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Chromoly Flywheel Reviews?

29K views 27 replies 14 participants last post by  epikeddie 
#1 · (Edited)
I'm about to replace my OE 208K+ clutch (due to bearing noise) and after reading all the pros & cons of aluminum flywheels, am leaning towards a chromoly one instead. I will be dropping to the 1.6 size with an Exedy clutch. This has been my DD and ES toy (CSP this coming season). I am looking at several CM Flywheels and am especially intrigued with the F1 Racing Prolite. Does anyone care to give a review of this choice?
 
#2 ·
CSP?? get the fidanza aluminum... ive had NO issues with mine and its used. and all that talk about driveability issues with such a light flywheel? BS, drives like stock. as far as your exedy clutch you mean either a stage 1 or 2 right? stock is exedy is why i ask.
 
#3 · (Edited)
If your going with chromoly XTD or F1, are easily the best values for the money.

I've had & heard of bad experiences with fidanzas on hondas(turbo cars)...maybe the high output had something to do with it(ring gear came off on one, friction material straight up shattered on another)

for DD use I'd reccomend the exedy stage 2 thick less weight than a full disc but decent driveability.

not sure of CSP rules but you might want to consider the 949 organic twin....weighing in around 14lbs it'll be supreme in lightwight & longevity ....will have input soon as to streetability ;)
 
#4 ·
I DD my Fidanza 1.8 flywheel and have for years. Its the best mod I've done to it so far (and by far), but if given a choice I'd like a slightly heavier one..maybe 10 or 12 lbs instead of 8, which is why I went with a 1.8 one instead of the 6 lb 1.6 flywheel.

Theres nothing wrong with it, but you do have to slip the clutch a bit more when starting from a stop, and the revs drop almost too fast when switching gears. My transmission is a bit less smooth than others I've driven, plus thanks to the pigtail from the factory, I still have some air in the clutch line.

As far as quality, I've felt Fidanza has been one of the best names in the field for a while now, and it was almost too pretty to put in the car. I'd recommend a 10 lb flywheel such as that if I had the choice. Thats certainly a good price, and the same vendor I bought my "happy meal" from (clutch kit and flywheel)
 
#5 ·
I have the ACT Prolite (10.4 lbs) and I love it so far. I haven't had any issues with excessive noise or anything of that sort like some flys do.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the replies everyone! The purpose of the chromoly flywheel is to lessen the chance of deceleration buzz that is part of the lighter weight (aluminum) flywheel experience. Loosing 8 pounds just going with the chromoly -vs- the stock, coupled with the weight difference between the exedy 1.6 clutch & pressure plate -vs- 1.8 clutch & pressure plate I hope will net me a nice dual use driving experience.

I realize that most will want me to go drop a couple of grand for the ultimate CSP National Championship Clutch/Flywheel combo, but I am only competing locally and frankly most of my past ES runs compared closely with the CSP guys already. This combination should put me in contention even before I upgrade my suspension a little more.

Why would I need anything stronger than a stock clutch with a 208K stock motor? The only issue I've had with my OE 13 year old clutch after 3 seasons of ES competition was smoking it a couple of times by inadvertently side stepping my launch instead of dumping the clutch. Other than that, it has never slipped in any gear, at any time.

Keep em coming!
 
#7 · (Edited)
by going with the exedy thick stage 2 you'd reduce weight further(another pound or so) and it's not that much more than a normal stage 1 exedy clutch....all rotating mass mass is crucial in tight competive events...I'd argue almost as much as suspension setup and tire compound. if your gonna do it might as well go fwith stuff that should last longer and or offer a better gain :)


also 949 twin disk isn't "a couple grand"....at 1100 shipped (give or take a couple bucks) it's a better deal bing that it's signifigantly lighter and much easier to spin the motor than a spec aluminum preasure plate clutch and fidanza flywheel(nearly 900 for the combo) which is what I've heard of several CSP guys using


but it's your car and your budget so do what you can.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I'm just trying to follow the advise I read from 2 people I trust (not that I don't trust the above advise). The only modifications are going with the chromoly flywheel instead of the aluminum offerings and a stock clutch disc instead of a solid hub organic. My main reason for the thread was reviews on the F1 Racing Prolite 10lb. Chromoly Flywheel.

This is why:
Emilio from 949 on 7/14/07 Miata.net thread titled CSP clutch & flywheel: dollars vs. performance
$300 Fidanza 1.6 7.4 lbs
$50 OE daikin 1.6 PP 6.1 lbs
$85 Clutchnet solid hub organic disc 1.3 lbs

14.8 lbs about $450 shipped
and this:
Andy Hollis in the same thread
Here's a quantitative way to evaluate them...

If you think you can come within 3 tenths of the top guys nationally, which means you'll earn a top-five trophy at Nats, then spend the money on the fancy stuff. Otherwise buy a good, lightweight "normal" 1.6 clutch and flywheel.

--Andy
 
#9 ·
Hmm. need to talk to emilio... the one post about multi-plate clutch systems needing to be rebuilt every year or so doesn't seem very appealing


wonder how that 1.6 disc would hold up in a 1.8 soon to be making over 150whp

with a chromoly flywheel the setup you quoted from emilio would probably be around 16-17lbs
 
#28 ·
That's the reason why multi-plate clutches are not recommended for anything other than track cars.

The clutch disks themselves are not suitable for the rigors of daily driving (i.e. slipping the clutch to drive a parking-lot speeds). Slipping the clutch will indeed shorten the life of the disks which ultimately will lead to a rebuild using the provided parts.

I think Emilio's kit is from Competition Clutch. They should have all the rebuild parts there.

Erik's Ogura Racing Clutch is the same thing, but that thing has METAL plates. That one will definitely require rebuilds more often because it has metal plates instead of an organic plate (like yours). Metal plates destroy the flywheel beyond recognition and that is one of the pieces that have to replaced during the rebuild.

I've ran a great deal of different clutch setups. Multi-plate assemblies are definitely for a more dedicated track car. The friction zone is very small and you have very little "give" in terms of slippage. I've personally seen even race cars get winched on their trailers or cause other unloading damages because of how AGGRESSIVE the initial bite is. One of the race car engineers also mentioned that they perform rebuilds very frequently on the clutch systems.

For the OP,

Definitely get a Chromoly flywheel. Aluminum flywheels like the Fidanzda units have terrible friction surfaces that very fragile when put into extreme use. When I say extreme.....

I mean couple of clutch kicks at a drift event. That was enough to destroy one of my Fidanza units. Stay away from aluminum if you're planning to drive aggressively.

Toda, Maruha, and others are all great choices. Find a used one.....they're still good and cheap too.
 
#11 ·
If you're going to be running more power, but still want a 1.6 clutch buy a stage 1 w/ light fly and you should be fine. I know a guy who runs (or ran) close to 200 whp with a stage 1/1.5 clutch and light fly with no issues.
 
#13 ·
Well they guys who have run that set up run it on a purpose built autox car for the better part of a year or so and IIRC they still run after going back to N/A
 
#14 ·
***UPDATE***

I bit the bullet and ordered the Exedy 1.6 clutch kit/F1 Racing 10lb. flywheel combo. When it arrives I'll post a few picks and observations as to visual quality. When it is installed and broken in, I'll post a review. Thanks again for everyone's thoughts and recommendations.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Nothing scientific. I did a google search for both & the only thing i could find on the XTD was links to product reviews but no links to actually buy the product, when I did eventually find it on eBay, it was JDM this and JDM that with Kanji symbols plastered all over the ad, which to me was a turn off. When I did a search on the F1, I found lots of links to reviews as well, but also lots of links to purchase the F1 with absolutely no references to JDM. JDM references, to me, are code words for crap. Not that I have any problems with buying products produced for the (J)apan (D)omestic (M)arket or anyone finding it to be a mark of desirability (to each his own), I do own a Miata after all. They may be a better product or equal in every way, I don't know. Everyone has a preference, mine is to buy a product that doesn't rely on trendy terms to entice people to buy. Just my $.02 YMMV
 
#18 ·
I have a F1 chromoly flywheel in my NB. I bought it from gripforce.

The factory bolts that go through the pressure plate and into the flywheel had a 8x1.00 thread, and the flywheel had an 8x1.25 ( I think..)

This pretty much immediately turned me off to the f1 products, but I called gripforce and talked to a guy named Art, he said it wasnt uncommon. He knew what I was talking about, and said in the future they may be including the correct hardware.
Supposedly "some" or a "batch" of miata's have different threads. I assume its just n/a's and n/b's.

Regardless, the quality looks really nice, and the flywheel looked flawless.
I used a ACT aluminum flywheel in my galant vr4, and although I liked it, it pretty much sucked for street use. Also, i spent more on my flywheel alone on that car then I did on my clutch and flywheel for this car.
 
#19 ·
I have a F1 chromoly flywheel in my NB. I bought it from gripforce.

The factory bolts that go through the pressure plate and into the flywheel had a 8x1.00 thread, and the flywheel had an 8x1.25 ( I think..)

This pretty much immediately turned me off to the f1 products, but I called gripforce and talked to a guy named Art, he said it wasnt uncommon. He knew what I was talking about, and said in the future they may be including the correct hardware.
Supposedly "some" or a "batch" of miata's have different threads. I assume its just n/a's and n/b's.

Regardless, the quality looks really nice, and the flywheel looked flawless.
I used a ACT aluminum flywheel in my galant vr4, and although I liked it, it pretty much sucked for street use. Also, i spent more on my flywheel alone on that car then I did on my clutch and flywheel for this car.
how many miles have put on the flywheel?
 
#21 ·
I see that you bought the Exedy chromoly flywheel - seems like a good choice, It was one of the options I was considering last fall.

Other than what has already been said, another benefit of chromoly flywheels is that they are usually one piece, machined from a single piece of chromoly. Aluminum flywheels are at least two pieces, consisting of an aluminum center bolted to a steel outer ring. The steel ring is necessary as a starter's gear would quickly wear down an aluminum ring gear.

I bought a Fidanza for my street car years ago and have been happy with it. If I had to do it again, I would go with a single piece chromoly. Actually, I installed Maruha's Power Clutch system in my race car at the end of the 2009 season.

Here's some info about my Maruha Power Clutch System.
http://web.me.com/willm/Site/Engine_Build_%26_Track_Blog/Entries/2009/10/1_Maruha_Power_Clutch_System.html]Will's Engine Build / Maruha Power Clutch & Flywheel
Follow the link at the bottom for more pictures.
Though I haven't updated my website with driving impressions, my overall impressions have been great. I'm very satisfied with the clutch and pressure plate, and the service I received from Maruha. I asked Maruha a bunch of questions before ordering this part and was surprised to hear that many of Maruha's customers use the power clutch system on their street cars. I figured the metal non-sprung clutch would be unstreetable, but according to Saiji at Maruha, many customers are very happy with it. Now that I've driven the car on/off the trailer, on the dyno, around the block, around the paddock, and on the track, I actually believe it. Pedal feel, super-fast shifts, and the willingness of the engine to rev, are all awesome.

Here are some examples of one piece chromoly flywheels vs. 2-piece aluminum flywheels:

Fidanza Aluminum (2 piece, bolted together)


ACT Prolite Steel (2 piece, pressed together)


Maruha 01R Type-C Light (single piece)


Exedy Chromoly (single piece)
 
#23 ·
I got this and have been running it for almost 2 months. runs GREAT!

Wish i took pic's, but the Chromoly flywheel looks alot like the Exedy. engagement of the 6puck disc isn't bad either.

So if your on a budget, i think it's the best combo deal. :slayer:
 
#24 ·
i'm about to order a clutch and flywheel for my miata, i was considering the fidanza but i've talked to many ppl who have it and they said that it drops too quickly for some tastes, (1.8L). which is why i'm considering the 10.3 from Flyin Miata.

My main concern, however, is should i have the bottom end rebalanced if i did go with the 8.3lb flywheel. i have a friend who is a lincensed pro nhra driver and actually really knows his stuff, and he was saying i should check to see if our motors require a rebalance with such a light weight flywheel since the stock weight from what i read is either 19 or 20lbs.
 
#26 ·
...i should check to see if our motors require a rebalance with such a light weight flywheel since the stock weight from what i read is either 19 or 20lbs.
Nope, you'll be fine, especially if you are using the stock crank pulley.

While balancing the entire rotating assembly would be optimal, it is hardly necessary. You won't notice any difference on a balanced vs. non-balanced assembly, especially on a stock engine. For what it is worth, I do not believe that Mazda balances engines when they are building 'em. The parts may be balanced individually, but not to each other, and that is what your friend is suggesting.

At the very least you'll want to check the pressure plate surface and clutch, and at the very most, you'll want to resurface the pp, but even that is not likely to be necessary.

Do go for a new pilot and throw-out bearing though.
 
#25 ·
I believe my 1.6 flywheel was 18 lbs. Yes, the engine will lose a bit of balance, but its really nothing worth concerning yourself with unless you need those extra fractions. The car will shake/vibrate more at idle and such with it, but its not too different from putting nice bushings all over the car.

The cost vs. gain for that, especially on a low powered car like this, is incredibly bad.
 
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