Fidanza Aluminum flywheel 2.4L Sky installed..

[RPIpower]

We are now offering the Fidanza aluminum flywheel for $355 and/or $640 installed. Although the 2.4L gives a good amount of torque, it suffers from slow revs. The Fidanza flywheel weighing in at just about 7.5lbs will lighten the load on the engine and provide quicker revs.

[RPIpower]

FYI, I have received PMs asking what the stock flywheel weighs. I just weighed it in at 21.2lbs. Its a HUGE difference

[snaponbob]

And does it fit the GXP/Redline 2.0?

[RPIpower]

Originally Posted by snaponbob

And does it fit the GXP/Redline 2.0?

This particular flywheel is only for the 2.4L. I will be in contact with them on Monday to see where the 2.0 development is at.

[Antonio]

Originally Posted by RPIpower

This particular flywheel is only for the 2.4L. I will be in contact with them on Monday to see where the 2.0 development is at.

Any word on the development of a similar flywheel for the Redline? thanks Eloy.

[xmicro_Redline]

Originally Posted by Antonio

Any word on the development of a similar flywheel for the Redline? thanks Eloy.

Good Question, this is a great mod!

[SKY 4 ME]

Dumb question. Why do they put such heavy stock flywheels on? I would think they would get better performance to use as a selling point by simply using a lighter flywheel.

[xmicro_Redline]

Originally Posted by SKY 4 ME

Dumb question. Why do they put such heavy stock flywheels on? I would think they would get better performance to use as a selling point by simply using a lighter flywheel.

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[LANDSCAPE]

Originally Posted by SKY 4 ME

Dumb question. Why do they put such heavy stock flywheels on? I would think they would get better performance to use as a selling point by simply using a lighter flywheel.

Keep in mind that it is not always the goal of a car maker to sell it with the best performance possible. They also have to weigh reliability and other factors, also if you can easily add power to a follow on year by simply changing the flywheel, or the throttle body then you get more bang.

[SKY 4 ME]

Ok. both answers make sense. Is there any draw back/concerns with simply changing a flywheel?

[Talz]

Really there shouldn't be but service departments can get imaginative at times if you find yourself needing warranty work done.

[Gerry]

There's also a downside to a lightweight flywheel.

Some things to consider:

- Engines don't make a lot of torque at very low rpm
- Flywheels store energy
- The amount of time you spend driving the car in high performance is nothing compared to the time you spend driving the car just getting around in traffic

So, with these things in consideration...

Heavier flywheels help launch the vehicle at a reasonable rpm. If you're good with the clutch, you'll find that just by slipping the clutch you can get the car moving with no throttle. This is because of the inertia of the flywheel. And the more weight something has, the more intertia it has. Where this plays out is in stop and go driving situations. It's a lot easier to launch a car with a heavy flywheel as opposed to one with a fly weight wheel. The heavier flywheel also dampens out the crankshaft pulses, which can give you a bit of a bouncy engagement and make idling around in 1st gear a bit jerky.

When cars were much bigger and heavier, there was a general rule of thumb for flywheel weight: 1 lb flywheel weight for every 100 lbs vehicle weight. But this isn't universal. The more torque an engine makes down low, the less weight you need in the flywheel. Of course, there are other considerations, like 1st gear and rear end ratio. Essentially, the more axle torque you make, the less important a flywheel observe the general rule of thumb. And the use of the vehicle has a lot to do with it too.

Of course, this extra weight has a downside and benefits the lightweight wheel. Accelleration and deccelleration are faster when you aren't using power to swing a heavy wheel.

Just like everything else when it comes to performance in a car, there are always compromises.

[Nemesis]

The problem wih changing the fly wheel is that you are making a direct exchange of high rpms for torque. But this engine wasn't balanced or designed for high rpms, it was designed for torque. The reason it weighs so much is so that the torque is high, exchanging this out will drop your torque significantly and you will have to rev the engine to get torque. For the RL this would mean bad news, as the gears are long, based on the low-end torque. I would never change the flywheel....

[RPIpower]

Yes, you do lose low end with a lighter flywheel. There are pros and cons and they are all different from car to car and from set up to set up. The best thing for you guys to do is to try driving a car (sky/solstice) with the lightened flywheel. Then you will be able to tell if the pros out weight the cons. In my case, the pros far outweight the cons.

[SKY 4 ME]

Thanks everyone. I am getting a Redline, and it sounds like for what I'm looking for this mod isn't going to be any benefit. I definately do't want to lose any torque. I was just looking to understand the pluses ans minuses with this mod. I have a much better understanding now. That's why I continue to come here. If there's a question, even from someone with little or no experience, there are usually several people that chime in on both sides. This really helps with the decisions about what mods/accessories I want to spend my money on.
SKY 4 ME