I'm going to be running 9lbs of boost through a V2 Stillen SC kit (3.33 pulley) Wondering a couple of things, #1 how is the spec stage 2 clutch AND would it hold the power I am going to be making at 9lbs?

Thanks!!

Chris

PS: I need this info kinda quickly, as I am going to be buying a clutch tomorrow/wednesday!

 

EDIT: I have read some horror stories about spec stage 2 (and spec. and general), thinking clutchnet but I dunno who to talk to about what to get. HELP!

 

Show me some horror stories about spec stage 2 clutches.

 

i heard and also get a lot of clutch chatter from this clutch but it could be just my mounts.

For 9 psi, with no mevi, i would say act, or even exedy stage 1. It did well for me but slipped a little at the end of 1st gear and beginning of 2nd, especially after a few runs. But i was going 11 psi w/ mevi so at 9 u should be fine plus the driveability of exedy is great. Otherwise i would say ACT street clutch. also has chatter but not as bad as spec...well i'm still in break in period so we'll see....

 

I just read alot of things about SPEC, but I see you have the specstage 2, how is it?

 

I like my. But I would really like to see these stories.
The clutch chatter was bad in the beginning like Mecca is saying, but as the clutch broke in the chatter would go away. However when the clutch is cold from leaving hte car parked overnight it does chatter some what but after 5 minutes of driving it goes away. The clutch pedal feel is soft yet firm enough and it holds my 75 shot without a problem. Have about 2k miles on it.

 

A friend with a turbo max mad ~415 whp on his SPEC Stage 2. So I really wouldn't worry about it. Plus if SPEC is one of the easiest companies ever to work with on warranty issues.

Another friend had a SPEC stage 1 on his ~300 whp turbo max. It held out for over a year, then he sold the car to someone who couldn't drive manual and he burned that up in 2 weeks.

Personally, I like SPEC better than ACT if only because of pedal feel. I couldn't stand driving ACT equipped cars, the pedal is so heavy.

 

It's good to hear that Shadow, but I did the ghetto search in google for SPEC and alotta people had them burn-up early and complained about chatter and shotty clutch pedal-feel. I want to know who's running the Clutchnet clutches so I can PM them and pick their brain...I need a clutch soon!!

 

IANSW has one. I have one too but I just put it on last night and I have not driven it yet.

I was looking at SPEC, but REDMAX (turbo) burned his up about a week ago so I decided against it.

 

i never owned a spec clutch nor have i driven a car with one but i can vouch first hand for rps and clutchnet. rps will run you some money but i think its definetely worth it imo - probably the best aftermarket clutch ive ever driven/owned - but it might not be worth it to some people because of the price. heres a link i had in my favorites for some other options...

http://maxmods.dyndns.org/index.php?MaximaClutches

 

What is RPS, is that the actual company that makes clutchnet? The more I read about the Clutchnet clutch, the more i like it. IanSw I guess gave it a good review and if mardigras has had it on for 40K thats always a good sign too. I'm just wondering if this clutch is gonna be overkill, because Mecca has me thinking about the stage1 Exedy...I think I am def. staying away from ACT. I will be PROBABLY going mevi soon too - so keep that in mind w/ your suggestions.

 

the nice thing about clutchnet is that you basically create your own pressure plate and disk combo. that way, you could set it up to have less wear on your transmission during the shift but excellent grip when everything is engaged. i dont think rps is affliated with clutchnet at all - unless something happened that im not aware of. i have their max street clutch and their aluminum flywheel on my z and both are made of excellent quality and preform amazingly.

 

whoa, this just got clutttered. So you wouldnt suggest going with the Clutchnet 6 pcuk sprung w/ clutchnet PP? Ian Mardi and Hal are all running HUGE numbers and are running this clutch, so I think i might go with it...but now I gotta consider a PP too? Also i looked through that maximamods page - it was OK, but nothing on clutchnet and nothing on RPS...

 

i dont want to make a suggestion as to exactly which parts to get from clutchnet because ive never had one on my maxima. i have driven several cars with clutchnets though and the owners were very happy with them and i felt the feel and the grip of the clutches were excellent. but still, i dont have any experience with clutchnet on a maxima so you should talk to the guys that are running it to get the best opinion on which setup to use. i have driven several cars equipped with several models of both rps and clutchnet, and i do feel they are both very solid and reliable clutch manufacturers. when the time comes for me to get my next clutch (this key value pos is definetely going to get destroyed by my boost) ill be getting one of those two.

 

I am in a similar bind.....i will soon be running a V1 kit with 3.125 pulley and JWT S/C ecu w/7200rpm redline and CAI, full exhaust, and MEVI, 370CC injectors....I don't know what clutch to get.....I have always been leaning towards the Exedy stage 1 b/c I have heard great things about them, plus I do all city driving and really nothing else, so an ACT is out of the question b/c the pedal is way too stiff! and I absolutely don't want the chatter of the ACT or Spec clutches like everyone says there is! but I am worried that the exedy stage 1 won't hold up to my power for many miles....I don't drive it that hard, but I want it to grip when I do get on it!!! is there something between what the exedy can hold and the act or spec clutches while still retaining stock pedal feel and no chatter charactersitics like the exedy has? I would plan on going with the 2.87 pulley eventually, but that's not an issue in this case...just want a clutch which suits my needs:

-No chatter
-Easy/soft pedal for all city driving (don't mind if it's a little stiffer than stock)
-can hold about 320whp or so

does such a clutch even exist? would the exedy stage 1 fit this profile?

 

Yeah I am kinda looking for some Exedy Stage 1 guys to come outta the woodwork here - I have heard this might be a good choice for me? Otherwise I am going with the 6 Puck ClutchNet Clutch - Iansw said it has become awesome now that it has broken in.

 

I know requin is running an exedy stage 1, and he is running roughly 320whp and 285 torque....he loves the clutch and says it grips well....but I think his clutch barely has any miles on it....so who knows if it will last....320whp is the top range of a stage 1 clutch I would think....so if heated up....it might start to slip a little....

 

what do you guys think of RPS clutches? does anyone on here have one or have driven a car with one? if so, what was it like? what was the pedal like..?? did it chatter any?

I was thinking of getting their street series stage 2.....SS-17538-SP

 

i have the max series kit with the disk on my z32 and it is exceptional. the pedal is very very very firm on my car but it is mostly due to the fact that my clutch booster does not work anymore. when it did work, which was for a very short period of time, it was still pretty stiff but nothing that you couldnt drive every day for the average drive home in my area (about an hour). the nice thing about it as compared with other high pressure high tolerance clutches is the fact that it has quite a large amount of slippage - id say about 1/3 of the pedal up is where it starts to engage, the next third is slippable, and the last third is where it reaches full clamping force. this would benefit a maxima because obviously our tranny's are very weak in nature and most everyone who runs serious clutches breaks gears because it grips too hard. its nice to be able to slip the clutch because it will absorb a lot of the wear on the tranny. i highly reccomend rps for any z32 and i have great confidence that it would work well in our maximas as well. of course, as applies to all things, it all comes down to how you treat your car when driving it - especially when heavily modded. even if you get the greatest clutch on earth, driving like a reckless retard will not prevent the inevitable damage... the key is to be smooth, and in my opinion its very easy to engage smoothly with this clutch.

 

well...I won't be getting the max series, just the street series so hopefully the pedal won't be too bad...I am going to call RPS 2morrow and ask some questions....didn't realize they are in Chatsworth, CA....

the one I am considering says it can hold up to 340wtq so I think I will be okay with the 2.87 pulley setup...

 

another hi-jacked thread...kidding.

Well I think i may be going with the clutchnet 6Puck unless anyone suggests that I dont fo rmy setup. I want something streetable that will hold my power and not kill the transmission...

 

update on this clutch:

i have 830 miles on it thus far, mostly city driving. It feels a lot better today as i take it to drop my brother off, first gear still a little shaky but not as bad as it used to be, MUCH better actually. Gears are easier to get into and car just feels a lot better to drive. Hopefully by 1k car will be even better and maybe i can get away with somewhat bad motor mounts

its been a month since i did a hard shift! i cant wait!

 

Chris, get the spec. the pedal feel is great. it will hold the power andd the stage 3 has less chatter than sstage 2. Also the warranty is great. get it from clutch express.com

 

LOL, how the hell the stage 3 have less chatter around stage 2?! now i'm mad!

 

I just broke my Spec stage 3 in, and so far it grabs like a monster. At 1st it did have alot of chatter but it went away after a while. The clutch is soft like stock, but once it engages it grabs hard . I'll see how well it can handle boost once I'm done with the install.

 

If you are interested in the SPEC, I can get them for pretty cheap. And as Redmax is saying, the warranty is great. Last claim I had to make was for Dixit, and he bent a strap from a 4-2 shift. They originally said $25 to replace the strap, but then I sent it to them and they just took care of it for free. They've always been like that for as long as I've dealt with them.

 

Damn!!! I forgot you sold them now. I ordered their new Hybrid stage 3 Should hold a hell of a lot of power but well see!!!

 

Man I am so torn now, I wanna get the CLUTCHNET because of the goodluck Mardi and IanSW have had BUT the SPEC sounds to be a pretty good clutch too - which of the 2 are easier on the transmission? IANSW said that the CLUTCHNET slips a little when engaging to not murder the trasmission...anyone?

 

when my chatter goes away or when i hit 1k miles, i'll let u know if there is any slipppage

 

There is no slippage.

 

I am so up in the air now, I can either get SPEC Stage 2 OR Clutchnet. I have read nasty things about SPEC burning up although they have a 1 year warantee...anyone have SPEC problems?

 

Slippage isn't always bad. Some clutches (like the Clutchnet) are designed to catch gradually (it's better to say catch gradually than "slip" because "slip" implies burning your clutch.

This means that the transfer of torque to the transmission is gradual (.1 seconds instead of instant) and keeps the tranny from being jolted by the torque and falling apart.

Mardi revs to 6k RPM on slicks at the track then dumps this clutch. He's been doing it for 40k miles....that's pretty stupendous if you ask me. I've had it for 5k or so, and it's great. No chatter, no slipping in the conventional sense, no burning even when I torture it a little.....pretty darned nice.

 

Noone's ever blown a Clutchnet on this board i've heard of.

Then agian, only a few of us have them.

IanS

 

BigDogJonx loved his spec clutch...

I had the ACT stage 1 clutch and I loved that one... There was chatter in the beggining, because I had to get used/learn how to drive with it. May have had to break in for a little bit too.... But after the first month or so, I had no more chatter...

I'm driving with the JWT stage 2 clutch now - absolutely no chatter - actually feels almost like the stock clutch... makes me wonder how long it will last...

 

I grabbed a Clutchnet 6Puck Sprung Clutch, same as IANSW etc - I just wanted to do it right the first time rather then deal with spec. Hopefully everything will be awesome with little/no chatter. Thanks for all the help guys! I'll do a review when i get it in the car...with the supercharger...with the new transmission...etc. Ha, thanks again.

 

Like I said in the PM to you -

The Clutchnet WILL be hard to drive and WILL chatter A LOT for the first 1000 miles or so. Then things will gradually get better. By 1500 miles you should be pretty good to go and the chatter will go away, assuming you broke it in nicely.

I used up 1000 miles to break mine in - no <well, some> boost, gently driving.

Just making sure you understand that so the first time you drive it you don't freak out. Also, when starting out on cold mornings you'll hear a groan from your flywheel. That means it's working!

 

hahah thanks ian - i cant wait for it! What exactly IS chatter and when will I hear it in the clutch process?

 

Chatter is simply when the flywheel/clutch haven't worn together to make a perfect "seal" when first engaged. You don't hear it as much as feel it. And when you feel it, you'll know it. WHen first breaking in it chattered not only when starting from a stop, but in the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts as well.

Once it's worn in properly, you'll start hearing a "groan" when first starting out. This is the clutch mating with the flywheel solidly and is normal for a 6-puck clutch. You won't feel anything, you'll just hear that.

When you start hearing the groan on a regular basis after a cold start, you know the clutch is broken in pretty well. At least that's exactly what I experienced.

Chatter stopped, groan started.

 

SPEC Stage 2 is a full face Kevlar clutch. Clutchnet is a 6 puck clutch. A SPEC stage 3 would be a closer match to the clutchnet since it's a 4 puck. Both SPEC and Clutchnet are sprung hub designs which ease the shock on the tranny. The ACT's and Unorthodox are unsprung designs, it may explain why ACT owners had issues with tranny failures.

Quick question, exactly who did you hear about that burned up a SPEC? Other than Corey? We've had to file a few warranty claims with SPEC, none involved burning up the clutch.

 

Does that groan ever go away? I think I heard that on my ACT and I hated it.

I am still waiting to drive my Clutchnet.