Stephen Max

iTrader: (59)

If you have an ACT clutch, have you had transmission problems since installing it?

mtrai760

iTrader: (19)

After I got mine broken in, I had very VERY minor clutch chatter at low rpms, but thats IT... I guess I won't have to worry about it anymore though...

nismo2020

iTrader: (1)

no problems. chatter was expected.

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

had chatter.. now i don't

JAY25

iTrader: (38)

No problems a little clutch chatter for the first two weeks, after that no chatter, clutch works just fine and is soft like the stock one.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Would the chatter = extra and excessive strain on the transmission?

hlh0501

iTrader: (1)

love my act.

ToYLeT902

iTrader: (12)

gonna get one after winter

BriGuyMax

iTrader: (1)

All my problems started right after I got my ACT.

MAXINXS

I have had a hell of a lot of chatter ever since I got the ACT 4 months ago. I have to rev it up to about 2000 rpm's to get moving without a lot of chatter. It is really bad, plus 1st gear is very hard to get into. Most of the time I go from 2nd to 1st just to get the gear to engage. I thought all ACT's had a lot of chatter??

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

its your motor mounts..

my car was like that too

MaxSE98

i dont know what u guys consider chatter but the ACT blows compared to my JWT stage two that i had, thats of course before i realized the inherent problem in my driving habits. the jwt resisted fade better and took more punishment than the ACT. that was after i had to drive 15 miles home in 4th gear (blown tranny) with tons of stops. the act did however help me snap a half shaft in two so i guess its alright
-pete

Ramius83

No problems so far.....

Craig Mack

Some people complain about it being hard to get into first gear..but have any of you guys driven cable clutches like mustang GT's and Cobras? Drove a 95 Cobra 5spd a while back and it was a damn chore to get engaged into first gear. My Maxima is like a dream compared to them...I love it. Maxima's have hydrolic reservoirs too, so a Max with an ACT clutch should still be significantly smoother and easier to engage then a mustang or any other cable driver clutch car right?

nismo2020

iTrader: (1)

i dont think so. i would assume after a while extreme chatter would put a strain on the motor mounts, y-pipe, exhaust system.

also here is an important point how miles did you break in your clutch?

did you do it properly? hmmmm.

1FSTMAX

iTrader: (29)

I have my ACT clutch sitting in my garage, and know after reading all these threads about blown trannies I'm having second thoughts about installing the ACT. I'm semi stock right now, but I plan to get all the NA bolt on mods I can for my max. Do I really need a ACT clutch? Or I'm better of with a stock replacemnt? I have not had a single problem with my transmission since I purchased the car. One thing I drive my car like I stole it! I punch it everytime I get just to hear the VQ roar. Please guys let me have your input on this matter.

BriGuyMax

iTrader: (1)

Definitely have second thoughts, I don't see the need for a clutch as strong as the ACT for N/A cars. *Most* of the guys that haven't had any problems with the ACT have had it less than a year.

MaxSE98

If you dont drive like a terd ( like i used to slamming gears and such) a heavy duty clutch is great. youll have to relearn how to drive. it sounds alot more drastic than it really is. u just slow down your foot as your reaching full clutch grip. saves trannies tires driveshafts and if done right is faster by alot. revving it out hard in every gear will not break stuff trust me i do it EVERY DAY. ive put 50k of very abusive driving on my car. i had a jwt stage two and because i was slamming from 2nd into 3rd at WOT and i dropped the clutch i blew the crap outta it and had to drive the car home in 4th (also bent the crap out of a shift fork) which killed my clutch, however the jwt STILL LASTED 8000 miles before dying out on me. still would chirp em in 3rd. if u can tell me that a factory clutch can take that abuse and still last almost 10k i will laugh in your face. 15 miles over 20 stops all in fourth gear. smelled like clutch for months but it still worked. in fact the ACT doesnt hold quite as well as the jwt did AFTER i burnt it out driving home. the ACT will not blow your gears your driving will or over shifting it. once im done with my 72 Z ill be making my own ripper shifter like B&M makes for all the real cars so i can slam gears and not over shift it. if anyones interested lemme know - pete

speedtrip

I replaced my stock clutch with an ACT clutch last march with 99,800 miles on my max. There was clutch chatter and it was difficult to engage a gear smoothly with the ACT installed. I replaced the engine mounts last week with new OEM mounts. The clutch chatter is pretty much gone and I don't get a "thunk" sound when I start from a stop. As a side benefit it appears that my max is shifting smoother now.

Up to this point the ACT has been good to me. I've done around 20 runs at the track and it has never blinked. Overall I'm satisfied with the product.

I would encourage anybody expierencing excessive clutch chatter to replace your motor mounts. IMO it's not impossible for a street clutch to be the source for a blown gear but I would say 9 out 10 times the driver is to blame.

Keven97SE

I've had my ACT longer than just about everyone here (2000). I've put over 50K miles on it and have had zero issues. None. The gears suck to engage sometimes but the original tranny did that on the original clutch also. What the he11 are you guys doing to your trannies?!

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

but thats the thing.. Pete.. you know me personally.. and most of NE Crew knows how i drive.. and thats how i drive and my clutch is fine..

MaxSE98

now ive relearned how to slam gears and im even faster, I rocked a 2k2 twice on the highway and off the line it was an auto though. and i stayed side by side with one of those new 2k3 stangs with the v8 but the guy admitted he just got the car that week so it doesnt really count. anyways i wanna run u when the Z is done check out some of the pics VROOM
IM me and lemme know what u think -pete

Dave B

Generally, I agree with everything that is said here. Slamming gears with a heavy-duty clutch does put a lot of strain on the tranny, axles, and engine mounts, but you can drive fast and hard without "banging the gears". Overshifting a gear can cause failures, especially a bent shift fork which ultimately can spell disaster for the clutch so I've heard. IMO, there really is no reason to overshift if you're shifting correctly. You can very shift fast without forcing the lever if your hand position is correct.

I pretty much decided the ACT was not for me about a year ago and the "potential" failures the ACT might be causing is incentive enough for me not to buy one. Don't get me wrong, for racing the ACT feels very nice. I like the strong grabbing force which is ideal for racing. However, I'm just not willing to risk the inherent tranny/mount and driveability problems associated with running a heavy-duty clutch. That's just me. I've had nothing, but goodluck with the stock clutch and I see no reason not to get another one. I've got 90K miles and well over 100 1/4 mile passes on my stock clutch. It's handled 4000-5000rpms launches and lots of hard shifts into 2nd and 3rd with never skipping a beat. It's never slipped, always barks 2nd, and on occasion it's barked 3rd. Sometimes I wish it had more grab, but it's all just a trade off.


Dave

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

i will run you if you put 500 lbs of stereo equipment in it

nah.. we can do it on video.. would be a nice video.. new school vs old school.. i will post it on supra forums too.. even though i know i will lose.. unless you wait till april

you know jeff92SE would get a hard on out of these pics

MaxSE98

lol u have no idea how much cutting and welding is involved in all of this. i cant wait to get my cage in there, i need some seats, if u know of anyone with decent racing seats or miata seats lemme know. ive gotta head home to work on it right now. should be a good day take care man - pete

CKNY

iTrader: (1)

nismo brought up a great point!

for those of you that have problems with your act i have two questions for you.

1). did you properly break in the clutch and for how many miles?

i properly broke mine in for 600.

2). did you resurface/replace the flywheel when you installed it?

this may be a big one! when i took it to the dealer to have the clutch installed they insisted i install a new flywheel or they wouldn't install the clutch. i asked about resurfacing and they still insisted on a brand new one. now, this is a pretty reputable dealer and the fact that they actually would prefer not to install the clutch rather than install it improperly was kind of comforting. i had a new oem flywheel installed as well.

my act is a godsend and i have had 0 problems. maybe the issue is more than just motor mounts??

BriGuyMax

iTrader: (1)

1. YES - 500 miles (ACT recommends 300-500)
2. YES - resurfaced

Why the hell would you need to REPLACE the flywheel?? They just wanted more of your money. The only cars that you have to replace the flywheel on when installing a new clutch are BMWs because they have two-piece spring flywheels that cannot be resurfaced.

Sin

I had mine installed about 1200km ago. At first, chatter was RIDICULOUS. I was like, what the hell did I do?!?! But honestly, within the 10 km drive home, it was already starting to feel better. With every engagement, it got smoother and smoother. By about 200km, 85% of all chatter was gone, and the only chatter remaining only occured during take off in first, and was very light chatter. By 800km, there was almost no chatter. There was the occasional (1 in 10) chatter when taking off from a stop. Now at 1200km, none at all.

As for any jerkiness or anything? None to speak of. Once the clutch breaks in, the linear and preditable feel of the clutch makes the driving experience in my car SO much better. Rev matching is SO much easier now both in double clutching and in heel and toe. Also, the increased plate pressure is VERY noticeable when you push the car. All I can say is, it grabs when you want it too. In my opinion, this clutch is far superior to the stock clutch.

nismo2020

iTrader: (1)

broke my in for 299 miles and resurfaced the flywheel.

CKNY

iTrader: (1)

well... i have no problems and others do... so i'm happy i spent the $150 on the flywheel.

MaxSE98

i had my flywheel resurfaced too btw. ive got about 5k on the clutch no problems
-pete