FLYWHEELS

The flywheel of a motor vehicles engine usually lies within the bell housing of the gearbox. The flywheel is attached to the crankshaft and this is where all your engine power and torque of the motor is transferred through the gearbox, propeller shaft and differential, finally to the wheels of the vehicle. The clutch assembly is attached to the flywheel and together they rotate, spinning at tremendous speeds.

Each vehicles engine has a specific job for its application. For example a trucks would require bigger more robust clutchs and flywheel combinations, while racing cars would require lighter and smaller flywheel and clutch assemblies. The general rule of thumb is that the heavier the flywheel the more torque an engine can develop through its rev range and the lighter the flywheel the quicker and more efficiently an engine is allowed to build up speed, thus producing more power at higher RPM, allowing the engine to rev faster through the graph depicted by means of dynamometer testing print outs. These high revving engines ultimately produce less torque but more power which is translated into kilowatts at the higher end of the range.

Generally, to achieve a good balance of torque versus kilowatts, an engines stroke is the key in this department. The longer the stroke of an engine the more torque can be achieved and the shorter the stroke of an engine the faster the crankshaft will rotate resulting in more killowatts produced. An engine required to rotate quickly, designed to attain high RPM, would in essence require a lighter flywheel. Custom made flywheels are available at a fraction of the price of a new one from the dealerships or agents. Standard production flywheels can also can be skimmed down in weght for achieving faster, higher revving engine speeds. Modifying crankshaft counter weights is also another way of increasing RPM. By cutting down on counter weight or ‘knife edging’ the counter weights of a crank will allow the crank to spin faster. Knife edging a crankshaft will also enable the counterweights to glide through the oil / air turbulence mixture created by all the rapidly moving components within the engine also referred to as ‘windage’. When any of the above components are adjusted, end to end dynamic balancing is required. When considering all these ideas, drastic improvements can be achieved in the quest for power by modifying the basic components providing a balance is maintained between torque and RPM.

Whatever your application may require, always bear in mind that the manufacturers have calculated the best overall configurations for best performance and fuel economy.

For modifications and conversions and for CUSTOM made Flywheels, Engine to Gearbox Adaptor Plate and Bell Housing Conversions.

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