[SPC-List] lightweight flywheel review

[Bryce Austin]

Hello fellow Saturnoleos! A few months back, I decided
it was time for a new clutch (96K miles and 2 race
seasons had taken their toll). At the same time, I
decided to install a Fidanza lightweight flywheel. Now
that I've driven with it for a few thousand miles, I
can give a review of what it's like to drive a "stock"
Saturn drivetrain with a lightweight flywheel.

First, the downsides:

1) The engine is easier to stall out, no question
about it. However, I have adjusted to the reduced
inertia in a matter of days and have no problem
anymore in daily driving. I may be utilizing a little
more clutch slippage to start off in first gear, but
my old clutch still had PLENTY of material left on
it-- it was the pressure plate that was getting weak.
So, I'm not at all worried about this.

2) The hole in the middle of the Fidanza flywheel is a
hair too small for the Saturn crankshaft boss. Even
after cleaning up the crankshaft and heating the
flywheel with a torch, it refused to go on. Some LIGHT
work with a dremel tool and a sanding wheel took care
of the problem, but it was hard to bring myself to
free-hand sand a balanced piece of machinery...

3) After installation, I have noticed that the engine
RPM's dip a bit lower when letting off the clutch. The
engine has never actually stalled, but the RPM's dip
and raise several times when approaching a stoplight
(while in neutral, of course). However, this is a
SMALL issue-- probably something that only people like
Lane and I would even bother to mention. When the car
is stopped at a light, though, it idles just fine.

4) I may be picking up a SLIGHT increase in overall
vibration from the engine. Maybe I'm kidding myself,
though, and this also may have something to do with
enlarging the flywheel hole (see #2).

5) There is probably less resistance to overheating
the clutch, since there is a lot less mass to absorb
the heat generated. I'm guessing that this isn't an
issue for anything other than repeated drag runs or
blatant street abuse...

6) The flywheel is expensive. An OEM flywheel is a
little over $100, and the Fidanza is $400. Welcome to
the aftermarket.

Now, for the UPSIDES!

1) The car pulls noticeably harder, particularly in
low gears. This is an immediate and obvious increase--
it's really cool. It's an even greater increase than
what my lightweight wheels provided (and they dropped
26lbs total).

2) The shifts. Ah, the shifts. With the stock
flywheel, I always felt like I had to wait way too
long in between upshifts in order to let the engine
RPM's drop enough to match the speed of the tranny.
That problem is GONE! The RPM's drop off much faster
now, and the whole feel of driving the car has changed
dramatically.

3) There is less weight over the front wheels now, but
I don't notice any difference in daily driving. It may
be noticeable on track, though.

4) Starting the engine is easier than it was. It never
occurred to me that I would discern a difference in
this area, but it's obvious that the starter has less
to work to do in accelerating the engine than it did.
The difference is more dramatic in warm weather than
cold, though, probably due to increased oil viscosity
playing a larger role.

In short, this modification has changed the car's feel
into more of a "sports" car than anything I've ever
done prior. The first impression I got after
installing it is that it felt a lot like a 2000
Boxster I had driven recently. The flywheel's effect
is probably more of a personal feel than a
documentable statistic, but I just love it. My only
regret is that I waited so long to make this mod-- I
would have loved it coming off the showroom floor this
way!

And we now return you to your regularly scheduled
program already in progress...

--Bryce
'94 SC2

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