Hey guys, about to swap the engine from my new cam/blower car.... need to know which clutch setup I should go for. Current clutch in the M6 car barely holds stock power (or should I say doesn't???) With a good clutch I should be seeing 450ish rwhp. I'd like to keep it as driveable as possible, as it's my (mostly) daily driver. So HEAVY clutches aren't a good idea.... something as close to stock as possible feel that isn't going to slip like a ****. I know Macleod and Spec are ones that are talked about as well... so brand/model recommendations?

PS.... tried a search, couldn't believe I couldn't find anything under "best clutch" and "clutch preference" in LT1/LT4 or forced induction???

Jonota

 

McLeod Street Twin, by far the best LT1 clutch out there. And, unfortunately the most $$$.

Rich

 

I have an old Spec 3 kevlar in my WS6. It stood up to 40k miles of abuse with a blower, 10k of that making 460 rwhp. When we pulled it out it still looked brand new and went back in with my new 383 until I can buy a street twin.

 

I run the spec 3i in both my cars.... I love it

 

Holy wow!!! A GRAND for a clutch kit??? Thinking I'll be going for the Spec 3... should I go with a higher one, Kevlar or Ceramic... and anyone try the "lightweight" option?

Jonota

 

Yep. 1st and last clutch you'll ever buy. DO it once and do it right. Plus rebuilding them is only 325 bucks and you can beat the livin snot out of it and you'll break something else before you break that clutch. 1200 or so if you go w/ alum flywheel but there are deals to be had. I got mine w/ the alum fly new for 900 on a GP years ago.

 

Another vote for the Mcleod S/Twin, I've had mine for almost 2 years and like the others have said it will be the last clutch you ever buy, You also have to take into consideration it comes with a Flywheel aluminum or steel ,2- discs, P/P, Adjustable stainless master cylinder. If you figure all that the price isn't that bad

 

Just to give you guys a heads up... Mcleod was recently bought out by B&M. So I don't know if the quality control will be the same.

I bought a replacement single disk from McLeod since they are local and will be resuing my Center Force PP. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

-B

 

I hate to say it considering all that I am getting out of this swap, but I'm on a budget... so if a Spec does a decent job, I can't justify to the wifey going for the Mcleod. Especially since stupid me told her it would be around $500.... So does anyone have a BAD experience with Spec? Is a 3 enough, or should I go with a 4? Anyone know about the lightweight option, or whether kevlar or ceramic is better?

Jonota

 

I will be running the stage 3 in my 600+ RWHP blower Z, I don't anticipate any problems. (As long as I don't use the slicks too often) The stage 3 from SPEC is rated I believe at 600 RWHP, so if you will be running under 500 at the wheels you should be more than fine. I would just use the stock flywheel. If you ever feel how much the stock ones weigh (its not much), then you might feel the same as me in the way that spending extra money in it would be a waste.

As for the feel of the Stage 3, it feels lighter and better than my stock clutch in my Formula does. I highly reccomend the SPEC. If I have the money some day, I might go with the Mcleod, just because as stated above, a rebuild is really cheap, but until then I will stay with the SPEC.

 

Spec rates their clutches for flywheel hp. Part of the reason I expect mine to die soon.

 

I had the SPEC 3 in my formula before I swapped to a TH400, the scoop is the spec 3 is rated at 680 flywheel horsepower if i remember correctly, it is a very strong clutch for the money. I had mine for approx 3 years and it launched hard and consistantly. Hardly any wear but then again it seen very little street driving. The release on the clutch is kind of rough in my opinion SPEC claims that some chatter is normal. I noticed the clutch had some issues when my car was in reverse. Very little feathering is needed to engage the clutch which makes it miserable in stop and go traffic conditions. I had the kevlar clutch, after speaking to thunder racing they told me that the ceramic clutch was for pure race applications and it would not be streetable at all. The ceramic does not hold up long under normal driving conditions. Now I dont know if that is true from experience but a few viable sources have backed that information. So my recommendation on this matter would be that if you don't plan on reaching 600+ horsepower and racing on a normal basis theres probably a more streetable inexpensive clutch for your needs. But if you are making that kind of power and you dont mind a little added roughness to your driveability then go for the kevlar SPEC 3 clutch.

 

My friend runs a Spec 3 and it's chattered since day one; I've got 25K on my McLeod Street Twin and never had any chatter.

 

As of 2 years ago or so, SPEC redesigned their clutches. My first stage 3 was prior to this, and it chattered, and was rough at times in engaging. Due to an oil leak all over my clutch, I replaced it a year ago with their newly designed ones they sell now, and it is a world of difference. I was so irratated when breaking in my first one because it was so incredibly rough for the break in time. The one I installed a year ago, drove outstanding on the very first mile! The point I am making here is that their clutches now, are much better than a few years ago. And as stated previously, they feel better than my stock one does in my Formula.

 

I think I'm going to go with the Spec3 Kevlar... and in a few years go with the Mcleod. I didn't have plans to spend ANY money other than what was necessary to keep my vert on the road.... and then I found the insane deal on the A4. I want to swap engines and the wifey gave the okay, but I need to minize the outgoing $$$ on the job. Granted I'll be making money when I sell the A4 anyway...

Jonota