REVIEW: OS Giken TS2B Twin Plate Clutch (Lots of PICS!)
Dec 14, 2009, 05:58 AM
#1
REVIEW: OS Giken TS2B Twin Plate Clutch (Lots of PICS!)
OS Giken, another clutch option to consider for us evo guys.
Previous Clutches:
Stock Clutch:
47,427miles with 30+ launches and still plenty of meat on the stock disk when removed.
Quartermaster Twin:
20,447miles with 40+ launches when removed.
Introduction:
First off I'd like to say that if you've been in the import car scene and kept at least one ear open to the who's who, you've probably heard of OS Giken and their reputation for building some bad *** parts. They are definitely not new kids on the block, and if you look hard enough you'll find that a lot of high horsepower GT-Rs and Supras overseas and stateside use OS parts, and in particular, their clutches.
So, this is where I got to thinking... If these guys are running around with 600+ whp cars and not having any complaints, why would I with half the power? And more importantly, why haven't more evo guys given OS Giken a shot?
After an hour or so of finding nothing online from evo owners with these clutches, I gave Sean at OS Giken a call. We spoke for a good while on everything about OS Giken and their products; and everything I heard was a 10 out of 10 in my book. Sean's philosophy on what an aftermarket clutch should be, and how it should perform was exactly what I was looking for... Light pedal pressure, push type movement with a solid conversion method, relatively lightweight assembly, good friction material, outstanding build quality, and a great estimated life expectancy.
After some more discussion and added details about what the car will be used for and so on, we concluded that the TS2B assembly would fit the bill, being that I will never be seeing more than 550whp. This assembly is right in the middle as far as capacity, and is the first step into their "Racing" category of clutches for the evo. The next step up would be the R2CD, which would be for cars making 550+whp. Much more than I need.
So, after the hard part was over with I told Sean to get me the number for his best dealer on the east coast, and that man was without a doubt Marco over at Billet Design in Pompano Beach. Marco was super helpful and also deals with Sean on a regular basis so he's always up to date on product stock at OS in case he doesn't have what you're looking for on hand. He is the guy to talk to if you're interested in ordering one of these things and is more than willing to answer any questions you might have as well.
Great customer service seems to go full circle with these guys; it starts at the manufacturer and continues with the dealer, which is becoming harder and harder to find with aftermarket companies these days, and is a definite plus worth pointing out.
After placing the order with Marco, all that was left was to wait...
First Impressions:
About a week later, I come home to find a big brown box sitting next to my front door. Even before I got to really opening the boxes up, I was extremely impressed with how well everything was packaged. This may not seem like much to most, but to me it shows a company that is obsessed with attention to detail, something I definitely appreciate. My Quartermaster was basically shipped in a shoe box.
When I finally got through all of the packing popcorn and expanding foam hiding the goods, I was very pleased to see that first off, the movement alteration kit, was a very well thought out piece, extremely solid build. As a side note, the movement alteration kit used is sold separately on the "Racing" clutches, but is included with the STR, or "Street" kits. The reason for this is because so many of OS' customers do custom builds; mating different engines to different transmissions, and simply don't use the stock replacement slave cylinder setup.
Moving on to the clutch itself, the TS2B consists of a pressed steel cover and twin solid hub disks. A unique feature of OS Giken, is the 'cage' looking piece that the pressure plate bolts to. They use this instead of your regular multi-post setup, simply put, to reduce flex in the assembly once bolted together. Less flex in the assembly means a more linear engagement and reduces the chance of premature wear. If you'd like a more detailed explanation feel free to give Sean a buzz. Think of this as the cliff-notes. The pieces themselves, the flywheel, intermediate, and top plate look almost ceramic with the way they are finished. They are absolutely flawless, and as I stated earlier about attention to detail... It's everywhere.
Installation:
Pretty straight forward; same as with any other multi plate clutch you put in the car. Just remember with twin disks you need to be extra careful when re-installing the transmission not to put any kind of pressure on the hubs of the disks or let the input shaft run into them when trying to line everything up. Despite what you may think, clutch disks are actually pretty delicate (again, this goes for all multi plates) and warping them by improper install is the quickest and easiest way to cause premature wear and engagement issues.
There is one thing I do need to mention about the movement alteration kit though. The kit includes a new throw out bearing, new clutch fork, connecting pieces, and a new slave cylinder. The slave that is included reuses the STOCK HARDWARE, meaning the stock bleed valve and stock hard line. To get the stock hard line to work though, you are going to have to do some careful bending and test fitting. To make life easier for yourself, as Marco suggested to me, go to your local shop that makes stainless steel lines and get one made. It will fit better than the stock line, look cleaner, and just give you a little more piece of mind.
If you don't have access to a place like this in your area, let me know and I can see about getting some of these made from our local place. Or I can see if Marco can get something worked out to include them as an option when ordering.
Noise and Pedal Feel:
In first starting the car up I was surprised to not really hear any noise. There is a little metallic whirling sound when the clutch is depressed but just idling without it engaged it is pretty darn quiet. To be honest, I don't remember my stock clutch being much quieter. My quartermaster was a bit louder obviously, but I didn't think it obnoxious as others describe it, but maybe that's just me.
Because OS uses a much lower coefficient of friction than QM, I was very happy to not hear the what sounded like bird killings going on under the hood that I'd grown used to. Instead, it was replaced with silence. This silence also continued while driving the car, though there is a little decel noise compared to some clutches that have a sprung hub and are almost completely silent like an exedy SD/HD.
Pedal pressure is light, almost if not a touch lighter than stock. Probably the closest to this would be an Exedy SD as far as pedal pressure. The OS feels a bit lighter than the QM, with a little less direct pedal feel and feedback. But then again it's hard to get much more direct than with a HRB. That being said, the OS still feels miles better than any pull type I've felt for the evo and I definitely don't have any complaints.
Driving Impressions (Break-In):
Break-in is basically an, 'at your own discretion' type of thing. Sean said that the clutches are clearanced pretty well from the factory and should be good to go out of the box, but it wouldn't hurt to drive a few miles before taking it down the strip, etc. These words were basically echoed by Marco who said that they usually never break the clutches in but it wouldn't hurt. I had decided before I put it in the car that I would at least put 250 miles or so on it before launching the car, this would also give me ample time to get used to the engagement point and so on.
Slipping the clutch off the line is extremely easy and the clutch is much more civil than I was initially expecting. It is comparable to an Exedy HD as far as initial slip, with a little shorter of a slip window, if that makes sense. It feels like a dream to drive in traffic coming from the QM and would be an easy transition for someone to make coming from any clutch. It almost doesn't even feel like a solid hub the way it behaves.
I've gotten about 430 or so miles on the car in the past week and a half, but unfortunately because of the weather here lately have still not been able to launch it. It's been raining constantly and the car spins through first rolling into it so it would be pointless to try and go from a dead stop off of the two-step. As soon as the weather clears up and we get some dry roads I'll be sure to update this with the results, but until then, that area is going to remain TBA. Our local track is also closed for the winter so to get actual '60ft times I'm going to need a bit longer. We're going to make a trip up to the 1/4 hopefully soon so I'll let everyone know how that goes as well.
I can tell you though that free-revving is quick and responsive, much quicker than with the stock assembly, and not noticeably slower than the QM. The whole assembly weighed in at 27.5lbs so it is still relatively light compared to Exedy. High RPM shifting is very smooth and feels very similar to the QM, which I was also very pleased with. As this was the one area I did not want to lose performance in.
Conclusion:
Overall, so far, this clutch has been exactly what I was hoping for. It is the perfect combination of streetability and performance and I can't wait to get a chance to launch the car because I'm sure it will not disappoint.
If you have any questions as far as pricing or availability, give Marco at Billet a call:
Marco
Billet Design
974-975-3557
If you have any other questions regarding technical information and that sort, Sean is the guy to speak to:
Sean
OS Giken
310-243-1349
BIG THANKS again to Sean and especially Marco for all of your help through this whole thing and I hope you'll be hearing from more guys on EVOM looking to give OSG a try!
Also, I can't thank Andre and Kiley enough for giving me more than a hand on the install, I could not have gotten it done without you guys. Thanks to Travis too for the late night tool deliveries!
Now with the pictures:
Previous Clutches:
Stock Clutch:
47,427miles with 30+ launches and still plenty of meat on the stock disk when removed.
Quartermaster Twin:
20,447miles with 40+ launches when removed.
Introduction:
First off I'd like to say that if you've been in the import car scene and kept at least one ear open to the who's who, you've probably heard of OS Giken and their reputation for building some bad *** parts. They are definitely not new kids on the block, and if you look hard enough you'll find that a lot of high horsepower GT-Rs and Supras overseas and stateside use OS parts, and in particular, their clutches.
So, this is where I got to thinking... If these guys are running around with 600+ whp cars and not having any complaints, why would I with half the power? And more importantly, why haven't more evo guys given OS Giken a shot?
After an hour or so of finding nothing online from evo owners with these clutches, I gave Sean at OS Giken a call. We spoke for a good while on everything about OS Giken and their products; and everything I heard was a 10 out of 10 in my book. Sean's philosophy on what an aftermarket clutch should be, and how it should perform was exactly what I was looking for... Light pedal pressure, push type movement with a solid conversion method, relatively lightweight assembly, good friction material, outstanding build quality, and a great estimated life expectancy.
After some more discussion and added details about what the car will be used for and so on, we concluded that the TS2B assembly would fit the bill, being that I will never be seeing more than 550whp. This assembly is right in the middle as far as capacity, and is the first step into their "Racing" category of clutches for the evo. The next step up would be the R2CD, which would be for cars making 550+whp. Much more than I need.
So, after the hard part was over with I told Sean to get me the number for his best dealer on the east coast, and that man was without a doubt Marco over at Billet Design in Pompano Beach. Marco was super helpful and also deals with Sean on a regular basis so he's always up to date on product stock at OS in case he doesn't have what you're looking for on hand. He is the guy to talk to if you're interested in ordering one of these things and is more than willing to answer any questions you might have as well.
Great customer service seems to go full circle with these guys; it starts at the manufacturer and continues with the dealer, which is becoming harder and harder to find with aftermarket companies these days, and is a definite plus worth pointing out.
After placing the order with Marco, all that was left was to wait...
First Impressions:
About a week later, I come home to find a big brown box sitting next to my front door. Even before I got to really opening the boxes up, I was extremely impressed with how well everything was packaged. This may not seem like much to most, but to me it shows a company that is obsessed with attention to detail, something I definitely appreciate. My Quartermaster was basically shipped in a shoe box.
When I finally got through all of the packing popcorn and expanding foam hiding the goods, I was very pleased to see that first off, the movement alteration kit, was a very well thought out piece, extremely solid build. As a side note, the movement alteration kit used is sold separately on the "Racing" clutches, but is included with the STR, or "Street" kits. The reason for this is because so many of OS' customers do custom builds; mating different engines to different transmissions, and simply don't use the stock replacement slave cylinder setup.
Moving on to the clutch itself, the TS2B consists of a pressed steel cover and twin solid hub disks. A unique feature of OS Giken, is the 'cage' looking piece that the pressure plate bolts to. They use this instead of your regular multi-post setup, simply put, to reduce flex in the assembly once bolted together. Less flex in the assembly means a more linear engagement and reduces the chance of premature wear. If you'd like a more detailed explanation feel free to give Sean a buzz. Think of this as the cliff-notes. The pieces themselves, the flywheel, intermediate, and top plate look almost ceramic with the way they are finished. They are absolutely flawless, and as I stated earlier about attention to detail... It's everywhere.
Installation:
Pretty straight forward; same as with any other multi plate clutch you put in the car. Just remember with twin disks you need to be extra careful when re-installing the transmission not to put any kind of pressure on the hubs of the disks or let the input shaft run into them when trying to line everything up. Despite what you may think, clutch disks are actually pretty delicate (again, this goes for all multi plates) and warping them by improper install is the quickest and easiest way to cause premature wear and engagement issues.
There is one thing I do need to mention about the movement alteration kit though. The kit includes a new throw out bearing, new clutch fork, connecting pieces, and a new slave cylinder. The slave that is included reuses the STOCK HARDWARE, meaning the stock bleed valve and stock hard line. To get the stock hard line to work though, you are going to have to do some careful bending and test fitting. To make life easier for yourself, as Marco suggested to me, go to your local shop that makes stainless steel lines and get one made. It will fit better than the stock line, look cleaner, and just give you a little more piece of mind.
If you don't have access to a place like this in your area, let me know and I can see about getting some of these made from our local place. Or I can see if Marco can get something worked out to include them as an option when ordering.
Noise and Pedal Feel:
In first starting the car up I was surprised to not really hear any noise. There is a little metallic whirling sound when the clutch is depressed but just idling without it engaged it is pretty darn quiet. To be honest, I don't remember my stock clutch being much quieter. My quartermaster was a bit louder obviously, but I didn't think it obnoxious as others describe it, but maybe that's just me.
Because OS uses a much lower coefficient of friction than QM, I was very happy to not hear the what sounded like bird killings going on under the hood that I'd grown used to. Instead, it was replaced with silence. This silence also continued while driving the car, though there is a little decel noise compared to some clutches that have a sprung hub and are almost completely silent like an exedy SD/HD.
Pedal pressure is light, almost if not a touch lighter than stock. Probably the closest to this would be an Exedy SD as far as pedal pressure. The OS feels a bit lighter than the QM, with a little less direct pedal feel and feedback. But then again it's hard to get much more direct than with a HRB. That being said, the OS still feels miles better than any pull type I've felt for the evo and I definitely don't have any complaints.
Driving Impressions (Break-In):
Break-in is basically an, 'at your own discretion' type of thing. Sean said that the clutches are clearanced pretty well from the factory and should be good to go out of the box, but it wouldn't hurt to drive a few miles before taking it down the strip, etc. These words were basically echoed by Marco who said that they usually never break the clutches in but it wouldn't hurt. I had decided before I put it in the car that I would at least put 250 miles or so on it before launching the car, this would also give me ample time to get used to the engagement point and so on.
Slipping the clutch off the line is extremely easy and the clutch is much more civil than I was initially expecting. It is comparable to an Exedy HD as far as initial slip, with a little shorter of a slip window, if that makes sense. It feels like a dream to drive in traffic coming from the QM and would be an easy transition for someone to make coming from any clutch. It almost doesn't even feel like a solid hub the way it behaves.
I've gotten about 430 or so miles on the car in the past week and a half, but unfortunately because of the weather here lately have still not been able to launch it. It's been raining constantly and the car spins through first rolling into it so it would be pointless to try and go from a dead stop off of the two-step. As soon as the weather clears up and we get some dry roads I'll be sure to update this with the results, but until then, that area is going to remain TBA. Our local track is also closed for the winter so to get actual '60ft times I'm going to need a bit longer. We're going to make a trip up to the 1/4 hopefully soon so I'll let everyone know how that goes as well.
I can tell you though that free-revving is quick and responsive, much quicker than with the stock assembly, and not noticeably slower than the QM. The whole assembly weighed in at 27.5lbs so it is still relatively light compared to Exedy. High RPM shifting is very smooth and feels very similar to the QM, which I was also very pleased with. As this was the one area I did not want to lose performance in.
Conclusion:
Overall, so far, this clutch has been exactly what I was hoping for. It is the perfect combination of streetability and performance and I can't wait to get a chance to launch the car because I'm sure it will not disappoint.
If you have any questions as far as pricing or availability, give Marco at Billet a call:
Marco
Billet Design
974-975-3557
If you have any other questions regarding technical information and that sort, Sean is the guy to speak to:
Sean
OS Giken
310-243-1349
BIG THANKS again to Sean and especially Marco for all of your help through this whole thing and I hope you'll be hearing from more guys on EVOM looking to give OSG a try!
Also, I can't thank Andre and Kiley enough for giving me more than a hand on the install, I could not have gotten it done without you guys. Thanks to Travis too for the late night tool deliveries!
Now with the pictures:
Last edited by Little China; Nov 12, 2010 at 09:48 AM.
The following users liked this post:
kiley_sean (Jan 24, 2022)
Trending Topics
Dec 14, 2009, 02:53 PM
#8
Pricing is right at 2K total, but for an exact number you need to give Marco a call. It's not the cheapest thing on the market but you're getting exactly what you pay for and then some. Plus like I said earlier, a good company with great customer service to back it up is worth its weight in gold.
Rebuilds shouldn't cost any more than any other twin plate set-up, I would imagine a couple hundred dollars for new disks and plates but to be honest I haven't looked too deeply into it. I can get a quote if you guys are interested, just give me a day or so.
Weight of the assembly is 27.5lbs as Andre posted above.
Rebuilds shouldn't cost any more than any other twin plate set-up, I would imagine a couple hundred dollars for new disks and plates but to be honest I haven't looked too deeply into it. I can get a quote if you guys are interested, just give me a day or so.
Weight of the assembly is 27.5lbs as Andre posted above.
Last edited by Little China; Dec 14, 2009 at 03:01 PM.
money well spent.
Dec 14, 2009, 06:48 PM
#10
Also, the engagement blew me away. I was expecting an "on/off" switch like your quater master, since it was unsprung and small diameter, but it was very similar to my SD (which is not too grabby but not too vague, either).
Now, these were all impressions I got from moving LC's car about the driveway in 1st gear...which makes or breaks a clutch for me since I actually DD my Evo in traffic. Maybe some of you guys can daily-drive with a grabby QM or some crazy ACT single disc with a 1 millionLB pressure plate, but it's not for me.
The STR model clutch they make is what I have my eye on.
Dec 15, 2009, 12:05 PM
#14
I'm in the market for a twin disc, but my Evo is my daily driver (only car as a matter of fact). So, drivability and low noise is very important.
I just can't see how smooth of an engagement there can be with the unsprung discs. But, if both of you are saying that, I guess I will have to take your word for it.
Also, I don't think I saw it posted (read a couple days ago)...what is the torque rating of this clutch?
