Indigo

Indigo Flywheel

[4/22/2008] Reviewed by: Keith

Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.8 liter

9# Indigo flywheel for 1.8L Miata

I discovered while doing a clutch job that my Miata (bought used) had an Indigo flyweel installed. I do not know the mileage on the vehicle when it was installed but at first glance it looked in very good shape. There was no sign of significant wear, bluing, or any of the normal problems found on an old flywheel. I was quite pleased at this point. Once removed and cleaned, I found several cracks in the aluminum portion of the flywheel radiating outwards from the bolt holes where the aluminum portion mounts to the steel portion. All the cracks start at the fastener holes and are very difficult to see unless the flywheel is completely removed and cleaned because they're on the motor side and the thing gets dirty. Any engineer worth their salt will tell you that this is a design flaw. The screw holes create stress concentrations at a location already taking a lot of stress. There simply is not enough aluminum to take the stress and probably sharp corners that make it! worse. The car is naturally aspirated so I'm not running big HP. The extent of the cracks told me that this thing could fly apart at any moment so I replaced it with a lightened steel flywheel. Important note... The bolts that attach the flywheel to the motor are not the same as stock. They look almost identical but the aluminum flywheel takes a coarse thread (I think it's an M8 1.5 and I THINK stock is M8 1.0).

It's a very light flywheel with snappy acceleration and I found it very drivable, especially for someone who double clutches on downshifts. It does not seem durable enough for the application and I'd hate to have that much spinning energy let go right next to my feet. If you install one, I'd inspect it regularly and discard at any sign of cracking and/or install a scatter shield. The blue anodize does make it easier to see the cracks since you can see the aliminum color contrasting against the anodize. (note: Installation time is with engine and trans already out of the car)

Under 30 minutes to remove completely

Indigo Lightweight Flywheel

[9/18/2002] Reviewed by: John Jordan - johnmjordan@hotmail.com

Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter 1.8 liter

9 pound Indigo Lightweight Alloy Flywheel for 1.8L cars (will fit 1.6L as long as you also use a 1.8L clutch as I did)

Have had it on the car for about 6 months. Great throttle response. Finish and quality were excellent. After installing my GReddy turbo kit, the stock clutch started slipping, so I decided to replace it with the ACT "Stage 1" setup, but opted for the better gripping power of the larger 1.8 clutch. This meant I needed a 1.8 flywheel, so I decided to go with a lightweight one. SRMotorports.com has a pretty good package deal when you buy the clutch and flywheel together, so that is what I went with.

For someone who wants the most performance he / she can get, this is a must have item. The throttle response, both accellerating and decelerating, is fantastic. Dramatic increase. The negative is, the lack of rotational mass means you have to slip the clutch more to get the car "off the line." This may not be the item you want to put on your daily driver, unless you have no problem making concessions to comfort for performance. Not sure as to how long it would take to install this, as I paid for installation. (The only thing I ever paid to have installed on my Miata. Not the turbo, not the suspension, not the electronics, nothing else. Lack of a lift and lack of a tranny jack made me decide $250 for labor was a good investment in sanity.)

Over 30 minutes to remove completely