flywheel; aluminum or steel?

which flywheel?

  • aluminum

    Votes: 34 64.2%
  • steel

    Votes: 19 35.8%

  • Total voters
    53
  • Poll closed .

bobster

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aluminum was my first choice but it seems that chatter and bogging are worse with aluminum? any feedback?
 

slo-poc

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I have an alumn Fidanza...You can replace the friction center.. center......When it wears out flywheel good, just replace the friction center....

Great grip with lighter rotating mass...imo......mods and times in sig....
 

bobster

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i hope some people with steel flywheels chime in cause i think most of us are quick to pick aluminum with out understanding the benefit of steel
 

HandoZiZle

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im pretty sure the steel ones are alot better for drag racing and aluminum will be better for road racing. steel is heavier and aluminum is lighter and itll also rev alot faster. but according to my tuner, no one can ever tell the diffrence between the two except for the obvius weight diffrence and price. im going with an aluminum one myself on thursday
 

Tom's_03SVT

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I have an alumn Fidanza...You can replace the friction center.. center......When it wears out flywheel good, just replace the friction center....

Great grip with lighter rotating mass...imo......mods and times in sig....


I have the same one, it's a quality piece :thumbsup:
 

ViciousJay

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Steel - for drag racers

alum - street duty

---------------------------

im a Daily Driver and i went witha steel, its a little heavier but can take alot more abuse then a aluminum... sometimes i wish i had aluminum but when i hit off the line it hits hard and throws a smile on my face.... it almost feels like a auto that has a converter and shiftkit when shifting....
 

wheelhopper

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How about chromoly? That is what I have. Stronger than steel so you can make it thinner, so it is as light as an aluminum flywheel. Very happy with it.
 

D-Con

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Lots of statements about steel for drag racing, but no solid reasons why So, "why?"

My reasoning for aluminum is most drag racers I have known, as well as road-racers, especially with high-torque engines (like a SC 4.6) opt to lower the rotating weight of their engine. A faster reving engine means faster acceleration, regardless of whether it is coming out of a corner or away from the starting line. I think for every gear-change, the affect is less due to the higher torque-load on the crank.

This is no-doubt, in my pea-brain, why SVT chose aluminum over a cheaper iron unit. As Wheelhopper said, it must be possible if using the right steel to get a flywheel close to if not the same weight.
 
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MVD

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Lots of statements about steel for drag racing, but no solid reasons why So, "why?"

A steel flywheel helps get these heavy 03-04 Cobra's out of the hole. Since it does have extra rotating mass bogging off the line is eliminated, and good 60' times are a piece of cake. And the "steel will rev slower" arguement holds no water at all. These cars rev so fast it is literally impossible to tell the difference.
 

D-Con

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I'm a newb with the cobra, and didn't know there is a bog problem coming out of the hole; especially with my street tires anyway. Traction and of course wheel hop is the complaint I have. If the tires are spinning, isn't there already enough rotating mass to exceed the available traction on a launch?

These cars, especially with extra boost added have as much torque as many big-blocks (which is why I like them). Don't get me wrong, not flaming you here, just trying to have it all make sense in my own head.
 

MVD

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I'm a newb with the cobra, and didn't know there is a bog problem coming out of the hole; especially with my street tires anyway. Traction and of course wheel hop is the complaint I have. If the tires are spinning, isn't there already enough rotating mass to exceed the available traction on a launch?

These cars, especially with extra boost added have as much torque as many big-blocks (which is why I like them). Don't get me wrong, not flaming you here, just trying to have it all make sense in my own head.

What doesn't make sense to me is racing on street tires......if you want to run good ET's you need lots of traction plain and simple. Street tires are never going to give you that. When using slicks, bogging can be a very big concern. Also slicks will eliminate wheel hop.

There I just solved both your problems ;-)
 

Evil Bender

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Steel here. I replaced my Flywheel with a Ford racing unit and like it a LOT. It takes less RPM and no sliping to leave at lights especialy on a hill .In traffic it feels to me like I holds more momentum in taking low speed turns onto side streets. As far as launching , it leaves hard but that could be the 3.90's
 

lloyyd

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A steel flywheel helps get these heavy 03-04 Cobra's out of the hole. Since it does have extra rotating mass bogging off the line is eliminated, and good 60' times are a piece of cake. And the "steel will rev slower" arguement holds no water at all. These cars rev so fast it is literally impossible to tell the difference.
+1. I have a Spec steel flywheel & could not tell a difference in rev speed. It does get out of the hole better & the chatter is less with my 3+.
 

BO TY KLR

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I have a ford motorsports billet steel FW with a DFX clutch. I hear alot of people bitch about the chatter of the DFX and I don't get any chatter. IMO it's because of the FW having more mass.
 

vr4

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advantages of heavier flywheels have been mentioned.


i have used both stock iron and aluminum FWs in my 3000GTs. having the stock flywheel makes launching 10x easier with the AWD and 4000lbs. the aluminum flywheels have a very fine line between bogging and spinning (actually its usually breaking) but with a stock FW it makes slipping the clutch just enough to get the car moving and avoiding a bog that much easier.

i have never driven a cobra with a steel FW but i have no complaints about the stock aluminum piece.
 

bobster

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any of you super technical guys have any of the weights of certain flywheels? it would be interesting to see the difference.
 

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