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[-] SCmSTR 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

How heavy is the flywheel?

Edit: oh I didn't see that this wasn't in a shitpost community.

To answer your question, there are a ton of variables at play here and it's quite complicated, ranging from friction and heat, to material deformation and dynamics. Assuming a bunch of stuff and putting the answer simply, not super far. Likely, you'd drop the car onto the surface, and there wouldn't be very much energy carried in the drivetrain and engine and stuff to start moving a VERY heavy vehicle (inertia). Depending on ratios and assumptions, somewhere between 0ft and maybe 15-20ft.

Assuming best case for forwards momentum though, you could have very heavy parts and a big turbo, and have the tires hit ground right as max rpm&mph reached, maximally creating friction the very second the throttle were lifted. That would give you peak all-kinds-of-stuff. If the vehicle were light enough, nothing went wrong, you had minimal realistic rolling friction, comically large flywheel, magically no engine compression slowdown what l whilst keeping engine inertia till stall, etc, I think you could get pretty far. Like maybe a half mile, maybe more, if keeping remotely in the bounds of reality but still having customized but feasible variables.

Now the real question is, what car are YOU imagining in your head? I think that can answer a lot of people's questions here, and control for a lot of variables that will otherwise vary WILDLY.

Edit3: ahhh edit2 was too long and chaotic the car became a train. Friction is real. I think the trick is to use magnets.

this post was submitted on 06 May 2025
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