LeonGalt

So I'm getting my clutch replaced and went with the ACT/Comptech package which I thought was the one that the community had come to concensus on. Then the mechanic comes in and warns me that the comptech is a two piece flywheel and is only welded together in 4 places. The 2 different metals will have different expansion rates and has a chance of coming apart. He told me that he has seen it happen on a normally driven S and that when it goes it eats the transmission. He also said that is was not really worth replacing the flywheel anyway since the stock one is so light to begin with. He recommended the Toda flywheel if I was set on doing it as it was a one piece.

Now I'm pissed. That is not at all the kind of thing I wanted to hear about this "upgrade". Had I known about this 2 piece business I absoultey would not have bought it.

Has anyone else ever heard of a comptech coming apart? Do I need to eat my losses and ditch it for a Toda?

LG

afwfjustin

Is he a Toda vendor?

You'll be fine dude, that is typical mechanic bs. I once had an HKS foam intake filter on my old 1990 Accord EX. A mechanic at the Honda dealership told me that there was an increased risk of it catching on fire, and the motor sucking the fire up through the intake piping. This was back in '98 or '99, and I was still like WTF. I'm not experienced on the Comptech flywheel, but I know people that have it. I have never personally heard of anyone having this happen to them, but who knows. I guess you've done well by asking.

Still, I have a feeling you'll be telling him to keep quiet and put it in anyway. Stock flywheel light enough? By whose standards?

Ludedude

I've never seen a post detailing this failure. Doesn't mean it hasn't happened, but I've never seen or heard of it on this board.

Has your mechanic ever seen an S2000 before today?

Disclosure: I sell Comptech products, including their flywheel. In the three+ years we've been doing so, no one has ever come to me and said the flywheel I sold them destroyed their car.

LeonGalt

Yes, the mechanics are S2000 "specialists" in this area and have the best reputation of any mechincs in town. It is my first time coming here (I'm here as we speak having the work done, yay wireless), but practically every other s2000 in town only comes here. Based on their rep they were the only people in town I would let touch my car.

I don't want to out them just yet, but I'm not thrilled at how this is going. Also, I have already emailed the vendor I purchased it from (you all know them very well) and told them that at the very least they might want to correct the language on their website, the flywheel is NOT 1 piece.

Thanks,
LG

Ludedude

It's possible that they're using language taken directly from Comptech's site. While it appears that they've recently changed the language describing their flywheel, it did indeed used to be listed as one-piece as seen in this archive of their website from just about a year ago: http://web.archive.org/web/20050304080629/...ore/510155.html

Which begs the question, how many of these flywheels has your mechanic installed in the last year? How many do they claim to have seen fail on an S2000? To make such claims they better have something to back it up in this day and age.

spoiled@21

I just installed my comptech flywheel 2 weeks ago in the same clutch package you have. I spent a good hour studying and playing with the parts in the living room before the install and if there was even 1 weld on my flywheel I never saw it.

Asura

I have never heard of any issues until this post.

Post some pics of the flywheel in question so we can see the welds you are referring to.
If he is talking about the ring gear, they are all separate

I don't see why Comptech would do this after +5 years of making and selling the 1-piece successfully. I have been very happy with mine.

LeonGalt

I did a similar search and saw similar discrepencies with the web site language. Comptechs current site doesn't mention anything about 1 or 2 piece. Also interestingly, the picture in the archived version looks identical to the one I have. The black outer ring with the teeth is the part that appears to be welded on, which suggests to me that it has always been that way. I don't really know. It would seem strange to me that they would ever ffel the need to alter their design and go from a 1 piece to a 2 piece.

The mechnic only related the single failure story. That is most likely all that he has seen. I wouldn't say that failure is likely, only possible. Clearly if it happened with any frequency it would be all over the forums here. Still, why have 1 more thing to worry about? A 1 piece simply won't fail like that and is what I thought I purchased.

I have no particular love for Toda btw either. From what I've seen most of their products don't really deliver either. But a stamped piece of steel is all I'm asking for, I figure they can't really mess that up.

I had originally considered the Spoon one as well but recall some people saying that it actually was too light at 8 lbs and made driving difficult or something. I don't know, I'll just see what I think of this one and go from there. Keep an eye on the for sale forums, you might see a very slightly used comptech in there for cheap soon.

Stratocaster

FYI

All Fly wheels for the S2000 are atleast two pieces. Even the OEM flywheel is. The gear on the outer edge it made of case hardend steel. The rear of the flywheel is cast and not hardend to the same degree.

Just take a look at the OEM flywheel on the ground. The ring is seperate. Now the number of welds is another story.

Stratocaster

It has never been one peice.