Lightening flywheel

[Nick Read]

Seeing as my whole car is in pieces at the moment with the engine out, I thought I might as well get the flywheel lightened and balanced - anyone here done it on a 16v or Willy who can tell me how it affects the way the car performs?

Im expecting a lumpier idle (its lumpy anyway with my cams) and the ability to rev up quicker...anything else to add?

 

[jimbo1]

well u can expect the engien to rev quicker, but on gear changes the engine revs will fall away a alot quicker. also when driving up hills, the power will drop off more. parking will also be a problem, as low down torque decreases. personally, id leave the flywheel alone, and stick on a stronger clutch, and a full throttle gear shift kit. then ud get sum serious speed!!

jimbo

 

[Nick Read]

Well the stronger clutch is already in, Ive had a Williams on there for a while now, by next week the Willy gearbox will be on, and Im seriously thinking about a shortshift gearlever and full throttle gearchange.

 

[Pysco]

Can you use the full throttle gearchange with NOS?

 

[Nick Read]

Well well find out when my exhaust manifold start to crack after a week of full throttle changes!

 

[coolspot007007]

How much is a full throttle gear change kit? And where do i get one? Demon Tweeks Motorsport?

 

[Nick Read]

Yeah its in the red catalogue, look at the engine management section, they all do them, Omex, Micro Dynamics, Armtech etc.

They basically are an add-on function to a normal rev limiter unit. The rev limiter on its own is not much use to me but if you get the one with FTG function, you get a clutch switch with it. Whenever you engage the clutch it will limit the revs at their current level if it senses them rising rapidly (Ie if you leave the throttle wide open). If youre just driving normally then the revs will drop as they usually do when you change gear.

It limits the revs by cutting ignition selectively across the cylinders, which will allow the intake charge to go straight through and into the exhaust system. So Im expecting decent flames and bangs, just hoping my manifold is up to the abuse. AFAIK the effect will be similar to a turbo anti lag system , which is a good way of destroying a manifold every 1000 miles!

 

[lofty]

quick shift is fantastic, get it now as i think its fairly cheap, i havnt seen it on a clio though

 

[emicen]

Maybe ask Captain Slarty bout having a cut off when u stick the clutch in to temporarily cut the NOS and save ur manifold?

 

[Nick Read]

Ive thought about it myself, could probably wire something up anyway. Ive spent the last two weeks figuring out how to hook up the nitrous controller and an ignition r****d unit so it only retards when the nitrous is armed *and* the gas is firing, *without* it actually pulsing the r****d on and off in time with the solenoids. Got it figured out now, so wiring in the FTG should be a walk in the park.

 

[kkchan]

Hi Nick


This is KK from Singapore.

lighten flywheel AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE SAFELY. Lighten flywheel will increase
acceleration and will improve
fuel consumption. However, you lose some refinement. Remember to do shortshift too...must well change a new set of clutch too.

 

[Barryd]

Nick,

I wouldnt worry about the loosing revs between gearchanges and power droping off up hills, its a myth! I had the flywheel on my old GT turbo lightened almost 50% and never suffered any of the above. You may notice a slightly lumpier idle, but more so if you fit higher lift cams too.

3 things that work really well together are lightening the flywheel, gas flowing the head and new cams.

Remember you will need to get the new clutch ballanced to the flywheel or you may get some nasty vibrations at high revs.

Fance a turbo conversion while the engine is out????

 

[Nick Read]

Cheers KK, shortshift I can do later, money is a bit tight at the moment, but I will definitely do it sometime this year.

Barry, cheers for the advice mate, I wasnt really too worried about revs dropping off between changes too much cos I always change up fast and blip the throttle on downchanges anyway.

And to be honest Ive got enough power to deal with any hills quite easily!

The head and cams have been done, just need to tweak the ignition timing to get the lump spot on, Im using my existing Williams clutch again, I would change it but it only went in a couple of months ago and its hardly worn at all. Will I still need to balance the clutch to the flywheel and how do you go about doing it.

Im seriously thinking about turbo but not yet. Maybe next year !

 

[Nick Read]

BTW the flywheel bloke took around 1kg off it, some from around the edge and some from the centre. So should be around 20% lighter

 

[coolspot007007]

Barry is it you who was fitting a turbo kit? Is it finished?

 

[BUTRE]

well... I own a highly damage valver engine... repair isnt worth it. :/ Can I use the valver clutch in my 1.4 energy? ;P eheh I guess not. Just got that idea because of the lightening flywheel.
This quote from Barryd got my attention: "Remember you will need to get the new clutch ballanced to the flywheel or you may get some nasty vibrations at high revs."

ballance the clutch? what do you mean by that? the clutch springs?

 

[BenR]

forget a quick shift. use a no clutch technque. Not sure if it will work on your cars. but anyway. before the formula renault was sequential, i had to use the rev limit to change gear. basically, as long as there is loads on the box, you cant change gear unless the clutch is engaged. so, just hold pressure on the knob, in the direction of the next gear, and when the car hits the limiter the loads will come off the box, leaving enought ime for the lever to snik into the next cog. itll take a bit of practice, but is so rewarding.

 

[BenR]

oh, S/C/C/R box might help.

 

[BUTRE]

wowowowowow... no clutch? let me get this straight...
3ª to 4º gear.. without any use of the clutch, just keep on pressing the knob till the engine goes up the rpm limit, and then with the "limit rpm cut" (damn my english eheh) it changes gear?

Im confuse about this tecnich.

 

[Nick Read]

hehe I just forked out for a new Willy gearbox Ben and I dont fancy paying for another one. I think Ill limit my clutchless antics to slipping it out of of gear, not in!

I never go to the limiter anyway, I change at around 7k, theres no point going any further really.

 

[BenR]

well, its an old technique, for mainly single seaters but it works on most performance boxes.

like a motorcycle, they dont use the clutch, you can change when ther is no loads on the box.....but the rpm must be right.

try it sowly first.
2nd gear, just accelerate normally, let off the throttle, pull out of 2nd with no clutch, hold against 3rd gear, and when the rpm hit the right spot, itll just pop in.

using the limiter takes a while to lean, and a short throw lever helps, cause you have a fraction of a sec to pop it in.

 

[BUTRE]

hum...

my gearbox is already weird... going to change valvoline to 80... In my earlier days I had 2 Super5. Their gearboxs were brilliant. My clio has something in it that cant get my trust.

 

[Anders]

I dont recommened the no clutch shifting technique!! I first heard of this on a track day - take it right to the limiter and on the first blip, bam slip it into the next cog. It works really well until my input shaft bearing deceided to shed its rollers all over the place!! New set of bearings and a lot of pissing about to get it sorted. My advice...stay with the clutch, thats what it is there for!!

 

[BenR]

yeah, without SCCR. its quite hard.

 

[BUTRE]

what is SCCR?
anyone has already got a quick shift?

 

[BenR]

Straight Cut Close Ratio box

 

[BUTRE]

Ill have two of those please.

Thank you.

 

[ak_uk]

I think ill try out the no clutch stuff on my courtesy clio while mines in the bodyshop!





Arjun

 

[Barryd]

Ben, you right about the clutchless changes in a car. But on a bike its much easier as they all use sequential boxes.

You can change up the the gears on a bike at any revs, but changing down you will need the clutch.