Did you know that currently the engine of one in two cars is equipped with dual mass flywheel ? Although as a general rule, everyone has already heard about dual-mass steering wheels (even if for the worst reasons…), the truth is that not everyone knows what are their advantages over conventional steering wheels.
But before we go deeper into the issues relating to biomass flywheels, it is worth answering the following question: what is the flywheel for anyway? Be it dual mass or conventional.
The flywheel of the engine—whatever type it is—serves to maintain the balance of the engine's masses at intervals between cylinder explosions. Thanks to the weight of this component, in the "dead" moments of the explosion orders, the engine continues to rotate without vibrations or hesitations. Another of the flywheel's functions is to transmit the power generated by the engine to the transmission, since on its flywheel contact surface we have the clutch system that transmits the work produced by the engine to the transmission.
So, as you can see, the dual-mass flywheels have exactly the same function as conventional flywheels. The difference between them is in their performance. In dual-mass flywheels, thanks to the presence of two suspended masses, the flywheel can more efficiently cancel out the transmission of vibrations from the engine to the transmission. Practical effect: the car runs smoother.
Still in doubt? This video will help you:
Going deeper into the matter, did you know that in competition cars the flywheel is lighter than in production cars? The reason is simple: the smaller the engine's mobile mass, the faster the rpm rise.
In production cars, as we said, the engine flywheel is heavier. The normal rotation regime of a car in the day-to-day, is located between 1000 and 3000 rpm, and the presence of the heavier engine flywheel helps to balance the engine movements, mainly in the lower regimes.
There are those who decide to change the original engine flywheel for a lighter flywheel. If the objective is to prepare your car for track-days, it is a good option, otherwise we advise against this modification. Your car engine will lose torque and availability at low revs and you will accelerate the wear of the engine's internal components.
Source: After Sales Magazine