Dual or Solid Mass Flywheel

[noogie]

Hi all

The time is here to replace my clutch on my TD5 defender.
What I'd like to know is what the difference is between a dual & solid mass flywheel. Is one better than the other and why.

I've been told that the solid mass flywheel is better and is machinable whereas the dual mass isn't.

I understand the Valeo brand is a quality clutch, just wondering about what other brands are worth a look.

On a previous clutch enquiry I made, someone mentioned they had gearbox complications attributed to a solid mass flywheel.

I use my car predominantly for offroading ( nothing too extreme) and occassional heavy towing.

Thanks
Mick

[goingbush]

Hey Mick. My gearbox has just carcked it, I ordered a new Ashcroft R380 with the HD rear bearing mod and while the box is out stupid not to replace Clutch & DMF ( just on 190,000klm )

there are no problems with clutch but there was no extra postage added to the gearbox crate, even with the weight of the DMF so stupid not to.

I often pondered same decision but I think the Td5 is not agricultural enough for a Solid Flywheel, apparantly they rattle like an Isuzu at idle, can't be good for the box, Not sure what brand is in the crate but fom Ashcroft I expect it has got to be a quality item, Clutch kit £105 DMF £260

[Dougal]

To kill vibrations the same, a single mass flywheel must be significantly heavier than a dual mass.
The VAG guys have found some single mass flywheels are too light and cause chatter. But landrover spares you'd hope would be better.

Main point. Find someone else who's done one and stick to known brands successfully used. JC should know.

[noogie]

Hey Mick. My gearbox has just carcked it, I ordered a new Ashcroft R380 with the HD rear bearing mod and while the box is out stupid not to replace Clutch & DMF ( just on 190,000klm )

there are no problems with clutch but there was no extra postage added to the gearbox crate, even with the weight of the DMF so stupid not to.

I often pondered same decision but I think the Td5 is not agricultural enough for a Solid Flywheel, apparantly they rattle like an Isuzu at idle, can't be good for the box, Not sure what brand is in the crate but fom Ashcroft I expect it has got to be a quality item, Clutch kit £105 DMF £260

Yeah I've been following the dramas you've been having.
Sorry to hear that bad news. She'll be sweet when you get it sorted.
Might be with shooting of an email to Dave re the clutch kits he supplies.

Yeah I'm thinking the dmf appears to be the way to go.
Cheers mate
Keep us posted with the gearbox.
Mick

[Landover]

I've just put a Solid flywheel in my D2 TD5. It drives as normal but once the oil warms up I'm getting terrible gearbox chatter. The mechanic that did it just put some 75 90 oil from Finer Filters in it. I've being reading up on some UK sites and some say a good oil specifically for an R380 fixed the problem. The oil brand they recommended though is not one we get here. I have been looking for some Sythtrans but unable to find it. I'll see how it goes after I change the oil again.

[jimr1]

Hi Mick ,I was only talking to the boy today about my Clutch ! My td5 r380 .has passed 260ks. Dual mass is the way I'll go . There designed to absorb vibrations , which in turn helps the life of the bearings . Valco are a good make of Clutch . I think there French ?..cheers jimr1

[noogie]

Yeah I've been told the valeo is the way to go.
Got a price from uk.
Clutch kit with dmf $990.delivered.

Looks like the kids won't eat for a couple of weeks.

[Yorkshire_Jon]

The answer as to which is best depends on your needs. However, you wouldnt change a DMF for a solid one just because you can and retain a standard clutch...

For a standard'ish Defender, running standard or mild tune mapping that never tows heavy loads, a standard clutch and DMF is fine.

If you frequently tow heavy loads at sustained speed or have a highly tuned motor (or both) you may find you eat clutches and then the only resolve is to either revert the engine mapping back to standard or put a heavier rated clutch in... And this is where the requiremend to go solid flywheel comes in.

For me, my 110 is pretty heavy to start with, has a fairly severe tune, bigger tyres and often pulls a tripple horse float. The Defer could eat a Valeo clutch in 15-20k miles (sorry I still work in proper distances!!)

By the time Id changed 3 clutches I was sick of it and something had to change. The answer was an AP Racing clutch and a solid flywheel from Rakeway in the UK.

Ive now done 40,000 miles on this one clutch and it has never shown any sign of tiring - so Im a happy bunny! The only reason I got rid of the DMF was to give me more space within the bell housing to get a bigger/deeper cluch assembly that could handle more torque - If I could have kept the DMF and got the bigger clutch in, I would have done.

As for rattle. Yes, at tickover you can hear it and it does sound like a (small) bag of spanners rattling around, but as soon as you start rolling that noise is drowned out by the rest of the car.

The other important thing for me was to maintain driveability of the car - I was concerned that the new clutch would be a switch but its absolutely fine.

hth
J

[Psimpson7]

I run exactly the same setup as YJ above in mine, and probably was amongst the first over here to fit one. Mine has been in since late 2010.

I agree totally with what he says.

Rakeway is the place to look if you are going to do it.

Shipping is expensive though. Budget on 250 pounds shipping for the assembly.

It also gets rid of the stupid plastic thrust bearing for a nice aluminium one.

[awabbit6]

I also have a Rakeway setup in my Disco. I decided to go for the solid flywheel so I could upgrade the pressure plate to better cope with towing our camper trailer.
There is no noticeable vibration at idle but as already noted, the gearbox does rattle when idling in neutral. When under load at around 1800rpm in 3rd or 4th there is also a vibration through the car that wasn't present with when the DM flywheel was fitted.

The clutch has been in for more that 2 years now and feels as good as the day it went in. Light to use and extremely smooth take-up. Excellent towing setup.