98TransAmNL

Hey Fellas!
I am looking at purchasing a new clutch for my 98 T/A. The car is pretty well stock except for some bolt ons such as a lid & a magnaflow catback. Just wondering if you guys have any recommendations. A friend of mine has the centerforce and his camaro and says it is good. Another guy that owns a mustang cobra has the ram hdt on his and says it is awesome. What should I do????
Thanks!

thebart455

well i would not recommend center force they have had alot of horror stories with there clutch's. i have the ram pg hd clutch and ive put 2k miles on it so far with some passes at the strip and some street racing and it grabs just like it did when i first put it in, but if your car is mostly stock u just want a good dd clutch u could get a ls7 kit, ram makes some, spec makes some. theres alot of good clutch's out there but like i said i would not get a centerforce

95 Z28

iTrader: (21)

I love the Ram HD. It honestly drives super nice, very nice engagement. Pedal is a little more effort to push down than stock. My experience was nothing like some of the stories you hear on here about how it chatters and the pedals ridiculously hard to push down. Mine has not chattered once.

98 SNAKE EATER

My Spec 3 X-Pad has been pretty solid

Other than a bit of chatter that most consider normal, the pedal feel and holding power has been great

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40PhUOUpXrg



98 Aztek T/A WS7 (FOR SALE!!)
70 Ram Air IV T/A
97 FZJ80 Locked
00 Lifted G16E
GhettoChopper
94 Mitsubishi MiniCab (SOLD!!)

98TransAmNL

Just wondering what else has to be changed out for a new clutch kit installation. I am resurfacing the flywheel. The kit includes clutch plate, throw out bearing and pressure plate. The kit doesn't come with a pilot bearing..........does this have to be replaced as well????

98 SNAKE EATER

Which clutch are you going with?

I have yet to pull an LSx clutch that didn't show severe blueing/pitting on the flywheel (even after only a few thousand miles), so I usually recommend installing a new one rather than resurfacing...

Also, LSx clutches in general tend to be very picky when it comes to engagement height, so a little too much off the surface can mean the difference between a proper pedal and slippage

Whether or not you need the pilot bearing, it's always a good idea to replace it anytime you do a clutch job...

While in there, I'd go ahead and replace the slave cylinder as well (it comes with the TB already installed)

Even if it's not needed, you might as well do it since the trans is down already...

98TransAmNL

I am going with the centerforce dual friction. I know a couple of guys that have those on their cars and they haven't had any issues with it. I can just pick up any type of pilot bearing can I and it will work with the centerforce clutch kit?
So what exactly is included in the clutch kit (just the clutch disc & pressure plate ?)

The throw out bearing is part of the slave cylinder which I also should replace.

Centerforce recommends to replace the slave cylinder as well and the release bearing.

So the way I see it, the centerforce dual friction clutch kit is going to include the clutch disc and pressure plate.......thats it!
And then I should also replace the slave cylinder (which the throwout bearing is part of), replace the release bearing and replace the pilot bearing.
Sound right?

98 SNAKE EATER

I'm not sure if CF has since worked out all of the bugs, but back in the day, they had a horrible reputation for improper engagement after 2-3k miles

Folks would initially praise them on pedal feel and holding power, then complain about gear clash and having to shim the slave not too long after the break-in period

By then, CF would tell them to go pound sand


The pilot bearing has nothing to do with the clutch assembly itself, so just get new one from the dealer (about $13 bucks)

You'll also need a puller to remove it, so make sure you have one before you start...

Kits usually come with the pressure plate, disc, TB, alignment tool and in some cases, new mounting bolts...




Yes, most clutch kits comes with a loose throw out/release bearing (same thing), but a new slave cyclinder already has one installed, so you won't need the one in the kit if you replace the slave..

You should also get a new flywheel IMHO

Even though there have been many that have resurfaced theirs with good results, from what I've seen firsthand is that all LSx flywheels tend to get chewed up pretty bad, which usually requires excessive machining

Combine that with the ultra tight engagement tolerances LSx clutches are known for and you'll be opening up a can of worms





Rick

purplehays4

iTrader: (8)

I have the LS7 clutch kit in mine, been in since last summer, and it hooks great. Grabs right off the floor and its one of the easiest clutches I have ever pushed in. When the car was mostly stock, I could dump it in 2nd at likme 25mph and it would smoke the tires. So it grabs pretty good. Plus its rated up to like 450hp if Im not mistaken.

98TransAmNL

Centerforce recommends to replace the slave cylinder and release bearing available as a set.
But the clutch kit is going to include a throwout/release bearing. ?????

So I should just order the slave cylinder/release bearing set from GM ???

98 SNAKE EATER

Not sure about the current CF kits, but on the older kits (talking 5+ years ago), they came with TB's

That being said, I've always done installs using NEW slaves that already have TB's installed, so the one that comes with the kit usually ends up being a paperweight or a hockey puck in my shop

Also, when you order a new slave make sure you get the most current part number available and not older parts off the shelf because GM has updated them quite a bit over the years

The last updated number I used was 15046288, but this was a couple years back, so I'd check the board for what's considered the last updated PN




Rick

slt200mph

iTrader: (42)

If you are not going to do a lot of track time the LS7 clutch is a bargan...you will need a Corvette LS2 flywheel (2005-2007) a LS1 Camaro pilot bearing, slave cylinder, and the LS7 clutch disc and pressure plate... I have been running this combo for over 2 years/65,000 miles now with great results..I do not track this car it is just a hot rod that hauls my phatt azz around..it holds my 450 rwhp and has good manners with a soft clutch pedal and good release point...for $500 it is hard to beat...but if you are going to take your car to the strip often or do a lot of street racing from a dig you will be better off with a aftermarket clutch..pick you poison ...