That's what I thought. So is 20 LBS a noticeable improvement?

 

I think arif (non active member now) has a South Bend 20 lbs flywheel. I helped him with his setup, and his felt great for not being stock. It was a pefect for daily driving/track.

 

Does anyone have dyno results or video with a lightweight flywheel? That would be nice.

 

search arif.. hes making 300whp and runs 13ish at the track

 

The lighter the fw, the more hp it will free up, however, the heavier it is, the easier it is to drive. Just get a lighter steel fw and you will be happy

 

A lighter flywheel will not increase power.

However, it will make the engine rev more freely, less rotating mass means the maximum safe revs is increased.

I am not a fan of aluminium flywheels, and have removed these from customers cars, never fitted any.
Aluminium and steel have different expansion qualities, and there is a tendency for the steel friction surface to warp.

In one of the most extreme cases I've come accross, the friction surface was so badly warped, some of the retaining rivets were dragged out of the aluminium.

I supply lightweight steel items, for 1.8T, 2.7T, as well as all other V6 and V8 models, for both 4 and 5V engines.

This is the one going into my S8-engined B5 quattro...

 

 

My 12lb flywheel and excedy stage 3 clutch are a pain to opperate sometimes. The engagement you cannot feel in the pedal and its just annoying for city driving although I am pretty used to it.

 

Thanks guys, you've given me a lot of useful information. I'm pretty sure I want to go with a stage 2 Southbend clutch kit, but am still unsure of which flywheel to go with. I know their stage 2 kit comes with a 12lb AWE aluminum flywheel. My question is, "Will this flywheel handle the same amount of abuse for as long as a steel flywheel would?" The entire kit is priced at $849. Can I get more performance and durabilty for my money?

 

Re-read the thread. Pretty much everyone agrees: avoid aluminum. You'll get more durability out of a steel flywheel.