So who's got them? Lightweight Flywheels! Looking for some feedback.

We're talking about a 2002 MINI Cooper - non S... what are the pros/cons?

Was thinking in the lines of Fidanza and such, but I know that intallation would be just as expensive (if not more) than the item itself; so question is: is it worth it?

Thanks for the feedback,
Leo.

 

For a cooper I would say spend your money somewhere else, suspension maybe ? I just did mine ( S ) and it makes a difference but also alot of noise.

 

Lot of it depends on what your looking for. If your a Racer and you absolutly have to get every ounce of performance out of the car. Then sure do it .. its worth it. But if your an Avg Joe. You will get Far better gains for your buck by upgrading Suspension (like Detlman said), Tires, ECU and of course the NUT behind the wheel (Performance Driving schools like Phil Wicks) then you will ever get from changing the Flywheel on the NON-S

 

less of a difference on the MC compared to the MCS.

according to the BMW ETK cdrom,
the MCS flywheel is 12.2 kg (26.84#) and
the MC flywheel is 7.65 kg (16.83#).

I think an aftermarket lightened flywheel is usually in the 9 - 12# range.

 

Cool, a lot of good information there. Thanks guys!

Suspension is done - well, springs and a Cooper S sway bar. Might get a strut bar next. Was just wondering what the big deal about it really would be. Also because I found one on sale, and I can't see stuff on sale or coupons...

Anyways, I guess that was it. Just one of those "phases" that eventually pass. lol.

Thanks again, guys.
Leo.

 

If you find a strut brace that fits under the Cooper bonnet (without buckling the metal), please let me know. The issue really isn't just the battery box: the whole shape of the bonnet is slightly different, and the strut towers are closer to the bonnet valleys than on the S.

 

http://www.promini.com/product-exec/...earch_model/99

 

Do you have one in your Cooper?

 

In the item description, it states that "Installation requires a low-profile battery cover on the Cooper (Non S), must be purchased seperately."

So that doesn't count for what I - personally - was going for.

Instead, I got this one: http://www.mossmini.com/Shop/ViewPro...eIndexID=46547



And it fits the factory box with no problem (just got it today, will post pictures in another thread).

Also, the mymini bar (http://www.myminiparts.com/proddetai...e7427646befa95) will fit over the factory box, but will have some problems closing down the hood due to the insulation there. This one was flush - very nice.

Funny how this lightweight flywheel question turned into a front strut bar post... lol

Take care,
Leo.

PS: If your car is 05 or newer, there really is no bar out there that will fit. It seems as if MINI added some more insulation padding and there it nothing that will close the hood flush. Sorry...

 

The RPS (also sold by M7) is 15#, so if you want a slight change that probably won't make all the noise, etc....

 

The Fidanza flywheel is primo stuff.

Ive seen their R&D and their mfg. and they do great work. They have awesome shifters too!

 

I don't have one on my MCS, but I've had a few cars with them. A lightened flywheel on a race or rally car is great. It almost makes the car seem like it's come alive. For a street driven car I think I'd spend my money elsewhere. They can be very touchy to drive on the street. Clutch slipping required for smooth starts. Not a great prescription for a long clutch life.

 

Thats what I have and its pretty noisy, the new aproach to engaging the clutch is simple to get past in th efirst few min of driving with the new setup.

 

But you have an S, right? That's a 44% reduction in weight. The difference between the stock MC flywheel and the RPS is less than 2 pounds - works out to less than 11% weight reduction.

 

I'm having one of theose now! LET'S DO A GROUP BUY!!!!!!!!

 

Fidanza 12.5#...Love it

 

Well, the main reason (as I said earlier) that I started this thread is because I saw a very low-priced lightweight flywheel, thought it would be a good buy, but just wanted to make sure.

Just for reference, here is the link:
http://www.mossmini.com/Shop/ViewPro...eIndexID=36702

Picture:



So to put it simple, the $260 price-tag is what did it for me. As soon as I saw how much cheaper it would be (compared to the other sites), I decided to go for some more research.

Thanks again for all the help, guys.
Leo.

 

That looks like the spec flywheel I have. It is noticeable on the S, but not sure if it would be worth while on a cooper. How do you plan to install it? That is the big deterant.

 

In my opinion your money can be spent in better ways . If you called me to try and buy one of ours I would do my best to try and talk you out of it. We have been working with a European race series which only use Coopers . We are planning on bring out some interesting items out in the second quarter of this year specifically for the Cooper.

Randy
M7 tuning

 

And for that you would rock the free world, my friend!

 

quote xx THIR13EN xx

In the item description, it states that "Installation requires a low-profile battery cover on the Cooper (Non S), must be purchased seperately."

So that doesn't count for what I - personally - was going for.

Instead, I got this one: http://www.mossmini.com/Shop/ViewPro...eIndexID=46547



And it fits the factory box with no problem (just got it today, will post pictures in another thread).

/quote xx THIR13EN xx






Hmmmm Actually looks "light" to me. Appears it might buckle rather than give the support your looking for.

 

Like a Carbon Fiber non-scooped cooper bonnet?

 

Hear him! Hear him!

 

Well let me ask you a question in all seriousness. Are you looking to lighten the car or for the bling or both? Its all good in any event but if you are looking for lighter weight we are actually looking into the possibility of providing fiberglass Cooper hoods for a current race series. Perhaps the same mold could be used for CF but with the price of Cf these days I have no idea about the cost. The other issue is fitment. When we first started we actually were offering CF hoods for the S. The problem was they could not be made to our satisfaction quality wise. Getting them to fit perfectly was a real problem.After a couple of different tires with differentcompanies we finally gave up. I see some CF hoods out there and I have no idea how the owners accepted them . The headlights aren't secure, they always look like they are open do to the space around them and they have a hard time locking securely. Now there are some that may fit adequately but they are far and few between. That being said we will no doubt run into similar issues with the hood for the Cooper but it is for racing aplications and the appearance issues are somewhat more relaxed. Lets just leave it as we are working on it but have no idea at this point if they will be something we will offer to the general public.

Randy
m7 Tuning

 

I posted in sarcasim and anticipation. The Cooper hood has been "in development" since the S hood came out (I don't recall specific dates, but I believe it would have been before you joined M7). I'm not holding my breath for either FG or CF, but in all seriousness, we Cooper owners don't particularly have an option not too.

Personally, I would like to see a trick intake manifold with TB to go with the Cosworth head, an aggressive "race" cam, and a CF non-scoop bonnet.