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Anyone have experience with Centerforce clutches?

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Old 10-17-17, 09:56 AM
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Hopeful Future

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Anyone have experience with Centerforce clutches?

Specifically the dual friction. Looking into a clutch replacement, and the idea of increased holding capacity while maintaining a close to stock pedal feel has me intrigued.

Anyone ever used this clutch and can speak for it? Worth it? Or is it one of those cases of trying to have your cake and eat it too.
Old 10-17-17, 10:38 AM
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I have used the dual friction on all my cars...FB stock port, FC aggressive port, RX8 stock port. The feel is great and holds everything thrown at it.
Old 10-17-17, 10:52 AM
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centerforce clutches never seemed that great to me, unless you like a heavy and chunky clutch that barely performs better than the other performance counterparts. just go with ACT and forget CF. clutch pedal feel with the ACT clutches i've put in were virtually the same as OEM.

Last edited by insightful; 10-17-17 at 10:56 AM.
Old 10-17-17, 12:58 PM
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Originally Posted by 82BUCKET
I have used the dual friction on all my cars...FB stock port, FC aggressive port, RX8 stock port. The feel is great and holds everything thrown at it.

Looking at one for my Rx8 Turbo build, and for the Turbo II.
Old 10-19-17, 06:40 AM
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Stock pedal pressure is very light, there is no ACT offered that feels like stock. The Centerforce is a good choice if you are on a tight budget.
Clutch choice decision needs to be made by determining how much HP & torque you plan to make. For example : Selecting a cheap clutch and expecting it to hold 500hp for any length of time is asking a lot.
Old 10-20-17, 08:26 PM
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Honestly, I could not tell the difference in pedal force between stock TII and the ACT HD pressure plate. Perhaps I'm feeling old grease vs fresh grease, but it is not a stiff clutch. My wife's Focus ST has a stiffer OEM clutch.
Old 10-20-17, 11:10 PM
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Originally Posted by ColinShark
Honestly, I could not tell the difference in pedal force between stock TII and the ACT HD pressure plate. Perhaps I'm feeling old grease vs fresh grease, but it is not a stiff clutch. My wife's Focus ST has a stiffer OEM clutch.
i couldn't much tell the difference either, i don't know what banzai is smoking unless he only installs stage 3 clutches.
Old 10-21-17, 09:31 AM
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Not smoking anything. There is only ACT HD and XT, no such thing as a "stage 3".

The stock Exedy almost falls to the floor without pressing the pedal. I have customers in their 60-70s that are original owners, we have had to remove ACT HD pressure plates because of the increased pedal pressure.
Old 10-22-17, 10:30 AM
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I had a centerforce clutch that broke one of the ears off the release bearing. That was amusing.
Old 10-22-17, 05:27 PM
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any upgrade is going to cost something, i still am not a big fan of how massive and bulky the centerforce is. i also assume with the way it works based on centrifugal force weights that it also gets rather heavy with high RPMs.
Old 10-23-17, 02:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Banzai-Racing
Not smoking anything.

The stock Exedy almost falls to the floor without pressing the pedal. I have customers in their 60-70s that are original owners, we have had to remove ACT HD pressure plates because of the increased pedal pressure.
Are you referring to the exedy stage 1 turbo clutch? how does stage 1 compare to the stage 1 heavy duty(exedy claims 25% stronger) in pedal feel...is that still lighter then the act HD pressure plates? Or anyone else that has a direct comparison of these 3 clutches as far as pedal effort.

Last edited by Nosferatu; 10-23-17 at 02:53 PM.
Old 10-23-17, 05:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Nosferatu
Are you referring to the exedy stage 1 turbo clutch? how does stage 1 compare to the stage 1 heavy duty(exedy claims 25% stronger) in pedal feel...is that still lighter then the act HD pressure plates? Or anyone else that has a direct comparison of these 3 clutches as far as pedal effort.
I am talking about the OEM Exedy clutch. Stage 1 and 1 HD are not stock, pedal pressure is still lighter then the ACT HD.
Old 10-25-17, 01:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Banzai-Racing
The stock Exedy almost falls to the floor without pressing the pedal. I have customers in their 60-70s that are original owners, we have had to remove ACT HD pressure plates because of the increased pedal pressure.
Alright, this is funny I put a stock Exedy clutch in the RX-8 and I almost push the pedal through the firewall after driving my RX-7. I have an OS Giken twin-disc unsprung clutch setup in the RX-7 and it's definitely a leg workout compared to the 8. Poor thing gets slammed to the floor every time I drive it.

I drove an ACT pressure plate and can confirm that it takes more pressure to push the pedal than an Exedy pressure plate for sure, using my old Turbo FB for an example.
Old 12-09-17, 09:50 PM
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ACT clutch

I have felt the SSHD 400ft/lb clutch in an FC and FD and they are, to me, 30% or more stiffer than stock. The 330 ft/lb ACT I had in my FC was only slightly stiffer than the stock FC clutch. Maybe 5%. Hope that helps.
Old 12-09-17, 11:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Tyblat
Specifically the dual friction.
I had a Centerforce Dual Friction clutch in my Turbo II, and it is a really great clutch for a street/autocross car with a mildly-modified turbo engine. The light pedal force allows for faster gear changes in my opinion, and you will not wear out your leg as much in heavy stop-and-go traffic. However, it is really important to have it installed by a competent mechanic because there is a high probability for a noob to install it incorrectly, which typically causes failure of the weights or release bearing.

My experience with this and other clutches is as described earlier by Banzai-Racing, especially the part about choosing the right clutch based on the torque of the engine.
Old 12-10-17, 10:11 AM
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Originally Posted by Banzai-Racing
Not smoking anything. There is only ACT HD and XT, no such thing as a "stage 3".

The stock Exedy almost falls to the floor without pressing the pedal. I have customers in their 60-70s that are original owners, we have had to remove ACT HD pressure plates because of the increased pedal pressure.
ive done the same. for a street car the XT is great.




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