4 puck?
Rotary Freak
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,267
Likes: 3
I've put 12,000 total miles on puck clutches in 1st gens. That said, I don't necessarily think they are a good idea for most people. The only time you really need one is when there is no full-face clutch that can hold the power you are putting down. Generally, this means three times stock output, considering there are all manner of heavy duty clutch options available. If you do a lot of drag racing or are excessively abusive to the clutch, the "need" comes sooner.
Puck clutches, however, are cheaper though you are trading off driveability. You can also run a much lighter pressure plate for the same gripping power.
One critical aspect that people seem to forget is that the clutch friction material plays a hugh factor in wear on the flywheel and pressure plate. Metalic linings (bronze, etc) wear like crazy...especially on the street. That can be very expensive and inconvenient, having to replace clutch, flywheel and pressure plate every 10-20K miles! Organic linings are much more friendly to flywheels and pressure plates, though they don't quite have the same ultimate grip levels and are suceptible to oil contamination. There is a new product from Pineapple Racing which gives you an organic that grips like a metallic *and* permits you to slip the clutch a bit at take-off, making it much more streetable. Also impervious to oil contamination. Good option for a street-driven car.
Sprung vs. unsprung is an old argument. The springs do not help engagement; they are only for dampening driveline shock. Good thing for street cars but, personally, I don't like them much.
No puck clutches that I am aware of use a marcel (springy surface under friction material). Marcels do, indeed, ease engagement but they make the synchros work harder. I also like the more direct feeling of engagement of a non-marcel clutch. However, you can get full-face clutches without the marcel, too. Racing Beat makes a great "heavy Duty Street/Strip" clutch/PP combo without a marcel and it is, by far, my favorite full-face clutch for a street driven RX-7. ACT also makes a nice setup without a marcel. Anyway, don't compare a puck clutch to a stock clutch; compare a puck clutch to a good quality, aftermarket, non-marcel street/strip unit that will likely also suit your needs. The puck clutch will be cheaper, but the full-face will be more fun to drive on the street.
Gearing can make all the difference in driveability, btw. 4.88 rear end gears makes the experience quite user-friendly. No shuddering or bogging when making normal take-offs at a street light, plus they really wake the car up in general.
Puck clutches, however, are cheaper though you are trading off driveability. You can also run a much lighter pressure plate for the same gripping power.
One critical aspect that people seem to forget is that the clutch friction material plays a hugh factor in wear on the flywheel and pressure plate. Metalic linings (bronze, etc) wear like crazy...especially on the street. That can be very expensive and inconvenient, having to replace clutch, flywheel and pressure plate every 10-20K miles! Organic linings are much more friendly to flywheels and pressure plates, though they don't quite have the same ultimate grip levels and are suceptible to oil contamination. There is a new product from Pineapple Racing which gives you an organic that grips like a metallic *and* permits you to slip the clutch a bit at take-off, making it much more streetable. Also impervious to oil contamination. Good option for a street-driven car.
Sprung vs. unsprung is an old argument. The springs do not help engagement; they are only for dampening driveline shock. Good thing for street cars but, personally, I don't like them much.
No puck clutches that I am aware of use a marcel (springy surface under friction material). Marcels do, indeed, ease engagement but they make the synchros work harder. I also like the more direct feeling of engagement of a non-marcel clutch. However, you can get full-face clutches without the marcel, too. Racing Beat makes a great "heavy Duty Street/Strip" clutch/PP combo without a marcel and it is, by far, my favorite full-face clutch for a street driven RX-7. ACT also makes a nice setup without a marcel. Anyway, don't compare a puck clutch to a stock clutch; compare a puck clutch to a good quality, aftermarket, non-marcel street/strip unit that will likely also suit your needs. The puck clutch will be cheaper, but the full-face will be more fun to drive on the street.
Gearing can make all the difference in driveability, btw. 4.88 rear end gears makes the experience quite user-friendly. No shuddering or bogging when making normal take-offs at a street light, plus they really wake the car up in general.
Darth Suppah
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 515
Likes: 0
From: So dubbed by teh Poops!
So you guys are saying if you are going to move up into a 4 puck clutch for dragging and racing in general a person will have to also purchase a racing tranny for best usage?
The only reason i ask this is the current plan for my recently purchased FB is to build it up into one mean car on the track, i mean, i only paid $300 for it so i might as well drop a couple grand into the motor and drive train.
And right now i am looking at the HD Street/Strip set from Racing Beat.
Aslo, would it be better to go for an aluminum fly wheel? or one of the steel ultralights?
~Sup
The only reason i ask this is the current plan for my recently purchased FB is to build it up into one mean car on the track, i mean, i only paid $300 for it so i might as well drop a couple grand into the motor and drive train.
And right now i am looking at the HD Street/Strip set from Racing Beat.
Aslo, would it be better to go for an aluminum fly wheel? or one of the steel ultralights?
~Sup
