lavoy

iTrader: (2)

I recently decided to give monster clutch a try after years of being a ACT and spec user with little to no complaints from me about either. I spoke to steve on the phone for a while before making my decision to change and i am usually pretty good at sniffing out any BS, my BS sensor didnt go off so i took the plunge. The companies phone manors/ customer service was perfect, the clutch came packaged very well and in perfect condition. The clutch i chose isnt one listed on their site but its basically a level 5 at a level 3 price. What that means is i got the level 3 6 puck disk but i chose a 11 inch pressure plate instead of the 12 inch so this gives me a clutch rated to level 5 tq and hp numbers with only a slightly stiffer pedal then the level 3 12 inch. The clutch disk felt and looked well made other then the spring retainers seemed a little "open" for my taste but we shall see if i have any problems with a spring popping out or not. The pressure plate wasnt to impressive in that the rivets and straps and what not all appeared to be of a stock nature and not extra beefy like i am used to seeing in some other clutches i have owned. Again we shall see how well it stays together, the green paint seemed kinda spray bombed on with over spray all over the place but non on the forks or mating surface so i guess thats ok again minor fit and finish details that shouldnt affect performance in any way. For the flywheel i went with the 18 ib version and it is a very nice piece and it seems very well made, the only complaint i have is i had to install the dowels my self and they just didnt want to go in very easily, i used a mini sledge and wacked them suckers hard and they still only went in about half of the drilled hole distance. This should be enough as i doubt they can come loose, i under stand why they include the dowels since different pressure plates use different ones but since they knew which one i was using pre installing them would have been a nice touch and gave me more peace of mind. Install went smooth other then my throw out bearing did not want to come off the slave, but after much convincing it let go and i installed the new one. I had a spec clutch in before so i removed the shim and measured the monster set up and came up with 2 1/8 at the pp and bell and 2 at the tb and the tranny for a difference of 1/8 inch which is within the specs steve gave me so i used no shim. With the spec clutch and the shim the engagement was between half way and 3/4 of the pedal travel, when i first went to drive the monster set up it was like 2 inches off the floor and very grabby, that and the light flywheel meant i stalled the car the first attempt i made in moving it, i adjusted the rod at my pedal in a little and got the engagement point off the floor about 3 inches now which is more to my taste. First test drive impressions are the clutch is very grabby and at first truly more like the fabled on and off switch we always hear about way more then my spec 3+ was, but this will get better as its broken in and a little glaze or smoothing of the pp and flywheel surface is done. After a few stop and goes i was completely adjusted to the new feel and able to more easily slip the clutch a little off the start rather then just jerk and go. There was no chatter or other strange noises all in all it felt very solid and smooth, pedal effort is fine its something my wife could push in and drive i would say a tiny bit softer then the spec 3+ . I have to complete the break in before friday evening as i have a race to be at and i will report back after the break in and the race as to how it performed. using a 1-5 scale with 5 being perfect i give the following scores.

customer service 5
packaging 5
(fit and finish) disk 5, pressure plate 3, flywheel 5
ease of install and instructions 4 ( would be a 5 if dowels had been installed )
first drive impressions 5

I will update you all this weekend after break in and the first use at the track.

maxspeed05V

iTrader: (4)

dude I couldnt finish reading the hole thing , you gotta add some spaces and periods.

223HAWK

iTrader: (11)

Ill have to say another +1 for Steve and Monster Clutches!! Leavin off the 2 Step at 6000+ all day long never slips...AND Still VERY drivable with the leval 3!!!

lavoy

iTrader: (2)

i am slowly fixing it, i am posting from my phone and the stinking thing auto corrects words to words i dont want. i will be able to fix it better from home later. regardless i can read it just fine even on a 3 inch screen so maybe you need glasses

Glenn B

iTrader: (5)

Thanks for the informative review.
Subscribing for updates.....
--Glenn

Erik@Lashway

iTrader: (14)

We just installed one (we are distributors of these fine clutches) and really are impressed up to this point with all that we have seen, and felt behind the wheel. Customer needs to break her in now for 500 miles, but I'm sure it's ready to go!

Check out some shots:

lavoy

iTrader: (2)

man look at all that room!! lol thanks for the pics.

BlackScreaminMachine

iTrader: (17)

Glad it worked out.

Fix your paragraph.

Let us know how it is in 12k miles and some racing. I am sure it will still be mint.

lavoy

iTrader: (2)

it will take me years to get 12k miles on it , but i do race it every weekend often 2 or 3 events so it will get a work out for sure, i have it pretty well broken in and its a very easy clutch to drive, it can be slipped off the start with ease and so far hasnt shown any negative signs. i am going to the track in a few hours so i will post back later.

texas82blazer

What vehicle and mods do you have.

lavoy

iTrader: (2)

its a 71 datsun 240z, the motor is a stock ls1 with single turbo, makes 510 whp and 545 tq the entire car is a mod as you can guess lol other then the turbo set up the only changes to the motor are arp rod and head bolts and ls6 valve springs. i have a DD built t56 and a ford 8.8/9 inch hybrid rear end as well.

Erik@Lashway

iTrader: (14)

sweet car man

srpoweredcoupeNWH

iTrader: (12)

I just had a monster stage 3 installed in my car and love it!

lavoy

iTrader: (2)

UPDATE: went to the track today and all felt good, until my 3rd pass when it wouldnt go into second so i coasted back to my pit, the clutch felt slightly different in that it wasnt disengaging all the way, i figured it was a fluke and once back to my pit it seemed ok, 4th pass i launch and again cant get second, this is very odd this tranny is always like butter, i coast to the ticket booth and get my ticket and when i go to take off i am greeted by the sounds of a hundred banshees having a party in my bell housing, it was screeching and grinding like you never heard before, i get back to my pit and every attempt to move the car still gives off that sound, once fully let out the clutch is ok its only at partial slip that its screaming, i call monster and am handed over to matt and i let him hear the sound and he has never heard anything like it, i figure i better go home and not risk any more passes, so while talking to matt he says that some times you get a squeal and thats fixed by beating the snot out of the clutch but this sound isnt the typical squeal he has dealt with before, so i leave the track and on the first back road i slow down and put the car in second and do what matt said i rev to about 6 k and slip the clutch hard and then dump it and the sound went away and the shifting got smooth again. i thought maybe some clutch material welded it self to my pp or fw and was hanging the clutch up making the shifting issue and the sound but matt said they dont use a compound that can weld it self to anything so i am stumped, i hope it never happens again i cant afford to fall back in points any more then i have already let alone the effort it takes to change a clutch in this car, being a datsun you have 0 room and almost have to pull the motor and all to get the bell housing off. i will keep you guys posted. i really really hope it never happens again .

Arc00TA

iTrader: (17)

My monster always made weird noises. I had the level 3 with the lightweight flywheel. It sounded like a tractor trailer clutch from about 600 miles until I sold the car, it had about 5000 miles on it then. It never slipped just made the same terrible noise all the time. I called and asked and they had no idea, so I stopped caring since it didn't seem to affect operation. Good luck with yours.

lavoy

iTrader: (2)

who did you talk to? seems to me if others have called complaining about sounds then they should have heard of it before. mine was affecting operation it was hanging up making it not shift.

atkinsson

I got a level 3 monster and have heard some noise whilde driving but went away awhile back and never have heard it again. ....idk clutch works real good dumping it at 6000 ....unitl I blew my 10 bolt the boxing and steve were superb.

lavoy

iTrader: (2)

i wouldnt call this "some" noise it was down right loud and harsh. but mine to went away so we shall see how it does next week at the track.

Matt@SNLPerformance

iTrader: (1)

It could have been numerous things, unfortunately we can't diagnose everything over the phone.

Ceramic material will have a squeal to it if you slip it excessively, the material gets glazed and will "squawk" during engagement until that glaze has been removed. We recommend you take the car up in rpm (3k +) and dump the clutch. Doing this will remove the glaze.

Honestly, I would pull the trans and double check everything, things just don't start and stop making those kind of noises.

We apologize about the painting of the pressure plate, and the pins are designed to fit extremely tight so you don't have projectiles in your bell housing when they come loose at 6k+ rpms.

Let us know how it turns out, that cars weight and power shouldn't even come close to overpowering this unit.

lavoy

iTrader: (2)

thanks for the reply, like i explained on the phone the car is my daily driver and i dont have the time to pull it apart, i basically had to call in favors and have the clutch over nighted and then pull a all nighter to get it done. every bolt was torqued to spec and loctite used, the sound is gone now and its shifting normal again, friday i have another race and we will see how it does, i wont have free time or a helping hand available for a few weeks at least.