I talked to my mechanic today about lightening the flywheel and he said that it might mess up the flywheel( somthing about chattering or warping). He also said that he does not know why I would want to because maximas are already pretty quick. Hows yours working out? Any disadvantages? My mechanic gave me a place that will do it, but has to inspect it to see if it will be possible with my flywheel. About 150 to do it.
Thanks Jon

 

Well, this mod is not for everyone and the sucess of this mod is highly dependant on the skills of the lathe operator. Your mechanic has very valid and legitimate concerns. I'll be very honest here about the pros/cons on getting your stock steel flywheel lightened. There is more info in the FAQ

Pros-
1) Quicker ability to rev. IMHO a very important factor for the VE powered maximas.
2) Since most of the weight is removed from the outer portion of the flywheel(backside only), the mininal weight losses are used to their greatest advantage.
3) Less weight to turn = more hp available to propel the car.

Cons-
1) Lighter weight could mean less drivabilty(ie.. starts from on a hill or w/ 4 people in the car) But since only about 3lbs. of material removal is the maximum, drivability is not sacrificed at all.
2) Labor intensive mod. Tranny must be taken out to replace the flywheel. So consider it if you are due for a clutch change anyway.
3) IMPORTANT! This prodecure is not like buying/intalling a cone intake! The lightening/balancing should be done by a good/qualified machine shop who is confortable w/ this kind of work. (ie.. not Pep Boys!) If they have never done this before, run don't walk away. Care must be taken in the areas of material removal and balancing(flywheel/pressure plate). Every shop is not the same so be careful. The shop that did my work, does this all the time and was honest. They didn't sacrifice saftey for the sake of another 1lb material removal.
4) This mod carries risk(as does any other mod)Some improperly lightened flywheels have been known to shatter(not good) It's very important to find a good machine shop that knows WHAT THEY ARE DOING.
5) If you feel at all unconfortable w/ this mod, then forget it and just put out for an all aluminum($500+) or just have the stock one resurfaced and installed unmodified.

 

I am going to get it done. Mynew clutch is going in the same day so why not Its been 17 days since I drove my max and now that I put the greddy exhaust on, gutted cat and cai it will be a differant max to me especially with the lightened flywheel and pulley. I wont be driving it intill after the centerforce gos in which is the 30th. I sit in it and just rev the engine, what a tease huhh