what clutch to get?
 

hi guys i have a 94 RX7 R2 and just recently my clutch started slipping. im in the market but idk whats a good one to get. i was thinking of ordering a Spec stage 2 but as i went to my local performance shop to get there suggestions they said the best and most reliable clutch for a FD is a twin plate. i tryed arguing and saying that im not going to push the car every time i drive it and only drive it on the weekends. But they said getting a regular ACT or Spec clutch will kick your tranny in the balls and they said Fd trannys are known for going out with a clutch thats not a multi plate. now is this true or just bs? What im really looking for is a good clucth that can hold up to 350hp and 300lb of torque and be really reliable. the twin plates are real nice but kinda out of my budget for a clutch and im not going to be making a radical amount of power. any suggestions on cluctches!!!!!!

i have had an act street strip for a good 6k on my rebuild and i have no complains. mines almost a dd

Sounds like your shop is trying to play on your ignorance to make some (ALOT of..) extra money....


I'm using an Exedy Stage 2 clutch atm. It's not multi-plate and it's worked great since I installed it! (fwiw I'm running 390-400whp, depending on dyno used) ~ Like FD3S2005, my car is a DD.. bear that in mind ~

The ACT S/S is a pretty popular clutch around these parts, and it's a HELL of a lot cheaper then a twin/triple plate clutch..

i went with the act street strip had it for like 300 miles and love it compared to the excedy that was in it, go to corksport very fast and alot cheaper

+1. 100% correct. You have zero need for a multi-plate clutch. Spec, ACT, etc. all work fine.

That shop is trying to work you over...

The FD tranny is not known for blowing up anywhere even close to 350hp/300tq.

I have an ACT SS disk and pressure plate and I love it. The pedal is heavier than stock, yes... but once you get used to it, it's not even noticeable. You could drive it in traffic all day long. I've sat in 4 hours of traffic jams before and it's not bad.

Just make sure when you get the clutch that you do a new pilot bearing + seal and closely inspect the shift fork arm at the same time. Probably should get a new bearing too while you're at it (depending on the age).

As a final touch - you could replace the soft rubber line from the engine bay down to the clutch slave with stainless steel if you wanted to. This could be done later on, so you don't have to do it all at the same time. I think I've heard of a small number of the rubber lines popping over the years (with the heavier pressure plates usually).

I run a race pressure plate with oem street disc. Works awesome, great grab but no chatter sine i have the full face disc with springs. heavier pedal but as mentioned above, it grabs like an oem clutch and you get used to it.

Buy the ACT model ZX3-HDSS


It can hold 402 ft/lbs of torque. You won't need anything different. Problem solved.

How do the mentioned clutches compare with a 6 puck? When I purchased my car it already had a 6 puck installed and I don't like it very much. Car is only street driven. I've been driving a stick for many many years but can't drive this thing worth a damn.

I've driven a 6 puck, and I agree - not very streetable IMO.

Something like the ACT Street/Strip disk + plate will be fine. Others have suggested other things which might work too.

You want a full face and sprung center disk for a street car around 300-400 rwhp. It will work fine.

My car has the ACT setup mentioned above, and I have 335 rwtq and 405 rwhp. I think it's near the limits, but it holds.

B

I run a Exedy Stage 1. If I were you, I'd get an ACT Extreme pressure plate and a street disc. By doing that, if you decide you need more power, you will not have to change out your clutch again.

sounds good guys thanks alot i knew the trannys where strong and dont blow. im going to get the Spec stage 2+. anyone know if the stock flywheel is ok with this or should i go with a lightweight?

you can keep the stock flywheel if you want, but if your pulling it all apart to change the clutch its obviously a great time to do it...you can go 12lb streetlite flywheel from ACT if you don't want something super light, its still a huge difference vs stock and extremely streetable.

i have the prolite,

I'm currently running a Spec clutch also. I actually really like these clutches as they have the "OEM feel", but still hold power very well.

i totally agree w the advice above. buy the ACT ZX3-HDSS. approx $635.

"The ACT clutches are one of the most popular choices for the RX-7. The Street/Strip (ZX3-HDSS) clutch has an upgraded Street Disk with Heavy Duty Pressure Plate over the factory clutch. The HD improved disk and pressure plate provides a new torque capacity of up to to 402 ftlbs, and the pressure increase being 40%. This kit comes with all the bearings needed to replace the clutch.
Features

This kit includes these components:
MZ-011 - Heavy Duty Pressure Plate
MZSD069 - Street Disc
RB600 - Release Bearing
PB1013 - Pilot Bearing
AT03 - Alignment Tool
Torque Capacity: 402 ft/lbs flywheel. 340 rear wheel torque capacity"

you will love it.

i am concerned about the shop with which you are dealing. a twinplate costs $1550 and is good for 600 ft pounds rear wheel tq, 700 rwhp. what is going on there? they either are STUPID (which i doubt) or can't be trusted w regards to dealings.

call me skeptical but if they don't get you on the clutch they will get you somewhere else. i would be looking for alternative shops. this isn't a small matter such as trying to sell you a puck clutch when not needed.... they are miles from the correct recommendation for you unless you have told them that you plan to greatly upgrade the car in the near future.

howard

what i use ... but will take some time to get used to ( ~ 1 2 weeks )
ACT PRolite Flywheel ~200
Racing Beat 6 puck Disk ~160
OEM pressure plate ... $$???

holds just fine at 13psi on a twin FD

engages are quick and crisp , no slip , pedal pressure = oem
it`s my daily driver

i am using a centerforce dual friction and i love it it has twice the holding capacity of my stock clutch but has about he same pedal pressure and smooth engagement and a nice quck breakover point. I normally don't hear good things about centerforce due to the weights on the pressureplate sticking but since fd's are pull type there isn't enough bellhousing clearance for that and it came with a new heavyduty wire ring and wedgecollar installed.

+1 for Centerforce dual friction. I know a lot of FD owners use ACT clutches, and I had one too before my Centerforce, but the only thing I have against ACT pressure plates when it comes to FD's is that the diaphragm is a bit heavy while the stock FD clutch fork is a bit weak. So what ended up happening is that my clutch fork bent from prolonged use with the ACT pressure plate. I changed to Centerforce and I've been really happy with it. Centerforce now has the DFX line of clutches which I will try next.

The ZX3-HDSS is a full faced disk, much like stock. So the drivability will be similar.

You must have had the XT pressure plate (the Xtreme) and the older clutch fork.

The HD won't do this worse than any other brand pressure plate out there. It doesn't matter what brand you buy, it is just the nature of this type of modification.

Get the right clutch for your engine now. "More" clutch is ok to a point, but too much clutch is bad:
- very heavy pedal pressure
- poor driveability
- the extra grip in the clutch can put more shock into the transmission.

If you are not good and smooth with the heavy clutch you can definitely apply more shock loading to your trans and do damage.

ACT and Spec clutches are just like any other for your transmission. Select the right one for your application, that's the key.

Dave

I ran an ACT HD pp for over 50k miles and my original 1993 oem clutch fork still works fine, just another data point.....

However, I know of four other FDs with the same clutch setup who broke their clutch forks, so who the hell knows :lol:

I have the ACT heavy pressure plate and the sprung six puck disk. From my experience driving around in the city sucks specially when i go to the mall. Mall parking here are buildings where you have to drive your car up a ramp to to different floors.The clucth disk start making all these screeching noises. So in other word if you want enjoy you car and drive it daily then go with a street disk. if you want to race it go with the sprung 6 puck.

^^I drag raced and road raced my car for years with the ACT HD pp and stock organic disc. It comes down to torque and the commensurate power levels----if you're going to make 350ish rwhp or below, you're fine with the full-faced disc and HD pp.

The ACT extreme pp and full faced disc works up to about 500ish rwhp. We installed them on most pump gas single turbo builds at Gotham and they worked very well.