The clutch was properly installed. Rule that out.

 

I bought a Textralia in the past few weeks, and I'm thrilled with it. I'm only putting 340 or so to the ground right now, but 4.11's and a big cam are on the way. It's gripping like nobody's business, pedal pressure is not much more than stock, and (now that I beat the **** out of it at the track a bit) there is no chatter.

I did a whole lot of research before choosing my clutch. I feel for the originator of this thread as it must be very frustrating. However, the fact of that matter is that no clutch I've read about has a higher positive feedback percentage than the Textralia. I think this may have been the third thread I've read about with complaints... versus the perhaps thirty I've read raving about how great it is.

 

You are correct that it does have a high positive feedback rating. I just wonder how many people with this clutch have over 500 hp and runs it at the track.
I was one of them.

 

I thought the textralia were track proven in australia. That tex looks nasty to me ,especially the disc. And three times is not very good at all..

I am more thinking ls7 clutch now..factory parts and reading some good racing results at least around the 500 engine hp level.

 

WOW.........I have said it before and will say it again. If you use the search feature enough you will find out that EVERY LSX clutch out there has problems. I have a spec clutch and have had 0 problems. My car is a track only car. It was broke in at the track when I did my burnout and from there on it has seen 5500-6000 rpm dumps. But if you search enough you will find people saying that spec is the biggest piece of junk out there. For guys making big power #'s I would check to see what guys that are in the 9's and 10's are running and go from there. I love my spec and will probley stay with my spec.

 

Not taking sides but mine seems to be holding up just fine street/strip

 

...sorry about your Textralia problems You must have felt snake-bit after all the positive feedback on the boards about that clutch. Even sorrier that you felt you had to resort to an A4. Did the guy who installed it have any clutch recommendations? LS7 sounds like one of the better value Trial & Error options M6, but I love my new McLeod.


It doesn't even have to be the Twin Disk... I tried some hard launches for the first time today on my new SD. It's now got 700 miles on it , and the new 4.10s have about 1000 miles on 'em. The clutch started to feel broken in at 200 miles, and at 500 it felt thoroughly broken in. I started launching at 3K, then 3500, then 4000, but at that point the g-Force street tires couldn't hook up... The clutch on the other hand was absolutely outstanding ; it engaged quickly, smoothly, and held like a rock. It didn't even smell hot afterwards. I'm gonna need DR's or ET Streets now.

 

As I look at these pictures, it would appear to me that it was not installed correctly or not broken in correclty. I do not believe I have ever seen a flywheel and pressure plate that burned up. I would not normally speak out on behalf of a company, but because I know your wrong about the quality of the product I thought I would. I personally have the roselock flywheel and know that there is nothing wrong with it or the quality of the build. That is a rumor that was started by the person who tried to steal the company from Pete. The roselock flywheel because of the material make up goes through a heat cycle, before the metal settles to its final hardness and it does appear to be flaking, but as you continue to drive on it and the metal hardens it goes away. That is the way the flywheel is made and that it what makes it stronger. If you go to www.textralia.com.au, the site explains the process. As far as a SFI approved billet flywheel coming apart, perhaps with your vast knowledge you can explain to all of us how that would be possible. I am not a transmission expert, nor a clutch expert, but I have installed and used a vast number of them on several vehicles. I know your car is not making more power than mine, nor the hundreds of other cars that are using the textralia product, so I can only assume one of three things. One, why you would wait till now to make mends on something that you obviously started in May of 05 would make me believe that you are in cahoots with Petes X partner. Two, You did not break the clutch in for 3000 miles, and if you did, from the way it looks you were pounding on it instead of basic street driving. (certainly you didnt expect everyone on this post to believe that you had this great car, and restrained yourself for 3000 miles). right? or three, the guy who installed it did not install it correctly.
As far as I can tell, and I dont use junk parts, they being textralia, make the absolute best clutches in the industry. I have tried 3 other brands and only one was able to hold down the 1000 rwhp that my car is making.

Tell your story to someone else.

 

I have the Tex in mine, and so far I cant fault it.

After about 30 passes, and about 2000 miles, I removed it as Im upgrading my engine.

The damn thing isnt even broken in yet !!! I'd say there is thousands of miles left in it yet, and hundreds of passes.

I was amazed when I joined LS1Tech at the amount of "faulty" clutches people have over in the US. It just doesnt happen in the UK, at least to my knowledge...

I think the driver plays the biggest part in any clutch problems, as its far too common, with almost every brand of clutch in the US. I'm sure all the manufacturers arent making and supplying so many faulty clutches.

For what is essentially a competition clutch, I cant fault the textralia one bit. Light pedal, and it grips !! what more could ya ask for ??

No offense, but the simple fact that one person got 4 "faulty" clutches, speaks volumes.

This is my plate as I say after about 2000 miles, maybe a little more, and over 30 passes, with a best of 11.1@130, with about 15 passes in and around that time. I didnt even give the clutch time to break in from new, as the first time I was racing was bout the day after I fitted it.


Flywheel and cover are almost like new still.

 

So you want to resort to attacking my intergrity by saying I am in "cahoots with Petes X partner." and that I said I broke the clutch in for 3000 miles when the fact is I never said that, and I remember hearing Pete tell me he doesn't have a recommended break in period. Stop reaching for any form of rationalization. You obviously have a had time believing me.. I don't care. Just don't try to reach for bullshit excuses. The fact is the clutch did not hold, and the installer of the clutch already spoke up in defense of the clutch being installed properly.

Like I said before.. I have had 2 bad clutch discs.. bad.. as in before they were installed... so that rules out any possibility of it being installation, or me ruining it. Secondly all of this took place before the break up. My thread is about my dealings with this clutch and the company. Period. They did try to make it right, but after 3 bad dealings I am done. Stick to the facts, and keep your assumptions and any theories you may have, out of this thread.

 

I only have about 350rwhp and about 4K on the clutch, but it's been great for me and pete (at Textralia was very helpful) I've made about 8 passes all in the 3k launch and have had no problems( with Drag Radials) best part of clutch is streetability! Sorry to hear about your situation hopefully Textralia will answer!

 

All I hear from you is bla bla bla. I can see from your post that you are on the bandwagon as well. Why can't you just accept this thread for what it is? There were 3 bad clutch disk and I can ASSURE you it was not installed wrong. You even said yourself that you don't know much about clutches and transmissions, yet in your post you act like you are an authority on them. If you care to match transmission witts with Rodney at RPM Transmissions then please be my guest, but I can assure you that you will lose. He installed the clutch and it was installed correctly. Untill you can prove yourself that it was installed wrong and not broken in properly then please sit down and STFU. Please and Thank you

To everyone one else who cares to read this thread and take what information they can from it without being biased as some people above; Nothing changes the fact that there were 2 bad clutch disk shipped, they were deemed bad by Textralia and replaced. The third was installed correctly and broken in properly. It did not hold the power it was said to. I am sure Textralia is a good company and make good products, and maybe their QC department has gotten better since these clutches were shipped. Please don't think we are bashing them, it's just a little hard to stand behind a company after this many failures.

 

I searched for many months before deciding on a Tex clutch for my SS. (Around 430RHP and 400ft lbs)

I contacted Pete about the break in and he told me after three heat cycles, not mileage, it would be fine.

Several hundred miles later the clutch is working well and as advertised. I specifically wanted a clutch that could handle further upgrades and a nos shot. I can not speak of how it would handle higher HP cars, but I have been impressed with the Aussie company and their customer service.

 

I bought my Textralia from A&A and was shipped the wrong disc. I had read the posts where it was a known fact that some incorrect diameter discs were shipped. I asked them to make sure I'd get the correct part before they shipped it....and I was still sent the wrong part. Prior to installing it, I laid the disc onto the PP and it wasn't any larger than the PP so I installed it, only to find out that it wouldn't disengage.

After all the grief, would I do business with A&A again? You bet I would! Why? Because they probably checked the disc against the PP just like I did. It was a lack of communication from Textralia with the retailers as to what the real size should be (11-1/2 instead of 11-7/8). Am I happy with the Textralia? I am...it's the best driving/grabbing clutch I've ever had.

I'm planning on making a few passes at Super Chevy this weekend. I hope it continues to work as well as it has since I got the correct disc or I'm gonna be bummed out. When I went to SC two years ago, the Z06 clutch wouldn't grab...last year, the Spec 3 wouldn't grab after only one summer of street driving and 5 track weekends.

As far as the new LS7 clutch goes, it may make a good alternative. I don't think people are doing 4-6k dumps with sticky tires on the new Z06's though. Only when one launches at that rpm and with a heavy car can one really compare it to some of the aftermarket brands. The Z06's weight alone can have a favorable effect on clutch durability.

Sorry Captain InsaneO had the problems. Hope the A4 will be up to the task.....

 

Captain InsaneO, I want to personally apologize for any and all issues you've had with the product. I'd like to let you and anyone else know we firmly stand behind our product 100%.

To answer a couple of the points you made.

We had 7 clutches that shipped out with incorrectly size clutch discs. Of those we traced down and replaced all of those units. It doesn't excuse the fact that it happened. but we made every effort to resolve it.

You stated you recieved a clutch with a bad "puck" on it. I'm not aware of any defective pucks from our mfg. Its not to say it can't happen. In the world of mfg. anything can happen. I'm not saying it didn't happen to you, I'm simply saying I'm not aware of this happening. But, none the less if it did, it doesn't matter if it was an issue with one of our suppliers, or anyone else. The bootom line is the product comes from us, and you have every right to expect a quality product.

You stated we shipped you another disc. So, if you had an issue with a bad puck, it appears that we resolved that also. I'm not excusing the fact that your were inconvenienced or that you have right to expect that what you purchase will be right. But, it appears that we again did our best to make the situation right with you.

So, now according to your post you drive approximatley 3000 miles to break the clutch in. You took the car to a local dragstrip, and had problems with the clutch not holding the power of your car. So, you made another pass with the still hot clutch, and it still didn't hold. So, you cooled the car, made a 3rd pass, and in this case, the clutch held, and you ran an 11.3.

Ok, so in looking at your pictures, you appear to have a cast iron GM flywheel, which would correspond to some of our early units. Dheck (whom I'm guessing has some knowledge of the events in question) states that you were sent a replacement unit. So, my guess is that you contacted us about your issue, and we sent you a replacement unit. Without seeing your unit, I can't comment definitively about what the exact issue is. But, based on what you've wrote I would look at two possibilities.

1. Your pressure plate bolts were not loctited in place and were backing out
2. The pressure plate had or developed an issue with clamping load which prevented it from applying the proper ammount of force to the clutch disc.

Since Rodney did your install, and Rodney is well known throughout the LS1 market I am going to look more towards #2 as a possibility.

A couple of questions for you.

Did you notice any change in pedal pressure or engagment height?
Was the clutch super light (say lighter than a stock clutch on pedal pressure)?

Again, I'm just trying to make a root cause determination. I think you and every customer we have deserves to have a product which works as delivered. We do our absolute best to ensure we deliver a quality product. I think we do very well both with the clutch, and with the customer service which back that product up.

So, now we get to the last few comments from both you and dheck. Dheck states that you junked the flywheel we sent you based on reports that our flywheels are defective and sold the clutch. You state you're now out money.

Ok, let me take a second to address that.

First and foremost there is nothing wrong with the flywheels we've shipped. For legal reasons I'm not going to get into a he said / she said type of argument based on the claims of others. It suffices to say that if there were a problem with our product we certainly wouldn't be selling it. The fact is we are. There are no pictures of cracked flywheels. But, from my understanding there are pictures of a flywheel which had loctite, or grease slung out from the bolt holes which individuals have incorrectly labeled as "cracking". We have hundreds of our units out in the hands of the end users. At this point to date we know of no failures, or a report of any sort of major structural issues with the units.

As for the Oz700 not being able to handle a hard launch. I would counter that we in fact have demostrated this clutch in opeartion behind cars making power levels far greater then the levels your specified. For instance, Big Shaun on the Australian site runs our clutch in his full weight Monaro. His best time to date is 10.05 @ 141.86 mph in a 3800 lb car.

As for how hard he launches it. See this thread
http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=42810

We've got other cars in the 500RWHP and up range who drive the car hard, and race them at the dragstrip. So, to say our clutch hasn't been tested at higher power levels would also not be a correct statement. We don't rate a clutch in HP though. We rate it in lb/ft of Torque. So, unless you are over 700 lb/ft of torque you are well within the design limits of one of our clutches.

Again, you had a problem. And to us, that is simply unacceptable. Textralia along with being in the clutch business is really concerned with ensuring our customers are satisfied. It certainly appears you aren't. But I will say that from my perspective we did everything we could have to make things right.

I'm not excusing the fact that you may have indeed had all the issues you've cited. But, if you had a problem or a concern with the flywheel, why didn't you contact us or A&A? You've stated we've cost you money. Did you ever contact us on that? All I am saying is that you haven't given us the benefit of the doubt, or the chance to resolve the situation for you. I'm also curious why you waited so long to bring this to light?

You have pictures of a pressure plate with some hot spots on it. If indeed the clutch didn't hold, then the clutch will get hot very quickly, and you will get some discoloration. So, based on your description of events I don't find that unusual or unexpected.

Correct me if I'm wrong. After you had the issue at the drag strip you drove the car another 2000 or so miles after that. How did the clutch perform? From the other statements, you have now decided to go automatic based on your experience, and your belief that there is no clutch that can hold the power levels you've described. I would state again, that our cluch is more than capable of supporting that level of power you've described.

If nothing else I'd like to discuss your issues with you. If nothing else we use this type of information from our customer (good or bad) to constantly improve our product offerings to the public. All I can say is that I'm sorry for any and all issues you may have had, but I'd like to do what we can to make it right for you.

Please give us a call @ 214-227-6660 or send and email with a number we can call you at to admin@textralia.com.au

Cheers,
-Joe

 

nice post Joe.

 

I agree, Textralia did make the effort to replace it. I was just pointing out the fact that, that was disc #1

I have never dealt with you, and you might be new.. I have no idea so there is a very good chance you don't have any idea about it, but this clutch disc was the one replacing the one that was oversized. The rivets were very loose, and one puck was a different thickness on disc #2.

Yes Textralia did try to make it right, the point is I already had 2 clutch discs that were worthless to me.

No that is not what I said.. allow me to quote to you what I did say in my very first post.
As you can see I let it cool off, and it still messed up. The only way it held was for me to baby it (3k launch) and do NO burnout to heat up my tires.

Also, like I said earlier, I did not say I broke it in for 3k miles. I did break it in with a lot of city driving, for 250-300 miles. I drove on it for around 3k miles before taking it to the track.

I would say #2 as well considering I removed the pressure plate and the bolts were nice and tight.

I did not notice any changes what-so-ever.

Yes I junked it. Ever since I installed the clutch I got to run it for a total of 4 passes in almost a year, cause after the August race, I was so pissed I already decided to junk it and go with a A4.. it just costs money to convert it.

Thats fine.. just keep in mind this is coming from the same company that told me this clutch would hold, and it didn't. It is safe to say I have no faith in much that has the Textralia name on it.

That is cool.. but the bottom line is it did not hold for me. No offense but you can show me numerous clips of cars running low 10's or 1k hp.. and your clutch held. I had 2 defective clutch discs and a clutch that did not hold.. that is what I am more conceintrated on.

I never said that either. Here it was I said.
I agree Textraila did try to make it right, but there is only so much a company can do once the customer decided enough is enough.

I brought all this to light after I took out the clutch this past week. Once I took it out and passed the pics around, and the clutch to various people it was unanimous how they all feel about the clutch. This clutch was suppose to be the clutch all LS1 owners have been waiting for, and helping me ensure I would be keeping a M6. It cost me over $750 for a Yank SS4000 stall, and over $200.00 for a tranny cooler, stainless steel lines, fittings etc, and this is after I spent $925.00 on the clutch. I think its safe to say this has cost me a lot of money.

The clutch did fine on the street under normal driving conditions. if you floored it.. even N/A the clutch would slip. Like i said.. I am sure there are guys with more power than me and their clutch is holding, thats great. It didn't hold for me. That is my concern.

Look.. I am not out trying to close Textraila's doors. I am not here to tell everyone "do not buy Textraila clutches". This thread is about my experiance with the product. I should have the A4 from Rodney this week, I already spent over 1k in A4 parts. I honestly don't know what more your company can do for me. I feel I did my best to keep this civil (as pissed as I am), and with some of the moronic replies I got.. I still did my best to maintain being civil.

 

Sorry about the misfortune. After the cam is in I will be at 500-550rwhp with the juice, and you can bet this clutch will be seeing the track! So far it is all it's been cracked up to be and more! I have 13 track passes on it as well as some beatings on the street, and it never bats an eye! Only time will tell if there are more failures.

 

Sorry 2 hear about your trouble, good luck with the a4. Personally, I've got a Tex in with all bolt ons. It's been great so far. The only clutch issues ive had are strictly hydraulic.

Anyone notice that in this thread which began with only negative feedback about the Tex , it now has significantly more positive feedback than negative by only page 3? That says something imo.