For the love of a tractor engine: The life and times of the 18R-G

[roadkill]

Hi,

well, there was this

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....=STRK:MESOX:IT

and only weighed in at 4.1kg

bEn

[egamirrorim]

Flywheel question. Last piece to the Oman's 18R-GTE revision 2 puzzle is the flywheel. Stock item is not suited to that much power, and an aftermarket item is proving hard to find. Both Kameari and Jun Chromoly items are on 3 to 4 month back order, so the delay is pretty well unacceptable. The only other option I have come across is the Fidanza aluminium item (approx the same weight as the Kameari CrMo).

Are there any other light weight high strength flywheels suited to either 18R or 22R which anyone knows of that aren't exhorbitantly expensive?? I say 22R also because they run the 11 x 1.25 pitch thread that I have reamed my crank out to, as opposed to the 18R 10 x 1.25.

Try these guys in Brisbane: http://www.directclutchservices.com....n-and-more.htm I spoke to them over the phone a couple months ago and was told that the aftermarket 18R flywheels (4.7kg billet steel I think these ones are) that they manufacture are not a 'stocked' item as they actually make these to order, you will need to supply the ring gear from a stock 18R flywheel. From memory, they quoted around $470 but that would have included postage to Sydney.

[o_man_ra23]

Ben, I have 2 stock flywheels I could get lightened for nix if I wanted to, however the point of this excersize is more to get a stronger flywheel - something capable of taking the punishment of a well built and high revving 18R-GTE such as what I am currently paying for.

Ega, will contact them in the morning and see what they say. Thanks for the reminder as I did forget about DCS.

[roadkill]

Hi,

hmmmm, mine is far from being a stocko (that was mine in the listing) it's not cast. It would have been exactly what you were after. It was some sort of alloy and definately not a machined down factory one. It would be interesting to see how it would have been rated against the ones that are 500 odd new. I let a few peeps on here that were interested in getting light flywheels but no-one was interested in paying not even half price of a new one so ebay it went

bEn

[river]

Hi,

A stock flywheel is fine for a modded engine. The extra power makes no diff to it as it just spins. Considering you can run an 18R-G over 8k rpm, I can't see the stock flywheel would be a limitation on rpm.

Of course, if you want a more "revvy" engine then a lightened flywheel is required.

seeyuzz
river

[JustenGT8]

Have you driven them back to back River?...makes a noticable difference. The engine feels generally more 'alive' and more removed from it's truck block origins; traction aside, it has more punch....mine was approx 5kg from memory versus 12kg stock as i measured it. That's 7kg the engine doesn't have to spin thousnads of time second...i'm sure some physics boffin on here can crunch the numbers of the KW saved...which mean more KW to rear.

Now there's more to it than power. High rpm shifts are quicker/cleaner and alot less stress on components. Engine breaking is noticable improved so balancing the car on the throttle is easier.

If the engine is out this is a must do mod in my view. A PITA if you need to pull the engine, but still one of the best bang for buck mods you can do i reckon. My 2 cents

[river]

Hi,

I'm not doubting the benefits of having a lightened flywheel for specific purposes.

What I am saying is the stock flywheel is not incapable of running on a modified engine. Changing the stock flywheel to a lightened one is fine - for your stated reasons - but not because the stock item cannot handle the power.

seeyuzz
river

[Willofan]

My experience has proven to me that there is a huge difference.
Running a potent RG with a lightened flywheel gave very quick response in revs and got to 8,500 rpm without effort, before the next event I changed the clutch and used a standard flywheel to save a few bucks and lost all response and took for ever to wind out to max just short of 8,000 and lost about 12 seconds around Eastern Creek.

I buy my RG gear from Joel at Toysport and with the dollar at the moment it is good value.
http://www.toysport.com/catalog/Catalogue%20Main.htm

[JustenGT8]

Hi,

I'm not doubting the benefits of having a lightened flywheel for specific purposes.

What I am saying is the stock flywheel is not incapable of running on a modified engine. Changing the stock flywheel to a lightened one is fine - for your stated reasons - but not because the stock item cannot handle the power.

seeyuzz
river

This is true, but the gains are so marked it would be like keeping the stock jetted carbies on a cammed up motor? It's a great mod in it's own right, but to make the most of other engine mods i think it's a must do.

Just on a safety note. Every single 18RG flywheel i have seen has had stress cracks...EVERY one. Purely because i like my ankles i would upgrade from a horrible cast flywheel to a billet steel one. Food for thought

[o_man_ra23]

Just on a safety note. Every single 18RG flywheel i have seen has had stress cracks...EVERY one. Purely because i like my ankles i would upgrade from a horrible cast flywheel to a billet steel one. Food for thought

Exactly the reason I went for it. Performance benefits mentioned are a bonus.

Bought a Fidanza flywheel with Excedy clutch off fleabay US for AU$531 delivered. This combo is to suit 22R, however I have tapped out the flywheel bolt holes in the crank to 11 x 1.25 (from 10 x 1.25), and have ARP bolts to suit. I am also running a W5x originally fitted to a 22R-E, so all fitment will work. The tap cost me $90 on its own (ouch), but due to the pitting on the original threads in the crank, it was worth it.

[Steve M]

Oman, have you got the bell housing to suit the gearbox?

[o_man_ra23]

Standard 22R bellhousing fits. All you have to do is enlarge the mounting holes where the motor has dowels coming out. Simple procedure.

[river]

Hi,

Yes. Trini runs a 22 bell housing and had to get the dowels re-bored. Helicoiled all the holes also as some bolts were not biting properly.

seeyuzz
river

[Steve M]

We used a 21R-C bellhousing, which did not need modification.

Oman, did you try extremem clutch?
I bought an 18R-G crank from a guy who said he bought a 4.5kg ish flywheel from Extreme Clutch.

[o_man_ra23]

Never heard of them, and all my searching found nothing about them. Perhaps next time I need a clutch...