i just bought a centerforce DF for my '87 T2 and after an ideal 500mi breakin (along w/a fresh engine) the thing slips! Worse that the stock one that i replaced!!! i mean i cant ever roll on 3rd gear or up with 215 street tires on cold roads, i cant imagime what it will do on a track during the summer. i was wondering what setup will sustain 400-500hp single turboed rx?
let me know whats good/bad
thanks
justin

 

CenterForce sucks! Not saying that I have 500hp but im using a ACT 6 puck with the heavy duty PP that works great, havent sliped it yet.

 

depends on what you mean by streetable.

 

Well just to add fuel to the fire. What sort of answer is 'centreforce sucks', excellent explanation there.
I have a centreforce carbon/kevlar stage 3 or so clutch. Its very 'streetable', quiet and is still working fine. I would say anything uprated will require significant pedal effort to work. Several friends have twin plate clutches, Osgiken os popular. They cope with those on a daily basis. Surely its all relative as what is 'streetable'

 

What kind of answer is "CenterForce sucks"? Exactly what it says. I've had 2 of there clutches that both slipped beyond belief, along with alot of other friends that had the same result. Their fine if you arent running alot of power but, but anything more you need something better.

 

I had a centerforce on my last car(modified Probe), and it was a wonderfull clutch. It never slipped, but, I wasn't kicking the kind of horse that a modded 7 would produce.
Is there any truth to the myth that because the 7 is a small car, there is no room for a true Centerforce clutch, so they had to change the design of the clutch? Thus, not being a true Centerforce clutch.
Anyone else heard that?

 

I'm very happy with the ACT 6puck / extreme pressure plate setup I have now. It is very streetable, although it wouldn't be much fun to get stuck in a traffic jam w/it.

My version of streetable -- I put 11k miles on my 7 last year, but it isn't my daily. (7 is a evenings & weekends car)

K

 

I was also going to suggest the ACT 6-puck with extreme pressure plate, but looks like a couple guys beat me to it

I've heard mixed opinions about centerforce clutches. Mainly good, but also a decent number of bad ones.
I haven't heard many (if any!) bad things about ACT clutches on the other hand.

It would be nice to run a twin plate clutch... how deep are your pockets though?

 

I don't care for centerforce either. Some people may have great luck with it but I haven't and I know I've heard alot of bad things about them. I don't know how it would do for 500hp. Not saying it wouldn't work but people tend to get with what other people have proven to work.

For 500hp you're probably looking at a 6 puck clutch or something expensive like OS Giken, Cusco, etc. As for drivablility I heard that an ACT 6 puck isn't that bad to drive, at least that's what vosko said at one time about his T2.

 

I run a ACT street compound clutch with the extreme pressure plate... with 417 RWHP and no slip... even on the track.

 

i heard the centerforce doesn't work well w/ a pull type clutch.

 

I had the Centerforce and I loved it... until I started making in the 400rwhp range... Now I run the RPS 6 puck kevlar/ceramic disc. It grabs like hell but I would not call it streetable. It either wants to grab everything or nothing, terrible in traffic, and reverse sucks, but great launches!

 

my centerforce slipped bad with 300rwhp! replaced it with act extreme w/ street disc ,should do fine w/ new t04e setup

 

Well....I'm an other one of the "Centerforce SUCKS!!!" guys. My car only dyno'd 339HP to the wheels and that damn Centerforce slips like hell. And since I recently had the engine out do to the vehicle restoration, I know the clutch is near-new, not all worn down.

Anyhow, one time I was racing my friend in his mod'ed 2002 Porsche. We were side by side, neck and neck, going 130MPH and I couldn't pull away from him cuz my clutch was slipping. And when we stopped at a red light, even HE smelled it. He asked of that smell was my brakes burning....he obviously was not keen to the smell of a slipping clutch.

I can't wait to get rid of it

-Tom

 

when did you get that? the last i saw(reading some old posts) , you had the street/strip clutch and smoked the thing on a 17psi track run. i was under the impression from your posts that you got the 6-puck disc from racing beat. i liked that idea b/c of the sprung hub and that would be ideal for the street, while the the act is not. please clarify for me.
thanks,
roy

 

I went with the ACT...(Jason had them in stock)

ACT Xtreme 6 puck clutch for 93+ RX-7. (ZX3-XTR6)
http://66.216.67.51/product.asp?0=206&1=241&3=225

Even though ACT's discription says "ACT Copper Ceramic Xtreme Race Discs engage fairly harsh and are not normally recommended for street use. "

It isn't that bad on the street... (I actually like how it bites, although reverse is jerky)

K

 

Twin plate

 

ACT clutches, at leaste some of the ones sold in early in 2000 by Ray suck!

My first ever ACT with normal disc, work great as long as it was not at normal operating temps. As soon as it heated up, it became very stiff and hard to use. Evidently the tolerances in the pressure plate were too small. We pulled the tranny and check everything. Nothing unnormal was found.

Ray took it back and gave me another under warranty.
Same type package, put in new throw out bearing and pilot bearing for a second time. It worked normally for 1 year then started getting stiffer. Cleaned the unit with CRC brake cleaner by flushing it through the adjustment plate area. Started running normal again. The after about 4 months, it started its routine again. I suspect it also has too small of tolerance and the lining dust gets in and makes it worse. I have cleaned twice with the same results. I will buy another ACT, but not from Ray for sure!

 

I like my 6 puck, takes a bit of getting used to though. No issues with slippin though.

Mike

 

I was running a HKS twin disk clutch for street and it lasted only 1000
miles. The inside steel ring was made poorly from HKS so the tranny would never disingage. HKS does not sell parts for them so $1500
shot to hell. HKS clutches SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So does ther service.
Installed ACT and love it.

 

os giken or ORC twin plate. but for a little more money and 3 times the life ATS carbon twin would be the way to go. twins are very drivable. i i love them

 

Im another supporter of how much centerforce suck for the FD's. I had the Dual Friction clutch and after about 3,000 miles i took my FD to the track and needless to say i ended up pushing it back off after one run.

I bough the ACT ceremic/keklar 6 puck with and extreme pressure plate and i think the streetablity is fine, not to mention the car lanches great. But i used to own a turbo 2.5RS Impreza (AWD) and i had a straight 6 puck in that thing and driving it in traffic really didnt bother me either, so i think streetabilty is really a personal preference.

 

I have the ACT street/strip clutch the rx7store sells. I got the kit with the 9.5lb flywheel, huge difference. I like it alot! I havn't had any problems with slipping, but that may be a different story once the t-78 is installed.

 

I had a Centerforce Dual Friction on my lightly-modded (at the time) '88 Turbo. Did the 500 mile breakin to the letter. I had all KINDS of problems with that thing slipping - most times it would do well, but if you tried a fast shift, it would "slip" down the RPM band to the lower RPM point then catch and continue revving.

IMHO Centerforce just doesn't have that great quality control. I've heard of guys running killer times and having great luck, and I've heard of many guys with the exact opposite. I've NEVER had problems with ACT - they just work.

Right now I've got the ACT Xtreme pressure plate and full-face street disc, along with an aluminum flywheel. I LOVE it. The pedal effort is a bit high, but not bad. It's VERY easy to drive on the street - hell, I taught an ex of mine to drive a stick on the car and she had no problems!

Going into the 400+ HP range you're probably gonna need a puck disc, though. I chose the full-face disc with a heavy pressure plate because it's more streetable and my horsepower goal is 350 to the ground - I don't need a He-Man clutch.

Dale

 

Clutches are rated on tq not hp