Clutch Inertia

BGTV8

I'm researching clutches for my up-coming Z34 build and stumbled across the attached article in F1 Magazine (written out of an interview with Pat Symonds).

Read the bit about rotational inertia varying as the square of the overall gear ratio to give an equivalent mass to be accelerated ...

This implies a light clutch is vastly better for the engines ability to accelerate the car in the lower gears than a heavier one.

Can the mechanical engineers and/or physics graduates here amplify this for me !!!

I was concerned at overall clamping pressure as a key variable but diameter and overall mass would seem to be another significant variable as well.

I was originally thinking about a 184mm 2-plate clutch but now am re-thinking.

Since our class cannot run Forced Induction, max torque won't be much more than 400 ft/lb at absolute best ..... but I was surprised at the quote ...

Attached Images

Snip F1Race mag re Clutch inertia.JPG (72.7 KB, 23 views)