bigger or lightened flywgeel?

[R1pocket]

hey guys just wondering what would be better a bigger flywheel or a lightened? performance wise

[Mr Potato Head]

I have never heard of a bigger flywheel?? I don't think that is possible..

[74]

no darren neither have i but i have played with removing some fins to lighten wicdh works
you can either remove every 2nd & 3rd
take every 2nd
or reduce the length on all the fins
also you can reduce the outside diameter ofthe whole thing
all these things work
if you take all the fins off completly dont let the bike idle at stand still for to long

[phillysno1]

go fr the lightened, bigger makes it slower!!!the idear of lightning it to LIGHTEN IT not make it heavier

[Screech]

Actually, adding more weight should increase the top speed slightly although it will slow acceleration. On the up side of adding weight, you would lose less speed going up hills and on faster corners you will be better off. So add weight, though not a lot mind you, for hilly circuits and fast flowing circuits, and lose weight for circuits with more sharp corners and straights.

[RD RACING]

there is not a real lot of weight difference between the full finned flywheel and a finless flywheel, the reason for removing these fins is so the wheel has less drag at rpms, if we were to change to a brass flywheel then we could talk more.

[Screech]

RD Racing, I haven't actually seen what these flywheels look like. I'm coming from a background of mostly four stroke engines so I'm assuming that these fins are to make sure the fuel mixture lubricates the crank properly or to retard the engine to stop one component or another exceeding it's safe working stress. In either case it's probably not a good idea to remove them from the point of view of the engines durability. I was more talking more about flywheels in general and I was assuming that to change weight you would change the materials of the flywheel, as you said, not nessesarily the design.

[Mr Potato Head]

I've said it before, if you are lightening the flywheel to reduce weight this is pointless, you would be much more successful eating less in a day.

[RD RACING]

screech, these flywheels are the same as used on whipper snippers and aslo motor mowers, the fins are there for cooling of the cylinder externally with help from the engine cover shroud. we cant remove the fins from these lawn engines as they will overheat unless we can run fast for the needed air flow but as long as the bike is moving at some speed these cooling fins can be either removed completely, cut out every 2nd or 3rd fin or machine down to havlf the depth. there is more drag on an engine with large cooling fins which can be also classed as the workings of a ducted fan as used on jet type engines, lots of wind.

[Screech]

Ok, thanks RD Racing I think I'm with you now. Except are we talking about an air cooled engine and if so, do water cooled ones also have these fins?