What weight Flywheel are you using with South Bend Clutch?

cawmere

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2009
Location
London
TDI
Skoda Octavia MK1 1.9TDI ASV
Hi all,

I am looking to buy a South Bend Clutch soon, but would like to minimize the shudder coming from the clutch. Would 21lb do this, or is 17lb the best option?

Any advice welcome.

Thanks
 

LiLredTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2008
Location
maryland
TDI
2004 jetta tdi pd-1989 Jetta IDI-1994 F-250 IDI Turbo
I am running that exact setup...........no chatter and stock pedal feel. you won't be sorry.
 

Jasengine

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
Location
UK
TDI
Mk6 Golf GTD DSG 200bhp CBBB
I have SB 20 lb fly wheel. Standard feel, slight judder when cold, but thats it.
 

LeadSSled

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May 21, 2009
Location
Knoxville, TN
TDI
97 B4 Passat TDI
Bob_Fout said:
I'm using the stock weight SMF.
LiLredTDI said:
I am running that exact setup...........no chatter and stock pedal feel. you won't be sorry.
+2
Stock re-surfaced flywheel. No shudder. Pedal pressure is near stock but pedal is closer to the floor and engages with less pedal travel. It is easy to get used to and fine for my daily driver.
 

diesel-dave

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Joined
Aug 26, 2007
Location
earth
TDI
2003 wagon TDI, 2003 wagon Tdi, 2013 Q7 Tdi
run a stock oem flywheel G60 or 1z. Be careful of chinese knock offs that some vendors used to sell. unbalanced garbage. no timing mark...

these oems are aval. cheap, ask around.
 

Sc0

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May 21, 2000
Location
Houston, TX USA
TDI
'02 Golf GL 5sp Candy White Tan cloth interior
Stock G60 style from Dieselgeek, I recommend etching or centerpunching the TDC marks before install IF THEY ARE LASER ENGRAVED. This is due to the inability to see the marks when doing a timing belt at a later date due to rust... Trust me on this.... Running a SBC Stage 3, it chattered a bit louder as it got older but it could have been the clearances in my transmission going due to grenaded 5th gear particles... say 40k miles on the clutch plenty of meat on both sides though the clutch disc retainer started cutting into the clutch springs a little, not as bad as the OEM G60 setup when I removed it
 

darkhorse

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2009
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
'06 Golf GLS, '01 Dodge/Cummins
I'm running a stock weight SMF with an SBC #3. It feels like stock to me & there is no chatter.
 

diesel-dave

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2007
Location
earth
TDI
2003 wagon TDI, 2003 wagon Tdi, 2013 Q7 Tdi
Sc0 said:
Stock G60 style from Dieselgeek, I recommend etching or centerpunching the TDC marks before install IF THEY ARE LASER ENGRAVED. This is due to the inability to see the marks when doing a timing belt at a later date due to rust... Trust me on this.... Running a SBC Stage 3, it chattered a bit louder as it got older but it could have been the clearances in my transmission going due to grenaded 5th gear particles... say 40k miles on the clutch plenty of meat on both sides though the clutch disc retainer started cutting into the clutch springs a little, not as bad as the OEM G60 setup when I removed it
can you clarify "the not as bad as the G60 setup"?
nobody makes a better flywheel than using an OEM solid wheel, the clutch is your choice. These vendor "billet" deals are not made to the quality specs as the original...and guess what? the oems "used" can be found cheaper.. a 1z flywheel is the same, your just not paying the G60 price for the name!!
 

cog

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Feb 6, 2008
Location
MIDDLESBROUGH... U.K
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98 GT.TDI 11O
i have the 17lb flywheels that came with the sbc 3 kit . and there is more revs needed in forst to get moving and more chatter tahn stock when clutch is out . so its another vote for oem stock 20-lb g60 flywheel . honestly the difference in gear change and revability is not worth the trade off in my opinion . you do get used to what you drive but i would use a stock g60 one if i did it again ;)
 

cawmere

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Nov 9, 2009
Location
London
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Skoda Octavia MK1 1.9TDI ASV
Yeah, I was gonna get it from id parts, along with a short shifter, any thoughts on the short shifters?

Also this is for the UK guys - Would the flywheel be cheaper if i bought from the UK - from what you guys are saying it is just a standard G60 flywheel right?

Thanks
 

TDICADDGUY

Top Post Dawg
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Jul 4, 2007
Location
Blaine, MN
TDI
2012 BMW X5 35D
cawmere said:
Yeah, I was gonna get it from id parts, along with a short shifter, any thoughts on the short shifters?

Also this is for the UK guys - Would the flywheel be cheaper if i bought from the UK - from what you guys are saying it is just a standard G60 flywheel right?

Thanks
I would think that shipping a 21 lb flywheel across the pond would be cost prohibitive. Just order the clutch kit itself (it is available without a flywheel) and then find a used OEM G60 or 1z flywheel and have it resurfaced.
 

cog

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Feb 6, 2008
Location
MIDDLESBROUGH... U.K
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98 GT.TDI 11O
yes indeed the flywheel is just a lightened g60 flywheel, you may aswell save on the weight of shipping by just buying the clutch if you can find a good cheap source for a stock one
 

Leo819

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Aug 13, 2003
Location
Limerick, Pa
TDI
Thomas C2 School Bus
cog said:
i have the 17lb flywheels that came with the sbc 3 kit . and there is more revs needed in forst to get moving and more chatter tahn stock when clutch is out . so its another vote for oem stock 20-lb g60 flywheel . honestly the difference in gear change and revability is not worth the trade off in my opinion . you do get used to what you drive but i would use a stock g60 one if i did it again ;)
QFT

It's what I have sbc3 w/17#. more chatter/more revs needed. It's livable. you get used to it
 
Last edited:

diesel-dave

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Aug 26, 2007
Location
earth
TDI
2003 wagon TDI, 2003 wagon Tdi, 2013 Q7 Tdi
also from what I hear, but havent bought and used one...
southbend has a stockweight balanced and true solid flywheel for their kits

eurospec? junk
oem vw 1z or g60 good
 

Scott02

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Jan 17, 2006
Location
near Youngstown, OH
TDI
Too Many
FYI, eventhough the stock DMF is 21lbs, the stock DMF, clutch, and PP weighs exactly the same as a Southbend 17lb single mass flywheel with the Southbend clutch and pressure plate.
I weighed everything on a scale when I was installing my clutch setup.
 

qmark

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Aug 30, 2008
Location
richmond,va
TDI
03 VW Golf
i have a very nice used dmf, i just pulled off my 03 golf?? from looking it over does not need re-surfacing......fyi...my new 21lb smf very smooth...very light shudder, only has 50mi on it soooo far...:)
 

FlyTDI Guy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 3, 2001
Location
PNW
TDI
'01 Jetta GLS
Though not running a SB clutch, I am using a 14 lb. SMF that was balanced w/cover and... it clatters like a bandit (in neutral, clutch out). Please be aware that chatter/judder are the same thing but not the same as clatter. If you can leave the line smoothly, you don't have a problem with chatter or judder. If your clutch rattles in neutral w/the clutch out, that is clatter.
 

ryanp

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Arosa CR - 550hp - 9.7 @ 150mph 1/4 Mile, Citigo 4x4 CR TDi - 340hp, Caddy 2.0 CR 4x4 TDI - 300+hp, Golf Mk2 Van 1.9 TDI - was 290hp, Mk5 Ibiza 2.0 FR TDi - 270hp, BMW 135d - 360hp, BMW 330d - 335hp, BMW 335d - 380hp + a few more ........
Get a SMF from a 1Z or AHU tdi mk3 golf/ B4 passat, those ones that comes with the kits are junk just looking at them.
 

darkhorse

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Nov 21, 2009
Location
Wisconsin
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'06 Golf GLS, '01 Dodge/Cummins
cawmere said:
So do these clutches all 'clatter' in neutral ?
No. I have an SBC stage 3 & SMF that all came as a kit. No clatter, shudder or anything. In fact if I hadn't watched it being bolted in I wouldn't know the clutch had been changed. It feels just like the original clutch & DMF.
 

Bob_Fout

Oil Wanker
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Sep 5, 2004
Location
Indiana
TDI
2003 Jetta - Alaska Green (sold) / 2015 GTI 2.0T
No clatter here either, SBC stage 3.

I'm curious why ryanp says all these flywheels are junk? SBC is a huge name in the racing world here.
 

FlyTDI Guy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 3, 2001
Location
PNW
TDI
'01 Jetta GLS
I think it's important to draw a line or two here... One would be, concensus seems to be that the lighter the flywheel, the more clatter there is, regardless of mfg. The second would be, there were some cheap flywheels running around (Eurospec) that quality was in question, were missing TDC marks and generally didn't perform well in terms of chatter/judder and clatter. Most, if not all, suppliers here caught on to that pretty quick and don't offer those SMF's any more. SBC clutches are quite popular and most people like them. I don't know who's flywheel they supply in their 'kit' but, by in large, it seems to work. Whether or not there are multiple flywheel mfg's to avoid I can't say directly. The only 'bad egg' that keeps coming up again and again is Eurospec. I don't think SBC uses them.
 
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