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balancing.



Dan,

  It takes energy, to save enregy...


   As you are cruising on the highway, it takes less effort to stay at a 
constant speed with a stock flywheel, because you have built-up inertia...  
Inertia is defined as the resistance to change it's present state of 
motion...  In this case, if the flywheel is spun at 4K, it is going to resist 
a change in speed, either up or down, IF it has more weight to it, yes? Then 
that inertia will in fact save you more mpg, at a cost of mph...

   Do you know how heavy a Diesel flywheel is in comparison to a gas 
flywheel?  Part of the reason is that they have a higher mpg is because of the 
higher inertia they have once up to speed... 

  The reasons you cited for having weight on the flywheel are good reasons as 
well, but they are not the only ones...

David

PS  And while I read the Vortex quite a bit, I weigh that against hands-on 
experience, as well as reading good technical sources (read that 
as 'accredited'), as well as long conversations with a good friend of 13 years 
who has been a mechanic for almost 40 years...  The one thing I will promise 
each and every one of you is if you can prove me wrong, I will admit it, 
period...  I don't know it all, nor do I pretend to (hopefully) :-)  I can 
only ask that if you do not agree/understand, please ask questions...  I have 
not insulted anyone here, nor will I throw jabs at someone, even if I 
disagree, but especially if I do not understand...  I am here to learn, and to 
share.  I thought that was that this list was for...  Did I misundestand?    

> So, reducing flywheel weight will make your engine idle a little rougher and
> make you pay a little more attention moving off from a stop. 

Following that line of thought, if you make the block lighter, you will also 
gain a better hp/lb ratio, therefore improve acceleration, with decreased 
longevity of the engine...  Is that a worthwhile change as well then?  It all 
depends on what you are building the car for...  Race car = take all the 
weight off that you can, versus a street car = imporve what is there while 
working within the original framework VW provided us...


   I did not put on my asbestos undies today, so if you wish to flame me, 
please be gentle...  :-)

David


 
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: mr.utility@highstream.net 
>   To: Dan Smith 
>   Cc: scirocco-l@scirocco.org 
>   Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2003 6:39 PM
>   Subject: Re: balancing.
> 
> 
>   As long as you do not have less than 9lbs., you should be fine...  Highway
> mpg 
>   may suffer some, as that is why it is there in the first place, but beyond
> 
>   that you should not hav any real trouble...
> 
>   David
>