Description
WHY A LIGHTWEIGHT FLYWHEEL?
Replacing the OEM, cast-iron, dual-mass flywheel with a single-mass, lightweight, aluminum piece reduces the overall weight of the rotating assembly of the motor. This frees up power in the motor and leads to increased throttle responsiveness. Changing the upper portion of the OEM flywheel to a single-mass unit also eliminates the potential for failure of the dual-mass unit. This is especially important on high-horsepower cars. Finally, the JHM Lightweight Flywheel offers the additional advantage of having a removable friction liner. If you end up replacing your clutch and pressure plate at a later date, you do not need to replace the entire flywheel OR worry about re-surfacing it (which - as of April 2016 - has yet to be done successfully for this large of a unit). Resurfacing would also not be cost effective due to tooling and fixture costs for such a tall, dual-mass flywheel. All you need to do is just replace the removable friction liner.
FLYWHEEL SPECIFICATIONS: At JHM, they have weighed over a dozen OEM flywheels. They saw a wide range of weight variances even on flywheels with the same part number! On average, the JHM Lightweight Flywheel weighs 7 to 10 lbs less compared to the OEM B8 2.0T or 3.2L FSI Flywheel.
PARTS INCLUDED:
- JHM Aluminum and Machined Steel 2-Piece Lightweight Flywheel
FITMENT: All B8 A4-A5s with 6-speed manual transmissions and the 2.0T or 3.2L FSI Motor. Additionally, JHM has designed their JHM Lightweight Flywheel for the B8 A4-A5 so that it will work with an OEM B7-RS4 Pressure Plate so it will NOT work with aftermarket clutch kits designed to work with the OEM B8 A4-A5 Flywheel.
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS AND TORQUE NOTES: These are NOTES ONLY are not a substitute for factory installation manuals or technical expertise. They are to be used a supplemental guideline only. We always recommend that an experienced technician perform ALL clutch and flywheel installations. For shops or individuals who have access to factory manuals but not factory tools, here are some tips and guidelines we have used to complete this job without the factory tools:
- The JHM Lightweight Flywheel installs in the same manner as the OEM Flywheel. Follow the OEM installation and torque procedures.
- Aligning the clutch disc, pressure plate, flywheel assembly: Install the throwout bearing/sleeve onto the transmission. For alignment of the clutch disc it is easiest to put the flywheel face-up, place and align the disc splines on center with the center bearing in the flywheel, put the pressure plate on top, visually check that the disc is still on center, and begin to tighten and torque the pressure plate. The pressure plate bolts need to be secured with red, high-strength Loctite. Make sure the pressure plate bolts are tightened in a star pattern at multiple torque intervals. This is to make sure that the pressure plate diaphragm or fingers are not distorted upon installation. Once the pressure plate is fully torqued to the flywheel with red Loctite to factory specifications (33 ft-lbs, in intervals), the clutch, pressure plate, and flywheel combination can now be slid onto the transmission as you would a torque converter on an Automatic Transmission. If the assembly will not slip on the transmission, this is most likely due to the fact that the disc is not on center. Remove the pressure plate and attempt to re-align the disc. **NOTE: We have successfully aligned the assembly by following the above procedure. It is not that difficult to "eyeball" the alignment.
- Once the clutch and flywheel combo are installed in the transmission, the half-shaft can be re-installed (this prevents the clutch and flywheel from falling out of the transmission while attempting re-installation). Install and bolt the transmission to the engine. Install the JHM supplied bolts for attaching the flywheel to the flexplate. Torque the flyweel to flexplate bolts to factory specifications. This is done in a similar fashion to torquing down a torque converter to a flexplate on an Automatic Transmission.
BREAK IN PROCEDURE: Clutch break-in is important and must be done properly.
During the break-in period ALL racing activities, launching, or aggressive driving that get the clutch hot MUST be avoided!!! For the Stage 3 clutch clutch disc you need to drive about 500 miles of city type driving. Each time the clutch disc is disengaged and reengaged slowly - basically, whenever you start from a stop or shift it aids in break-in. Because of this, highway mileage does not count. For Stage 4 clutch discs you need to drive about 750 miles of city type driving. Due to Kevlar's resistance to wear, it takes longer to break in.