Flywheel / Lightening It

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

My replacement engine has arrived with no flywheel on it, so i'm thinking it might be an opportunity to do something with a flywheel that i have that's i'm intending fitting to it.

 

I've read some threads on the pros/cons of lightening it, and also see that HiFlow can do it.

 

But, i have a guy/engineer next door to me who's got a turning/milling business.

 

Anybody on here done a DIY lightening and know where the meat comes off it?

 

Is it imperative that it gets balanced, even on a normal reving engine/road car?

 

 

TIA

[allanallen 528 2 Cars]

Do a search on hiflow

 

IMO if you really want a lighter flywheel I'd spend the extra and get a proper TTV one

[petert 586]

On a standard flywheel, much of the mass is in the Motronic teeth, which you can't really remove unless you trigger the ECU by some other means. Thus you really can't take much out, as a percentage. As above, buy a TTV.

[GLPoomobile 958]

Do a search on hiflow

Or just save time and erradicate their name from your memeory and move on.

[S@m 156]

Or just save time and erradicate their name from your memeory and move on.

 

Very sound advice here.

[dcc 855]

high fail.

 

As for the ttv things, the ones which I have seen (admitted they are mi16/gti design) are all s*it. they have massive areas of burn from clutch slip, which gives un even surface for clutch. to get them 'planed' will cost around £120 as I was told they are almost too tough for the wheel.

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

funny, you should say that about HF. I phoned them last year about doing a Leak down test for me and by the end of the telephone conversation and £2k later he had all but rebuilt my engine.

 

I'll look at the TTV one, from some old threads on the 6 forum, Lynx sell them (or did).

 

 

If i just stick to standard, is it just a case of bolting the one i have straight on?

[welshpug 1,657]

Yep, preferably with new bolts, at the very least with threadlock and a torque wrench.

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

I've just ordered the screws (bag of 10), but i never ordered the little pin (min order also a bag of ten.)

[Dizzee stuff 33 1 Cars]

I have a TTV flywheel and have had no problems with it.

[JeffR 51]

I had my Mi16 flywheel lightened but the engineering company weren't prepared to rip into it and only removed about .3 kg from the back.

I've since purchased a TTV one but not fitted yet.

 

[camgti 56]

Ive got a TTV and am very happy with it. Customer service very prompt etc.

 

Its been on the car for about 1000 Miles and no problems at all. Bought it 2-3 months ago so its one of the newer type. They did have issues with them in the past ( 3 years ago ). I had an engineering friend inspet and measure mine to be sure and he was impressed with the quality.

 

A good friend has a GTi6 flywheel lightened to 5.7 Kgs down from 7.2 ( i think form memory ). He has had it on his car for over 40 000Km and its been fine.

 

 

If you have the cash get a TTV. Its made a big difference in the way the car wants to get on with it! The only downside that I can see is the way it drops revs when coming to a light etc. Its not a downside for me, I like it.

 

 

Cam

[welshpug 1,657]

Personally I would not use one on a road car, I have seen too many heat damaged examples that needed skimming to be usable, they don't seem to be able to cope with road use.

 

Due to the material used skimming is not cheap, we were quoted near half the original selling price of the flywheels, they were £200 originally IIRC!

[hudson 10]

Just bought one from Rich w very well made piece of kit and happy enough with price engine builder commented that it was a decent piece of work

[Anthony 1,003]

You can significantly lighten the standard Mi16/GTi-6 flywheel, but choose carefully who to do the work as a flywheel breaking up at high revs is at best going to cause a lot of damage, at worse seriously injure or kill someone (there's more than enough energy for it to go through the gearbox casing and bulkhead into the passenger cabin!)

 

This is my flywheel (right) that's somewhere around 4kg compared to a standard 6.5kg flywheel (left).

 

 

 

This has been on a few engines now over the years (used to belong to James_R who longer term members will remember) and has done lots of road and track mileage without issue. I believe that it was originally done by an engineering contact of Miles's some years back.

 

Normally I'd have been pretty wary of a flywheel that heavily machined, but I figured if James had failed to kill it, I was probably pretty safe

[Biggles 65]

You can significantly lighten the standard Mi16/GTi-6 flywheel, but choose carefully who to do the work as a flywheel breaking up at high revs is at best going to cause a lot of damage, at worse seriously injure or kill someone (there's more than enough energy for it to go through the gearbox casing and bulkhead into the passenger cabin!)

 

Indeed - I can testify to that. I was co-driving in a semi short stroke 1290cc Mini a number of years ago when the std, lightened flywheel burst at about 9500 revs ... it was the loudest bang I have ever heard and the bits cut their way through the casing, rad & oil cooler and were off up the road into the distance. It's the only time I've ever got out of a rally car shaking visibly ...

Edited September 24, 2014 by Biggles

[camgti 56]

WP. WHen you say heat damage, it is from them being used in traffic etc. On and off the clutch slipping a lot etc?

 

Cam

[welshpug 1,657]

I would imagine so, or careless clutch control etc.

 

 

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

Anthony, i wasn't expecting so much meat to be taken off.....

 

Think if i go down the lightening route i'll splash out on a pukka item.

[Matteo 17 1 Cars]

I have fitted a 3,5 Kg billet TTV racing with pulse ring in mine about 1 year ago and no issue till now :-)

I use standard Valeo clutch disk and uprated pressure plate.

[cheesegrater 43 1 Cars]

I've used my TTV for a few years now and covered more than 20k no problems here. Again as Anthony said be very careful, a friend of mine had a flywheel shear on him.

[Karl 15 1 Cars]

I got mine from rich at lynx got a billet lightened one spins up really good but u can feel the loss of inertia so if you wanna giv it some you need to be good at upshifting quick