Which Clutch Should I Get?
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This is a good thread. I'm in the market for a clutch as well. My stocker is still fine with 48k on it but since I'll be pulling the motor to swap in a built bottom end I might as well replace it while I'm in there. I thought about ACT as well but life of it is important to me as well. Don't wanna do it again after 20k. I considered the SB but that price tag....yikes. The spec looks like a great option but I have yet to do more research on it and get a general consensus.
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I believe raider has the stage 2 daily if I recall correctly.
I'm in the market for a clutch too. My stocker started slipping as soon as I got basic mods on with Freek basemap.
All the threads I've seen, including a statement from SB, said if you are considering DD then go Endurance. Not much usability difference, not much durability difference, endurance can handle higher heat and is generally built to take more abuse. Seems like a good idea.
The Fidanza seems like a good option what with having replaceable friction pad. But I think I discounted that because the LuK wasn't rated very high for torque. I'm planning to go with SB stage 2 endurance.
All the threads I've seen, including a statement from SB, said if you are considering DD then go Endurance. Not much usability difference, not much durability difference, endurance can handle higher heat and is generally built to take more abuse. Seems like a good idea.
The Fidanza seems like a good option what with having replaceable friction pad. But I think I discounted that because the LuK wasn't rated very high for torque. I'm planning to go with SB stage 2 endurance.
South Bends come with a flywheel, so it's a non-issue. Specific to the Spec non-ratcheting clutch, however, they recommend their own aluminum flywheel. Others have used the Fidanza instead and loved the combo, even stating no chatter (which, pardon the pun, is unheard of with aluminum flywheels). The dude was raving about how much he loved the setup, here, and it's rated to 448tq: http://edgeautosport.com/spec-stage-3-clutch-kit-mazdaspeed-3-2007-2013-mazdaspeed-6-2006-2007-1/, so not quite as much as the South Bend Stage 3 endurance, but you save $200 too, FWIW.
The self-ratcheting version of the Spec is rated a little higher - 477tq, and the added benefit is the release point stays pretty much the same throughout the life of the clutch (the whole point of it being self-adjusting). But I've heard the added complexity can cause potential reliability issues (non-adjusting like the one listed above don't have any issues), and it is ~$75 more: http://edgeautosport.com/spec-stage-3-clutch-kit-self-ratcheting-mazdaspeed-3-2007-2013/
That part seemed obvious so wasn't stated but is assume in my comments.
Hmm yeah I guess I could save some cash with a SPEC kit @Edge but people say SB know what they're doing and lots of happy reports about them. Seems worth $200 extra for a critical long-term component. Also ratings on SB are a touch higher and people say they are conservatively rated, so I'm staying the course.
^^^^^^^ this is why i spent the extra. The uncertainty with the 6 puc ACT, and all the love it hate it/ lifespan. Southbend specializes in big power high tq diesel applications. If they can build a daily driver 1500 ft.lbs capacity clutch I'd think they could build one for our little mazda
Ah, I thought you were linking the two statements. My misunderstanding...That part seemed obvious so wasn't stated but is assume in my comments.
Hmm yeah I guess I could save some cash with a SPEC kit @Edge but people say SB know what they're doing and lots of happy reports about them. Seems worth $200 extra for a critical long-term component. Also ratings on SB are a touch higher and people say they are conservatively rated, so I'm staying the course.
I saw some spotty Spec reviews too, but IIRC, they were all very old. Pretty much all the newer stuff I read is good. Supposedly refinements/design changes have occurred since then. Did your research confirm this too (if you were looking at it from that perspective too)?
I found some as recent as 2013 with slipping issues on a clutch recommended to this person by SPEC.
Personally I think I'm going to pony up for the SB stage 3 endurance
This has been added to my wish list!
ACT prolight with 6 puck and HD pp here and love it, I've ran this setup in my 2 mustangs and my rx8 and now the speed. I'll never go back to a non puck disk.
6 pucks really are not that hard or bad to daily once you get used to it. As far as how long it will last, well you can destroy any clutch in one day so it's all in how you treat it.
6 pucks really are not that hard or bad to daily once you get used to it. As far as how long it will last, well you can destroy any clutch in one day so it's all in how you treat it.
I'm excellent at clutching and have never worn out one from excessive slipping. My current stock clutch is just simply overwhelmed. FWIH, the Acts arguably have maybe 1/3rd the service life of the South Bend Stage 3 endurance (my front runner). Though the Act costs a lot less, two or three clutch jobs more than makes up the price difference... I appreciate the input, but I've heard anywhere from 20k to only 50k service life on those Acts. That's far too short for me.
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I put a little over 50k on the one in my pro charged 97 cobra with and I only changed out the disk because I had the gearbox out, the pp and fw were in excellent shape and the disk though worn still had a few miles left on it. The one in my rx8 had 65k on it when I sold her, I'm right at 33k with the one in the speed.
I've used most of the top brands at one time or another in different cars and for the $$ ACT has never let me down. Spec on the other had is absolutely garbage at least it was for the mustangs, clutch masters is so so IMO and I've never used a south bend so I can't say.
I figured if Southbend can build a clutch to handle the ridiculous tq of the diesel market, they have to know a thing or two. Plus i remember that they worked with some of the early pioneers in developing the clutches for us vs. a one size fits all attitude.
Landed on the SB Stage 3 Endurance. The tq ratings on Edge's website are crankshaft, so the 500 is actually ~425. It's a good rule of thumb to run a clutch that can handle 10% more than you can throw at it. Since I'm at 380wtq (and will stick with that torque level on the EFR7163, albeit all the way to the redline), the Stage 3 Endurance is perfect. 380wtq is ~10% than 420btq. It's a match made in heaven, and after an extensive conversation with Edge, they have by far the most positive reports/least issues on SB over any other clutches they sell.