Miata Mailing List: May 1998, Message #93

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Bob,
       I have a feeling that a lighter flywheel also allows for quicker
shifts, something to to do with faster rev matching. I seem to remember
hearing that way back when.......

JEFF, TEAM '99 GREEN MACHINE (Un-named yet)
TEAM MEGUIARS KILLER SHINE
OZTEAM VOODOO
MCA #42017
MX-5 Club of NSW #169

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Schnider <bob@doc.schdist42.bc.ca>
To: Multiple recipients of list <miata@realbig.com>
Date: Saturday, 2 May 1998 13:57
Subject: Re: Lightened Flywheels


>Bryan T. Jones wrote:
>>
>> A few days ago this thread started when someone ask about the weight and
>> performance of a lightened flywheel.  Some great info was given on the
>> different weights but I never read how those of you who have one feel
>> about the performance advantages the new flywheel provides.
>>
>> Would those of you (forced induction and normally aspirated) care to
>> share how the lightened flywheel effected performance and drivability..
>>
>> --
>> Bryan T. Jones
>> mailto:btjones@feist.com
>> Miata-If you can't go topless, why go?
>Tango does not have a lightened flywheel...yet.   Not allowed in stock
>autox category... so what follows is a simplified historical opinion.
>
>The lightened flywheel allows the engine to rev much more freely.  The
>lighter the flywheel the more freely it revs.  In fact, it revved so
>freely it was clearly unwise to use the light flywheel with out a rev
>limiting rotor in the distributer (not a problem for the Miata).  The
>importance of the free revving seems to be that more of the engines
>power actually gets to the wheels.  IIRC correctly dyno runs on my
>race prepped Bug motors were substantially higher with a 9 lb flywheel
>over the stock 30 lb unit.  Old age and a good dose of CRAFT disease
>prevent me from giving actual numbers here.  The engine didn't create
>more horsepower, but it did use less turning itself over thus making
>more available at the crank and off to the wheels.
>
>Caveat... while the engine revs up quicker it also spins down quicker.
>Not sure what this means for the Miata... didn't bother the Bug or
>it's Webers but made it a little more necessary to do the double
>declutching trick when downshifting.
>
>The difference was measureable on a dyno, you could feel it, and even
>hear it  (vroom, vroom... becomes whappa! whappa!).
>
>FWIW, I also had the flywheel lightened in a stock 79 Honda Civic
>(what was I thinking... what the heck, I had to do the clutch and the
>flywheel was out).  No big performance gain but an overall brighter
>feel to driving it.
>--
>Bob Schnider & Tango - 90A Red
>MCA #68117, Sea to Sky Chapter
>Team There and Back Again
>Team CRI
>Team Voodoo
>
>"Never start a vast project with a half-vast idea"
>
>
>