I recently installed my SPEC stage 3 in my Z (it is fully broken in now). I am about ready to add a few ponies, putting me somewhere in the 600-700 RWHP range, and I was wondering, how far will the clutch last? My Z will mostly be street driven on DR. It will probably be taken to the track with some slicks on it maybe half a dozen times a year. Is the clutch going to hold up for a while? Or will I need to look into getting better one?

 

At this point I would say it probably depends on what rpm you're going to launch at on the track. AFAIK specs are pretty notorious for breaking damper springs. I say it'll work fine until it pops a spring on a launch. You'll probably have to move up to stg 4 or mcleod twin.

 

mine lasted all of a 1000 miles. spec is junk and so is their customer service. they told me to send the whole thing back to them and they would check it out and they would let me know how much it is to repair it.... yea right.

 

I have 10,000 miles on mine, 2 years of driving, about 50 launches on ET Streets, dumping at 4K. Still drives great, even in traffic.

 

My original SPEC stage 3 worked great. I replaced it after a major oil leak had looked like it may have damaged the clutch. When I took a look at it, yes, there was a spring just laying around in there! That didn't make me feel too comfortable, especially since the replacement clutch was the same as the old one. Even with a spring out, it still drove great. After the installation, the new clutch felt broken in out of the box compared to the horrible brake in period of my first one. I talked to the people at SPEC, and they told me they have made several improvements since my last stage three. We'll ultimatly see how it handles. When you compare SPEC's price to the others, it is a much better deal than the rest.

Anyways back to the original question. With launching it a handfull of times per track night, at maybe 3500-4500 RPM on slicks(with 650 RWHP), and taking it to the track maybe 6 times a year, and all other driving will be on DR's on the street, do you think the SPEC stage 3 will hold up?

 

Not to be rude, but you say you've already thrown $60K at your car. I take that as meaning above the cost of purchase. If for $60K, it only runs 118 mph in the quarter, what are your plans for 600-700 rwhp?

You could still start from the ground up with an LSx engine and make that kind of power for less than 60 large.

I'm confused. Or maybe I was the first one to bite.

Ben

 

(you are not the first to bite)

Lets just say the car has more than just go fast parts on it. Also, it may only do 118 in the quarter, however it is extremly reliable and drives very smooth (not a very agressive cam for the motor). $12,000 of the $60,000 was purchasing the car (it was stock at the time). And believe it or not, "no", the plans for the supercharger are not included in the $60,000. In a couple months, it will be bumped to about $67,000.

It's funny how over the years people drink, smoke, do drugs or other addictions and they get looked at a certain way for blowing tons of money down the drain. I (like many others on this board I suspect), am addicted to my car(s), and spending $ in them. To some I am sure I could be looked at as the same as drug or alcohol addicts. I like to think the money was well spent. How many other people can dump that kind of loot and have something to show for it?

 

$48k in parts? I need a breakdown or something.. or someone is rapin' ya bigtime...

 

Perhaps I should re-assess the $. Most wouldn't consider labor as invested money in a car. That is a partial amount in the $60k (a dyno tune for ex.).

Does anyone have a reply to my original question here?

 

You could almost BUY a chassis dyno for that much money. It's reliable? So was last year's Z06, again cheaper.

Saying you already threw $60K at your car leads people to believe that's money invested after the initial purchase.

I guess I'm odd, but I like the combinations that make good power and are economical to build/run. If you have all this extra $, PM me about being your consultant.

Ben T.

 

Pics of your car CALL911??? lets see how the apperance is if you say.

I think GreenDemon said it the best to awnser your question...

 

I am really just interested in how far will my SPEC stage 3 clutch last here. Not whether you agree with my choice of combo for my car or not.

 

Guys, ease up on Call 911. His car is probably one of the cleanest and well maintained LT1 F-bodies I've ever seen, short of a full out trailer queen show car. His car is amazing, nuff said. So what if it "only" traps 118 in the 1/4. Guess it doesn't matter that it's on a smallish cam in a pre-built 383 that he dropped in, and the run was made on drag radials of all things. I GUARANTEE you that with slicks and a good launch (here on an NJ track) that his car will move to the tune of mid-low 11's at 120+, and still nail down 20+ MPG on the highway while being as reliable as a stock motor. So what if he's got $60K into it?? Ask how many different motor combinations that includes, or what kind of regular maintenance items are included in that not to mention things other than motor work.

Ease up.

Want a pic??


Hope you don't mind that I threw a pic in here Call 911.

 

I was running a mcloud twin for two years and decided to try a spec 3+ this year. Mcloud worked fine but I didnt like the pedal pressure and wear on transmision input shaft from the twin unsprung disks.

Initial feel is the 3+ drives almost like a stock clutch and the guys at spec tell me its good for as much as the mccloud.

Why do I believe them ?, I sent them a 3 that a friend had smoked due to his love of slipping the clutch rather than putting the right gear in a 600+ rwhp car. The clutch had 5000 km on it and was obviously abused.

Spec clutch recommended a 3+ and replaced the garbage 3 with a 3+ for 200$.

Hats off to Spec if they are willing to stand behind there product with their wallets it's worth calling their tech line and listening.

Call911 I have close to 50k in my car and it does take a lot of money to build a clean car so don't sweat it.

John

 

Thanks for the kind words. Thanks also to Fastbird for the pic. I just got a digital camera this winter, and don't have any pics of my Z (since it is stored two states away). The only digital pics taken, were taken by others. I am going to pick the Z up in about 2 weeks, and trust me when I say, many pictures will be taken, especially of the D-1SC install.

As for the clutch, sounds like the stage 3 will more than likely hold my expected 600-650, assuming it sees slick use only 20-30 track runs a year, and that the rest of the miles are driven with DR's on the street. If anyone else has more comments toward the clutch question, they are welcomed.