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Everyone has to do what is right for them and honestly I don't have much of a choice at this point since my car is apart and they have a very large deposit from me. However, as I said earlier this isn't the first time they have been acquired and it doesn't appear that the quality went down the last two times.
Yes it appears you are correct and that Katech is not going anywhere. I had a pretty lengthy conference call this morning with Steve (the president), engineers Zach and Eric and also Nick, the lead technician who will be working on my car.
I am extremely disappointed that Jason is no longer with the company and not the guy overseeing my build, however I have been assured my car is still in good hands and that Katech is just as committed to quality as always.
And thank you to all the amazing shops who have reached out to me. You are all truly first class!
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Last edited by ernhart333; 01-14-2020 at 05:45 PM.
Looks like a hell of a build. How much are you expecting to the rear wheels by the time it's all said and done?
Were not exactly sure. I asked for a few items that is not normally included in Katech's Stage 3 package.
Everyone following this build will find out right along with me. LOL
The clutch will stay factory, it is pretty robust. The camshaft specs are going to be private until we are finished with the project, then we will make the decision to disclose them or not. As far as power is concerned, we expect the difference between the baseline and final dyno numbers to be extremely good.
No I have not considered this.
Is it something worth doing? Are they very expensive?
I would suggest staying away from switching the flywheel. There's no need unless you were replacing the clutch as well. The rep from katech mentioned the factory clutch is very strong which is what I've heard and seen as well.
I've had an ALFW on high HP 2300# / 2700# and two 4,000 lb cars. Some drag racers love the heavier steel FW for launching but with your projected HP/TQ it's nothing an rpm increase shouldn't fix.
Measurable advantages of the ALFW are not major but can result in 1-2 tenths better ET....significant if a car length matters . With less centrifugal weight it also lessens the rear tire TQ hit on low gear roll stabs or hard shifts. It slows the car down slightly quicker but that's hardly to be felt in a 3600# car. You may feel the need for 200 more rpm to smoothly roll off a light around town. The lighter FW allows the engine to transfer energy more efficiently, rev up faster... in essence get into boost faster at WOT. You might also feel a bit crisper throttle response .....especially entering a highway with some 3rd gear spirit!
I've had an ALFW on high HP 2300# / 2700# and two 4,000 lb cars. Some drag racers love the heavier steel FW for launching but with your projected HP/TQ it's nothing an rpm increase shouldn't fix.
Measurable advantages of the ALFW are not major but can result in 1-2 tenths better ET....significant if a car length matters . With less centrifugal weight it also lessens the rear tire TQ hit on low gear roll stabs or hard shifts. It slows the car down slightly quicker but that's hardly to be felt in a 3600# car. You may feel the need for 200 more rpm to smoothly roll off a light around town. The lighter FW allows the engine to transfer energy more efficiently, rev up faster... in essence get into boost faster at WOT. You might also feel a bit crisper throttle response .....especially entering a highway with some 3rd gear spirit!
This basically summarizes the benefits/disadvantages of a lightweight flywheel.
Cons:
-*Engine RPM will drop much faster* (Not necessarily a con)
-Engine will not like being "bogged" even more (cruising at extremely low RPM's = no go)
-Not as friendly for stop/go traffic
An example would be driving in 6th gear at ~50-55mph. With a steel flywheel, you can almost completely take your foot off the throttle and the car will continue to cruise without issue (maybe some bogging up hill). With the aluminum flywheel, you will need slightly more throttle input to maintain cruising speeds.
01-14-2020, 02:10 PM
. With less centrifugal weight it also lessens the rear tire TQ hit on low gear roll stabs or hard shifts. It slows the car down slightly quicker but that's hardly to be felt in a 3600# car. You may feel the need for 200 more rpm to smoothly roll off a light around town. The lighter FW allows the engine to transfer energy more efficiently, rev up faster... in essence get into boost faster at WOT. You might also feel a bit crisper throttle response .....especially entering a highway with some 3rd gear spirit!