Birdie2000

iTrader: (15)

I've never driven a car that experienced clutch slippage due to power, so please try and go easy on me for the newbie questions here. I have a few questions about what to expect if this should happen.

In a situation where a clutch is slipping because it can't hold the power of the engine, when does the slip normally occur? Is it mainly just on hard launches with sticky tires at the track, or is it something I'll notice any time I go WOT when driving on the street with say Nitto drag radials?

I'm asking because for us LT1 guys there aren't many options for a truly street-friendly clutch that can hold well and not give up street manners. The McLeod Street Twin is about the only option and I just can't swing that right now due to very high cost.

I want to give my existing clutch a try. It is a dual-friction disc from Competition Clutch that is rated to approximately 550hp. It drives very nice. The engine I want to put it behind probably makes between 550 and 600hp at the flywheel.

Will I be able to get away with this on a car that never sees the track and is just using Nitto DRs on the street, or will the clutch slip just the same on the street under various driving conditions? What symptoms will I notice when driving if it's slipping? Will it totally ruin the experience of the car or is it a once-in-a-while sorta thing?

SPEC-01

iTrader: (2)

Clutch slip can occur for a number of reasons including (but not limited to) normal wear, over-powering, contamination (grease, hydraulic fluid, oil, etc on the disc), and a lack of flatness on the corresponding surfaces of the plate and flywheel. That being said when it happens you will notice an increase in RPM without a similar gain in speed. It is as though the RPMs jump without any increase in momentum. You should be able to contact your clutch provider relative to the rated capacity of the clutch you currently have.

If slip is occuring you will generate greater amounts of heat than normal and increase the wear rate of the parts. The intent of a clutch is to hold and having a clutch that slips goes directly against this. When the clutch slips, it's time to find and why and in most instances its time to replace it.

If you decide that you need something else then you are welcome to take a look at the parts listed on the link below (see the second set of parts on the page by scrolling down).

http://www.specclutch.com/cars/Chevy/Camaro/1997/Single

Let me know if you have any further questions and I will be happy to assist you further. Thanks!

BALLSS

Birdie

with the power your new motor will make, IMHO, a twin disc clutch is the only answer for driveability, longevity. Yes you can get aggressive single disc clutchs that will work but driveability will not be 'like stock" nor will it last much more than 20k miles if you race with a sticky tire.

you can tell if your clutch is slipping as spec 1 notes. for a test you can drive about 35 mph up a hill in 4th and floor it. If the clutch slips you are over powering it and the typical clutch smell will quickly follow.

I know they are $ but after killing 4 "good" performance clutches, one being SPEC, I encourage forking over the $ and getting a twin for the kind of power you will have.

I don't make as much power as that and have the Competition 2.5 now...should have gotten the Twin and I will

Birdie2000

iTrader: (15)

Thanks. The motor was previously run with a TH400 and I bought the flexplate and billet converter that goes with it, and already have a built TH400 sitting around. I also have a T56 that's currently being rebuilt by Liberty that's intended for a different car. I was thinking that if I could just throw that trans in without too much expense, I would do it just to see how I like driving that engine (mild solid roller) with a T56 and what the manners were like before I drop the money into a Street Twin, and if I don't like it just run the TH400 like I originally planned.

If gregrob's Street Twin that's in the classifieds section had a steel flywheel I would have already bought it from him, it's a good deal. I just don't want to deal with an aluminum flywheel on the street since I've heard it basically turns the clutch into an on/off switch.

I'm also mildly concerned about the "heavy pedal" that the Street Twin supposedly has compared to the single disc units. Without knowing just how bad it is firsthand I'm also hesitant to drop the money for that and be disappointed. I plan to drive the thing a decent amount and I don't exactly have the legs of a pro athlete, lol.

On a side note, I called Competition Clutch about their stage 2 and 2.5 clutches (I currently have the stage 2) since they removed their power ratings from their website. It used to list 550hp for the stage 2 and 600 for the stage 2.5. Yeah, that's changed a bit. They told me torque #'s on the phone, about 325-350 for the stage 2 and 350-375 for the stage 2.5. That's definitely not going to work.

BALLSS

The pedal for a twin is heavier but not over the top. You can go with a single disc like a SPEC 3+ IIRC is a full face disc vs puc.

The "grin" factor, for me, is a stick car. If it is all about 1/4 mi most agree a auto is more consistant

all the "new" 500 hp muscle cars (camaro, mustang, etc) have a twin disc clutch. more surface area