NVMYRC51

I promise I searched before I posted. I am considering putting in a Fidanza aluminum flywheel. What can I expect in terms of "feel" from the cockpit? Better throttle response? Faster accel? Is it worth the time and effort? Thanks.

Craig,

NVMYRC51

Fidanza, Fidanza, Fidanza. My bad.

Crabs

Unless everything is absolutely perfect be prepared for a lot more gear box noise. Some describe it as "Box full of rocks" noise.
The motor will wind up noticeably quicker and take off from 1st. gear require a little more finesse and slightly higher RPMs to keep it from bogging.
My '90 has the original, but I've been in a couple of Z's with the Fidanza. I won't be putting one in my car anytime soon, but it does make quite a difference in the sound and the feel off the car.

'Crabs

Dominic Sorresso

I've used Fidanza FW for my 84 Xfire and my ZRs. Love them. You will get some rattling in neutral at idle otherwise silent. Some of this can be minimized by proper tuning and use of trans lube (ie BMW Castrol) for the ZF. But the engine response is worth it IMO. No bog, no sitting there counting 1-2-3-Go.

NVMYRC51

Hey thanks for the feedback guys. I think I have narrowed down my next 3 mods; Fidanza flywheel, 4.10 gears, and ported plenum. These should cost just enough to make the wife mad but still the wife.

Dominic Sorresso

Add headers and you should be ~ 400rwhp depending on the plenum port match.

Rkreigh

great road racing mod, not so great for the street. motor will zing up nicely, but it reduces the launch inertia quite a bit.

REALLY noisey with cams, not so bad with stock. the tranny clearances make a difference in the noise level as does how rought your idle is.

I have it on my car and it's great with .10 gears. with stock gears, I wouldn't do it.

overall a very cost effective mod, and I agree, headers, exhaust, 4.10, and top end porting is the sensible "bang for the buck mods:

ZR1Bob

Based on many dyno pulls, Marc Haibeck attributes about 15 crank horsepower to a Fidanza flywheel. When I had him do his 510 package on my '95 I chose not to install a Fidanza flywheel. As noted above, even with mitigating moves the gear rattling in neutral at idle would bother me as I habitually shift into neutral every time I come to a stop. I have heard the noise and did not like it. Also, I had experience with a lightweight flywheel in a different application, which would bog a bit on takeoff, and I like the inertia that the dual mass provides to smooth takeoff. --Bob

NVMYRC51

Some good things to think about. Headers are the last on my list because of cost but yes they are definitely there unless of course I could find a good used set then it would be on. I am looking at retiring from the military in the next couple of years so I don't want to spend too much all at once until I have my next job/career nailed down.
I will tell you something funny though. I had a young female teacher at a High School recently poking fun at me and my ZR-1 saying it was my mid-life crisis car. I said "no" it wasn't a mid-life crisis but that it took me this long to be financially stable enough to have toys of this magnitude. All I heard was "amen" from all the auto shop teachers. Uh she still wanted a ride. I was shocked that she actually knew what a ZR-1 was. Apparently her father had owned one back in the day and she loved ridin' with dad. Her father has passed away but I can tell you that ride meant the world to her. Didn't say anything but I saw the tears.

Dominic Sorresso

Ron,

I have both Pete's Intake and Exhaust cams. The AL FW is not that noisy, and no noise at all driving even at low rpm. The rattle, at neutral idle only, becomes more pronounced with hot weather and after hot run. The throttle is more responsive to input which is what I like.

FU

Fidanza................just like Corsa's some like them some dont.

jss06c6

In my '91. A little rattle in neutral, but not audible from inside the car. I do have SW headers and 3" exhaust on the car. Marc H. chip/tune. All else stock other than injectors. No issues with drive quality on my end. Certainly shifts different than my 2010 ZR1, but it's completely different technology. I bought the car with the Fidanza flywheel in the car, so can't compare with the dual mass (I have it if I ever want to put it back in).

Agree with others, it's a personal choice. My '91 runs great, so no complaints..

edram454

Craig,

Just had a friend install a fidanza in his new 1990 zr1. His has all the good mods and all done by south georgia corvette,,, ported plenum and injector housing, headers, bb 3 inch exhaust, 3.90 gears, wilwood brakes, new injectors, no cats etc.. and a new fidanza he just put in. It helps that he has gears because if the gears were stock it would tend to bog if not careful. It is most noticed shifting 2nd, 3rd and 4 th gears. It spins up faster and it is good when maintaining rpms like road racing etc... not too good for drag racing or street racing. He had aaron scott install the fidanza so he used some tricks and preparation so it does not make any noise. Most fidanzas do make some noise. It is an expensive modification that would be better spent doing something else.

It was worth it for my buddy since he was having a slight problem with his clutch and it had 32k miles so he swapped it for the fidanza and a new clutch etc.. My clutch is only 2k miles old so I will not be doing this mod on my car. It will be around 1k to 1.2 k for the job. lots of cash for little performance.

ed ramos #3028

Dominic Sorresso

If you have occasion to pull the motor or trans, then the Fidanza upgrade is not all that expensive. Recapturing 15whp is pretty good bang for the buck IMO.

oldpro

sorry I disagree on the drag racing . my car 60fts .2 tenths better with the fidanza . with the stk flywheel it is way too easy to fry the tires even with drag radials . good mod in my opinion .

Scrrem

I added a Fidanza to my 380 stroker with Pete's cams and the noise was horrible, went back to DM. Its interesting to note that Marc Haibeck doesn't run a Fidanza in his own car....just saying....LOL!
Rich

Mike 92LX

If you drag race the launch will be different. Also the revs will drop way faster than before when shifting. Takes a little getting used to. More noise at idle too

oldpro

it is much easier to launch my zr1 with the fidanza. and I don't see the rev loss in gear changes that you say happen it is just the opposite . videos on u tube . just type in joeshmoe. decide for youself . jmho

Paul Workman

I've had the Fidanza now for several years - love it!

Some trans rattle when hot, but when Marc got done with my dyno tune, it is hardly noticeable now.

The pros of reduced rotating mass outweighs the cons (to me) by considerable margin.

After a few outings I sort of assimilated it and it never comes to mind anymore.
It is really most noticeable when rpm acceleration is greatest; e.g., first and second gear (as physics of rotational mass suggests).
Marc has determined the equivalent hp is 15 hp. BUT! the equiv is directly proportional to acceleration; Marc's results are based on dyno results...in 4th gear. I maintain that in lower gears, where the rotational acceleration is much greater than in 4th, thatthe effective hp gain is significantly better than that measured in 4th gear.
The effective power transfer (to the wheels) is "passive", and therefore always there w/o changing anything internal to the engine.
I've never been bothered by the increase in trans "rattle" duing idle. It is minimal with a good tune and spark plugs/injectors. Towit:

508 hp LT5 w/ Fidanza and a good tune = minimal trans noise (TWS Castrol in the trans - cold).

Dominic Sorresso

Video from interior of my ZR. Listen for the trans rattle. This is w Intake and Exhaust cams.