Reply to "Flywheel Mass vs. Acceleration"

My experience with aluminum flywheels is as follows.

They are to make the engine rev faster, which they do.
They need help at low rpms, i.e., 1000 rpm to about 1,700 rpm because they lack inertia at that rpm.

Camshafts with something like over a 236 @ .050 and overlaps of maybe 70 degrees and up, lack some punch below 2,000 rpm and maybe even 2,500 rpm.

In a vehicle with total weight (with driver) of over 3,000 pounds (like a Pantera) or so, the combination of the cam, low inertia flywheel and the vehicle weight makes the launching of the car a little touch and go.

There is no way you would want to drive that car in any kind of a bumper to bumper situation.

Even if you don't normally, even just the traffic coming out of something like a car show will give your clutch leg quite a challenge.

On the other hand that combination on the track at some kind of a high speed event will be one heck of a lot of fun and you will love it.

These are just my experiences and my opinions. I am not stating this as scientific fact, just what I have experienced.

They are in no way intended to contradict others.


The best recommendation anyone can give anyone else is to drive a car with the aluminum flywheel and a similar vehicle weight and cam timing and make your own determinations.
You might love it or hate it but until you actually test one, you will have little or no idea what anyone is talking about here.