JB Racing left a bad taste in my mouth

[Arith2]

Long story short, my car had a mystery knock and I was trying to diagnose it. It came and went without anything I did seeming to contribute to it.

After I had attempted to remedy the problem with a valve adjustment and rod bearings, I called a few people just to see if I missed something. JB Racing was one of them. After determining to flywheel wasn't the problem, I mentioned I had an SMG and this guy was dead set on that being the problem. I asked him why and his answer was... "Because you have an SMG". Seemed redundant and I didn't particularly enjoy an answer with no reasoning. I just politely explained there's nothing in the system that could causing the knocking. My hydraulics didn't cause the knock. Today I actually ripped it and no knock returned. Either way, the conversation didn't rest easy with me as I really got the impression he was completely blaming me for something I had nothing to do with. He also wouldn't tell me if they actually tested it on an actual S54 so I'll probably be switching flywheels in the near future.

[martin.oconnor]

I read it twice and I still have no idea what you are saying.

[Arith2]

I read it twice and I still have no idea what you are saying.

Im going to rewrite it because my wife kept talking to me

[martin.oconnor]

I like the solution. I wish all problems could be resolved that way!

[R1pilot]

So ... was the flywheel the problem?

[Obioban]

I learned on other cars that I really dislike aftermarket flywheels, so I’ve never been tempted to mess with it on the m3... and have had no regrets.

[Jickel180]

I wouldn't eff around with the s54's rotating extremeties. Aftermarket crank dampers and flywheels are a no-go with these cars from my observation. We get wrapped up on finding opportunity to "upgrade" each part that wears out, but a lot of these parts are were designed right the first time.

[Arith2]

I wouldn't eff around with the s54's rotating extremeties. Aftermarket crank dampers and flywheels are a no-go with these cars from my observation. We get wrapped up on finding opportunity to "upgrade" each part that wears out, but a lot of these parts are were designed right the first time.

After spending a few hours researching our vibrational weak points, I decided a lightweight flywheel isn't going to be an issue. I don't really consider the flywheel an upgrade but rather a part for a different purpose than comfort. It's meant for speed. There's no information worth looking at for lightweight flywheels so I put one in.

It's not been a problem and quieter than any other LW flywheel I've seen in videos. There's plenty of them that aren't our car but not a single one is an E46 m3. It's a low risk operation and we need data.

I want to say mine is around 12-13lbs. I'm also using a stock clutch and pressure plate.

[stash1]

After spending a few hours researching our vibrational weak points, I decided a lightweight flywheel isn't going to be an issue. I don't really consider the flywheel an upgrade but rather a part for a different purpose than comfort. It's meant for speed. There's no information worth looking at for lightweight flywheels so I put one in.

It's not been a problem and quieter than any other LW flywheel I've seen in videos. There's plenty of them that aren't our car but not a single one is an E46 m3. It's a low risk operation and we need data.

I want to say mine is around 12-13lbs. I'm also using a stock clutch and pressure plate.

Ehhh, I’ve seen quite a few reviews of ltwt flywheels for our cars, and almost universally...there is some degree of ‘chatter’. The rub w/ltwt flywheels (common knowledge) is that while they reduce rotating mass & can provide slightly faster acceleration through the rpm range...they are noisy. The factory dual mass flywheel weighs around 24-25lbs, and most ltwt flywheels tend to hover around 10-12lbs (for aluminum), and 15-16lbs. (for steel). If I were going to chose one, I would prolly go w/steel, as it should still provide some small acceleration gains, yet minimize the chatter...best of both worlds. Which one did you install?

[Arith2]

Ehhh, I’ve seen quite a few reviews of ltwt flywheels for our cars, and almost universally...there is some degree of ‘chatter’. The rub w/ltwt flywheels (common knowledge) is that while they reduce rotating mass & can provide slightly faster acceleration through the rpm range...they are noisy. The factory dual mass flywheel weighs around 24-25lbs, and most ltwt flywheels tend to hover around 10-12lbs (for aluminum), and 15-16lbs. (for steel). If I were going to chose one, I would prolly go w/steel, as it should still provide some small acceleration gains, yet minimize the chatter...best of both worlds. Which one did you install?

I did the aluminum 11lb one. The noise is mostly on deceleration. There's very little chatter at all. If I didn't tell you I had one, you probably wouldn't hear it. There's a video of an E36 on youtube that has a horrid amount of chatter and I was worried it'd be similar. Overall, I think steel would be better for longevity but the gains would be close to nothing. I gotta get something out of the upgrade. I'd like to know how much improvement I achieved but I don't have the equipment to measure it.