Okay Team,

Still in the middle of my Super slow EFR total car rebuild that you can follow on IG KaizenFd. Time to pick a clutch for a FD that will hopefully be around the high 300 to mid 400 range and be mostly driven on street and few autocross/track events here in California. Not looking for a leg workout when i do drive in traffic but also don’t like cutting corners when it comes to this build.Also, important info it already has a Racing Beat Light Flywheel Looking for your guys experience. ACT, Exedy , action clutch? Any others ,Thanks

 

I have an exedy compe-r twin disc. I havent driven another FD, but the pedal is pretty light and its easy to drive (IMO). Expensive but id rather go that route than have a clutch that is a PITA to drive. They come with flywheels too so less expense for those planning on replacing. Does need the auto counter weight.

I'm on stock twins maxed out with bolt ons.

http://www.exedy-racing.com/racing/en/pro/compe_r.html

 

whatever your clutch choice, for best streetability go with sprung hub and you can also get a FEED big bore clutch cylinder for better pedal feel.

I drove with the stock clutch on stock twins pushed to 18 psi until I could let the clutch out at idle in any gear and it would continue idling, upgraded to ACT SS, monolock collar and braided clutch line and Pro-lite flywheel, my current setup.

For my single conversion I got an Exedy twin disk ZM022SD and the feed big bore cylinder, not installed yet.

 

Some solid advice. I'm fond of Exedy clutches, they are a Japanese OEM manufacturer and do MILLIONS of clutches a year for the Japanese big automakers. That means better materials and quality control than some of the mom and pop outfits.

I have an Exedy stage 1 clutch in my car, making mid-300's on twins with ZERO problems. It's basically a full face stock type disc with a heavier pressure plate. Zero problems.

The dual plate is a nice way to go. I installed one for a friend but haven't tried the pedal feel/driveability but it was very well built and engineered.

Regardless I would, at minimum, look at getting a stainless braided clutch line. A heavier pressure plate adds load to that stock rubber line and most times you end up with an engagement point that's RIGHT at the floor. If the clutch hydraulics are old they may be worth replacing both of them as well - clutch master and clutch slave.

In general, puck clutches and unsprung clutches are MUCH harder to drive and get real annoying really fast. I would avoid those.

Dale

 

+1 for the ZM022SD and avoiding unsprung clutches

 

+1 for Exedy stage 1. I'm not at 400hp (more like 325 at the wheels), but this clutch has been trouble free for me. Not too heavy, easily modulated, and like Dale said, built to last.

 

For the last 10 years I've only used ACT 6 puck sprung clutched with heavy duty pressure plates on cars up to 350ish HP and have never had a problem.


As a former employee of the largest OEM supplier in North America and a current engineer for one of the largest Japanese automakers, I just want to put my 2 cents in on Dales comment below. Just because a part is made by a well known company, does not mean that it inherently has better quality. Every part made has technical requirements defined by the manufacturer and the OEM and aftermarket part DO NOT have the same specifications. If the OE part has a tolerance of .05-.09mm and the aftermarket part has a tolerance of .08-.12mm, you better believe the supplier is going to let the aftermarket part pass through. A more/higher tolerance deviation = less scrap for them = less money wasted on no good parts. In the end it really comes down to a company that has a good reputation and price point. Because you absolutely get get what you pay for.

 

ACT Street/Strip has been good to me for ALOT of years, but I’m only around 350 FWHP. Very close to OEM feel and effort.
In addition to the stainless clutch line consider a new clutch fork too if yours has never been changed.

 

I have to second this. My ACT clutch broke and it was replaced with the stock clutch, then the clutch fork broke a year later (stranding me in the middle of a busy street). Replace everything you can in one job if you can, then you can enjoy driving without problems for years afterward.