I'm about to buy a new clutch and I've decided to go with either the SPEC stage 3 or the ACT. Either one should be able to hold the power I plan to put down (below 475 hp) But I am still undecided between the two. price Is similar with the advantage given to spec. I guess what I wanna know is which one feels closest to stock or wich is more streetable than the other.

Thanx for your input.

 

you can hold 450 ft lbs of torque with an ACT Xtreme pressure plate and theisr street strip disk.

That's a lot of holding power without the 6 puck driving properties. And if you end up needing more grab later on, it's only around 150 to upgrade the clutch disk to a 6 puck if you need to.

the entire kit part number is: ZX3-XT00

 

I've ran the street/strip disk with the HD, And it was very easy to drive but I'm wandering if the extreme will be a bit much? The car is far from daily driven so comfort is not THAT big of a deal. But I was thinking along the lines of the HD preasure plate with srung 6-puck disk: ZX3-HDR6

correct me if i'm wrong but the preassure plate is what determines how "heavy"
the pedal feels right? (clamping force)

And the disk determines the on/off characteristics, or if you can or can't slip the clutch.

I want the clutch to hold up the the abuse of a road course, and still be able to go on a weekend cruise.
Thanx for the input monk

 

Generally, yes. The disk is what will determine if you have that chattering feel or a smoother feel when slipping. I personally don't mind a slightly stiffer clutch pedal, since you get used to it in about a day or two.

If i had to choose between 6 puck , or a stiffer pedal feel... this time, I would choose stiffer pedal feel. I have also Had both SPEC and ACT clutches in different vehicles. Both are great products, however, I like the fact that you can order JUST the parts you want from ACT to put together the right setup for your self.

If you are going to have a lighter flywheel, I would definitely stick with the street/strip disk and just go with the xtreme pressure plate, or heavy duty pressure plate if you are not running extreme power levels. I am from the school of thought: If you don't need a 6 puck disk.. why use it?

I had a 9lb flywheel and a spec stage 3 with a 6 puck. I did not truly enjoy the overall feel of any type of stop and go. I believe I would have enjoyed the car much better with the s/s disk and a stiffer pedal feel.

Your overall goal of holding up to a road course, but still being able to take the weekend cruise: You wont be abusing the s/s disk too much on the road course. drag racing is where you really abuse clutches (among many other things). Once the car is in motion, you wont feel a difference between the two. For you goals, I would still recommend going with a more street-able disk and a stronger pressure plate.


What kind of power levels are you running? You may be fine with an HD pressure plate and the s/s disk.

 

IMO, if you are looking for a streetable clutch for 450rwhp or more, you need to look at spending the money for a twin plate clutch.

 

^^ That is a very good point. If you have the budget and are running that kind of power. twin plate would be ideal.

 

I would love to have a twin plate clutch but it's not within my price range right now. and probably won't be in the near future either lol. I'm shooting for 420-460hp. My last setup put down about 420hpat 16psi. This time i will be using AI and a little more boost. I already have a rebuildable 11lb flywheel that i plan to keep. so that will help to keep the price down. I was under the impression that have a sprung center would help with the drivability of a pucked clutch while still maintaing the grip.

Monkman: are you currently using a xt pp, with a s/s disk? if so what kind of power are you puting down?

 

The 7 is down right now. However, I can vouch for the spec stage 3 with a sprung 6 puck being a great clutch for around 350hp. I have not yet tested it on anything higher.

I have also had an ACT xt pressure plate and I really liked the stiffer pedal feel. I should also note the the ACT xt pressure plate in combination with the street/strip disk is rated to 450 lt/lbs of torque. I am fairly sure you would not be using more than 75% of that capability. To me this says you would have a clutch disk that is very drivable and would work great even after it wears quite a bit. Plus, it is a small investment to switch to a 6 puck sprung if you end up with more power, since you could retain the xt pressure plate and just swap out clutch disks. The most expensive part is the pressure plate. The disk is where you do your experimenting at.

However, my other thoughts are this: If you go with the xt pp, you can go for "enough to hold and maintain drivability" or "the only good kill is overkill" and go with th xt pp with th 6 puck sprung.

I personally go with a slightly stronger pp due to that being the most expensive part, and if you need more gripping power, you can switch out the less expensive disk.

Since we are in power levels that are not in my personal experience, I will just leave this with the setup that will be in my fd.
xt pressure plate
mazdatrix s/s disk
pro-lite flywheel

edit - As a side note: my experience with 6 puck disks is that they can sometimes exhibit a slight chatter feel. I have never felt that with any s/s disk.

 

I've got a lot to consider, thanx again for your help man.

 

I used to have a six puck SPEC stage 3 clutch in my FD with a lightened flywheel. It was a NIGHTMARE!! You can get used to it but the problem is you can't really ride the clutch, it's either on or off so you just gotta basically dump it. And people will think you are a total retard when they see you reversing! I will NEVER run any puck clutch on a street car again, I would rather save up and buy a Exedy twin disc. Good luck!




Sonny

 

You can slip a 6 puck.. it is just difficult and gives a chattering feel.

I am going to offer what my overall recommendation is taking budget and power levels into consideration:

ACT Xtreme P/P
any street/strip disk (something better than oem)
Lightweight flywheel (light ones are great for road course racing)

And there you have it. I stopped beating around the bush.

 

A 6 puck is not very street friendly. I've had a SPEC stage 3 on in my daily for 70k+ miles and wish it would die so I can replace it, but don't see spending or time until it does.

As stated above it does chatter if you try to slip it, and only has a very very very small area where it is partially engaged, but it does grabs like a ****.

If you want streetable go for a full disc like a what momkman33 stated. Maybe a SPEC stage 2 depending on it's tq. capacity.

With that said I will be getting a SPEC stage 3 for my FD's next clutch, but I also don't drive it on the street a lot.

 

I'm just glad that everyone else has had he same experience as I have on the 6 pucks. I was getting worried that I didn't know what I was doing.

for the power levels, the ZX3-XT00 kit is perfect for you.

 

anyone have any experience with the stage 3+ ? It is a full-faced carbon metalic friction plate that claims it's easier to manage than the regular stage 3

 

I have not used the stage 3 +.

Most likely, it is an upgraded friction surface that is full faced and a pressure plate that is similar to the xt by act.

At that point, it comes down to your brand preference.

 

Right here. I DD mine with over 40k now and I find no issue feels close to my stock one with it and in my opinion I find it a little soft I would like a little more stiff.

 

the only thing i could add to the sprung hub is (on a 2600 act pressure plate) the rivet broke on the hub itself leaving me stuck with a bad disc/hub (it was a new disc). since then, i've used a unsprung hub and haven't looked back. i've heard from other members that this happens a bit on sprung hubs.

it did take a few days to get use to having it grab right away but after that - i was hooked.

just my 1cent thought/experience.
..btw - we ought to meet up one of the days in town;

 

exedy twin disc....

 

I heard this link doesn't work(takes you to main page), but it works for me... Mazda>93-93RX-7>Clutch, should be the first one on the top right... $324, but it suposedly grabs close to stock. I just bought one for myself.

http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/pric...h/Clutch_Disks

 

What part of OK are you in?

 

..in tulsa/b.a.
hit me up under `hwnd` on aim;

 

Ive had spec and Ive had ACT. I enjoyed the ACT much more. It was a little chattery, and pretty grabby, but I daily drove the car and it never once bothered me.

 

hwnd- I'll drop you a line sometime. maybe you can take me for a ride to see how a pucked clutch feels

Mr3- were both of your clutches sprung? and if the ACT was chattery and grabby, why do you preffer it over the SPEC?

 

oh - i dont have the clutch in my car... i'm running a triple disc.

 

no biggy, when I finally get this thing back on the road I'll hit you up, it's always fun cruising with other rotary fans