Is It Worth Balancing Crankshaft

[chris1986 1]

as i'm spending alot recently on this car, i'd just like to know is it worth lightening and balancing the crankshaft on a standard bottom end. top end will just be gas flowed i think. does anyone know the process of this as i have been quoted 300 for the gas flow and 150 to 250 for the crankshaft to be done. will also have new bearings and head will be cleaned up with new guides. thankyou

plus i can't quote on these prices as this was just quick over the phone this morning

[welshpug 1,646]

yes, not sure on the cost but it does seem a bit steep, but then Is that the total for the bottom end work or the balancing alone?

 

I mention this as Autosprint quote £84.50 for a full 4 cylinder engine balance (crank, pulleys/gears, flywheel, con rods and pistons) but then that doesn't include lightening, just balancing, which is the most important bit for a standard engine.

 

the main purpose is to make the engine rev freely, thus transferring more power to the flywheel rather than turning itself and turning against imbalances.

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

Just be very careful of who does the headwork, Allot of companies loose power not gain any and to me the £300.00 sounds far to cheap, The If your balancing the engine it all should be done with the clutch assy but the factory balancing is fine for road use

[phonecomz 0]

Not sure you would gain a great deal from lightening the crank so much with the spec you are considering.

 

Balancing will give you a nice free reving engine but as mentioned they are pretty well balanced as standard.

 

If you look at my thread for my current rebuild, im using a lightened flywheel, different rods and pistons, clutch cover etc so decided to balance them both seperatly first, then together. Lightening is quite and art and must be done by someone who really knows what they are doing so check first.

 

Balancing a crank can become more expensive the more it is lightened as it takes longer.

 

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?s...n%2040&st=0

 

full engine balance for 4 cyl, inc rods, pistons, clutch cover, flywheel etc £89.00 - do not do lightening though, only balancing.

[PumaRacing 2]

as i'm spending alot recently on this car, i'd just like to know is it worth lightening and balancing the crankshaft on a standard bottom end.

 

No.

[chris1986 1]

thats all wanted to hear,as i'm no expert, cheers

what would you recomend whilst the engine is in bits? it's having the rings done while its out also the bearings. if i were keeping the standard valves but a differant cam do you think it would be worth getting the head done? is gas flowing the same a polish but a differant technique? only asking as don't want to get ripped off. is there any good upgrades to do to the bottom end or is it good enogh standard. any one advise a good camshaft or are alot of the advertised ones no real use

[Guest ashnicholls]

Why do you say no?

 

Lightening and balancing can only help.

 

And put less strain on the engine compents, if its all done properly.

[benlilly 0]

Lightening a std bottom end isn't worth it as they don't rev particularly high. The std crank is not heavy and the flywheel is hardly a porker. If you do lighten anything, go for the flywheel. Cheapest to do and best returns as it has the biggest diameter.

 

A full ballance should not be expensive. I had mine done by Bassett Down in Swindon a couple of months ago. Crank, rods and pistons for £98 inc VAT. It would have been less but the rods needed quite a bit of work. The owner, Phil, is very knowlegeable, works on lots of racing engines (many V8's to which engine balance is very critical compared to in line), and has been doing it a long time.

[smckeown 1]

Why do you say no?

 

Lightening and balancing can only help.

 

And put less strain on the engine compents, if its all done properly.

 

One of the good things about Dave (yes I can compliment him now and then) is that he's good at advising what's worth doing when rebuilding an engine. He's basically saying save your money on lightening and balancing on a road oriented engine.

 

Sean

[Rik 0]

Can we now take the other possibility into account?

 

Is it worth lightening and balancing on a Track Oriented Car, taking no account of specification?

 

but with the understanding that the engine will be regularly be used high in the rev range...

 

Rik

[smckeown 1]

Can we now take the other possibility into account?

 

Is it worth lightening and balancing on a Track Oriented Car, taking no account of specification?

 

but with the understanding that the engine will be regularly be used high in the rev range...

 

Rik

 

From my experience with Puma i'd say the need for balancing or not majorly depends at what revs your engine will be running at. The advangates of building an engine with a good spread of torque (say 3k revs) below say 7k rev limit means the bottom end can be significantly cheaper than otherwise (i.e. less need for lightening and balancing). However, it's a lot cheaper than I expected (i'm having it done on my new engine) but i'm creeping up the revs a bit also.

[christopher 5 1 Cars]

Perhaps this topic asked by ben from this forum may provide some insight

 

http://www.guy-croft.com/viewtopic.php?t=3...ance+crankshaft