[6eggs]

I've seen this debated before, what is your view on using a lightened flywheel on the TDI?

 

[chittychittybangbang]

I have no view since I haven't tried it on the TDI and from what I understand, most people don't. Pros - faster revving. Cons - harder to engage clutch from a full stop due to lighter flywheel, unknown gains.

 

[iansw]

If you do use one you have to give it a little more revs when moving from a stop. The heavier flywheel keeps the engine moving when you release the clutch. A lighter flywheel will help the engine rev a little easier but a lot of people say that they don't notice it. Obviously, this applies only to manual tranny cars. For a daily driver, you engage the clutch a lot but don't floor it a lot so I wouldn't bother with a lightened flywheel.

Some aftermarket flywheels also need to have the TDC marked...they don't come with the correct mark. IMO, move to a single mass G60 flywheel and use the VR6 if you need a clutch soon. Some people report increased chatter at idle too.

 

[6eggs]

I've been looking around, what is the weight of the g60 flywheel compared to the stock flywheel?

 

[iansw]

Stock is 22 lbs, lightened is normally about 14-15 lbs.

IMO, if you want to reduce rotational weight, buy lighter wheels and brakes/brake rotors. The diesel engine pulses are more noticable with a lighter flywheel and the lack of the dampening DMF will also add more drivetrain noise.

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Yeah, I have a lightened flywheel on my gas car and for my purposes, lighter wheels and overall wheel and tire diameter made a much bigger differnce than the lightened flywheel. It's kind of pointless to have a lightened flywheel if the tire/wheel diameter changes the gearing too much.

 

[iansw]

It's also a matter of money though. A lightened flywheel is about the same cost as a stock weight flywheel. Lightened wheels are a lot more expensive than wheels that might be cheap because they are heavy.

 

[darren]

But is the effect of lightening the flywheel the same as lighter wheels? What I mean is, is it a 1:1 ratio of benefit?

 

[fstjetta]

IMO, everyone who uses lighter wheels should be able to feel it and benefit from it every day,not everyone who uses a lighter flywheel will benefit from it every day. Still, a lighter flywheel should make it easier for the engine to rev. The pulses from the power stroke will make the idle rougher though. Each is like a little push, and with lighter flywheel, the pulses push the flywheel more because there's less mass.

 

[6eggs]

Kind of an old thread, but its related to the clutch writeup that went up.

It says that using a lightened or solid flywheel moves the springs to the clutch, what is the weight benefit there, how much does the clutch disk weigh? If the stock DMF is 22 lbs, what is the break even weight for how much the clutch should weigh?

 

[chittychittybangbang]

I don't know the break even point, I don't think you should worry about 1 or 2 pounds overall difference. It will make a difference, but it's so small that unless you are looking for top performance, ignore it. Plus, the clutch kit is normally weighed with the pressure plate. The pressure plate and flywheel should be considered 1 unit. A lighter flywheel with a heavier PP will cancel any lighter effect.

A heavier clutch will too, but it also effects the quality of shifting and transmission wear. Again, the differences are pretty small, so worry more about making sure it can has enough clamping force for your plan but not too much clamping force.

 

[6eggs]

thanks, that's what i thought.