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Flywheel weight

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2001 3:53 am
by glowing veggieburger
Okay....I need some advice on this one.

Engine spec

1776 (69x90.5)
Engle 110
Scat c/w crank (forged)
Twin Weber 40 IDF
stock valves in 040 heads (homebrewed port and polish)
Who's your Daddy clutch and Kennedy Stage 1 Plate

All bolted up to a 1500 box (sweepstake betting on how long it lasts coming soon!)

My first car was a Purgeot 205 Lecoste. (For those outside Europe, about the size of a Mk1 Golf. It had a 1.4 engine and was the next most sporty model to the GTi) It ran twin Weber 35 downdraughts and revved to the sky. It had an awkward (re very unforgiving) clutch and would stall below 1500 revs (2300 if it was real cold!) The car was fantastic fun and I thraped the nuts off it (6000 in most gears most of the time....I was 17!)

I figured it had a very light flywheel as the revs would pick up real quickly. I want to try and recreate some of the characteristics of that car in my bug....

The big question is.....

how light shall I take the flywheel?

Thanks guys :-)

Flywheel weight

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2001 5:14 am
by Locash Mike
I was running a similar setup with my 1776 many years ago, except I didn't have the c/w crank. I had 040 heads, a scat c45 and dellorto 40's. I ran a 12.5 pound flywheel. It was very strong for it's day. You should be able to get away with one lighter than that due to the extra weight of your crank, possibly 10.5 pounds.

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Locash Mike
www.locashracing.org

Flywheel weight

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2001 10:57 am
by fastfood
Not recommended to go any lighter than 12lbs. The flywheel gets thin and start flexing, meaning you won't have the flat surface for the clutch to work with. good Luck

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Rice, it's what's for dinner!!!

Flywheel weight

Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2001 1:27 am
by James2
I'm running a 12.5 on my 1776 with almost the same specs. Honestly, if I had it to do over i would run the stock wieght. A lot smoother.

Flywheel weight

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2001 9:17 pm
by fastfood
Berg makes a big deal on that and makes a heavy crankshaft pulley called the Equalizer. It is like 4 or 5lbs heavier than the stock puley, helping to balance the wieght taken off the flywheel. I was going to mention that but forgot. I recommend keeping it stock weight for a street car, it will help on the highway and it seems to shift smoother. Have you ever been in a auto-stick bug on the highway? They will achieve a higher top-end than a manual tranny bug, and the only thing I can figure is all that weight from the torque converter just getting the momentum going.

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Rice, it's what's for dinner!!!

Flywheel weight

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2001 6:30 am
by Ed Brewer
Weight of the flywheel makes absolutely no difference in power. If the autostick car went faster, it was because of gearing or a stronger engine.

A lighter flywheel allows the engine to rev faster because of the lower inertia. At low engine speeds you may feel the pulses from the engine, but at higher engine speeds, the power pulses are close enough that you will not notice. Despite popular belief, an engine with a light flywheel (within reason) is not hard to start from a stop, but the throttle response, espesially in first gear, can be a bit harsh. You will learn how to apply the throttle very gently!

The flywheel on my 2110 is about 10 lbs, and I do not have a heavy pulley, either. It is very easy to drive, even people who are not familiar with the car do not have a problem driving it. It comes down to personal choice, I like the quick throttle resonse, but not everyone does.

Flywheel weight

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2001 8:40 am
by JohnConnolly
I recommend a 10.5lb on everything except

12lbs on T-3s, stock on busses.