I am about to replace the clutch on the car ('05 S), figure this would be a good time to replace the stock flywheel and replace it with a lighter one. Any recommendations? Pros or cons?

 

Define "lightweight". For a daily I would stay away from a hardcore lightweight racing flywheel. The revs drop too much between shifts and it's really hard to take off smoothly from a stop. It's just kind of a pain to drive on the street.

 

Lightweight = harder hill starts and in traffic....like stop and go.
The flywheel stores energy... Helping to make up for the low tq of our motors at low rpms. A car with a lightweight flywheel will rev more freely....but be less "street-able". A bit lighter convention al flywheel can save you some $$ and still keep it nice on the street IMO.

 

That is definitely something to consider. So in my search for more HP, am I barking up the wrong tree?

 

i was also wanting to know about this, what flywheel is the best balance between faster revs and streetable.

 

A lighter flywheel just helps the rev's climb/drop faster....but no real hp gain...can make speed shift easier or faster heal/toe...but can have drawbacks...
Some lightweight aluminum flywheels makes lots of chattering noise...
There are a few conventional steel flywheels around that a a bit lighter...and can be reused on future clutch jobs, and save some $$...so those can be a win/win imo. Usually they are sold as a kit with the clutch to match. The OEM dual mass flywheel keeps thing very smooth at idle....but it can stick ( sounds like a Chewbacca roar)...especially on cooler mornings with lots of miles or if it has been heated up a few times...and it USUALLY CANNOT be reused....it cannot be machined even once.

 

I'd like more horsepower in my normally aspirated R50, but would not go for a lighter flywheel. For whatever engine power it takes to get it/ keep it spinning, I think it's worth it. These motors have so little torque that they benefit from the stored energy of a fully weighted flywheel.

I can only imagine how worse the throttle lag would be on my car with a lightweight flywheel.

Still, I appreciate your inquiry. Changing a clutch is usually a once-in-the-car's-lifetime opportunity to make such a choice.

In the end, I think all you can do is read up on what the advantages of either option are and choose depending on your own priorities.

 

Chewbacca and I are well acquainted. We see each other upon his return from summer vacation when the cool mornings of fall embrace us with their chill here in northern California. So based on what I am seeing here. I think I will just replace the flywheel with a somewhat lighter steel one, and forego the search for an ultra light replacement.