Dual Mass Flywheels - Our Take 1 Comment23 December 2016  |  Stu

Affecting: Anything with a Dual Mass Flywheel

MAINLY SPECULATION - FEEL FREE TO STICK YOUR OAR IN,

We've just been discussing DMF conversions to solid flywheels when replacing clutches and it's left a few question marks. The main one being .. Do the manufacturers design parts such as the crankshaft or transmission around the fact that the DMF will dramatically reduce the torsional vibration of the engine? In other words, is there any room for lightening and thereby weakening the crank / transmission etc to improve efficiency & comfort / reduce cost? If you then put a solid flywheel in, will it shake itself to bits? There is no doubt that the DMF has a few advantages and probably only one disadvantage, that of its higher cost. At the moment when replacing a clutch, we default to fitting a new DMF and we always explore the option of a solid flywheel conversion. Going forward though, I suspect new powertrains will be designed from the ground up with a DMF setup, so replacement of the DMF (or sticking with the original) will be the only option. We generally use Valeo or LUK aftermarket parts as they are usually OE on most vehicles we repair.