Aftermarket Flex plate worth it or needed??

[doogie]

My car is in the shop getting a complete swap over to auto and they called yesterday with yet another problem as the flex plate that came with my tranny was warped and rubbing on the starter. They ordered a new OEM part from Ford, which will be there on Tues.

Now I am wondering if the additional $100 for an aftermarket plate is worth it?? What are the chances an OEM piece will warp again in the future?? I am going to call JPC this morning to see of the PI unit listed on their website is in stock, which may help make up my mind as most other places that carry them do not have any in stock and I need the part quickly.

 

[86GT351]

Can't hurt. Depends I'm you goal. An aftermarket plate will most likely carry an SFI cert which you will need once the car gets to a specific performance level

 

[Roadracer350]

Lighter weight, spin up quicker

 

[Sky Render]

I thought flex plates were only used when the starter was engaged on an automatic transmission, and that they were therefore extremely light already because they weren't being used as a flywheel.

 

[05moneypit]

Connects the crank shaft to the torque converter and has the starter ring gear.

 

[Sky Render]

Connects the crank shaft to the torque converter and has the starter ring gear.

Right, so they aren't very heavy to begin with, and they're really only stressed during the brief period the starter motor is engaged, correct? So what would a "performance" flex plate consist of? Lighter and stronger material? Does anyone even produce one for our cars?

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[05moneypit]

No the flex plate is what connects the crankshaft to the torque converter.....just like the flywheel connects the crankshaft to the clutch.

Don't know of anyone that ever broke an OEM unit but I'm sure someone has. Most people upgrade the flex plate if they are drag racing.

http://www.performanceautomatic.com...es/platinum-xtreme-series-sfi-flexplates.html