VPI Flywheel or Fishing Rod Wire on Aries Motor?


I realize that VPI has some other upgrades that may be better than the integrated motor/flywheel, such as SDS and the ring clamp. Assuming that an owner already has these (I'm planning on getting them), how significant an upgrade is the flywheel? I have not seem much emphasis on this product from dealers. Is this, perhaps, an unsuccessful upgrade? One downside, it makes for a larger footrprint table, making it extend beyond most typical equipment racks...this issue may account for its lack of popularity? I have heard that just using an Aries 3 motor with fishing rod wire (e.g., SpyderWire) is a good alternative. Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
mcmprov
I bought the Teres Verus rim drive for my VPI and immediately sold my motor/flywheel and SDS. never looked back and as a bonus fits nicely in the cutout of my Scoutmaster. Better in everyway IMO
Thank you for your response. I have been seriously considering the rim drive. I asked VPI about it a few days ago. They said they had not tried it, but that they had heard from one of their customers who tried it and went back to the SDS. Maybe I should order it on trial. I have read online about others who also had positive things to say about it...
Spyder wire and other synthetic fish line is unacceptable for the VPI motor due to complete lack of elasticity. It needs to be tensioned very tightly to grip, and then acts like a plucked piano wire to transmit AC motor cogging as audible quavering. Cotton/poly, poly or silk thread must be precisely tensioned, but when this is done they sound both livelier and more speed-stable than the stock soft rubber belts.
It was Mike from vpi who gave me the idea about the fishing wire. Somene must have found a way to make this approach work... for their ears, at least..
Spider wire and other like fishing lines are made with little elasticity so the fisherman can feel every little bump on the line. There are, however, other types of fishing lines that do have a great deal of stretch in them.
I've used them for years and they work great. I used a lite line, 4 lbs or so, and double loop it. The finer the line, the smaller the knot. It's easy and cheap.
That's interesting. Do you use monofilament? Another thing I did not like about all the braided fish lines I tried is the slippery coating. Standard threads all grip better around the pulley.
Yes I use a monofilament line. The only difficulty is tieing the knot. Sometimes the line will pull right through the knot and the knot won't hold. I've tried tieing knots at both ends of the line so they won't slide through when you tie the connecting knot. You have plenty of line on even the smallest spool you buy so you can experiment with different knots to see what works for you.
Has anyone here tried the Mylar ribbon that some use on the teres?


thanks roger