“Best” Budget Aftermarket Flywheel.

Bits

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Jun 4, 2020
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Hi guys I need some info on a good (or bad) STOCK flywheel for a 5.0. Long story short; I’m swapping a 2000 Explorer 5.0 and a T5 (‘86) into a MGB. No mods on motor and it won’t be beat on any so just a stock cast flywheel will do. Clutch is stock and I need to find an inexpensive flywheel. Rock has Luk for $49ish. Anyone have any problems with one? What about an Exedy wheel?

thanks
 
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While I’m sure they are fine, something about a cheap $50 flywheel spinning up to 3-5k rpm next to my feet wouldn’t sit well with me. However, I’ve never heard of a flywheel disintegrating that way.

regardless, this is the flywheel I’d still run.
 
While I’m sure they are fine, something about a cheap $50 flywheel spinning up to 3-5k rpm next to my feet wouldn’t sit well with me. However, I’ve never heard of a flywheel disintegrating that way.

regardless, this is the flywheel I’d still run.

I looked at those but from what I’ve found the newer ones are made offshore (A “$50 wheel”?) and don’t use the same dowels or bolts as the stock wheels do. I haven’t been able to definitely find the “correct” bolt and dowel kit for the new Ford wheel. I’ve found the Ford bolt and dowel kits but apparently according to others; it doesn’t work with that wheel. I figured I’d order a pre-doweled wheel from somewhere else and get bolt issue sorted once it gets here.

That’s why I was curious if anyone here has had any experience with the Luk or Exedy stock wheel replacements. I haven’t found anything online about problems with them other than DMFs.
 
If you want the US-made wheel, you are looking at the $250 ford billet wheel. Of course now we are getting well away from your intended budget

this is the bolt dowel kit for the cast and billet wheel.

I’ve used it in both wheels with no issue. I ran the Ford cast wheel before, and recently swapped to the Ford billet wheel.

I believe Luk brand drivetrain parts do have a good reputation as well. I have not heard many bad things about them at all.
 
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I've got a bunch of experience with LUK flywheels. Been using them for years, installed in a couple of my mustangs and a lot of customer cars. Never had an issue whatsoever. The surface will get heat cracks if you are the type to overheat the clutch lot. They do work and customers don't have issues.
 
Got the same LUK from rockauto paired with a valeo king cobra clutch. Cost only $180 for both and it’s been excellent to me
 
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5L5,

From what I’ve read that bolt and dowel kit no longer work in the latest batch of cast Ford wheels; therein lies the problem.

Glad to hear the Luk wheels work well. I’ll go that route.

Thanks guys!
 
I got the perfection flywheel and clutch kit ten years ago and 109,000 miles.No problems at all,and the rock has em on sale now.
 
I got a flywheel from LMR for one hundred bucks three years ago and it has chattered a little from day one. They stopped selling it shortly after . I keep my old Ford one in the corner of my garage to be resurfaced some day.
 
5L5,

From what I’ve read that bolt and dowel kit no longer work in the latest batch of cast Ford wheels; therein lies the problem.

Glad to hear the Luk wheels work well. I’ll go that route.

Thanks guys!

what’s the latest batch? Due to a redesign of the wheel? Or tolerances?
 
From the review I read it sounds like a redesign. (Or that being made offshore has had something to do with it.) Either way one recent review I read stated the Ford stock dowels aren’t the correct size for the new wheels. ( No mention of too big or too small.)

A word on Rockauto; you gotta watch youshipping prices carefully. I use there site for an interchange and have bought a ton of parts from them over the years ; you have to pay attention.

Just because you have the truck icon next to a part doesn’t mean that it will come from the same warehouse. I have seen them show that three parts will all come from “A” only to have them show up as “A” “B” “C” once you have then in the cart. Sometimes you can refresh the page and it’ll straighten out but most of the time it won’t. The more you order or accesss the site (frequency), the higher your prices and shipping will be.
Use one machine to research prices but order them from someone else’s computer; it’ll be cheaper. Clear your cookies before you search and after you leave. They are tracking you and will raise the price of what you’re looking at to be close to whatever competitors you are looking at.

EBay does the same thing; the more of “whatever” type of product you buy, the higher your prices will be from eBay stores.


I have an acquaintance down the road that buys a lot of parts off eBay. One part on there showed to be $50 for him but $35 for me. Same part from the same folks at the same time....

I don’t see any “sale” flywheels on rock right now which is why I mention this. It all depends on volume and geographics.

I started using Rock as I got better prices there than my commercial accounts at the FLAPS I was using. Most of the time Rock will be cheapest but I’ve been using Amazon lately. Looks like they employ the same tactics too.

Shop around and clear your cookies every time you leave a site.
 
Ok; “update”: Exedy clutch and Luk wheel showed up but one of them had dowel alignment problems on one hole. I had nothing to compare against and while I could have figured which one was the culprit; I wasp pissed and sent them both back. I’ll deal with it later.
 
You are correct to be concerned about a cast flywheel blowing chunks near your feet. The Tri-5 Chevys etc were a reason for SFI bellhousings and flywheels. An older friend tells the tale of his missing toe, a hole in the dash, and a broken windshield from a high RPM clutch drop launch while street racing in his youth.
I hope quality control is good on the cheap stuff as the bell housing in a MGB has to be near the driver.

While I’m sure they are fine, something about a cheap $50 flywheel spinning up to 3-5k rpm next to my feet wouldn’t sit well with me. However, I’ve never heard of a flywheel disintegrating that way.

regardless, this is the flywheel I’d still run.