[jph]

Hey everybody,

does anyone have any experience with the clutchmasters stage 2 clutch ?

i have around 50k miles on my stock clutch right now, and it's still doing just fine. but within a few weeks (maybe months) i'm expecting to be pushing around 400HP (crank) and a little more Tq - mild turbo upgrade.

so i guess now (gently break in the clutch before the need to dyno tune comes) would be a good time to get the stocker replaced with something that can handle a little more power, while still remaining perfectly streetable, this is my daily driver, that sees stop&go traffic every day.

any input/feedback/etc... on this setup ?

FX200 (Stage II)
· Extra long life street system
· Holding capacity 70% over stock
· Heavy-Duty reinforced pressure plate
· Hi-Leverage™ pressure ring design
· Sprung hub/cushioned disc
· Steel backed Carbon Kevlar friction material




J.

[jph]

i guess this is not the most popular clutch available huh ?


J.

[WRXSTi0487]

I don't have any experience with the Stage 2 but I had the Stage 3 in my 04 STi and I thought it was great. It felt very similar to stock as far as pressure on the leg which was very nice. I had also done a lightweight flywheel with my stage 3 though so mine was a little chattery starting off at low RPM's but if you took them up a little higher it was fine but I think that was mainly due to the lightweight flywheel and segmented face clutch.

I will do another Clutchmasters clutch on my 07 STi though when the time comes.

[jph]

sounds good! thanks for the info.


J.

[Z1 Performance]

not the most popular choices for clutches, but we've done a few Stage 3 ones and it's worked out quite nicely. At a stage 2 level, most peoplke tend to go ACT, just because I think its the more popular brand

[jph]

Originally Posted by Z1 Performance

not the most popular choices for clutches, but we've done a few Stage 3 ones and it's worked out quite nicely. At a stage 2 level, most peoplke tend to go ACT, just because I think its the more popular brand

thanks!

right now i'm still stage2, but "one of these days" i'm going to have this 18G and supporting mods installed.

i need something that van hold slightly more than stage2 power levels. and do that without compromising drivability. and something that i can slip withoput stinking up the car would be nice too

i noticed that Spec makes a stage2 and stage2+ clutch that looks ALOT like the clutchmaster. i emailed them, and they do seem to reply to their emails (unlike clutchmasters, who have been silent for almost a week now)

Spec's stage2 torque capacity is 400 (according to them) and their stage2+ is 480.

since i have no real data on the clutchmasters, i'm thinking about the Spec stage2+ now...

any words of wisdom on that clutch ?




J.

[Z1 Performance]

never used any of the SPEC stuff...we tend to stick with ACT

If the Spec is using a kevlar disk, I'd stay far away from it personally....Ive had first hand experience with kevlar units (Unorthodox) and it was horrendous...could not deal with any significant power/heat at all. But, to be fair, this was a different brand. It just totally turned me off to using anything less than at least organic, cera-metallic, or carbon

[Ver7wannabe]

I think dug-e-fresh from Nasiocwas using a Spec stage 2+ on his swapped bugeye. 45x whp running 11.2s.

[jph]

Originally Posted by Z1 Performance

If the Spec is using a kevlar disk, I'd stay far away from it personally....Ive had first hand experience with kevlar units (Unorthodox) and it was horrendous...could not deal with any significant power/heat at all. But, to be fair, this was a different brand. It just totally turned me off to using anything less than at least organic, cera-metallic, or carbon

interresting.
under what kind of driving conditions was this ?

i'm not planning to do any 1/4 drag runs. neither am i planning to do any hard launches. street driven, usually take it relatively easy in 1st and 2nd gear (well, sometimes i push it in the lower gears, but usually i don't)

Originally Posted by Ver7wannabe

I think dug-e-fresh from Nasiocwas using a Spec stage 2+ on his swapped bugeye. 45x whp running 11.2s.

good info, thanks!


J.

[Z1 Performance]

mine was street use about 90% and some drag use

in fact, after 1 launch, the clutch slipped so bad I could not even make the next run in the following round at e town...I was stuck hosing the tranny tunnel down to try and get rid of the heat!

[jph]

Originally Posted by Z1 Performance

mine was street use about 90% and some drag use

in fact, after 1 launch, the clutch slipped so bad I could not even make the next run in the following round at e town...I was stuck hosing the tranny tunnel down to try and get rid of the heat!

well, you made me go out and look

and i found this piece of information on kevlar clutch disks.
i think that i need to start searching again, and look for a clutch with an organic disk, i don't want to risk ruining it by slipping it too much, 50% of my driving is stop-and-go

A high-durability material more resistant to hard use. Engagement is similar to organic, but may glaze slightly in stop-and-go traffic, resulting in slippage until worn clean when used hard again. Higher temp range in general, but can be ruined from overheating - will not return to original characteristics if "cooked". Has a break-in period of 500-1000 miles during which slippage may occur. Care must be taken during this period not to overheat from excessive slipping.

J.

[Z1 Performance]

oh don't even get me started on stop and go traffic!!!

that same trip to E Town, we got stuck in a gnarly traffic jam coming back over the Whitestone Bridge - they were doing some sort of work on the span itself and there was an accident so it took over an hour just to get to the approach for the tolls. Anyway, the clutch got so glazed it was slipping in first gear just creeping along! Like I said, I learned not to even bother with them after that. The Monday following that event (this was back in 2000 I think), I spoke to our rep at ACT who sent me out the first prototype clutch they had done for the RS at the time, which was using a modified Prelude pressure plate as I recall. Worked like a charm after that!

[mindchatter]

My '04 STi put down 340whp and 374wtq on a DynoJet. I've been running the SPEC Stage 2+ for over 20,000 miles now and LOVE it. Holds the torque fine, feels stock, and hasn't slipped yet. I'd recommend it in an instant. FWIW I'm on an SR40 (comparable to an 18G) w/alc. injection, so we're at comparable power levels......hope this helps.

[jph]

Originally Posted by mindchatter

My '04 STi put down 340whp and 374wtq on a DynoJet. I've been running the SPEC Stage 2+ for over 20,000 miles now and LOVE it. Holds the torque fine, feels stock, and hasn't slipped yet. I'd recommend it in an instant. FWIW I'm on an SR40 (comparable to an 18G) w/alc. injection, so we're at comparable power levels......hope this helps.

that's an interesting turn of events

is there alot of stop&go driving on that clutch ?
the info and feedback regarding kevlar clutch disk scared me a little.

i still have not placed my order on the new clutch, so it's not too late to change my mind

currently the RPS street MAX clutch is on top of my list.





J.

[mindchatter]

Being that the car's my DD it sees a fair amount of stop -n- go. From what I understand the Stage 2+ is an organic/kevlar composite, so it's a bit kinder than a straight kevlar set-up.

I'm not trying to change your mind , just offering some feedback based on my experience and research. Jamie (SubieGal) gave a glowing review of a SPEC product awhile back (on NASIOC) and it's what made me look into a SPEC clutch.

I also think flywheel choice is a fairly large part of the equation. I opted for a new stock flywheel and it's a great match IMHO. I don't drag nor launch the car, so wanted something that wouldn't be painful to drive in traffic but would hold the torque - and it's working great.