to speak. If you want a lightened flywheel, then get one because I think they do work. But try and get a KA specific flywheel, possibly from Stillen. I think you'll have better luck going that route. Stay away from JDM fly's if you have the KA. Thats just my take on this.

 

how much is it to have a shop lighten the stock flywheel?

 

yeah, but shave half down your flywheel on only one side just as an extreme example. see what happens