Clutch Recommendations
On The Tree
iTrader: (4)
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 172
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From: Las Vegas, NV..but originally from Oregon!!
The company is in GA, and I'm in Vegas. with the standard shipping it was 6 days, including the weekend. They have shipping options for 2 and 3 day shipping for extra.
Right, those pics i have showing the organic side being almost worn through prove nothing while the kevlar side barley had any wear.
Wanna take a guess on which side each friction material was on?
vs
So how many miles do you have on your clutch since you seem to be convinced I'm wrong?
Wanna take a guess on which side each friction material was on?
vs
So how many miles do you have on your clutch since you seem to be convinced I'm wrong?
TECH Regular
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 492
Likes: 0
From: Rochester, NY
To the OP, as long as you stick with the well known name brands, you can't go wrong:
Ram
Competition
Spec
Centerforce
McLeod
Talk to the manufacturer about your plans for the car and they'll make a good recommendation for you.
McLeod is hands down the best if you wanna spend the extra money- probably always will be (unless Monster can top them when they come out with their own LT1 clutch)
Ram
Competition
Spec
Centerforce
McLeod
Talk to the manufacturer about your plans for the car and they'll make a good recommendation for you.
McLeod is hands down the best if you wanna spend the extra money- probably always will be (unless Monster can top them when they come out with their own LT1 clutch)
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 681
Likes: 0
From: Watertown, WI
To the OP, as long as you stick with the well known name brands, you can't go wrong:
Ram
Competition
Spec
Centerforce
McLeod
Talk to the manufacturer about your plans for the car and they'll make a good recommendation for you.
McLeod is hands down the best if you wanna spend the extra money- probably always will be (unless Monster can top them when they come out with their own LT1 clutch)
Ram
Competition
Spec
Centerforce
McLeod
Talk to the manufacturer about your plans for the car and they'll make a good recommendation for you.
McLeod is hands down the best if you wanna spend the extra money- probably always will be (unless Monster can top them when they come out with their own LT1 clutch)
TECH Regular
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 492
Likes: 0
From: Rochester, NY
Not sure where its limits are yet, but I do run 295 35 18 BFG drag radials at the track-- it grabs perfectly on launch and gear to gear, in fact I'll usually get a good bark out of second gear, I can't complain.
I do have plans for an aftermarket cam soon, in fact I've even got the Pro-Mag 1.6 rockers sitting here by my desk waiting to go in. This setup might be too much for an organic clutch but I won't know till I try, and hopefully I don't regret not buying the stage 2 or 3 Spec clutches.
Last edited by tbag_skywalker; Oct 2, 2010 at 11:50 AM.
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 681
Likes: 0
From: Watertown, WI
Don't have a single complaint, butter smooth engagement and great street manners as expected from an organic setup.
Not sure where its limits are yet, but I do run 295 35 18 BFG drag radials at the track-- it grabs perfectly on launch and gear to gear, in fact I'll usual get a good bark out of second gear, I can't complain.
I do have plans for an aftermarket cam soon, in fact I've even got the Pro-Mag 1.6 rockers sitting here by my desk waiting to go in. This setup might be too much for an organic clutch but I won't know till I try, and hopefully I don't regret not buying the stage 2 or 3 Spec clutches.
Not sure where its limits are yet, but I do run 295 35 18 BFG drag radials at the track-- it grabs perfectly on launch and gear to gear, in fact I'll usual get a good bark out of second gear, I can't complain.
I do have plans for an aftermarket cam soon, in fact I've even got the Pro-Mag 1.6 rockers sitting here by my desk waiting to go in. This setup might be too much for an organic clutch but I won't know till I try, and hopefully I don't regret not buying the stage 2 or 3 Spec clutches.
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On The Tree
iTrader: (4)
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 172
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From: Las Vegas, NV..but originally from Oregon!!
I had a SPEC stage 2 in my 300 RWHP '97. This was back in the early 2001 when SPEC first hit the scene. It lasted less than 3000 miles. SPEC warrantied the clutch, but I ended up trading it straight across for a McLeod Street Twin that I had to rebuild, so I was into a Street Twin for under $700.
I dont know if SPEC has improved their stuff, but based upon my prior experience, they wont get anymore of my money, and I know I'm not the only one who had issues with them.
I honestly dont think you can go wrong with any McLeod product. It's not like they havent been is business for a while...
I figured for the money, I'd give Competition a shot, as they were cheaper than McLeod.
I dont know if SPEC has improved their stuff, but based upon my prior experience, they wont get anymore of my money, and I know I'm not the only one who had issues with them.
I honestly dont think you can go wrong with any McLeod product. It's not like they havent been is business for a while...
I figured for the money, I'd give Competition a shot, as they were cheaper than McLeod.
TECH Regular
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 492
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From: Rochester, NY
I will never take the car down the strip, it is strictly a street car with bolt-ons (mods are in sig). This winter I'm dropping the engine and hopefully putting a cam in there and rebuilding the top end to support the cam. I can't imagine more than 360-370 horsepower at the wheels with a good tune.
I'm no Spec fanboy, heck if I had the money to blow when I needed a clutch I would have bought a McLeod product in a heartbeat. My old spec stage1 crapped the bed prematurely at 50k miles due to an input shaft seal leak which contaminated the friction disk. The leak was slow enough to not leave visible evidence behind, I had no idea it was there, so I went ahead and bought a stage2 kevlar clutch. Popped it in, the kevlar soaked up the tranny fluid wayyy faster than the organic material did, which left the new clutch slipping and glazed before the 500mile break-in was even done.
I blamed the Kevlar material for being crappy, which it wasn't, and had Spec send me a new organic friction disk. Popped it in, car ran fine for a couple hundred miles, then I finally noticed the trans fluid leak. Pulled the clutch and tranny out again, had the input shaft seal replaced, cleaned the clutch plate, disk and flywheel with a whole bottle of brake cleaner, sanded the **** out of the disc with sandpaper, bolted everything back together the way it was before, and have had zero problems ever since.
I can say when looking back on the ordeal last year, Spec had really good customer service. The guy that worked with me was very patient ( I think his name was Gary) and actually returned missed phone calls and emails quickly. (end of tangent)
The McLeod Street Twin is fully incredible. Never a hint of chatter or slippage and the pedal is very, very light for an 800 ft/lb clutch. Being a budget buyer myself though, I would buy one of the afore mentioned brands stage 3's (for a bolt on, cam, or heads/cam car). GMHTP reviewed a Spec stage 3 in the last year or two, and they raved about it. It was supposedly smoother than the factory unit they pulled out. I've heard mixed reviews about the numerous DF clutches on the market, but I wouldn't be entirely scared off yet. My friends dad had a Centerforce DF in his 98 Cobra for about 10k, until he wrecked it into a tree. Its now in his garage, looks great still, and is about to go into our little budget LT/Comp 270/10.5-1 PI build.
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 681
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From: Watertown, WI
So from what I'm gathering, you can't really go wrong with any clutch as long as you get one thats good enough to handle your planned horsepower, haha. Spec 3 or Ram Powergrip, McLeod is a out of my price range
