Celica Forums General Discussion Engine and Performance good questions

what does a flywheel in general do? I know the lighter it is, it makes the rev's drop faster which might not be good for racing, because of the slim chance of landing lift. anything else? Also, what's a stage 1 and 2 clutch.. what's the difference? Does it grab better? or... does it take abuse better?
Superstuddc27 posted this question on an other thread on new celica but no one answered. im pretty much on the same boat as he and will like to know thanks in advance.

Lighter flywheel helps you accelerate faster basically because on stock fly wheel which is heavier, you would have to apply more gas to accelerate faster. Aftermarket flywheel just helps with the acceleration and a bit of overall weight of the car, not much. I don't believe it drops the rev significantly faster though, it will since it's lighter but you won't notice it I don't think.

I believe the difference between the stage 1 and stage 2 flywheels, are pretty much weight differences, stage 2 would be lighter than stage one but probably not the best for daily driving cause you'll be accelerating a whole lot faster. I don't know about this one so if someone out there knows more correct me if I'm wrong.

clutches are usually sold with the pressure plate. the flywheel bolts to the crank, the pressure plate bolts to the flywheel, and the clutch disc is sandwhiched in between. the clutch disc is connected to the splined transmission input shaft. when you step on the clutch pedal, you are pressing a throwout bearing against the springs of the pressure plate, releasing the clutch disc from the flywheel, and thus disconnecting the transmission from the engine.

the higher stage clutch means the more torque it can hold by way of stiffer diaphragm springs or a "better" friction surface. stage 2 is fine for N/A racing shifting at high rpms. I wouldn't go to stage 3 or higher unless I had F/I.

but really..."stage" is just a marketing term to make clutch selection easier and relative within brands. the stages don't necessarily carry over from brand to brand. you either know the construction of the clutch, or just know the exact product perhaps by word of mouth or a forum suggestion.

a higher stage clutch will engage faster. meaning there is little gray area between being fully engaged and fully disengaged. race clutches (stage 4 or 5)are definitely either on/off. this is obviously not very streetable.

higher stage clutches on the whole will have a relatively shorter life if used on the street. the material that grabs and holds better will not last as long. however their ability to hold more torque when racing means they will wear less from racing, because a slipping clutch on the street or track wears fastest.

on some stage 1 or 2 clutches you may notice a slightly increased pedal pressure necessary to disengage the clutch (maybe 15%).