The Ford Barn

JSeery · 02-09-2015, 12:02 PM

Performance as in acceleration. The issue is rotating mass and the distance from the centerline. You want the rotating mass as small as reasonable and as close to the centerline as possible. Something like the demonstrations of the skaters moving their arms in and out to increase and decrease rotating speed. A small amount of weight further from the centerline will make a difference in the ability of the flywheel, clutch plate and pressure plate to accelerate. The assemble should be as light and close to the centerline as possible but it is also dependent on the vehicles weight and gearing. A light car with low gearing likes a light rotating mass. As the car/truck's weight increases or using higher gear ratios, more rotating mass makes driving easier (less likely to kill the engine and/or have to slip the clutch to get it going) but acceleration suffers. Like everything it is a compromise.

02-09-2015, 12:02 PM	#11
JSeery Member Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 16,132	Re: Flathead project Performance as in acceleration. The issue is rotating mass and the distance from the centerline. You want the rotating mass as small as reasonable and as close to the centerline as possible. Something like the demonstrations of the skaters moving their arms in and out to increase and decrease rotating speed. A small amount of weight further from the centerline will make a difference in the ability of the flywheel, clutch plate and pressure plate to accelerate. The assemble should be as light and close to the centerline as possible but it is also dependent on the vehicles weight and gearing. A light car with low gearing likes a light rotating mass. As the car/truck's weight increases or using higher gear ratios, more rotating mass makes driving easier (less likely to kill the engine and/or have to slip the clutch to get it going) but acceleration suffers. Like everything it is a compromise.