Described some noise to the tech @ Towson, he listened, said the flywheel needed to be replaced. Since the car (my '02) is still under warranty, no charge to me; however, he said I had the option of paying for a lightweight flywheel (and clutch, if desired) in the interest of performance, and they'd cover the work, if not the part itself.

I like my '02 just fine as is (see mods in sig). Driveable, goes when I mash the gas, nothing crazy. But seeing as I have this opportunity, I'm definitely considering this upgrade.

My questions for those of you with a light-fly equipped Cooper S are:

- In your opinion, is the performance gain worth $500-$600?

- Would you replace the clutch too?

- With both, am I gonna be wearing my left leg out? I've heard from others that the driveability of a light-fly car is dramatically reduced--I'm not trying to turn this into a track/auto-x car, but obviously faster is better if I'm not giving up much in terms of ease-of-use.

- Brand recommendations? I've looked at the M7, but nothing else.

Thanks in advance everyone!

Cheers,
Paul

 

Take advantage of the free install, Paul It costs nearly $1000 for labor so invest in an upgraded, lightened flywheel (M7 is a great choice) and a stage 2 Spec clutch or similar (very street friendly). Much improved rev response and less power wasted spinning the stock 29# FW. If you can afford it, have a Quaife LSD put in at the same time while everything is apart. My 02

 

I have been debating this same change to my car until I rode in a MCS at Towson that had just been upgraded to the lwFW and stage 2 clutch (both Spec products). If they are going to cover the labor I would suggest you absolutely do this mod. The car I rode in was awesome. It pulled harder and came off the line much quicker than the stock. No data, but it felt about 10-15 hp stronger. Plus I believe the fw is 15# so driving in a somewhat hilly area should not be too big a deal as compared to using a 12# fw. I have not done it yet because the labor costs alone were $1200... You are in a great position...take advantage of it and you won't regret it.

You might also consider having them install a LSD while they are down there...

The RPS flywheel (M7 is a rebrand) is one of the best from the research I've done. Spec is also a common supplier and who Towson uses unless you bring your own. RPS uses high quality materials that will not deform over time like some others. You can use the stock clutch as it is a pretty good one, but upgrading to a Stage 2 will improve your performance.

If I were in your shoes and needed to have mine replaced, and the dealer was going to cover labor I definitely would do this. Ask to speak with Jeff, a tech at Towson, and see if they still have the car there. I'm sure he'd love to take you for a spin.

 

I have heard some people complain about the drivetrain noise you get with a lightweight flywheel. The stock flywheel is a "Dual-Mass" type that damps out rotational vibrations in the drivetrain, without it you experience a good deal of noise and vibration. From what I hear, it sounds like a lot of metal-on-metal action...

That being said, it has always been one of the best mods for the MINI since the stock flywheel is SOOO damn heavy. Just don't plan on doing too many smokey burnouts since the lightened flywheel makes this a lot harder... oh, and I would also install the QUAIFE LSD if you are going in there anyway!

If I were you, I'd try and find a car with a light weight flywheel before you pull the trigger on this one.

 

The noise is not as bad as many will tell you it is and you only hear it when you are in neutral or the clutch is in. Otherwise you can't hear a thing. It sounds more like a clicking noise when idling.

 

In what ways is it going to improve performance?

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I agree that the clutch should be replaced since you're already going to be there, but I also think clutch upgrades are generally pointless for street cars.

 

It was just a general "performance" comment. Nothing like a pulley, but in overall driveablity performance. sorry for the confusion...

 

Faster spin up...much easier heel/toe blip

 

stage 1 or 2 clutch+lightened flywheel. I'd love to have it again. Makes shifting even more fun.

 

Thanks all--very much.

L8RG8R, Jeff is the guy who rec'd the lightweight flywheel, so I'm guessing they didn't have the car there any longer. He said lots of good things about the mod, but I thought about these other questions since we spoke.

Based on the comments above, I think I'll pull the trigger. Previous owner of this one had the warranty extended to 50k, and I'm at 29k, so anytime before is probably good according to Jeff. He said he wouldn't do it until I noticed the clutch slipping and then we could just take care of the whole thing. LSD might not be a bad idea either. Thanks!

Any reason not to the Madness "Stage 2" drivetrain upgrade? Maybe sub-out for the M7 flywheel? http://www.mini-madness.com/index.as...PROD&ProdID=79

Also--A little noise doesn't really concern me; I like turning up the volume vis a vis 'right foot + alta + pulley + milltek' anyhow.

 

Something of interest.. i had the Spec LWFW and the stage 3 clutch. Had the normal (what i thought was normal) rattle when idleing. Power and driveablitly was good. Just last week and half ago.. the Ring gear let go on the LWFW. so i had ordered the New M7 LWFW. and new Spec stage 3 clutch. With the new combo the idle rattle was not there. Which surpized me. Drivability is up and im very pleased with new setup so far.

Cant tell performace difference due to fixing and changing to many things at one time. Mods for this round were. TB, Bypass valve and new IC boots. With these changes and fixes my Boost lvl have returned. Before replacing the IC boots and the Bypass valve my boost presure was down to .4 bar.. or roughly 6 psi. On the test run after finishing the install. boost was at 1.19 bar or roughly 19psi. Which is back to where it was when i installed the 19% pulley

well if you guys will excuse me .. i need to put another couple hundred miles on the clutch to break it in.

 

Anyone know about the ULTRIK flywheel and clutches ???? Sold by MINI-MANIA