Whats W/ Spec Problems!?!?
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From: Palos Hills, IL
Whats W/ Spec Problems!?!? For real...lately ALL i have been seeing is problems with the Spec Performance clutches and would really like to kno whats up...i plan on doing a Tranny conversion and im running out fo clutch ideas especially since SPEC seems to be an issue on the board...Can some1 chime in?
I spec slacking on production lately? did they design it more poorly since before? Some1 info? PLEASE
Thanks,
Adam
I spec slacking on production lately? did they design it more poorly since before? Some1 info? PLEASE
Thanks,
Adam
Word of advice, STAY AWAY FROM SPEC!!!! I bought a Stage 5 and am into it for about $1300 to try and get it to work properly. I say go ahead and spend the money upfront and get a GOOD quality clutch and save yourself some headaches!!!!!
What I've seen so far is that it's a hit or miss with Spec. Some guys love them and some hate them. But if you think about it, everyone posts when they have a problem here. But if something goes well you usually dont see posts about it. So it may seem as if everyone is having bad luck, but most likely it's closer to 50%...
I'm looking for a clutch too, and I was looking at Spec's. But now in light of these problems...I will have to wait it out. Every other good clutch is like $500+
I'm looking for a clutch too, and I was looking at Spec's. But now in light of these problems...I will have to wait it out. Every other good clutch is like $500+
I've had mine for many many hard miles (stage 3 ceramic) and had absolutely 0 problems with it. Also, many of my friends in Atlanta ran the same clutch with the same results. I think you just hear about all the BAD things, and no one ever posts the good results.
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From: Palos Hills, IL
i understand where yall are coming fropm but i mean lately all im seeing is newer and newer posts...about Spec clutch problems...like i think theres an average of 3.5 per day for the last 2 weeks
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Originally Posted by RedReaper
Word of advice, STAY AWAY FROM SPEC!!!! I bought a Stage 5 and am into it for about $1300 to try and get it to work properly. I say go ahead and spend the money upfront and get a GOOD quality clutch and save yourself some headaches!!!!!
I install a ton of clutches into Camaros and Corvettes. I have had the LEAST amount of problems with the SPEC units, and the MOST with the RAM units.
It started slipping on me at the track on all motor after only about 2000 miles, if that much. I didnt think anything about because it was still kind of new. It just went downhill after that. Tried spraying out of the hole on ET Streets, went up in smoke, wouldnt hold. Engagement point kept getting higher and higher. Wll Spec told me to shim it and that would cure the problem. Ok I will try that, even though thats backwards from what it would actually do. Paid $30 for the shims from them and $300 to have the shims installed. Made it 10x worse. Call Spec back and they say oh well let me send you a Ceramic Stage 4 disc only, that will cure it. PAy $300 to have it put in and guess what??? It wont even move the car. So call Spec back and they say to send them the Pressure Plate, Fywheel and clutch disc and they will see whats going on and fix it at no charge to me. Ok great!!! Now they send it back and say, you need ot buy a new flywheel thats your problem. I am into this one clutch for atleast $1500 now!!! I could have bought a better clutch with all new hydraulics for that and skipped the headaches and down time. BTW, my car is still down and has been since last saturday, its my only car.
Originally Posted by LOnSLO
Sounds like you had your flywheel resurfaced before you put the stage 5 in. Do you have an adjustable master?
No adjustable and they put the stage 5 in when they built the 408. They said they didnt resurface the flywheel at all but who knows.
The commonality between the SPEC failures is improper break-in.
SPEC clutches, even after the suggested 500 mile break-in period or whatever, are evidently NOT broken in.
You will have a better chance of a lasting clutch when you break it in until the chatter is completely gone plus another 500 miles of city driving. Highway miles don't count....it's the on/off slipping action that breaks the clutch in...driving it in gear doesn't do squat. Be patient...you aren't driving a Geo....take the extra time to make sure the clutch is broken in before you even consider nailing the loud pedal.
In addition, replace the flywheel! Resurfaced flywheels are too thin and will heat score much easier in a high performance application and constribute to premature failure of the clutch.
I admit, it seems like there are a lot of failures. But in reality, all you hear about on this board are the failures...which is maybe 5% of the clutches sold. There's a pretty good chance that your clutch will perform as intended.
SPEC clutches, even after the suggested 500 mile break-in period or whatever, are evidently NOT broken in.
You will have a better chance of a lasting clutch when you break it in until the chatter is completely gone plus another 500 miles of city driving. Highway miles don't count....it's the on/off slipping action that breaks the clutch in...driving it in gear doesn't do squat. Be patient...you aren't driving a Geo....take the extra time to make sure the clutch is broken in before you even consider nailing the loud pedal.
In addition, replace the flywheel! Resurfaced flywheels are too thin and will heat score much easier in a high performance application and constribute to premature failure of the clutch.
I admit, it seems like there are a lot of failures. But in reality, all you hear about on this board are the failures...which is maybe 5% of the clutches sold. There's a pretty good chance that your clutch will perform as intended.
Not sure if you saw this...https://ls1tech.com/forums/manual-transmission/231154-what-clutch-your-car.html
Anyhow, I ordered my RAM Powergrip on sunday. With there adj. M/C...I hope I made a good choice. time will tell. I did alot of reading before deciding. I almost ordered the Spec Stage III, but some local friend that have had good luck with RAM persuaded me.
Anyhow, I ordered my RAM Powergrip on sunday. With there adj. M/C...I hope I made a good choice. time will tell. I did alot of reading before deciding. I almost ordered the Spec Stage III, but some local friend that have had good luck with RAM persuaded me.
Originally Posted by RedReaper
They said they didnt resurface the flywheel
You should be blaming your mechanic for that clutch failure, not SPEC.
The cardinal rule for installing a new friction material like brake pads or clutch disks: ALWAYS mate them to a fresh, flat surface and make absolutely sure that the surface is completely free of any oils, grease, fingerprints, dirt, etc. by cleaning it with a lint free cloth and brake cleaner.
Find a new mechanic.
Originally Posted by NOBR8KSS
You should be blaming your mechanic for that clutch failure, not SPEC.
The cardinal rule for installing a new friction material like brake pads or clutch disks: ALWAYS mate them to a fresh, flat surface and make absolutely sure that the surface is completely free of any oils, grease, fingerprints, dirt, etc. by cleaning it with a lint free cloth and brake cleaner.
Find a new mechanic.
The cardinal rule for installing a new friction material like brake pads or clutch disks: ALWAYS mate them to a fresh, flat surface and make absolutely sure that the surface is completely free of any oils, grease, fingerprints, dirt, etc. by cleaning it with a lint free cloth and brake cleaner.
Find a new mechanic.
I thought this as well but Spec said that wasnt the issue with it. They said that with my low miles on the car, 30,000 miles, that it would be ok if it wasnt resurfaced. I thought that was kind of weird myself but they did say that it wasnt an issue.
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From: Boring Green, Kentucky
Originally Posted by RedReaper
I thought this as well but Spec said that wasnt the issue with it. They said that with my low miles on the car, 30,000 miles, that it would be ok if it wasnt resurfaced. I thought that was kind of weird myself but they did say that it wasnt an issue.
My Z had 11,000 on it and I too didn't resurface the flywheel. I had a friend do my install (SPEC 3) and I *mentioned* to him to do the resurface. When he pulled everything, he said it looked/felt like new so he didn't get it resurfaced. That was not my intention however.
I have not raced the car yet, I got 375 miles on the clutch, and PLANNED to race it next Wednesday, but after reading this, ****, I guess I should put more city driving on it first. I have done some short WOT runs on it after 200 miles though, so I hope that didn't screw me up. But no launches have been done, or 6000+rpm shifts...
Wow, spend good money on a clutch and don't resurface the flywheel? That sounds like a recipe for disaster if you ask me...
I ripped my stock clutch out at around 30K miles, and the flywheel would have definitely needed to be resurfaced. I just replaced it with a new billet flywheel instead of going through the hassle, and my RAM Powergrip HD (the stage III one) has worked great ever since. I have no chatter at this point, and it holds very well for me, even on stock '02 hydraulics (replaced slave with another new stock unit at the time of install) and untouched master (read - no drill mod).
If you are gonna spend the money on an upgraded clutch, spend a few more $$$ and at least have the flywheel resurfaced. That small amount of money spent is worth it to me for peace of mind and cheap insurance.
Steve
I ripped my stock clutch out at around 30K miles, and the flywheel would have definitely needed to be resurfaced. I just replaced it with a new billet flywheel instead of going through the hassle, and my RAM Powergrip HD (the stage III one) has worked great ever since. I have no chatter at this point, and it holds very well for me, even on stock '02 hydraulics (replaced slave with another new stock unit at the time of install) and untouched master (read - no drill mod).
If you are gonna spend the money on an upgraded clutch, spend a few more $$$ and at least have the flywheel resurfaced. That small amount of money spent is worth it to me for peace of mind and cheap insurance.
Steve