As most are aware i have destroyedmy clutch at the pod this weekend so now need a new one...
Problem is its not something i know alot about (Prety sure Shane/lee might help on this one!)
Ive looked at standard replacement clutches but are they false economy paying 100-150 quid..will it be killed quickly as the power goes up?
Organic? not sure if itmeans they have been grown in a field with no chemicals but there a tad more money 250-300 but should handle more power
And paddle? heard that it aint very drivable but no experiance
Any opinions help advice would be awesome!
Im not sure im ever gonna be running more than 300-350 bhp so it doesnt need to handle much more than that. and id like it to be fairly usable in traffic.
Bonjour!
Bloody hell, that didn't last long, they normally don't give up until Stage 2!
You're right about standard ones; waste of money, made from compressed cow shit and will give up the ghost in no time again.
Organic ones are really good for the power range you're wanting to be in, they're a lot harder wearing but don't feel much different to the standard one. A decent organic clutch will take 330-350lbs/ft of torque. "Organic" is just a term that reffers to the carbon content of the friction surfaces. AP ones are really good but pricey, ditto for Exedy. Best choice I'd say is an RPS "Max Street" and they're really decently priced too.
Paddle clutches are the best choice for big power but everyday driveability is a bit of a pain. I ran an AP 6 paddle clutch in mine and it was a pain in the arse around town, and I used to dread getting stuck on the ramp going in to Four Seasons car park!
My vote is for the organic.
*edit* Forgot to mention, replacing the clutch is the perfect opportunity to change the flywheel too. The standard one weighs a tonne compared to a Fidanza replacement and it's a wise move to replace the flywheel when you fit a clutch anyway.
I used a company called
TechniClutch for the Cossie. They're bang on and the cheapest price I could find. From memory they use the original AP clutch plates but use their own moddified covers.
I had a 4 paddle clutch because thats what was in it previously and it was basically on or off. lol. Also needed a flywheel too, they say that paddle clutches are not a flywheels best friend. Absolute bitch in a queue of traffic with a slight incline like Lee said. I wouldnt have even tried Four Seasons if there was a queue. lol.
When I blew the engine Roger commented that the clutch was okay but not a lot of meat left so replace it before it goes. And because it was a paddle clutch the flywheel was fubared
again. His recomendation was to not bother with the paddle one's if you want to be able to drive it. He says he knew of Cossie's running upto 400bhp and the organic one's coped very well.
So MY expreience of both types in the same car, is go for the organic fast road.
You could ring
TechniClutch on their free techical advice line, they will be happy to explain and tell you what clutch they recomend for your requirement.
I'd say Organic as well, will be plenty good enough for what you need and wont be a stupid price. My twin plate carbon Exedy was the cheapest I could find at 1100 quid and is a good clutch (comes with lightweight flywheel and the cover and flywheel are balanced as one), although multi-plate clutches sound like a bag of nails when there not engaged as the plates rattle around. Also Im never getting another carbon one as there crap when cold. I have to slip mine a few times to warm it up before hard driving in this weather, but fully warmed up is supposed to handle 600ft/lbs without slip.
Clutch
Might just be made to standard spec that one, doesnt say its organic or anything. I would expect around 300 for one plus 280 for one of
THESE!! So close to 600 plus fitting, also you might need to start thinging about drive train, with my new clutch on I destroyed second gear when changing up hard. It just didnt slip at all and the shock torque stripped it. Not sure on the boxes in an S14, but a UK Impreza box is pretty crap once you start modifying. I now try to think of my clutch as a safety device as well, I want it to slip before it reaches the gearboxes limit.
Just read the eBay ad again, it does say its Organic, but I'd e-mail the seller and question torque capacity etc and make sure its better than standard. Sounds too cheap to me.
Same one I mentioned earlier, is does look like a proper one. I can only find one organic kit that Exedy list and they say it's good for a 44% torque increase, which is well over 300ft/lbs. That's 350-360+bhp territory for an SR20 lump (they're not torque monsters like Scooby EJ's)
As for the flywheel I'd go with a Fidanza one on an S14 as they're lighter. If cost is an issue then a flywheel's not a neccesity although it is sensible (whereas with a paddle clutch it's a must like Alan says). The transmissions are good for around 380bhp (not like the autos that fall apart :lol
so it shouldn't really be an issue yet.
I knew it was the same clutch, but for some reason the post messed up when I tried to quote your post, so had to post the link again and delete the quote (if that makes sense?).
Not sure on delivery times and costs + taxes etc, but the Fidanza is really light according to
THIS. Thats about 4.5kg, not sure what idle would be like at that. Costs around 350 in the UK so if you can import it for less and dont mind waiting. Exedy do another i've found that is around 5.6kg, but its about 350 quid aswell.
Thats if your wanting a flywheel at the same time.
Yeah the Fidanza ones are stupidly light, I know a mate who runs one on his SX and it idles fine though. The throttle response is really sharp which was good.
Whats standard weight of the flywheel on an SR20DET?? My whole clutch and flywheel together weighs slightly less than what my standard flywheel alone did. Made a huge difference to mine.