Yet another "which clutch is for me!?" thread!

[MrMazda92]

I'd always figured I'd go for the Exedy MX6/Probe "OEM" replacement, but I've been putting more thought into it lately.

I do like to spin both my K8 and KL up to 6K or so on a daily basis, as I occasionally feel lazy and want to short shift 2nd to 4th, or even 2nd to 5th on the highway.(Okay, it's not laziness, It just feels good to wind it up once in a while)

I'm wondering if anybody has run the OEM Exedy replacement clutch on a 235-250 HP KL for an extended period of time, especially anyone who tracked the car regularly.

I'm not the type to dump the clutch at 6k+ from a standstill, and drag racing is definitely not on the docket for the car at any point. It's intended as a DD/weekend AutoCross car, and will be driven enthusiastically every day for years to come.

I will be happy to get 5 years(about 100,000 miles) worth of driving out of the clutch I use, at between 235 and 250 BHP, and would like to avoid an extra firm feel to the pedal. Chatter is annoying, but is much more tolerable than an overly stiff clutch, at least in my opinion.

So, given my ~30 minutes of failed searching via the search feature, as well as google's "advanced" search(which I had to google to even find, why is the link gone? Sheesh!!), I'm going to risk appearing a noob, and ask openly!

[Daninski]

OEM will slip big time if you shift with any power applied (personal experience with OEM MX6 clutch on KLZE). MX6 OEM clutch won't cut it so you better bump it up a notch.

[Nd4SpdSe]

Many guys here have abused their motors and clutches with the Exedy and they took it like a champ. I think mx3autozam's clutch was still the Exedy when he put on the turbo kit, but didn't have the car for too long afterwards, but I don't remember him saying he has clutch issues with it

[MrMazda92]

This was kind of a wing and a prayer type thing... The competitive pricing of the Exedy(along with rave reviews) had me keen for a purchase... My own personal application may be too much for it, for an extended period of time though.

I guess I'm looking for a near OEM pedal feel, that can handle light to moderate abuse for 100K miles, ProbeTalk yielded very surprising results, so many clutch brands/models that I couldn't find consistent information supporting 1 or 2. The SouthBend clutches seem a favorite, but sounded as if they have a much rougher engagement than stock.

I wish clutches had an advertized torque rating, so as to make this a little simpler.

Thank you guys! Any more suggestions?

[marcdh]

Stock exedy PP and ACT 6 puck disc isn't a bad compromise. A bit chattery though being not full face, but holds to 300bhp+ with rather light pedal being as it's stock PP.

[SuperK]

the HP you're pushing on either car is way below what the exedy can hold. The exedy will pull a DE/ZE with bolt-ons like a champ. Jackrabbit starts, short shifting... It's pretty nice.

If you ever get to the point where you're building your engine up to 250 (IE, whenever you decide you want to go turbo, if you do decide that) I would assume you'd have a built engine swapped in the bay... You'd want to go with something like stage 2 or higher.

A lot of probe owners prefer clutchmasters over ACT, because they have an easier pedal feel with the same holding capacity of ACT's.

But I would personally suggest an exedy clutch until you actually *make* a 250hp engine happen. Stuff takes time, it'll be a while.

[MrMazda92]

marcdh, in that instance would I buy a full ACT clutch kit, and just the pressure plate from the Exedy? Or the Exedy kit, with only the ACT clutch disk?

SuperK,
A stock ZE with bolt-ons would be lucky to see 230 with MegaSquirt, and it'd be a hell of a tune at that.

Now that I'm finally working again, I'm putting my KL build back on the front burner, hopefully 250 BHP will come before basic this Fall. I'm definitely not going FI to do it either, it's a personal goal I want to achieve before going that route. It's "easy"(not really easy, but straight forward) to make big power with FI, but show me a 250 BHP NA KL!

I'll look into both the clutchmasters and the ACT, It's just a PITA that It's difficult to find an actual horsepower "rating" as to what they can hold. I'm not dragging the car, so it doesn't need to be ridiculous, only hold up to semi-frequent mild abuse.(Oxy-moronic statement? This is out of form for me! )

I'd hate to buy another clutch 2-3 months down the road as well... I'm already pressed for time to get this swapped prior to my move.

[SuperK]

check rracing, they show the rated torque for the clutchmasters and have the best prices. They also compare the clutchmasters to the act clutches, and give some insight to what they used on their racing probe gt

[Mooneggs]

I still stand by my OEM/Exedy clutch and I actually race/drive my car harder than most people on this forum on a regular basis. No issues whatsoever and I got over 100k out of my last one (only replaced it since I was doing other tranny stuff at the same time).

[Josh]

A clutch should last 100K miles. I think my GS has an ACT with OE disk and it is nice, kind of heavy but they tend to be. I prefer ACT with a 6 puck ceramic sprung hub. They are pretty great. I have a Nuespeed on the RS with a 6 puck sprung hub and it is nice as well.

All depend on what you want to do. are you staying NA for the next 50 or 100 K miles or are you going to boost it soon, do you do a lot of daily driving, sitting in traffic or all hwy driving. these are the questions you need to ask yourself

[MrMazda92]

Thank you SuperK, I didn't know that! Good site to get some info, I haven't been there in a while.

MoonEggs,
Thank you! I wasn't sure if you ran the Exedy or not, how many of them have you used so far?(meaning, you replaced Exedy with Exedy, correct?)

Josh,
I would certainly hope so!!
I'm staying NA for at least 4 years(about 80,000 miles), and possibly the lifetime of the car. It really depends on where my priorities rest at that time. I daily drive, and I avoid traffic like the plague. Researching efficient routes and avoiding construction are daily activities for me, since I hate stand-still traffic. I have alternative routes to every place I frequent, which keeps me from being late with rare exception!

Minimal/No chatter, smooth/light engagement(easier on my injured ankle, easier on the car), and torque-holding capability of around 220 lb/ft should suit my purposes...

[Mooneggs]

I started with a Clutchmasters Stage 2 Type R and it lasted less than 20k miles. After that I bought the 1st Exedy and I replaced that last year...

If you are staying NA just get the Exedy (even with your plans to be the most powerful NA evaaaar I still think it will meet your needs )

[MrMazda92]

Well, between your guys' reviews and the low cost of it, I'll give it a shot when the time comes!

Idk about the most powerful ever, but it'd be top 10 from what I've seen, and one of very few have hit that without ITBs!