Lightened Flywheel Help

[Spyker]

Hi there

Is it worth it to have a flywheel lightened for an E30 BMW 325i. Car is stock standard no mods. Will it help with performance?

[Jhonno]

IMO yes..

and it will help acceleration

[Turbo-Brown]

Not sure what they're made of on the M20, but be careful not to take too much off or you could have a shrapnel bomb on your hands

Steel flywheels are less sensitive to weight reduction than iron ones.

[Widge]

Any one got any info on the flywheels fitted to M20's ?? 320's 325's and ETA's as when I get on with a 2.7 conversion lightening the fly wheel is one of the things I want to do. but not too much

[M3GTR]

From what I've been told when I asked about this in the race series, it's a big no no!! If you want a lightened flywheel..buy one from the states

http://www.jbracing.com/flywheel-bmw3.php

[Gwynleym10]

From what I've been told when I asked about this in the race series, it's a big no no!! If you want a lightened flywheel..buy one from the states

Why is it such a no no? Si316 has got someone to lighten a flywheel for me, was hoping to fix it soon...whats the problem?!!?

[M3GTR]

Well I'm sure there's as many success stories as scary ones, but I was told that the flywheel could explode at high revs if the machining isn't 100% accurate.

One story I had relayed to me was bout a caterham owner running a lightened flywheel which when it exploded ripped through the bell housing and tunnel leaving parts of it in the footwell of the car!

Like I said though...there's two sides to the argument and I'm sure someone here will say there's nothing wrong with doing it!

[Widge]

$544 you must be having a laugh mate
Technically there is absolutley nothing wrong with lightening a stock fly wheel as long as it isn't cracked and is properly machined and balanced. It is like anything on a car it must be done properly, not tightening the wheel nuts could have disasterous concequences but that dosen't stop us changing wheels.

[M3GTR]

Which is exactly what I just said!!

[Widge]

Yeah I know mate but some one had to say it!
People have been doing it for years, the problems arise when people (probably your caterham guy) have tuned engines with lots of power and use the wrong clutch/ metal clutch and they get hot and the flywheel gets hot and that's when they explode.

And any way there is plenty of padding and metal between the flywheel and the driver in an E30

[astondg]

not tightening the wheel nuts could have disasterous concequences but that dosen't stop us changing wheels.

Well after I had a wheel fall off it certainly stopped me! Now I never take them off, I get the tyres changed while the wheels are on the car .

Interesting stuff about the flywheel though. I was thinking about it too but I might buy a new one now. The way things seem to go with my car I'd probably get a dodgy job that would explode. I try to get things done properly but they just don't seem to work out.

Aston