Aluminum Flywheel Experiances

[MerlinGTI 3]

Anyone had any experiance fitting aluminium flywheels?

 

Ive read some horror stories of them comming loose repeadly, probably due to ally being more heat sensitive and softer.

 

Theres people saying use washers on the bolts to stop the ally getting chewed up and effecting the torque settings? Theres people machining up washer plates etc...

 

What threadlock? im thinking Loctite 270?

 

New STD bolts good enough?

 

Looking for general guidance really I dont enjoy taking gearbox's off every 5 mins, and I certinally dont enjoy picking pieces of flywheel out of my skull at 70mph!

 

Cheers

[stu8v 68 1 Cars]

I dont see any reason they should come loose, after all your alloys dont fall off........

 

Correctly torqued down it should be fit and forget.

[Tom Fenton 1,561]

It depends how confident you are about the supplier! If it has been made correctly then it should be from sufficiently hard alloy that it should not yield when the bolts are torqued down. However I would certainly be tempted to get hold of some hardened washers to help things a bit.

[tomcolinjones 26]

I dont see any reason they should come loose, after all your alloys dont fall off........

 

Correctly torqued down it should be fit and forget.

 

 

Alloy just means some metals mixed together, you dont have solid aluminium wheels, that would be useless.

and you dont have solid aluminium flywheels, theres different compounds i think the word is. different additives and stuff to make them harder at resisting friction plate wear, rather than holding together on a track wioth sideways forces e.t.c

 

not a rant, just dont want you getting mixed up.

Edited December 30, 2010 by tomcolinjones

[MerlinGTI 3]

KAD is the supplier, so im pretty confident. Saying this previous experiance with people\companies in general has taught me 'if you want it done right do it yourself' & 'Trust no one'

 

What loctite would your reccommend Tom? 270 sound ok? Also Mr.Fenton any online suggestions for these hardened washers? I can forsee my nut and bolt shops + B&Q looking at me like ive just asked for dildo made of peanut butter!

[tomcolinjones 26]

What loctite would your reccommend Tom? 270 sound ok? Also Mr.Fenton any online suggestions for these hardened washers? I can forsee my nut and bolt shops + B&Q looking at me like ive just asked for dildo made of peanut butter!

 

To be honest, i havnt got a clue which loctite to use. i may have made myself look more intelegent than i actualy am! i just know a little bits about alloys becasue it was part of a course i have just done.... loctite was in it but i have forgotten all about that! it is kinda importent too, dont want calipers falling of jakyls and panthers!

 

and due to your comment about B&Q staff... i have just spat tea all over the screen! legend!

[MerlinGTI 3]

Its the old 'Two Tom' confusion going on here

 

I was asking Mr.Fenton /\ /\ but everyone's input is appreacited, including yours Mr.tomcolinjones

 

EDIT: It has been pointed out via PM by a rather saucy forum member that my spelling in the OP is well... dog s*it. For this I appoligise, its not like I can disagree! I would however like to take this opportunity to tell kids to stay in school and drugs are bad.

Edited December 30, 2010 by MerlinGTI

[Cameron 16]

Do you mean 2701, not 270? I would use 243 is I were you, medium strength threadlocker will be sufficient. That is unless you don't ever want to undo it again!

 

Here's a good link for selecting threadlock: Click!

 

Our Formula Student team was sponsored by Loctite, so I have lots of freebies and information packs.

 

EDIT:

 

Sorry, just found 270! It's a high strength compound for permanently sealing threads - it will not come undone again! Use 243.

Edited December 30, 2010 by Cameron

[swordfish210 20]

There certanly are a lot of horror stories about alloy flywheels in the same way there are a lot about badly lightened flywheels however it doesnt stop the majority of perfromance cars being fitted with them. KAD are a pretty well established company so i can't imagine there being any huge problems with it. Good washers are a must but personally i wouldn't use threadlock i would just use some silicone. Threadlock can be pretty powerful stuff and imagine the world of s*it you would be in if you snapped a flywheel bolt off

[MerlinGTI 3]

Thanks Cameron 2701 is an 'improved' 270 apparently. I will get some 243 (as well as the 270 I just bought 30 seconds before you replied! Doh! )

 

Can anyone help me out with these washers?

[swordfish210 20]

What's wrong with plain washers?

[MerlinGTI 3]

What's wrong with plain washers?

 

Tom scared me I guess a normal mild steel washer could compress slightly over time allowing the bolt to loosen. Given the harshness of a flywheels envionment I dont really wanna mess about

[swordfish210 20]

Sorry i missed Toms post, that'll teach me to skim read. Any decent fixing place will sell hardened washers, if you can't find any i could get some for you from a place near me and mail them up.

[MerlinGTI 3]

How kind is that!

 

When my local fixings place is open I will give them a whirl, If I get a funny look I will take you up on your kind offer sir

[swordfish210 20]

It'll cost you though

 

[MerlinGTI 3]

I will give you $90 billion + my peanut butter dildo, not a penny more!

 

(I hope you didnt skim read the earlier dildo refrence, or your gonna think im propper weird(er) right now! )

[swordfish210 20]

Yeah that'll have to do, i've been in the market for a good quality peanut butter dildo for sometime now.

[james_pug 26 1 Cars]

Ask KAD them selves, ask for Dave he probly runs one in his mi16 track car.

[MerlinGTI 3]

Rang um today (no answer, fair enough with the time of year)

Joined their forum (still waiting to be approved)

Sent them an email (see #1)

 

I think between us we have sorted it but I will keep trying KAD

[GTI6BOY 29]

chris, i always use genuine bolts which come loctighted. Happy new year also

[MerlinGTI 3]

Happy new year Nick mate

 

OE bolts come with blue thread lock preapplied.

*usually* blue is an indication of a weak threadlock. Not always and god knows what brand Pug use, but I'm just being a bit OTT to try and prevent the possibility of massive problems later on.

 

If I was using a OE flywheel I would just slapp it on with new bolts and nothing else

[GTI6BOY 29]

My engine reved quicker than most and i never had any probs

 

you will be fine torqued up to correct figures

[MerlinGTI 3]

You ran a steel fly tho didn't you dude?