Clutch Pivot Ball....need racer's opinions
 

As the title states I need some feedback from racers. I am not racing my car, but I do have a high pressure clutch (ACT xtreme 6 puck). I keep breaking clutch pivot balls. I am researching what I would need to do to make a stronger part, as I can't find any currently available and I am sick of pulling my tranny.

Basically there are two things I haven't been able to answer on my own.

First, will a stronger CPB cause any of the other clutch parts to become "weak points" that will negate the benefits of the stronger CPB?

Secondly, if a stronger CPB won't cause problems, would there be enough interest from RX7 owners to justify mass production?

Thanks in advance for any help. Also, if anyone has come across a fix that will help me out, please feel free to post up.

Details of car in sig.

RR87

did you bolt everything up in the right torque specs when you did the clutch swap?
you might have something not bolted up right which is causing your pressure plate to push outwards toward the fork and break the ball.

I am not sure, as the clutch was installed by the previous owner. I will have to check when I take the tranny out (soon, as it is currently broken).

I have talked to a few people that have the same clutch as I do, and they seem to be breaking them as often as I do. I have posted this in the 2nd gen forum and all I got was "Change your clutch to a softer one.", which I don't want to do as the motor has some mods and will have more as soon as I can afford to pull and rebuild the motor.

do you mean people that also have six puck clutches? are the ACT six puck?

no, not all ACT clutched are 6 puck, what I meant was that I have talked to others that have the Xtreme pressure plate that are having problems with broken CPBs.

i know not all act are six puck, i messed up when i typed that.
so wait let me get this straight, is it people who ahve the ACT 6 puck that are having this problem or people with the Xtreme pressure plate?
bc if its just the pressure plate swap it out man.

Ok, I don't think I have been clear enough in my previous posts. If I can make and use a stronger CPB I can keep my clutch setup as is (because I like it). I am just wondering if the stronger CPB will cause any problems with other parts of the clutch system. (i.e. if the CPB is designed to be a weak point as to not damage the hydraulics I don't want to mess with that.) As far as I can figure I don't see any reason why a higher strength CPB will cause anything like that.

Andrizzanizz, your suggestion of replacing the pressure plate makes sense, but I can't afford to, nor do I want to. I like my clutch for the simple reason that alot of my friends hate it and have a hard time driving with it. Therefore they hardly ever ask me to drive my car. ( that and I know it won't slip under full power) By making a stronger CPB I intend to solve my problem without spending alot of money. I know plenty of machinists that will do the work and advise me on the best material. I am simply making sure that by doing this I am not going to F*&k anything else up.

yeh i understand about keeping the clutch man, i like my six puck too. and a stonger pivot ball shouldnt mess up the hydrualics. i think you should go ahead and make it.
if your successful, then start selling them.ha

Thanks for the input. Hopefully I will start the process this week.

been running that clutch for 10000+ miles and no problems, and I am not nice on it.

The xtreme pressure plate has been known to break clutch pivot balls. Your mounts will also suffer as well.

Any prospective buyers: Go with the Heavy Duty PP unless your engine torque exceeds the Heavy Duty capacity. You really shouldn't buy more clutch than you need, doesn't really give you anything besides a car that's harder to drive. Your drivetrain will thank me.

I've driven my friends Xtreme PP/Unsprung 4-puck. The unsprung disc gets me more than the xtreme pp, I have no problems driving an xtreme pp car with a street disc.

I will be interested in the CPB as I broken two brand new ones already.

I wonder why so many people feel they need the extreme pressure plate?

I guess if you like the xtreme, you should be prepared to deal with the side effects.

I don't know why others have the extreme pressure plate, but i only have it cause the previous owner installed it.

I fully intend to deal with the consequences, but not in typical fashion. Why ditch an expensive clutch that I like just cause it breaks pivot balls. The clutch isn't the problem, it is the ball itself and that is what I am trying to fix.

Yeah, it probably is more clutch than I need, but it feels reassuring that when my right foot gets heavy the only thing that will be burning is the rear tires.

Right, but you can do that with a lower force pressure plate, while keeping your disc for the engagement characteristics. And the car won't be nearly as much of a pain to drive.