Hey,

My Auto to Manual swap is going well. All the Auto parts are out!
I have a spec 3 clutch and fidanza flywheel...I didnt get the stock clutch or flywheel...so I can't match balance.


Do I need to Zero Balance it? Or just put it in and not worry about taking it to the clutch shop for the zero balancing.

Thanks

 

anyone!

 

Since you don't have your stock unit you're at a bit of a loss. Best bet would be to zero blance the new FW and PP and hope for the best. You could take the manufacturers are their word and assume both the FW and PP are zero balanced. I'm sure you've seen all the posts about vibrations and the only way to ensure no vibrations would be to balance the new unit to the old but you don't have that option.

 

The only way I was able to use a zero ballanced clutch assembly was when I built a new motor and ballanced the bottom end.

VR

 

I was the victim of a 6th month clutch ordeal. I had very bad vibration issues that made the vette extremely un-enjoyable to drive. After reading a bunch of posts on the forum I was convinced that I was SOL and my only resort was to replace the engine.

I will try to make a long story short. First, I had an installer put in the LUK gold clutch w/aluminum flywheel. I had 4.10's done at the same time, so went easy on it until about 500 miles. After the 500 miles, I noticed severe vibration at about 2200 and 4k rpm's. Took it back to installer -- "normal for aluminum flywheel". A few weeks later, I took it back and they agreed to pull the clutch assembly and check the balance. Turns out it was 16 grams out of balance from the factory. They re-installed the clutch and guess what -- same vibrations. Not quite as bad, but still very bad.

I was about to tear it all apart and see what I could find and attempt to balance the flywheel by adding washers. I was dreading the process so I took it to LG Motorsports for a second opinion. Within 10 minutes, they gave me a diagnosis and said they could fix it, but couldn't guarantee it until they pulled it apart. I agreed. Their initial diagnosis was completely correct. Botched install lead to pilot bearing failure which gradually bent the driveshaft. I went to pick it up and to my surprise it was running perfect. Absolutely no vibration issues at all. The other tuners "normal for an aluminum flywheel" line was complete BS.

A few weeks ago I would tell you to match balance the old assembly to the new. Today I will tell you to zero balance the new one and have it installed by someone who knows what they are doing. I am guessing that the initial vibrations were due to the LUK being out 16 grams from the factory. This lead to distruction of the pilot bearing and driveshaft wear. When the shop pulled it to re-balance, they did not check the driveshaft or bother to replace the $10 pilot bearing, thus leading to the balance issue remaining. Another theory is they did not align the driveline properly upon re-install.

I can't tell you 100% what caused my issues, but I can tell you that a quality shop named LG Motorsports was able to solve my balance issues. If you live in the DFW area, I highly recommend them.