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Track Day Clutch

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Old Feb 4, 2012, 08:06 AM
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Track Day Clutch

I'm putting a stop to competitive auto x'ing and changing my focus towards HPDE's and local track days(Road Atlanta is 15min from the house!!). My car dyno'd at 346hp and 331 ft/lbs last year. I went overkill and bought an Exedy Twin HD so I could have fun and launch the car at autox events. Well... Spirited daily driving and 30ish hard launches my clutch is now slipping. I first noticed it slipping about 1-2 months ago and its progressively has become worse. I started reading about rebuilding the Exedy and found people talking about "abused" examples are not worth attempting a rebuild. By my standard I assume my clutch has been "abused" properly, not like a jackass. Question is... Is it worth rebuilding for my next step towards track time? Or should I go with a light weight flywheel and a single disk clutch for my next endeavor of road course racing? I feel the exedy is overkill if I'm not launching it, and I feel I could cut some rotational mass by eliminating the twin in exchange for a single. If that is the route I should take then my next question is. What single disk clutches do all the track warrior guys run, who have similar power levels?

Thanks in advance!

CB
Old Feb 4, 2012, 02:25 PM
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Originally Posted by mouseIX
I'm putting a stop to competitive auto x'ing and changing my focus towards HPDE's and local track days(Road Atlanta is 15min from the house!!). My car dyno'd at 346hp and 331 ft/lbs last year. I went overkill and bought an Exedy Twin HD so I could have fun and launch the car at autox events. Well... Spirited daily driving and 30ish hard launches my clutch is now slipping. I first noticed it slipping about 1-2 months ago and its progressively has become worse. I started reading about rebuilding the Exedy and found people talking about "abused" examples are not worth attempting a rebuild. By my standard I assume my clutch has been "abused" properly, not like a jackass. Question is... Is it worth rebuilding for my next step towards track time? Or should I go with a light weight flywheel and a single disk clutch for my next endeavor of road course racing? I feel the exedy is overkill if I'm not launching it, and I feel I could cut some rotational mass by eliminating the twin in exchange for a single. If that is the route I should take then my next question is. What single disk clutches do all the track warrior guys run, who have similar power levels?

Thanks in advance!

CB

Im in a similar situation. The popular choice of an exedy HD twin disk seems like a bit overkill. With my new setup Ill be at your hp levels, maybe a bit more. Since I wont be launching the car or doing much drag racing I was thinking of just a heavier duty clutch like an fx400. I figure if they are rated for upwards of 400 ft lbs that should be more than enough for me, like I said, no launching the car.

Maybe times have changed or awd requires different demands but I remember back in my mr2 days, all the ITA racers were putting in stock clutches over aftermarket cause they wouldnt throw the balance off with harsh engagements of some of the more aggressive 4 puck clutches. The stock allowed some slip which kept the car balanced, or so was the theory.

I really dont feel at my power levels I need a $2k clutch, even though it seems to be the norm on this forum. Any folks on here that track their evo have any input on this Id love to hear it.
Old Feb 4, 2012, 02:30 PM
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Originally Posted by TommiM
Im in a similar situation. The popular choice of an exedy HD twin disk seems like a bit overkill. With my new setup Ill be at your hp levels, maybe a bit more. Since I wont be launching the car or doing much drag racing I was thinking of just a heavier duty clutch like an fx400. I figure if they are rated for upwards of 400 ft lbs that should be more than enough for me, like I said, no launching the car.

Maybe times have changed or awd requires different demands but I remember back in my mr2 days, all the ITA racers were putting in stock clutches over aftermarket cause they wouldnt throw the balance off with harsh engagements of some of the more aggressive 4 puck clutches. The stock allowed some slip which kept the car balanced, or so was the theory.

I really dont feel at my power levels I need a $2k clutch, even though it seems to be the norm on this forum. Any folks on here that track their evo have any input on this Id love to hear it.
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one in this situation. My car has never seen the drag strip and I don't ever plan on it. And the days of launching at an autox is behind me. I'm ready for the track{thumb up}
Old Feb 4, 2012, 04:19 PM
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Bump for some good info
Old Feb 5, 2012, 02:00 AM
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Old Feb 5, 2012, 02:09 AM
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ah very good info. thanks.
Old Feb 5, 2012, 07:02 AM
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depends on what your future power mods are going to be. if you are going to stay below 400 whp, then stock is perfectly fine if you don't launch. you're not hard on the clutch at the track. you don't launch or power shift, and you heel/toe for smooth clutch engagement.

when i purchased my RS, it had about 340 whp and tracked for one season on stock clutch. i pulled the motor out to do some work and decide to replace the clutch and it looked new. i replaced it with an Exedy OEM replacement and did about 25 track days last year. i plan to up the power to about 360 whp and stay on the same clutch. oh, and i did launch my car 3 times at a drag strip and 2 times at autox on the current clutch.

and you would probably get more feed back in the motorsport sections

Last edited by honda-guy; Feb 5, 2012 at 07:51 AM.
Old Feb 5, 2012, 07:22 AM
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I went with the CM FX200 and ACT Streetlite flywheel. My car is used mainly for track days and autox, but I don't launch it at all. So far I'm happy with it, I'll be doing my first trackday with this set-up in the coming weeks. One thing I can say is it takes some adjustment getting used to the way the motor revs with the flywheel when heel-n-toe downshifting.

You really could go either way, rebuild your twin, or sell it and try something else... Up to you.
Old Feb 5, 2012, 07:53 AM
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Im currently tearing down my engine. Once I get the tc and transmission out I will inspect my 64k mile oem clutch. Here is one I have been considering.
http://www.maperformance.com/exedy-o...-ix-05803.html the HD version is rated at 402 ft lbs of tq. Should be plenty for me at this point.

http://www.maperformance.com/clutchm...o-viii-ix.html here is a clutch masters fx400 puck style. Im not sure why the fx200 is much more than the fx400 on their website? One thing I dont like is CM doesnt put a tq rating on their different clutches, thats why Im leaning towards Exedy.

Would a puck style disc be better for road racing? Sprung vs unsprung?? The sprung styles are easier on the drivetrain but I have heard of the springs popping out and I have been told by some folks that I should go with an unsprung solid disc as there is nothing to pop out and shifts are faster.

The car will be used for road racing and no dd.
Old Feb 5, 2012, 09:13 AM
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Originally Posted by honda-guy
depends on what your future power mods are going to be. if you are going to stay below 400 whp, then stock is perfectly fine if you don't launch. you're not hard on the clutch at the track. you don't launch or power shift, and you heel/toe for smooth clutch engagement.

when i purchased my RS, it had about 340 whp and tracked for one season on stock clutch. i pulled the motor out to do some work and decide to replace the clutch and it looked new. i replaced it with an Exedy OEM replacement and did about 25 track days last year. i plan to up the power to about 360 whp and stay on the same clutch. oh, and i did launch my car 3 times at a drag strip and 2 times at autox on the current clutch.

and you would probably get more feed back in the motorsport sections
No power mods in the near future. Budget is strictly consumables (fluids, tires, and brakes). did you use the OEM flywheel?

I thought about posting in the motorsport section. Should I open a thread there with a link?

I'm leaning more and more towards OEM style clutches. I'm most likely going to hang onto the Exedy and rebuild it for when I get the hunger for more power {thumb up}

Thanks for the input.
Old Feb 5, 2012, 09:16 AM
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Originally Posted by grillpt
I went with the CM FX200 and ACT Streetlite flywheel. My car is used mainly for track days and autox, but I don't launch it at all. So far I'm happy with it, I'll be doing my first trackday with this set-up in the coming weeks. One thing I can say is it takes some adjustment getting used to the way the motor revs with the flywheel when heel-n-toe downshifting.

You really could go either way, rebuild your twin, or sell it and try something else... Up to you.
So you can tell a big difference with the light weight flywheel?

How is the CM FX200 feel?

thanks
Old Feb 5, 2012, 09:53 AM
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i installed Exedy light weight flywheel along with Exedy OEM replacement clutch. definitely go with a light weight flywheel when you do the clutch, rev match is a lot easier.
Old Feb 5, 2012, 10:03 AM
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I'm running ACT HD street disc and Pro-Light flywheel. I wanted something that would go easy on the transmission. It's working fine for me.
Old Feb 5, 2012, 10:45 AM
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My stock clutch has been through 6 or so track days this season and shows no signs of slippage. As mentioned by someone earlier, you don't abuse it much on a road course since you're not launching and you are (or should) be rev matching on downshifts.
Old Feb 5, 2012, 10:57 AM
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i have had my eye on the carbonetic carbon blade clutch. Curt Brown has run it to 600whp (forget the torque numbers) and he said its the best clutch hes ever had in an evo.


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