Time for new Clutch. Need Recomendations.

So my modifications have taken me beyond the capacity of my CP-e Stage 1 clutch. Either that or I just wore it out. LOL! My mechanic estimates that I am about 450ft-lb at the crank. He and I noticed the slipping at 4-5K RPM.


I was looking for a clutch with long life and ability to work with about 450 ft-lb of torque. I know ACT 6 puck works well but life span is not that good. Does anyone have long term experience with South Bend Stage 3 Endurance clutches? Opinions?


My CP-e clutch lasted about 4 yrs and about 25K miles. Hoping to get less pedal pressure than what I experienced from CP-e. Plan to change the clutch, TOB, Pilot bearing, slave cylinder, braided clutch line, PTO fluid, Tranny fluid. (anything else?)Thanks.

 

For starters, why don't you make an intro post on the forum so we can get to know you...

I have an ACT 6-puck and love it. It's holding north of 500wtq and has been for about 7000 miles now. I've heard that recent changes to the clutch pads are causing 6 pucks to last a decent amount of time so I'm honestly not worried about having to replace it any time soon. With this clutch you aren't going to have too heavy a pedal feel, but it is rather grabby so that's somewhat a trade-off in traffic. I will say that nothing quite gives you the excitement of getting kicked in the ass like a 6-puck though when you grab the next gear and it instantly engages and sends the power down. My car isn't my daily but @Maisonvi dailies his 6-puck so he may have more words to say about longevity.

And then @VTMongoose has a South Bend (I believe stage 3) and it's decently heavier than a 6-puck but very easy to drive. Almost like a heavier version of the stock clutch. You can let it slip like a normal clutch and everything, it just takes a good amount of leg effort to do so.

 

The south bend stage 3 endurance is all right. My only issues with it are that it's overpriced and pedal effort is a little on the high side. Idk how many miles are on it. I think it's been reused at least once (it's kevlar so I'm sure the disc is very long lived). @HawkeyeGeoff the PO of my car might know roughly when it was installed. Car currently has about 72k on it.

All things considered, having owned both, I'd go with the 6 puck.

 

Every day is leg day when you have a heavy clutch.

 

Lol! I can attest to @VTMongoose clutch.

 

Bahahaha. I believe your exact words were "I can't even drive this thing".

Honestly though I've felt worse. phate used to have some ridiculously stiff clutch in his speed6 and the OG ACT 6 puck was heavy as fuck. The thing is like Alex said, the disc has such a smooth engagement that once you get used to the pedal pressure, it really is easier/smoother to drive than stock.

 

Lmao! You prob didn't see it, but I had to get my butt off the seat so I could get some kind of leverage to press on the pedal.

 

Haha! I was telling someone at midwest meet, what I do is when I'm on the highway I put the seat all the way back for legroom, but soon as traffic slows down I slide it 2-3 notches forward so I can get enough leverage to work it in traffic comfortably.

 

So @poohster moral of the story, don't get SB Stage 3 endurance if you're DDing your car and see a lot of traffic lulz!

 

I do have an ACT 6 puck. Only like 15k miles on it so far, but no issues. Driviability is really not bad at all with the newer versions (the old ones were ROUGH)

I think @Sho has one too, and he puts like 100k on his car a year or something crazy. He might be able to speak more on longevity. But personally, I wouldnt hesitate to go ACT 6 puck again.

 

First go around with a 6 puck, lasted me ~50-52k in 11 months. That was at 380-400whp and ~350 tq with plenty of flat foot shifting, but no launching. Went back to a stock clutch, which lasted another 50k or so at 500/391 Lmao. But it couldn't handle flat foot shifting at all. Once that died, switched back to a 6 puck. Currently at 8k at over 500whp and over 400tq. Car will be put away in a month or two til spring, so can't comment on how long I expect it to last this time. I can say that I don't just do highway driving. It's probably 40% city as well, so there's plenty of times I'm using the clutch consistently and not just cruising in 6th all the time.

I think the longevity of the 6 puck all depends on how you drive. I don't slip the clutch on my speed much when taking off from a stop. Moreso a quick blip of the throttle to 1700-2k rpm and let right off the clutch and go. I've seen locals toast 6 pucks in less than 20k miles on k04's lol. But they also are the type that's slipping the clutch for 2-3 seconds at a time while taking off from a light and also slipping between each shift. So, YMMV

 

I have the SouthBend Stage 3 Endurance. I have only used the clutch once, so take this with a grain of salt (car is still a project at this point). But when I did drive the car for the 15 miles around town, I absolutely loved it, the stiffer clutch did not bother me one bit. I am also a 210lbs fat lard, so whatever.

I also asked the wife to press the clutch down a few times and to tell me what she thought. She said it did not seem that bad to her. But she does do a lot of squats, so maybe that's why.

Also note on this clutch the engagement is a lot closer to the floor board compared to stock. At least it is during break in.



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I`ll step in with yet another option: the Clutchmasters (referred to as CM from here on) FX400. It`ll hold over 700ft/lbs and isn`t as expensive as the southbend (but a bit more than the ACT). I`ve used CM clutches in several vehicles and they`ve always been great. I went with the 8 puck ceramic sprung disc on this one to get the holding power of a puck style ceramic but the drivability of a full sprung disc. My last stage 4 CM clutch was on a 600whp 300zx and it held up great. The CM six puck is admittedly a super grabby bitch around town, the 8 puck is said to be much more compliant.

 

Just wanted to give a quick update. Just paid CP-e to install the SouthBend Stage 3 Endurance clutch. They always done good and reliable work for me. So far, driving home the clutch pedal pressure is lighter than CP-e's stage 1. YAH!!!!

Need to break in the clutch for next 500 miles with stop and go driving and no boost.

 

Good choice man. I am absolutly in love with the way my SBS3E clutch feels.

 

Comply with the 500 miles of stop and go. I tried pushing it prior to that a few times and it slipped a bit. Once it's broken in it will hold like a champ.

 

Thanks.

 

500 mile update. Well, I finally reached 500 miles and wanted to provide my thoughts. I feel the clutch pedal pressure is smooth and slightly heavier than stock. So far, I haven't had any WOT yet but able to boost up to at least 10-15 lbs. No slippage. I like that SB stage3 endurance clutch is lighter than the CP-e stage 1. Now I just hope that the SB lasts longer than 20K miles. So I give kudos for SB as a good replacement and recommend it

 

It's the best clutch I've driven for higher torque applications. Trust me, I'm an expert.