Flywheel and Clutch

[firehawk]

JamesAE86 Wrote:I've just picked up a second-hand Techno Pro Spirits 4kg flywheel for the AE86, if I fit this and an upgraded clutch what will the effect be? pros and cons on a daily driver?

The engine will pick up revs like a motorcycle. We have a 4.5kg Toda flywheel in our race car and the throttle response is just something absolutely phenomenal. As a potential drawback, the car will also decelerate faster when you lift off the throttle - if done while cornering, this may cause unwanted oversteer response from the car (especially with a 2-way LSD). Also, the car will lose speed easier when going uphill, so you'll need to apply more throttle when climing the hill. Same thing with accelerating from standstill - you need to rev the car a bit more before lifting the clutch and apply more throttle when the clutch starts to bite. If you go for a metallic clutch disc, it'll bite very abruptly so you have to be quick with the throttle.

Anyway, I value the responsiveness of an engine very high and definitely think that the benefits of a lightweight flywheel outweigh (pun not intended) the drawbacks. It's just a matter of adapting to the new nature of the engine. For a daily driver the quick response may not offer much actual benefit but if you go to trackdays/driftdays, you'll most certainly notice the difference.

Edit: Whoops, the Toda FW is actually 3.7kg, heh.