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Engine Specific Info and Questions => IDI Engine => Topic started by: nokivasara on January 20, 2008, 08:07:40 am

Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: nokivasara on January 20, 2008, 08:07:40 am
I´ve read a bunch of make-your-car-superfast-threads and I noticed a lot of you have lightened flywheels.
I thought that lighter flywheels on a diesel only would do harm, causing the engine to stall really easily.
Is there any point in lightening the flywheel on a 1.9 N/A without any other mods?
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: jimfoo on January 20, 2008, 08:22:51 am
Less rotating mass, especially on the crankshaft translates into faster acceleration as the engine can rev quicker, at least in lower gears.
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: bjornmk1 on January 21, 2008, 06:54:22 am
although new here on this forum...

from own experience I can tell you:a lighter flywheel certanly has it's benefits

pro :the car accelerates quicker

contra :the enginebreak is less effective .

and in my opinion as long as the whole rotatingmass is balanced
there is no extra wear on the engine.

just my 2cts. :wink:
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: zukgod1 on January 21, 2008, 11:32:02 am
If I could find one for my mk2 I'm building I would be all over it, heck I would have one lightned if I only knew where to have the material removed from..
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: Baselyne on January 21, 2008, 03:05:53 pm
I was just going to ask that... where does this meterial come off of?
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: TedV on January 21, 2008, 09:12:22 pm
Everywhere except the ring gear, bolt and disk area  :wink:  :lol:

lightened steel 210mm at Euro Sport (http://www.eurosportacc.com/eurosport_aluminum_lightweight_flywheel.htm)  I believe that is where my "heavy" spare light flywheel came from.   the asembly I put in to try is a touch over 15 lbs presure plate, disk, flyweel, TO plate and bolts.
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: OM617 on January 21, 2008, 11:42:07 pm
Lightened flywheel means less torque off idle but faster acceleration through the RPM range.

Weight should come from as close to the outside diameter diameter as possible. 1 pound from the outside diameter would be the same as several pounds closer to the center.
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: Baselyne on January 22, 2008, 05:52:09 am
so in theroy someone could defonetley take an machine their own?

i suppose any machine shop would'nt have a problem with cutting it down alittle here and there...

What would someone propose it would cost to have something like this done as appose to buying one from somewhere...

alum ones can't possibly last as long as the metal oE ones
what's your thoughts?
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: subsonic on January 22, 2008, 07:24:04 am
There is one careful word to remember,  balance.

It's not a take some off here and there proposistion.  It needs to be exact or you will have a fly wheel that is off balance and vibrates like crazy.
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: Gearhead on January 22, 2008, 08:01:35 am
The aluminum ones I've worked with would last longer than OE steel, theoretically.  They had steel ring gears that were replaceable and steel friction plates that bolted to the aluminum flywheel that were replaceable as well.  These weren't VWs, though.  They were on RX-7s spun to 10,500 RPM.
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: jimfoo on January 22, 2008, 08:44:13 am
I have an aluminum GM/Ford one that has a replaceable ceramic type friction plate.
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: myke_w on January 22, 2008, 01:03:50 pm
ECS tuning has some decent kits..

http://www.ecstuning.com/stage/edpd/pagebuild_v2.cgi?searchstring=flywheel&searchqt=byvehicle&make=Volkswagen&model=Jetta+II&submodel=&engine=16v
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: Baselyne on January 22, 2008, 09:43:41 pm
There seem to be some decent prices online there as well...

Im told the 16v an most all vw clutchs are the same is this true?
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: myke_w on January 22, 2008, 11:47:45 pm
the tranny you are using determines the clutch...

the 16v and ABA 2.0 motors use a tranny with a bigger spline on the main shaft, the hot setup is to get a 16v pressure plate and a good 8v clutch disc.

the splines on the main shaft on ALL other 020 tranny's are the same size.
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: Baselyne on January 23, 2008, 05:55:39 am
So the tranny to have is most likly the larger spline shaft version?

Im guessing that using a gasser tranny would be a better option?
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: myke_w on January 23, 2008, 06:51:51 am
Lets back up, what tranny do you have? Give us the code on the bottom..

If you have a 16v tranny.. you will need a 16v clutch disc

If you have an 8v tranny (older than 1993) than you need an 8v clutch disc

You can use the 16v pressure plate with either clutch disc.
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: Baselyne on January 24, 2008, 09:40:47 am
So the 16V version would be better than....Yes?

Or are they both the same mostly?
Which pressure plate do you recomend for the 8V?

Thanks for that last post, It's all coming into perspective now!
I do beleave the gasser pieces are all the same then...clutch wise
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: myke_w on January 24, 2008, 10:35:59 am
16v pressure plate is what you want
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: Baselyne on January 24, 2008, 03:25:44 pm
someone mentioned there 210mm? as appose to?
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: TedV on January 24, 2008, 08:11:18 pm
early cars, like 1.6 gas had  190mm
around early 80's like a 1.7 gas and 1.6 diesel had 200mm disk
1.8 gas introduced the 210mm disk late 80's should all be 210mm

the splines on the 16v trans are larger than regular 8v trans but the presure plate has a little more presure to it. So, you can use a 16V presure plate with an 8v disk and the above mentioned lightened flywheel for a cheap performance clutch.  If you don't ride the clutch pedal ( shouldn't do anyway) there should not be any more wear on thrust bearing or throw out parts with a stronger clutch presure plate.
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: Baselyne on January 29, 2008, 07:43:34 am
where do you messure to deturmain which of the 190mm-210mm you have?

Where on this thing should I messure?
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: Pat Dolan on January 29, 2008, 09:03:34 am
For the flywheels on 020s, lightening is a simple matter of machining off the massive ring beside the ring gear.  What I do (for gassers, diesel similar) is pull the dowel pin(s) from the flywheel (to avoid disasster) and chuck it up in the lathe.  Instead of turning the whole thing, I use an abrasive cutoff wheel to slit the vast majority of the material into a ring, and then use the lathe to face off the remaining surface.  For balance, I use a static rig I built that mounts onto a clutch cover (which I have very carefully balanced) and just drill the heavy spots until it is in balance.  I have used that on race engines that see the high side of 8 grand quite regularly, and on occassion I will take the whole thing to the local shop for electronic balancing as a double check, and I have never been even close to one oz/in off.  So, for diesel revs, this is well within tolerance for any practical reason.  

You may not want to go so light (but then again you may).  Lightening rotating mass neither adds nor removes power or torque, but it DOES allow the drivetrain to respond much more quickly to rev changes.  When you are accelerating, that means a lot less power is stored in the flywheel and ultimately will be available to accelerate the car.  Most lagginess in a diesel is coming from the turbo controller/wastegate, not from the mass of the driveline, but why throw away perfectly useable power for a smooter idle?  I tend to drive my cars, not park them running.
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: TedV on January 29, 2008, 09:13:39 am
Quote from: "Baselyne"
where do you messure to deturmain which of the 190mm-210mm you have?

Where on this thing should I messure?


measure the diameter of the clutch friction disk.  I have seen some presure plates marked 190/200 mm
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: nokivasara on February 01, 2008, 07:07:39 am
Quote from: "Pat Dolan"
For the flywheels on 020s, lightening is a simple matter of machining off the massive ring beside the ring gear.  What I do (for gassers, diesel similar) is pull the dowel pin(s) from the flywheel (to avoid disasster) and chuck it up in the lathe.  Instead of turning the whole thing, I use an abrasive cutoff wheel to slit the vast majority of the material into a ring, and then use the lathe to face off the remaining surface.  For balance, I use a static rig I built that mounts onto a clutch cover (which I have very carefully balanced) and just drill the heavy spots until it is in balance.  I have used that on race engines that see the high side of 8 grand quite regularly, and on occassion I will take the whole thing to the local shop for electronic balancing as a double check, and I have never been even close to one oz/in off.  So, for diesel revs, this is well within tolerance for any practical reason.  

You may not want to go so light (but then again you may).  Lightening rotating mass neither adds nor removes power or torque, but it DOES allow the drivetrain to respond much more quickly to rev changes.  When you are accelerating, that means a lot less power is stored in the flywheel and ultimately will be available to accelerate the car.  Most lagginess in a diesel is coming from the turbo controller/wastegate, not from the mass of the driveline, but why throw away perfectly useable power for a smooter idle?  I tend to drive my cars, not park them running.


OK, I think I have a fairly good picture of the benefits, but what about the not-so-good things with a lighter flywheel? Except the idle..
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: TedV on February 01, 2008, 10:01:14 am
hmm  bad things.


Ive heard on modified Mk3 TDi's lighter flywheel will make the light load & throttle shudder worse.

you need to be better at balancing clutch release on take off.  I'm mostly experienced with race cars and light flywheels, and if folks arn't careful they can put the car thru the front of the trailer and into the back of the tow rig ( or at least it feels that way)
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: KTMAuto on February 01, 2008, 12:10:55 pm
Light flywheels change how the clutch grabs.  If u run a 12 pound flywheel on a tdi u get clutch chatter.  Even on my 16v ice racer gasser it chatters
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: boosted_diesel_84 on February 01, 2008, 07:22:14 pm
i work at a machine shop where we lighten and balance flywheels all the time, on my audi 90, the stock flywheel was either 24 or 26 lbs, cant remember which, we lightened it down to 14,

we remove the weight by spinning it on a lathe and cutting it with a carbide cutter, which removes the mass evenly, even after taking the same amount off each side it was still over 60 grams out of balance! which is enough to cause some shakes and a rougher idle.

factory vw/audi parts are usually balanced within 5-10 grams. so 60 is deffinitly out of spec, so we have a balancer and balanced it under .1 of a gram, which is better than nascar specs.

needless to say, that car never idled smoother than what it did. it revved so much quicker and made it a lot more fun to drive. my point is professional balancing is a MUST or it can lead to problems! and you can feel the difference with it balanced correctly.

i have not lightened mine on my diesel yet, due to concerns that from the vibrations and power pulses associated with a diesel, and having a lighter flywheel wont absorb and cushion the drive train and lead to problems, any one have any input on this?

but if anyone wants theirs done contact me and i can get you a good price on having it lightened and balanced!

-Jack-
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: Dr. Diesel on February 01, 2008, 08:19:12 pm
Quote from: "bjornmk1"


contra :the enginebreak is less effective .





other way around. engine braking is more effective.
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: silvertdi on February 01, 2008, 08:19:32 pm
How are the VW diesels balanced...internally or via balancer (flywheel).  I put a Fluidamper on my Dad's Camaro...I checked out their website to see if they offered one for our cars.  They don't.  :cry:
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: boosted_diesel_84 on February 02, 2008, 08:26:19 pm
Quote
How are the VW diesels balanced...internally or via balancer


almost all german cars have each component balanced seperatly, and normally only engines that have a long crank (inline 6, v8 or bigger) have a balancer to lessen the harmonics that are produced.

i was told that back when the bugs were being developed they had bad harmonics that were breaking cranks due to stresses of being horizontally opposed, and the fix was better balancing and having a forged crank instead of cast, reason why all vw's and audis have forged cranks now. if anyone knows different than please correct me!

-Jack-
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: jtanguay on February 06, 2008, 05:07:48 am
anyone know of any good places to get flywheels lightened in the GTA???  I want to get mine lightened to around 14-16 lbs but withing a few grams... gotta keep the vibrations to a minimum  :wink:

just seems like a great idea.  i want a zippy car so this sounds like what i need!

thanks guys!
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: Pat Dolan on February 18, 2008, 06:19:47 pm
Quote from: "boosted_diesel_84"
i was told that back when the bugs were being developed they had bad harmonics that were breaking cranks due to stresses of being horizontally opposed, and the fix was better balancing and having a forged crank instead of cast, reason why all vw's and audis have forged cranks now. if anyone knows different than please correct me!

-Jack-
Well, when the bug was being developed, most of the real engineering efforts were in making clandestine war machines.

Horizontally opposed engines have extremely low levels of design-peculiar stress, since they are inherently very well balanced.  No production VW air cooled engine of which I am aware ever had (or needed) a forged crank or rods.  They didn't even have counterweights (again, not necessary due to being horizontally opposed and relatively low revving).  You will also note that they also never had (or needed) any form of vibration damper - due to the relatively short, and thus very stiff crankshaft.

Also, unfortunately, not all VWAG cranks today are forged either (though some are - such as TDIs).
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: hillfolk'r on February 18, 2008, 07:57:56 pm
Quote from: "boosted_diesel_84"
Quote
How are the VW diesels balanced...internally or via balancer


almost all german cars have each component balanced seperatly, and normally only engines that have a long crank (inline 6, v8 or bigger) have a balancer to lessen the harmonics that are produced.

i was told that back when the bugs were being developed they had bad harmonics that were breaking cranks due to stresses of being horizontally opposed, and the fix was better balancing and having a forged crank instead of cast, reason why all vw's and audis have forged cranks now. if anyone knows different than please correct me!

-Jack-




ive logged like 80k on my old td,with a 7 pound 210mm fw
now the setup is on my tdi-m,and no problems so far
heck i turned the weight off in a lathe,and didnt even balance it
my bearings looked fine on recent teardown
yea harmonics are different on a flat engine
 

heres one,,i dont know  of a supplier in the uk,,but they should be avalable somewhere there

http://store.blackforestindustries.com/21lifl.html


thats not a bad deal,actually
since i need to get my 4 puck relined(oildown),instead of surfacing my fw again,i think ill get one of those :wink:
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: boosted_diesel_84 on February 18, 2008, 09:48:07 pm
Quote from: "Pat Dolan"
 No production VW air cooled engine of which I am aware ever had (or needed) a forged crank or rods.  They didn't even have counterweights (again, not necessary due to being horizontally opposed and relatively low revving).  You will also note that they also never had (or needed) any form of vibration damper - due to the relatively short, and thus very stiff crankshaft.

Also, unfortunately, not all VWAG cranks today are forged either (though some are - such as TDIs).


i have never seen a vw/audi crank and/or rod that was not forged from the factory, gas or diesel, except a very very few 1.7 gassers had a cast crank,every bug has forged crank and rods, every idi ive seen has forged crank and rods, all 16v and 1.8 8v have forged, 1.8t's i know are forged, vr6 are forged, and the new 2.0t is also forged, and every audi motor from the old 5 cyl, to the new 4.2 v8 has forged crank/rods. i work at a machine shop that specializes in Audi/VW, and ive seen lots of motors
Title: Lighter flywheel
Post by: stewardc on February 19, 2008, 03:51:06 am
I drove in a Mk 2 Jetta with an AAZ and a lightened flywheel. the only thing I didn't like was the noticeable increase in vibration at low revs and idle. Definitely less dampening. I'll stick to the stock flywheel, thanks.