Not Ranked
A little rougher idle could be expected, because of the effect a heavy flywheel has on the dampening of the power pulses. However the main difference is the stored inertia used to launch the non moving car. A lighter or smaller diameter flywheel will have less stored energy, but on a light car such as a Cobra it is of little consequence. A lighter flywheel will allow the engine to RPM quicker (better throttle response) due to lower moment of inertia.
The 4" & 5" multi disc clutches (read $$$$$) that use a small diameter flywheel have a very low moment of inertia and are used extensively by F-1, Trans AM and several other classes of high end racing. The down side of them is that they do not allow for much slippage and are therefore not very user friendly for street usage. I used a 7" Tilton clutch & flywheel on a Datsun 510 years ago and the difference realized in throttle response for Auto X was quite substantial, but it was either "ON or OFF" no slippage allowed or it would burn itself up quickly. Great for that type of application.
Rick
|