Robbo149 0 Posted May 18, 2004 Been doing a bit of reading up on VW Vortex, and a lot of those guys accross the pond recommend adding a lightened flywheel whilst doing timing chains/clutch etc. Where can they be had?, how much? & what are the benefits? Another quickie: the recon head I'm getting is a Golf one, will I need to swap the cams? as I understand the 2.8 cams are a slightly different profile. Cheers, Robbo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhatVR6 0 Posted May 18, 2004 I've got a Fidanza one in mine from helix Autosport. Cheaper if you buy direct fromt he US though. it's 6lb (stock is 18lb) which I thought might be a bit too light, but it's not. the car sometimes stalls when slowing to a standstill if I dip the clutch too early, but other than that they are fantasic, the car revs like a fireblade! keep your 2.9 cams. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trilidon 0 Posted May 18, 2004 I know a benefit is they make your car go up in the rpms faster. but also come down faster to. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhatVR6 0 Posted May 18, 2004 and? is there a problem with that? sure, the revs drop between gears if you'r changing slowly. but when yu're 'on in' it's a good thing. you soon get used to it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_mat 0 Posted May 18, 2004 .. and a lightened flywheel will make the car run less smoothly (but then it's a 6 cylinder so it should be nice and smooth anyway).. And the VR6 is known for stalling when approaching junctions ANYWAY, even with the heavier flywheel, so that's maybe not even related. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted May 18, 2004 I wouldn't mind trying one actually but it's the grief involved taking the box off that puts me off. I can't be arsed with dropping boxes anymore! K Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henny 0 Posted May 18, 2004 got one on my G60 (original flywheel machined down LOTS) The rev up time is mentally fast and the fact that the engine's revs drop quickly as well isn't a problem... The idle on it hasn't been affected other than initially being slightly lower than it used to be.... 8) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CoxyLaad 0 Posted May 18, 2004 I driven Phats - superb mod, do it now! transforms the character of the engine, it stops being a lazy engine and feels like it really wants to rev. And that was when it was running on 5 cylinders!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red=Fast 0 Posted May 18, 2004 i havent driven my corrado yet since i put one in mine, but my friend who had the same machine shop do his racco one made a world of a difference. the machine shop took off more than half of the weight on mine =] it should be nuts having a corrado that will match revs quickly and easly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhatVR6 0 Posted May 19, 2004 I took my mate out in my car last night. Now bearing in mind this guy drives a 230BHP 8v turbo mk2 golf, and he's a loony on the road and drives bllody fast everywhere. He said "That's the first time I've actually been scared in a car for along time" :mrgreen: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted May 19, 2004 Was that due to your driving or the raw speed of the C? :lol: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flusted 0 Posted May 19, 2004 Ive just fitted one to mine.A friend done it for me for £75.The origanal 1 on my 16v weighed 21lbs,my new 1 weighs 11lbs. Its a good job i changed it as i noticed the clutch was down to the rivets! I havent put it all back together yet but i cant wait :mrgreen: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robbo149 0 Posted May 19, 2004 General consensus is that this is a good mod then?! Thanks for the response fellas, I'm trying to decide what mods (if any) to add in whilst my engine's gonna be in bits. I'd love to do everything, (3.1 block, racing pistons, Schrick cams, flowed head, VSR, flywheel, supercharger, etc, etc.... but money don't grow on trees! All advice/comments welcome. Cheers, Robbo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhatVR6 0 Posted May 19, 2004 If you have to go in there to do your chains or clutch, then do the flywheel. if not, then it's not woth the hassle of taking the box off JUST to do the flywheel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted May 19, 2004 That little lot is about 7 to 8 grands worth! You need to decide what you want from the car and whether it's going to be a long term relationship. Personally I would consider spending extra on enlarging the engine and fitting the later tensioners as a good investment, not so much a financial investment, but more a another 10 years of motoring - with extra power :lol: If you just want the car for transportation, rebuild it back to standard. Perhaps hold off for a while until you've got more funds because believe me, nothing is more frustrating that spending a few K on a new engine and then wishing you had spent a little extra whilst it was out enlarging it. It would be very rude not to take a VR out to 3.1 to be honest :lol: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robbo149 0 Posted May 19, 2004 Phat - yeah I'm having the chains & clutch done along with the recon head, which was why I was considering a lightened flywheel. Kev, I was just in dreamland for a moment there! Top of my list of mods was going to be a pair of Schrick cams, but £500 is a lot of extra cash, & coz of the kind of driving I do (mainly stop/start town driving), I wasn't sure I'd get any benefit over stock cams. Also would adding cams mean I'd also have to upgrade springs & lifters? Now a VSR... that's a different matter, mmmm... there's a s/h one on Ebay at the mo'. If the block turns out to be fubar, then the 3.1 might become a 'neccessity'... (honestly dearest!). Would this mean additional 'knock-on effect' mods being needed? Cheers, Robbo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
H8RRA 0 Posted May 19, 2004 any links available for lightened flywheelsguys??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Valver 0 Posted May 19, 2004 Can 'any' engineering/machine shop lighten a standard flywheel, or is there a bit of an 'art' to it?.... :? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted May 19, 2004 Can 'any' engineering/machine shop lighten a standard flywheel, or is there a bit of an 'art' to it?.... :? They should be able to. I think the average is about £70 for removing metal and balancing. I would prefer to have a flywheel balanced to it's crank to be honest, but I'm not sure if that would make a huge difference to smoothness or not. K Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
monVR6 0 Posted May 21, 2004 So - does this mod actually provide any performance gains - presumably if the engine can rev out quicker, performance would be improved ??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted May 21, 2004 Also would adding cams mean I'd also have to upgrade springs & lifters? Nope. Schrick recommend upgrading the springs (theirs of course) but it's not essential. Stealth have been fitting schrick cams for years and not seen valve bounce using the standard springs. OE lifters are fine unless you want to go over 7000rpm on a regular basis! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_mat 0 Posted May 21, 2004 Performance gains are VERY minimal, in fact there will likely be no measurable torque or power increase, but the engine will feel a lot more eager and willing (ahem), which will allow you to get the most out of it more easily.. (I suppose it may be that the car feels slightly quicker in first gear, but I'd imagine that the torque used to turn a 21lb flywheel is insignificant compared to the torque required to pull 1.2 tonnes of car along the ground.) All imho.. :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted May 21, 2004 18lb flywheel dude :wink: Reducing the load on the engine frees off more power. It's been proven on a dyno. Not huge amounts, granted, but there are gains to be had. If you under drive the alternator and reduce the weight of the crank and water pump pulleys too, there are further gains to be had. The OE weighted crank pulley absorbs conrod harmonics as they twist on the firing stroke but the VR seems fine with a lightened pulley. Mainly because the VR crank is bomb proof.....and tiny! The conrods are only 2cms thick! I'm still impressed by the VR's compactness......and it was designed in the 80s! Sorry, rambling on again..... :roll: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NormanCoal 0 Posted May 22, 2004 Underdrive pulleys? What do you mean by this, have you any links to these pulleys please Cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henny 0 Posted May 22, 2004 underdrive pulleys do just as the name suggests, they are slightly LARGER pulleys than stock, so they don't spin the alternator as fast, which causes less drag on the belt... however, it also makes the alternator produce less electricity and can result in flat batteries if you get stuck in traffic... The alternator actually saps the engine of around 10 to 15 BHP when it's attached to the car... :| simply removing it and just running on the battery will free that up if you are just using the car on a drag strip, but is obviously not an option on a road car! ;) Power steering, air con and the like also sap the same sorta power outta the engine too, so you can under drive those too (or just remove the air-con! ;) ) quick, cheap and easy mod to free up some trapped ponies, but with quite a few drawbacks during normal town driving... :| Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
