In depth monster clutch review
09-17-2010, 10:32 PM
#41
TECH Regular
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Braden River, Florida
Posts: 408
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
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.
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.
A paragraph (from the Greek paragraphos, "to write beside" or "written beside") is a self-contained unit of a discourse in writing dealing with a particular point or idea. Paragraphs consist of one or more sentences.[1][2] The start of a paragraph is indicated by beginning on a new line. Sometimes the first line is indented. At various times, the beginning of a paragraph has been indicated by the pilcrow: ¶.
A written work — be it an essay or a story — is about an idea or concept. An essay explains it; a story narrates it. To help the reader understand and enjoy it, the explanation or narration is broken down into units of text, the paragraph. In an essay, each paragraph explains or demonstrates a key point or thought of the central idea, usually to inform or persuade. In fiction, each paragraph serves to advance the plot, develop a character, describe a scene or narrate an action — all to entertain the reader. All paragraphs support each other, leading the reader from the first idea to the final resolution of the written work.
A written work — be it an essay or a story — is about an idea or concept. An essay explains it; a story narrates it. To help the reader understand and enjoy it, the explanation or narration is broken down into units of text, the paragraph. In an essay, each paragraph explains or demonstrates a key point or thought of the central idea, usually to inform or persuade. In fiction, each paragraph serves to advance the plot, develop a character, describe a scene or narrate an action — all to entertain the reader. All paragraphs support each other, leading the reader from the first idea to the final resolution of the written work.
09-20-2010, 06:41 PM
#42
On The Tree
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: SanAntonio, Tx.
Posts: 150
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
09-21-2010, 11:58 AM
#43
FormerVendor
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 282
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I do apologize for the lack of phones and email in the past week. We moved facilities and it takes some time to get things going. Our phone system is a voice over IP, and if we do not have internet, we do not have phones. I have been doing most of the communication through a Sprint wireless card hooked up to a laptop and my Blackberry (that at times was surprisingly faster).
Our phones are up and running, and we have a long list of messages to return, that we are working on right now.
Matt
Our phones are up and running, and we have a long list of messages to return, that we are working on right now.
Matt
09-21-2010, 05:14 PM
#44
On The Tree
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: SanAntonio, Tx.
Posts: 150
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I do apologize for the lack of phones and email in the past week. We moved facilities and it takes some time to get things going. Our phone system is a voice over IP, and if we do not have internet, we do not have phones. I have been doing most of the communication through a Sprint wireless card hooked up to a laptop and my Blackberry (that at times was surprisingly faster).
Our phones are up and running, and we have a long list of messages to return, that we are working on right now.
Matt
Our phones are up and running, and we have a long list of messages to return, that we are working on right now.
Matt
12-09-2010, 01:58 AM
#45
update:
i finally got time to get the clutch out and look at it, i sent it back to monster clutch and they replaced it with a new stage 3. they ran some test and found that the puck had at some point in time had some petroleum product on it and that allowed the puck material to come apart and cause my hanging up and noise. my mechanic and i investigated the slave and rear main seal and found no signs of leak or spatter but we think that when the clutch was first installed and the slave bled it probably allowed some fluid to get inside the bell housing and get on the puck. so i bought the 18 inch remote bleeder line and we are replacing the slave so i get my warranty and the tear main isnt a concern since the ls1 is yanked out and a new ls6 crate motor is going in. with it being winter here i wont have any way of reporting how this new clutch works until spring and the track reopens. this time around i asked them to give me the standard stage 3 as a replacement, if you recall from my first post i had originally be given a version that isnt advertised on the site. so thanks to steve for getting me taken care of so fast and i will be sure to report back in the spring.
i finally got time to get the clutch out and look at it, i sent it back to monster clutch and they replaced it with a new stage 3. they ran some test and found that the puck had at some point in time had some petroleum product on it and that allowed the puck material to come apart and cause my hanging up and noise. my mechanic and i investigated the slave and rear main seal and found no signs of leak or spatter but we think that when the clutch was first installed and the slave bled it probably allowed some fluid to get inside the bell housing and get on the puck. so i bought the 18 inch remote bleeder line and we are replacing the slave so i get my warranty and the tear main isnt a concern since the ls1 is yanked out and a new ls6 crate motor is going in. with it being winter here i wont have any way of reporting how this new clutch works until spring and the track reopens. this time around i asked them to give me the standard stage 3 as a replacement, if you recall from my first post i had originally be given a version that isnt advertised on the site. so thanks to steve for getting me taken care of so fast and i will be sure to report back in the spring.
