What is a Flywheel?
A flywheel is a mechanical device that uses the conservation of angular momentum to store rotational energy; a form of kinetic energy proportional to the product of its moment of inertia and the square of its rotational speed.
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How long will a flywheel last?
around 80,000 to 100,000 miles
Flywheels usually last around 80,000 to 100,000 miles, if not more, but as soon as you notice symptoms of an underlying problem, you should have your car checked by a mechanic.
Which type of flywheel is used in cars?
Cast iron flywheels are used in old steam engines. Flywheels used in car engines are made of cast or nodular iron, steel or aluminum.
Flywheels made from high-strength steel or composites have been proposed for use in vehicle energy storage and braking systems.
What causes a flywheel to fail?
There are many reasons why a dual-mass flywheel can fail. The main reasons are: Heat – Excessive heat is a big cause of most dual-mass flywheel failures.
A slipping clutch generates heat; if your clutch is worn, you can still save the flywheel if you get the clutch replaced early enough.
Does the flywheel affect speed?
A light flywheel makes a car quicker to accelerate, so it gets to its highest speed range in a given gear in a shorter time, for example when accelerating out of a corner.
On the other hand, it also makes a car more prone to overspeed, perhaps catastrophically, if a shift is missed or a boost runaway occurs.
Does the flywheel affect fuel consumption?
A pendulum mechanism is included on some dual-mass flywheels that allow the engine to be completely dampened from as low as 1100 rpm, plus this improvement further reduces fuel consumption by lowering the engine speed. The primary part of the flywheel is connected to the crankshaft.
Does a flywheel increase power?
Since flywheels are solid, unsprung components of a vehicle’s driveline, a lightweight flywheel will decrease parasitic loss at a constant rate, improving a vehicle’s horsepower and torque output (measured after the flywheel) throughout its entire rev range.
Does the flywheel affect acceleration?
Yes, the flywheel mass has an effect, but compared to car weight and horsepower that is small. Generally, the fastest acceleration will be when the maximum power is applied, and that is typically close to the maximum RPM/torque.
Are lighter flywheels better?
Not only does an engine with a light flywheel increase revs quicker, it also allows the motor to decrease RPM quicker.
This can be an advantage as the engine can perform more of the braking when decelerating. Also, it can allow the driver to shift gears quicker, especially if combined with a short shifte.