DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Hey guys -

I'm in the market for a new clutch. Believe it or not I'm running a STOCK clutch and have been so for quite some time with no problems. But, it's getting thinner, I'll be pulling the engine and trans soon for some work, and I'd like to go ahead and do the deed.

Spoke with James, the Exedy clutch rep, at length during Deal's Gap Rotary Rally. REALLY nice guy, BTW. Anyhow, told him my power levels and goals (I'm around 300-350 to the ground, stock sequential twins, and street car, no racing) and he recommended going to the Stage 2 clutch.

He swears the Stage 2 has great pedal feel and driveability. The BIG thing is I DO NOT want a jerky clutch or a super heavy clutch pedal. I've driven a number of cars with 6-puck clutches and HATED them. No way in HELL I'm putting that in my car. A bit heavier clutch pedal is OK, but harsh engagement is a no-no.

Anyhow, attached are pics of both their Stage 1 and Stage 2 clutches. Stage 1 is a full-face clutch with a heavier pressure plate, about $430 or so. Stage 2 has a 3-puck clutch that's supposed to reduce mass and increase response and it's about $600ish.

Has anyone had actual experiences with these? I'm definitely going Exedy, their products are top-notch and their support of the rotary community is outstanding.

Thanks,
Dale

lOOkatme

iTrader: (19)

I have an exedy street clutch...which I think is a stage 1. It came with the car when I bought it. The clutch performs very well for me and I am probably in the low 300WHP range or so. engagement is smooth...pedel pressure isn't tough......clutch doesn't slip or anything like that. I am running the stock twins in a non-seq set up...I boost between 8-13PSI normally. No issues here. I would say it feels very stockish compared to most other cars.

RENESISFD

iTrader: (13)

For your case what would be the benefit of going with the stage 2 kit?

AFIK, you plan to keep the stock twins for a LONG time so there would be no need for you to "upgrade" the clutch. I think for your purposes it would be better to go with the stage 1, it already is an upgraded version of the stock clutch which gave you years of trouble free service.

So why risk having an even more increased pedal effort and possible rough engagement if you will never need the benefits of the stage 2 clutch?


John

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

BTW, John, love the new avatar pic .

I do really like the reduced mass - I have a light chromoly flywheel and I wouldn't mind the rotating mass being even lighter. I love that quick revvin' .

Realistically, the Stage 1 will most likely be all I need, but I'm intrigued by the other clutch. I need to get my Exedy catalog back from Jon and look at the specs on both side by side too.

Big thing I'm trying to find if anyone has one of these clutches.

Dale

RENESISFD

iTrader: (13)

Well since you want a light clutch, Just go all out and pick up an exedy compe-R carbon twin clutch. That will be about as light as you can get.


I think the new avatar pic is very "flattering"



But in all seriousness, I really am a fan of light clutches, I cant argue with that. You may just have to take the gamble and see if it meets your expectations as I am sure you know, different people have different opinion of what is tolerable.

I know when I was looking up clutches many people mentioned reduced drivability with a super light clutch/flywheel setup however I do not notice much difference except for a stiffer pedal.

scotty305

iTrader: (2)

My car had the stock clutch and flywheel for about 85k miles. It now has an Exedy Stage 1 clutch with the (resurfaced) stock flywheel. The pedal pressure is a bit stiffer than stock, but after a few days of driving you stop noticing that it's not stock. I can't speak for how much power it will hold, since my engine is mostly stock. The original clutch line began leaking a couple of months after installing the new clutch; this might have been due to old age and it might have been a result of moving the slave cylinder out of the way while installing the new clutch. I got a replacement stainless line from Mazdatrix, they shipped quickly and it fit well.


If you're going to be in the vicinity, a new clutch master and slave cylinder aren't too pricey. The master cylinder was a pretty easy install, although I needed some help to get the slave cylinder attached to the nearby hydraulic line correctly... there's not a lot of space down there.


Most of you guys will know this already, but a friend showed me how much better a nice Snap-On flare wrench is compared to the parts-store-special brand I had in my set of tools. My cheap crows-foot wrench would bend and try to strip the fastener; his Snap-On wrench had slightly more surface contact area and was obviously made of stronger material that did not bend.

FD3S2005

iTrader: (11)

why not go with the stage 1 plate but get the 3puck clutch? do they not sell them on their own?

mistaxko

iTrader: (1)

i'm in the market for clutch also, would the stage 2 be okay to use on occasional track and autocross use? hp goal is the same as dale's goal. around 350hp

rotarymandan

iTrader: (15)

I think you could go with the stage 1 without problems, if you don't plan on making much more power on that clutch. With around 350 you might want to go with the stage 1 hd which would hold up better. I think it is PN 10802hd. I have the normal stage 1 with a act streetlite flywheel and it feels like stock to me. I actually wish I went with a lighter flywheel but I do like the drivability of my setup.

Ball joint

iTrader: (6)

Stage 2 streetable!?... Complete bullshit...

I had the unfortunate luck of running this garbage clutch and it is anything but streetable. Clutch pedal is pretty heavy and the engagement has a very small window, which means it's very hard to slip. The clutch is like a On/Off switch and I hated driving my car in any kind of traffic because of it.

On top of that it doesn't even hold that much power! If I remember right the clutch is only good for 340ft/lbs.

Exedy makes a great twin disk, but I wouldn't run any of their other clutches after what I put up with.

nismosilvia270r

iTrader: (5)

sprung clutches are very streetable.

ive driven puck clutches, both sprung and unsprung. totally different between the two.

id recommend the highest stage that still uses springs

my personal favorite clutch has been the centerforce on an ls1. full surface disc, and extra clamping at higher rpm.
-counterweights' weight probably wont give you the free revving you want. good for torquey engines

djseven

iTrader: (56)

I ran this clutch for about 8k miles a couple years back with all the bolt ons making 350rwhp/295rwtq and loved it. Stiffer pedal than stock but pretty much identical to an ACT street/strip. Engagement was great as well. Still have it laying around somewhere.