MD CLUTCHES, anyone have one installed?

Great
What are you hoping for as far as difference in engine performance?

 

What's the cost? Might be worthwhile next time I'm due for a clutch.

 

I think that the decision to go for a solid flywheel should be because it eliminates the hassle with the dual mass one: grease leaks, rattles, difficult hot start, re-greasing etc. I wouldn't bother with a light flywheel unless it is a race car and you want to squeeze out every possible bit of additional acceleration. The engine torque will be the same; only, during acceleration, a tiny bit less of that torque will act on the spool-up of the flywheel and a tiny bit more will act on the speed-up of the transmission (and the wheels).

 

Cant remember the price just contact Andrew

I have a light flywheel in one of my challenge cars. BOY HOWDY, She revs like a loose girl should

See Bruces video of one revving, idle to redline in a split second

 

Looks great.

Why did ferrari put a dual mass flywheel in the 348/355 and then abandon it for the 360 onwards?

 

What's the purpose of the special grease in the 355 flywheel?

 

Thats Hot !!!

 

The main function of the dual mass flywheel is to dampen the torsional vibration generated by the engine, i.e. by the combustion strokes in regular intervals acting on the crankshaft which can also cause strong resonant torsional vibrations at various RPM points. This is more of a problem in the case of in-line 6 cylinder engines (due to long crankshaft) so, using it in the Ferrari's V8 is probably more for luxury - less vibration, smoother idle and reduced rattle of the downstream transmission.

The grease (special only for its high temp. properties) is there to eliminate the noise/rattle of all the moving bits and pieces inside the flywheel. The flywheel rattle (when the grease leaks out or gets thinned - diluted by transm. oil) seems to also fool the knock-sensors into registering this as engine pinging and causing the ECU-s to retard the timing unnecessarily; this is believed to be the reason for difficult hot starts.

 

Looks really nice^^ Interested to hear your driving impressions once it's together.

 

Have to wait till March at the earliest to see how the car behaves once fitted then��

 

Rebuilding voith now on my Mondial t. Andrew at MDClutches supplied everything! Great guy and very knowledgeable. It was difficult to find a machine shop to resurface the friction surface but it can be done.

 

Looks pretty nice ....

 

No, it is to dampen the torsional problems associated with the long shaft from the crankshaft to the flywheel. The grease in concert with the springs are what is actually doing the dampening.

 

You are absolutely right, I did not think of the long shaft.

 

Brian

What do you think of the MD replacement flywheel?

 

As Brian very well pointed out, the part to consider (if thinking of going for rigid flywheel) is the rather long shaft connecting the crankshaft to the flywheel. Any single torsional impact on the shaft (like too sudden release of the clutch) is absorbed in both cases - in the original design, by the springs in the flywheel; with a rigid flywheel, by the springs in the clutch disc. So there is no real problem here.

However, the torsional vibration of the long shaft could be a problem. This vibration is caused by the pulsing torque from the crankshaft acting on one end of the long shaft. In the original design, there is a relatively small weight rigidly attached to the other end of the shaft (the moving disc in the centre of the flywheel) so the danger of resonant torsional vibration is small. The rest of the flywheel weight plus the weight of the clutch is a "sprung weight". I believe that the original dual mass flywheel is carefully designed to minimise torsional vibration of the long shaft.

When going for a solid flywheel, we are rigidly attaching a significant weight (the new flywheel plus the weight of the clutch assembly) to the end of the long shaft. The question is how will this added weight affect the torsional vibration along the long shaft. It is, in effect, a ballast at one end of the long shaft against which the pulsing torque at the other end (from the crankshaft) can cause serious torsional vibration of the shaft. The real danger is the shaft entering into resonant torsional vibration (at certain rpm) which can cause shaft breaking in two, not immediately but over time due to material fatigue.

 

Very good info

Have to think about it

 

Formula GT in Germany makes a new stronger shaft for this reason.