MannyZ28

iTrader: (1)

Hi there,

Haven't been posting for a while since I considered my car "done", but now it seems like my stock clutch on my 98 Z28 with 84000 miles is finally starting to go. I had to replace the master cylinder some 30k miles ago and we replaced it with the one from an 02 model and did the drill mod to it. Just over the past few days the engagement point for the clutch is very close to the bottom of the pedal travel and the range for it is really small, so it's hard to drive the car smoothly.

I want to exchange the clutch with something that would be a bit of an upgrade over the stock clutch since my car makes around 370 at the wheels through 4.10 gears.

What all should I replace? Just the clutch or the flywheel and slave and master cylinder too?

I am pretty easy on the car which is why the stock clutch lasted this long.

Thanks in advance!

Peetyz

iTrader: (7)

LS7

Feels stock and holds quite a bit of power if you decide to add some more later. I loved my LS7 clutch in my 2001 Z06 but i ultimately replaced it for a higher Hp one since i was planning around 600 rwhp which it honestly may have held....for a little bit. These are generally good to 500-550rwhp

MannyZ28

iTrader: (1)

Yeah that' what iIwas thinking. Are they a straight bolt on on a 98 Z28 and is there anyone selling a complete kit that you know off?

HCI2000SS

iTrader: (2)

Will you be adding a good amount of hp to the car over time? If so, and you want something that will hold tons of power but have stock pedal effort like feel i'd look into a good twin disc setup. I run a McLeod RST and absolutely love it

Blackpanther99

iTrader: (8)

No doubt, the LS7 Clutch. Thats unless you plan on adding more power soon I would go with a Monster clutch and have room to grow. A stage 2 or 3 will be perfect.

dr_whigham

iTrader: (49)

Stage 3 Monster is WAY overkill for you in my opinion.

LS7 clutch is garbage. Sorry folks. Heavy as hell and you STILL have the self-adjusting pressure plate, which will cause you to be locked out of gear at high RPM's.

Monster stage 2 and be done. It'll take up to 550tq at the tires, and drives and engages BETTER and SMOOTHER than stock.

Firebirdmuscle

iTrader: (16)

A stage 3 will be a bit much but you have plenty of room to grow if decided too. I would recommend you a monster stage 2. I have it with the tick master and its as daily drivable as you want it to be. It's a great clutch. Hope that helps

lbm13186

iTrader: (4)

hey i have a texralia zgrip rated up to 800 hp that i used when i had around 425 that was great felt better than stock clutch, i just put in a procharger so i went ahead and changed my clutch to the mcleod rxt for safty bc i know ill be at 800 very soon.. theres 7k driven on it, idk what if im going to keep it or not pm me if you wanna make me a offer

Zlow28

iTrader: (11)

ive got a monster stage 2 on mine and it drives like stock. Plenty of room to grow on it aswell like dr.whigham mentioned. I think its perfect for bolt on cars and even some cam cars.

I definitely recommend it.

Peetyz

iTrader: (7)

Everyone will have their own opinions. I never had any problems with my LS7 in my 360ish rwhp Z06.

I do like the Mclead RST/RXT but they are costly.

ACT is what I changed my LS7 out for. Takes a beating on my 430 rwhp heavy GTO.

Also now in my Procharged Z06. It does have stiffer pedal but not bad esp with stock master cylinder and stainless lines with bleeder.

http://www.advancedclutch.com/gm9-hdss

Torque Capacity (ft/lbs.): 745

Recommendation:Recommended for street and race use

Engagement:A low to moderate pedal feel; smooth engagement with stock to low gear rattle

Nice thing about these is they are SFI rated, Cheap (Hinson I belive has them), and you can reuse your stock ls1 style flywheel. I just had mine resurfaced and it's great!

(It says you must use ls2 style but I reused my stock one from Ls1 gto and Ls6 z06 no problem).

Want more tq capacity? change the disk (up to 950tq)

SNLPerformance

iTrader: (15)

Thanks for the kind words

SNLPerformance

iTrader: (15)

MannyZ

Check out our Level 1 and 2 clutch packages. If the master was replaced recently and it works fine I would just replace everything in the trans area. We have complete packages, as well as individual parts, should you need something particular.

Our Level 1 is rated at 450 hp/tq, Level 2 is rated at 550 hp/tq. As it was mentioned above I would go with the Level 2 as it gives you some room to upgrade and it is only $50 more than the Level 1 kit. Either of these can be purchased with a 18lb or 28lb flywheel. If you have any questions or concerns shoot me an email to John@monsterclutches.com or give us a call at the shop. 817-750-2000

MannyZ28

iTrader: (1)

I don't plan on adding any more power any time soon. If anything, I think the car is due for a proper tune again since the car idles pretty crappy when it's cold, and with a small cam like mine, it shouldn't be doing that.

The only thing I would still want to do eventually is to change heads, after all, I have 98 heads and we all know how great those flow.

By the way, is it normal for the clutch pedal to stick out passed the level of the brake pedal or should they be all even? Ever since we put that 02 Master in there the pedal sticks up (meaning its closer to the drivers feet) by about an inch when compared to the brake pedal.

TheBlueKnight

iTrader: (4)

Like said above, everyone has their opinions, mine is to stay away from the LS7/LS6/LS1 clutches as they have self adjusting pressure plates that can cause shifting problems at high rpms. I've read more than enough threads over the years on this forum and the Corvette forums and talked to enough clutch vendors to steer me clear of the stock GM self adjusting pressure plates. I understand that there are guys out there that have been ok with their's but that's my stance.

That said I'd go with a Monster clutch. Pressure plate is a heavy duty non-adjustable pressure plate, great customer service, and you can't beat the sale right now until the end of the month. $500 shipped for a stage 1? Usually shipping for many vendors is about $50 so you are getting the clutch kit for about $450 (if you went with a stage 1).

If you want room to grow I'd suggest a stage 2, but if you are like me, my car is just a basic bolt on car which might see a cam swap one day (390ish rwhp), so I went with a stage 1. I don't beat on my car much besides some spirited driving up the occasional on-ramp, I see the track maybe once a year, and it was $50 cheaper than the stage 2, with more than enough holding capacity for my needs.

I also went with the stage 1 because I wanted an organic clutch and not kevlar like the stage 2 is. Just from all of my clutch research I found that kevlar may glaze slightly in stop-and-go traffic, resulting in slippage until worn clean when used hard again. Kinda like the stage 3 where some people say it gets glazed and they have to beat on it to get the glaze off. But I know there are better kevlar options these days that resist glazing better so I'm not positive on that, but I wanted to be better safe than sorry and just go with the organic disk.

Finally, after reading some threads and talking to different people who had the lightweight flywheel, I decided to go with the lightweight fly. Everything I heard said that the lightweight fly was completely fine and didn't seem at all different to drive.

CaliboyTA

iTrader: (2)

tdp stage 2 clutch. feels just like my ls7 but holds 600rwhp

BrntWS6

iTrader: (7)

^ That's what I have and love it... and it drives like stock. If you wait till they have a sale you can get a stage 2 for $100 more than a LS7. Jason is probably the nicest sponsor I've dealt with on here.

Peetyz

iTrader: (7)

I think it is safe to say you have a few good options here

MannyZ28

iTrader: (1)

I must certainly have.

I figure since the Tranny has to come out anyways, I should replace the slave cylinder as well. Is there a big difference between the ones you get at Advanced Auto Parts and high performance ones?

Again, not planning on adding too much more power and I am very easy on the car. Those 4.10s in the stock rear end will do that to you.

Peetyz

iTrader: (7)

I have always used one from autozone etc. I got one with a lifetime warranty as well so if it ever needs to be replaced I just swap it out.

dbs1

At your power level and even if you plan on adding 30-40 hp with better heads I think the LS7 would serve you well. I've used one for 5-6k miles and drives like stock and handled the built LS1 very nicely, though I never drag raced with it.

I am replacing it with another clutch to handle the power from the 416 and would be happy to make you a deal on the LS7. It appears to be in very good shape with lots of miles left. With your description of your car probably several years. $150+ shipping. Dan. 928-205-8835