I have been hearing the majority of people raving on about ACT clutches and how Centerforce sucks! I called ACT today and they said they couldn't guarantee their clutch to 400 ft-lbs of torque. (At least for their street disc). I want a street disc, no pucks and unsprung.

I called JWT also. Their clutches CAN hold the torque and power, but I have heard little about them from people. (Turbomax has one) but not many people do. This one is a leading contender in my book, but just wanted to know what others think. Also one or two others say Stage II, JWT say they don't classify stages like that. So I am guessing the stage II is a metal on one side, organic on the other. Any advice would help.

Thanks

Nigel

 

I would recommend the JWT if they say it can hold the power. I love my ACT, but based on your power numbers it would probably be iffy especially if you tune your car more in the future. The fact that Turbomax has a JWT also speaks well for it
-hype

 

Yep I trust Turbomax. Just wanted to see other peeps opinions!


Nigel

 

Have you considered Vitek?
http://vitekperformance.com/product/Clutches.asp

I don't have it but it's another one on the list and I haven't seen anyone say anything negative about it (or positive for that matter). Just thought I would mention it so at least you have a more comprehensive list. I think Greg at custommaxima.com carries them.

 

Well, he said he didn't want pucks, and the only Vitek that would hold the power would be the Stage 4 which is a 4 puck clutch. It's a sprung hub, so it's streetable.

I've already brought it up to him, and Nigel decided against it because it's not a street disc.

BTW, I supply the clutches to Greg, so if you have any questions, let me know. We've only sold a handful to Maxima guys, so we're still waiting on feedback from them. The Honda/DSM guys are very happy though.

One more thing about the Vitek clutch. All parts are new, no remanufactured OEM pressure plates like ACT and others use. Each clutch is built from the ground up like Exedy clutches. This is why Vitek clutches are slightly more expensive than ACT, Centerforce, JWT, etc. And unlike some other clutches, the throwout bearing and alignment tool are included.

 

Unless you want to be a test bed, go with what's proven to work. ie..turbo95. Not to say something else might NOT work fine, but you would be the one to find out. Just to throw out another name, clutchmasters might have something for you. OS Giken might also but they are $$

 

jwt stage 2........those things grip!

 

there's no such thing......do you HAVE a JWT clutch??? If you don't....don't comment on how it grips....especially if said "stage II " clutch DOESN'T EXSIST.....

 

According to Cattman, they do have a Stage II, but maybe JWT doesn't classify it as such. On their own webpage, they don't have different stages, but they do have different levels of clutch with different clamping forces, materials, etc.

"Stage 2: For heavy duty street and track use, built engines, slicks. Quickest off-the line performance. Features one-side metal on disc and 750kg pressure plate.
"

That was taken off the Cattman website.

 

ClutchMasters Clutches seem to have the same stages a Centerforce. You may have to get pucks to hold the power. If you do get pucks, you may be safer with the 6 puck and not kill your tranny. 4 puck is just too much. Mehran in DC ran a 4 puck clutch and his 3rd gear was toast in 4 months. Some cryotreating may be in order. Doesn't Unorthodox Racing make clutches for us too?

 

I said it before.. i know a maxima with that much power with an ACT Street clutch

 

I tihnk the Exedy can handle that power. Generally their clutches are pretty sweet on other cars, but I havne't heard about their Maxima one

 

So currently, the "better" clutch to get based on use and experience is the JWT "Stage 2" according to Cattman's website? I just want to make sure I get the right one when I decide to run boost.

 

so have you made a decision yet?

 

Thanks for all the help guys! I know I brought this up in my turbo thread before. I will go with something tried and tested at this point. Like I said before I am really soliciting feedback on the JWT clutch since I have heard very little about it. I will go with JWT clutch. Someone mentioned Cattman. Do they sell the clutch kit? I spoke to someone at JWT. They provide pressure plate and clutch disc no throwout. Guess a new stock one would be good enough?

Thanks again!

Nigel

 

An OEM throwout bearing is fine since you don't need a "performance" throwout bearing anyway To tell you the truth I almost bought an OEM throwout bearing because I wasn't sure how good the ACT one was. So far so good, but hopefully I won't get any squeeking later on.
-hype

 

JWT says their street discs on the 300ZX TTs are able to hold 500+ lb-ft torque, which I have yet to see happen (those guys need the 6 puck disc). Street discs will be maxed around 360-380 lb-ft of torque.

If you're hovering around 400 lb-ft torque, you can use it but if you want to make sure you hold the power, go with the 6 puck.

 

Thanks for the info! I am not familiar with puck design. Are there any downsides? I was told to steer clear of pucks. I am curious at this point. I think I have made up my mind to go for the JWT. I have heard people running ACT with nitrous and having no problems too. I know nitrous hits harder than turbo but I will go with JWT.

Thanks again for all the advice, I really appreciate feedback! Any thoughts on lightened flywheel or is that a bad idea with this amount of torque?

Thanks

Nigel

 

I do have a JWT clutch, and I called them the other day to talk about their clutches (and posted here - search!) Cattman calls them stage 1 and stage 2; JWT does not. I like the "stage" rating, so I'll use it ... "Stage 1" is an organic disc, "stage 2" is organic on one side, metal on the other. Metal on both sides, according to JWT, would be racing only - more like an on/off switch, not very streetable. Both use the same pressure plate, which from what I've heard is closer in feel to stock than the ACT. I wanted an ACT, but they were out of production for about a month when I needed a clutch immediately, so I got the JWT because it was the best available then. My car hooks up great with the "stage 1", and I've been very happy with it. If I had forced induction, I'd probably go to the "stage 2" disk.

 

Sleeper is running a JWT clutch with NOS and a SC, last I heard he said the clutch worked great.