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Gents

I'm researching flywheels and was wondering what your thoughts are on which ones are suitable for different types of motorsport and road use?

The latest Keeping Your Mini Alive mag suggests that for hillclimbing you shouldn't go too light as you need to keep momentum up? Someone else once said to me that the featherlite ones are only good for big revs over an long race on track?

I'd be interested to see what you experienced motorsport types would suggest

If I had the choice, I'd fit ultralight flywheels to everything not used for towing.

A Minispares type Ultralight is the best all round option for most competition. The featherlights are OK if you are happy rebuilding engines every 5 minutes as they don't smooth out any vibration at all.

My choice for the road would still be a normal old lightened steel flywheel.

Heavy flywheels are only there on petrol engines to give them a steady idle, 800rpm. But if your camshaft gives mosly 4000rpm+, lighter but balanced flywheel the better, and a good harmonic dampner the other end too, balanced too.

Cheers guys. It'd be used in my hillclimb car which will hopefully driven to and from local events so in theory it needs to be able to let me race at weekends and potter to the events...

I use an MS one in the rally car and it is fine for docile road work Tom.

Cheers G

I fitted this to my 544/1071:

http://www.minispares.com/Product.aspx? ... 795&title=

And I regret it. Should've fitted the ultralight one...

remember, the lighter the flywheel, the more it fucks up youre crank taper

I have used an Ultra Light on a big bore short stoke 1300 for over ten year (8,000+miles), it's done numerous track days & some hill climbs. Works a treat, I did the maths once & if I got it right in first gear the engine would see 80kg less mass to move (the figure changes depending on gear ratios) than a standard flywheel. I would think what ever your doing that's got to be an advantage. Would agree with what's above about dampers & balancing.