We just got the first production Clutch Masters stage IV clutch kit, rated at 600 hp.
Seeing how the X loves basic bolt ons, with some tuners gaining close to 100hp, the clutch will be one of the first mods necessary to put the power to the ground.
This clutch is going in our shop X next week, as soon as Clutch Masters gets us their flywheel. We will post up pictures of the complete tear down, comparison pictures, and a full review on their clutch setup. Here are some pics:






for more information or inquiries on pricing and other clutch stages available, please drop us an email.

Shahin

 

thats great to see clutches already popping up for the X...can't wait for the update...

 

The only thing Ill be interested in is a clutch that has that exact same pedal feel as the stock one does. Please let me know if you get one that is like that, and can reliably hold power without making a ton of noise.

 

I have an act heavy duty pressure plate/ heavy duty street disc in my sti that's rated to hold 500+lb ft of torque. Pedal feel is heavier than stock, but feels great. The engagement point is adjustable on all clutches via the rod that adjust pedal travel, so don't worry about that with the evo, but be aware that many companies may advertise an increase in power holding capacity w/out a heavier pedal because of leverage points and yada yada, but it's really a load of crap. With a higher clamp load there will always be a proportional increase in pedal effort. You won't find a stronger clutch with a higher clamp load that feels like a mushy stock pedal, they don't exist. ACT has a great article about this on their website. BTW, clutches hold torque, not horsepower; ACT also has a long article about this on their website, but anyway I'm glad to see companies making clutches for the car already. I hope that there ends up being a lot of different options out there to choose from. I'm partial to ACT myself, mainly because I've had great success with mine and I drive my car hard. 0 problems with speedshifting and hard launches. But, I'm sure that clutchmasters makes a good clutch too. I'll be curious to see the results...

 

Actually by changing leverage you can have an increase in clamp load without an increase in pedal effort so give CM some credit. But keep in mind that there are tradeoffs to each design. There is no free lunch. Let me try and explain the design concepts below. To keep it simple, I am only speaking about clamp load, not coefficient of friction or other variables that also apply to clutch design.

1. By only changing the leverage you are basically changing the diameter of the fulcrum point that the diaphragm pushes against and not changing the spring. You achieve more clamp load over a shorter distance. A couple tradeoffs are less pressure plate lift (disengagement) and reduced working range (clutch life) so the increase is usually limited due the change in geometry that the clutch operating system was not designed for.

2. By using a stronger spring, the tradeoffs are more load on the system and a stiffer pedal, because what you feel at the pedal is the spring. Our diaphragm springs provide a broader working range so you actually have more load over a wider working range. This method is also limited depending on what loads the operating system can take.

3. ACT often combines the two methods (as we do for the EVO) to get a much more significant increase with less tradeoffs. For instance, since the stronger spring has a broader working range, it works well with a change in leverage (that reduces working range). Also by using both methods the gains are multiplied, not added. Sure it is a lot more work than just a simple change in geometry, but we still keep our prices competitive due to the volume of clutches we manufacture.

There is a lot of engineering and quite frankly trade secrets that go into designing and manufacturing diaphragm springs so it is no easy task. I can't speak for CM, but I have seen manufacturer's misleading propaganda that talks about their diaphragm springs and how they use a special heat treating process, etc but in almost every case, they are using a bone-stock spring and just talking about the OE manufacturer's process and not their own. It's pretty simple: if it looks like stock and you don't feel an increase at the pedal then the diaphragm spring is most likely stock.

 

Hmm, thanks for clearing that up, although I remember reading this article that I've been talking about, on YOUR website that was talking about how there will always be a proportional increase in pedal effort with an increase in clamp load, and that it's the inevitable tradeoff with a performance clutch. The article also said that companies advertise claims of increased power holding with stock pedal effort, and that it was basically a bunch of bs, that it's simply them altering the leverage point and nothing else which has only a slight increase in clamp load, or something to that effect. Ironically, this article is no longer on the website for me to use in this discussion, as I just checked today and couldn't find it anymore. The article was on the old website, and you guys clearly have a new one. Anyway, in your response you kind of touched on the leverage increase only having small benefits when that's the only change made, which corresponds to the article that I speak of, and you also mention that upgraded spring is an important part of the clamp load increase which results in, ding ding ding, heavier pedal. I'm not really sure why I was corrected in my earlier statement, as I feel as though we're basically saying the same thing, but whatever. I have always wondered though, what do you guys think of excedy, and why do they have all these twin plate and tripple plate carbon this and that setups, and you guys only have single disc setups? I mean no disrespect by any of this, as I own one of your clutch kits for my STi and love it, (big fan, btw, even though it's probably not coming out well right now) but I have always wondered this. Thanks.

 

I appreciate your posts and the support for our products. Yes, we finally updated our website so the text you are referring to is no longer available. A new look and features was way over do. I plan on starting a tech blog on our site later.
The reason for the post was just to clarify a couple points that I think you overlooked. The same basic information above was presented on the site, but in a different way. Maybe it wasn't clear, I don't remember to be honest. If you like I can retreive the former text and discuss it with you thru email. I didn't mean any disrespect. I tend to get carried away when it comes to tech discussions.

You ask what I think about Exedy. It wouldn't be appropriate to get into my opinions and surely it would be bias no matter how hard I try.

We designed and tested a new twin disc carbon/carbon design over a year ago with great results, but we have had trouble getting a good material supplier to meet our standards. After the great results with the carbon/carbon, it didn't excite me to release a twin cerametallic and have similar tradeoffs as the competitors so we have held off on releasing a twin. We are always testing new things. Thanks again for your input and the positive comments about ACT.

 

Thanks for responding with such courtesy. I know that I can be a bit abrasive sometimes, it's just in my nature to stick to my guns, be it a good quality or bad... depends on the situation, I guess. As I mentioned before, I LOVE the clutch kit for my sti. I have the heavy duty pressure plate and performance street disc, and it'a held up great to hard launches and speed shifting. In all honesty, I actually like the fact that the pedal is a little heavier than stock. It gives the clutch a nice, solid feel and gives me confidence when modifying the car. I know that the added power will be put to the ground. I am picking up my evo x in about a week, and this will be my first mitsubishi. What do you think of the tranny in the evo vs the sti? I know that the longitudinal mounting of the engine and having the tranny be mounted directly in line with the motor makes it a little more robust than the evo's transverse mounted setup, but the evo's trany is still pretty beefy right? The new 5 speed in the evo x is supposed to be even stronger than the 9, and since you guys are designing a clutch for the car, you have seen the new tranny in much greater detail than I have. What do you think of it, and what kind of punishment will it stand up to? Also, what types of clutch setups are you going to offer for the car? Thanks.

 

Honestly I know very little about the transmission. We are offering the same types of clutches as we do for the 8 and 9. Here is a link to the press release posted earlier on EVOM:
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=320038

 

Obviously you know WAY more then I do about how clutches work, BUT I did notice after that whole controversy brought up my warrtalon 2 years ago that single disc clutch kits in the 8's and 9's did not shift as well at high rpms as consistently as twin plates. I did follow just about everything you had posted at the time and YES adjusting the clutch pedal did solve the problem.

BUT the twin SD for example still IMO has the ACT clutch kit beat. It has almost stock pedal pressure, shifts great at high rpm and will hold just as much power as an MB7-HDSS. The HD exedy will hold as much as the MB7-XTSS. Now of course again the exedy SD clutch is double the price of the mb7 after you add an flywheel to the ACT kit and the same situation with the HD vs the XT kit+flywheel.

I dont knock ACT at all though, I hope you dont take it like that. I sell a ton of your kits and I think they're an affordable solution that satisfy MOST evo owners' needs. I mean most evo owners are making <350whp and shift <7k so its really a non issue.


IDK I just wish you guys did make twin disc clutches. I like your disc material on your full face discs but I cant use them in the twin disc.

-Steve

 

I posted this in both sections, so as to better spread the info across the community. Here it is:
I'm confused. At the top of the page in the link that you listed the announcement says that the street disc setup with the hd pressure plate will hold 512 lb ft of torque, but yet the part number list that shows the torque capacity, as well as the announcement on your internet site, it says 420lb ft of torque. That's a huge difference. What's the deal?

 

I've corrected the information listed in our X clutch kit release. It is in fact 512 ft. lbs of torque for the ME1-HDSS.

 

This thread was started to show the Clutch Masters kit that is available and going into our car. Should you have any questions, remarks, or complaints about ACT and their products, please contact them directly or start a new thread. No bash on ACT, as we have many cars that run their clutches.

thanks