nightowl

just a couple of questions:

will it damage my engine over time?

will it make my car uncontrollable on the street?

will i have to upgrade my clutch with it?

thanks

carguycw

In order:

1) Usually, no. A flywheel that is *too* light can cause lots of engine vibration and eventually shake things loose, but most flywheels that are reasonable to drive on the street will not cause problems on most cars. YMMV.

2) Usually, no. The main effects of a flywheel on drivability are (a) car speeds up faster when you're on the throttle, (b) car slows down faster when you're off the throttle, (c) car requires more throttle during part-throttle shifts, and (d) car requires more clutch slip during part-throttle takeoffs to avoid stalling. (a) through (c) can cause obnoxious bucking and make the car harder to drive smoothly; the lighter the flywheel, the worse it gets. (d) will also become a major pain of you do a lot of slow street driving. It's a matter of what you're willing to tolerate.

3) Not necessarily, but it's a good idea. Clutch kits don't cost a whole lot compared to many other parts, and if you're removing the flywheel, you might as well replace the clutch at the same time. Also, the additional clutch slippage will wear out the clutch faster, so a tougher clutch is a good thing. However, many aftermarket clutches have heavy pedal effort and fast clutch takeup; combine this with the drivability effects of a really light flywheel, and the bucking and stalling might make your friends ask you how long you've been driving stick. Choose the clutch carefully.