Competition Clutch Stage 3 + AMS Evo 9 CMC Adapter kit for Evo X Review
Nov 27, 2012, 05:35 PM
#1
Competition Clutch Stage 3 + AMS Evo 9 CMC Adapter kit for Evo X Review
First off I would like to say thank you to Competition Clutch for designing such an awesome clutch to use on the Evo X. Also thank you to AMS for creating an adapter plate that allowed the Evo 9 CMC adjustment to go further down on the grab point for the clutch than the Magnus version of the adapter plate. I got to drive a buddy's car that had the Magnus CMC kit and his engagement point was pretty high up there. If I had to say it was around 40% higher than stock engagement point. Also like to thank Touge Factory for installation and hooking up with the Comp Clutch direct from Comp Clutch.
Off to the Review
Specs:
Competition Stage 3 Segmented Ceramic Clutch
Part Number: 5153-0600
Est. Torque Rating: 525 ft/lbs to the wheels
Car Mileage:
36000 miles on the stock clutch before changing over to the Competition Clutch Stage 3.
Mileage on the Comp Clutch for this review: 1000 miles so far
Drivablility (Ease of driving):
On the very first day of driving, to be honest I stalled the car the very get go of turning on the car and getting it into gear. I was overwhelmed at how grabby the clutch is compared to the stock clutch. Like all new clutches that have a higher rated torque load, you'll need to get use to the quicker grab during slipping. Also because I was expecting the clutch to grab higher because of my friend's Evo X that has the Magnus conversion on his car, I didn't give enough gas at the right point of grabbing which is why I stalled the car initially. Upon restarting the car, I start from step 1 of "learn how to drive a manual" and without giving gas I just slowly release the clutch to see where it starts grabbing.
Little by little, I found the sweet spot. If you were to give it a percentage of starting point from where the stock clutch starts to grab, that will be the 0% mark. As for where the clutch tops out which is fully released that will be the 100% mark. For the AMS CMC kit with the Evo 9 CMC, the clutch started to grab 20% higher from where the stock clutch normally starts grabbing. That isn't bad compared to my friend's Magnus CMC kit fully adjusted as low as possible. I asked my mechanic about how this AMS kit compared to the Magnus kit and he said instantly that for some reason the AMS CMC kit allowed the CMC to adjust much lower than the Magnus CMC version of the kit. This 20% increase in grab point is a bonus for me as it made it easier for me to relearn the car's sweet spot.
The clutch pressure is not much heavier than stock. Stock clutch pedal is already pretty light. The clutch pedal feels about 15-20% heavier than stock. It's very easy to modulate and your leg won't get tired from driving through traffic. Believe me I have to drive through 1 hour of 25 miles of traffic one way from work to home daily.
5 weeks in since the install, the clutch is very smooth to engage. No jerking motion when slipping into gear. Very grabby, great for popping gears without having the slingshot feel of the OEM clutch.
Performance:
Pretty self explanatory here. With all upgraded clutch with higher torque rating and holding ability, the car's power is more direct to the wheels. Also because the clutch assembly (not including the flywheel) is lighter than the OEM clutch assembly, at highway speeds and gears over 3rd gear feel real crisp when engaging the shifts. I have the stock flywheel on, not a lighten flywheel because I want to retain the drivablity. I can still get the car in gear from the stop light with revs under 2k rpm. The car is only pushing around 320hp and 340tq, I haven't even unlock the potential of the stage 3 clutch yet. In the future I plan to upgrade the stock turbo to a GTX turbo for a estimated 400-450hp on 93 Oct.
I've done only 2 launches so far, still practicing since I never really launched much on the stock CMC and OEM clutch. Of the 2 launches I done, the car felt very solid and the clutch pedal and clutch is very responsive to the shifts. Since I have my stock rims back on with the stock 245/40 tires, I was able to spin all 4 tires just for a split second on one of those launches. I would like to see when summer comes when I have my new wheels with 275 wide tires on, to see if I can spin those LOL. All and all, I am really liking the setup and can't wait to drive more next season. Maybe put the car in some auto-x's now that I don't have to worry about the clutch going out anytime soon.
Recommendations and Verdict:
Those that are seeking a clutch that can hold a great amount of power and still be streetable. Those that like smooth engagement vs jerkiness of a 4 or 6 puck clutch. The clutch isn't smelly like other clutches, there's almost a slight fruity scent to the clutch when it's slipped for some reason. For the price you pay for this clutch, it's cheaper than Exedy and right on par with ACT just a bit cheaper. It has the holding capability of a ACT HD with the ease and smoothness of a Exedy clutch in one package.
Off to the Review
Specs:
Competition Stage 3 Segmented Ceramic Clutch
Part Number: 5153-0600
Est. Torque Rating: 525 ft/lbs to the wheels
Car Mileage:
36000 miles on the stock clutch before changing over to the Competition Clutch Stage 3.
Mileage on the Comp Clutch for this review: 1000 miles so far
Drivablility (Ease of driving):
On the very first day of driving, to be honest I stalled the car the very get go of turning on the car and getting it into gear. I was overwhelmed at how grabby the clutch is compared to the stock clutch. Like all new clutches that have a higher rated torque load, you'll need to get use to the quicker grab during slipping. Also because I was expecting the clutch to grab higher because of my friend's Evo X that has the Magnus conversion on his car, I didn't give enough gas at the right point of grabbing which is why I stalled the car initially. Upon restarting the car, I start from step 1 of "learn how to drive a manual" and without giving gas I just slowly release the clutch to see where it starts grabbing.
Little by little, I found the sweet spot. If you were to give it a percentage of starting point from where the stock clutch starts to grab, that will be the 0% mark. As for where the clutch tops out which is fully released that will be the 100% mark. For the AMS CMC kit with the Evo 9 CMC, the clutch started to grab 20% higher from where the stock clutch normally starts grabbing. That isn't bad compared to my friend's Magnus CMC kit fully adjusted as low as possible. I asked my mechanic about how this AMS kit compared to the Magnus kit and he said instantly that for some reason the AMS CMC kit allowed the CMC to adjust much lower than the Magnus CMC version of the kit. This 20% increase in grab point is a bonus for me as it made it easier for me to relearn the car's sweet spot.
The clutch pressure is not much heavier than stock. Stock clutch pedal is already pretty light. The clutch pedal feels about 15-20% heavier than stock. It's very easy to modulate and your leg won't get tired from driving through traffic. Believe me I have to drive through 1 hour of 25 miles of traffic one way from work to home daily.
5 weeks in since the install, the clutch is very smooth to engage. No jerking motion when slipping into gear. Very grabby, great for popping gears without having the slingshot feel of the OEM clutch.
Performance:
Pretty self explanatory here. With all upgraded clutch with higher torque rating and holding ability, the car's power is more direct to the wheels. Also because the clutch assembly (not including the flywheel) is lighter than the OEM clutch assembly, at highway speeds and gears over 3rd gear feel real crisp when engaging the shifts. I have the stock flywheel on, not a lighten flywheel because I want to retain the drivablity. I can still get the car in gear from the stop light with revs under 2k rpm. The car is only pushing around 320hp and 340tq, I haven't even unlock the potential of the stage 3 clutch yet. In the future I plan to upgrade the stock turbo to a GTX turbo for a estimated 400-450hp on 93 Oct.
I've done only 2 launches so far, still practicing since I never really launched much on the stock CMC and OEM clutch. Of the 2 launches I done, the car felt very solid and the clutch pedal and clutch is very responsive to the shifts. Since I have my stock rims back on with the stock 245/40 tires, I was able to spin all 4 tires just for a split second on one of those launches. I would like to see when summer comes when I have my new wheels with 275 wide tires on, to see if I can spin those LOL. All and all, I am really liking the setup and can't wait to drive more next season. Maybe put the car in some auto-x's now that I don't have to worry about the clutch going out anytime soon.
Recommendations and Verdict:
Those that are seeking a clutch that can hold a great amount of power and still be streetable. Those that like smooth engagement vs jerkiness of a 4 or 6 puck clutch. The clutch isn't smelly like other clutches, there's almost a slight fruity scent to the clutch when it's slipped for some reason. For the price you pay for this clutch, it's cheaper than Exedy and right on par with ACT just a bit cheaper. It has the holding capability of a ACT HD with the ease and smoothness of a Exedy clutch in one package.
Last edited by raytrix; Nov 29, 2012 at 07:38 AM.
Dec 1, 2012, 11:16 AM
#7
Isn't crank walk a common issue on DSM? I never heard of this issue in the Evo X community yet or talked about much. I don't hear any weird noise or vibration throughout the tranny. Then again I don't have a ton of miles on the clutch yet. Will update this review as more miles is put onto the clutch.
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Dec 2, 2012, 08:00 PM
#9
Isn't crank walk a common issue on DSM? I never heard of this issue in the Evo X community yet or talked about much. I don't hear any weird noise or vibration throughout the tranny. Then again I don't have a ton of miles on the clutch yet. Will update this review as more miles is put onto the clutch.
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