Help on deciding on a new clutch.

[quickaudi07]

Hey guys,

I have 60K miles on my car, I have noticed my clutch started to grab really high, and I also noticed a little slip.

I know my clutch is about to go any time soon, I don't drive my car hard and I do a lot of city driving,,

What would you recommend as far as clutch kit? I'm not looking in to big performance but something maybe better than stock.

Would I need a new fly wheel? or should it get re cut with new clutch kit?

I'm not going to put any more performance parts in my car, it has APR stage 1 right now, and its enough for me... I drive with my little baby so no need for speeding, but its always nice to have the extra power when you need it....

Thanks in Advance...

[DRAKLORE]

I know right now Vast isn't doing so hot with their customer feedback on these forums, but despite that they put out a hell of a clutch for prices competitive and lower than getting OE replacements. If your just looking for a basic clutch with the mods you have you could go with their stage 1, or stage 2 if you may go with a hpfp file down the road though the stage 1 is rated for that power anyways.

If your worried about customer service, you can simply just use their website to order

This is a very popular clutch setup for this platform, some of us resurface the stock flywheel some of us get the vast FW.
vast-b7-a4-stage-1-clutch-kit

[DRAKLORE]

Jimrobbingtons-Vast-stage-3-clutch-first-impressions

^JRs review of his stage 3, I have the stage 3 as well and love it.
You can click the link in my sig to read my build thread if you want my first impressions.
Also feel free to PM me or contact andy@vastperformance.com

[quickaudi07]

Thank you with the great info,
I did use the search bar to look in to clutch's and what people post, but everyone has a different opinion on clutch's.

But there is way to many of them....

[jimrobbington]

Yes, I do love my Vast clutch. They are going to be your cheapest/best aftermarket option, IMHO. An OEM clutch will run hundreds more, and doing my research, all aftermarket brands came out more expensive than VAST. You can do what I did, and just have your OEM flywheel resurfaced for ~$75. There aren't too many people who resurface dual mass flywheels, so you may have to send it out and have your car down for an extra day. I am very happy with the performance from this clutch, and I am sure the stage 1 would still be a better performer than stock.

[quickaudi07]

thanks for the heads up,

I called Vast, and the guy was very nice on the phone, he suggested with the preformance parts that i have on the car, and since its more of a city car, he suggested to go with stage 2. He said I will love the feel of the new clutch.

I have called few places for a clutch replacement, and they were outrages, from 1800$ to 1200$, than i got 1000$, and lowest i got was 600$

So i'm looking at 1000$ worth of work and new clutch.

[BLopes07]

My clutch started slipping pretty damn bad a few months ago. So I found a killer deal with a spec stage 2 and lwfw and honestly couldn't be happier. Few people have negative feedback on the spec and lwfw but if installed properly you won't hate a thing about it. Barely no grind at all and a great strong performance clutch :)

[quickaudi07]

Not to sound to crazy, but I don't have any grindings on my car at all, while switching gears they go in perfectly... I think you should think of changing the transmission fluid, and that should fix your grinding problem.

[BLopes07]

Not to sound to crazy, but I don't have any grindings on my car at all, while switching gears they go in perfectly... I think you should think of changing the transmission fluid, and that should fix your grinding problem.

the only grind i get is when i let off the gas i barely hear a faint noise. All the fluids were replaced when the set up was installed. But over the miles it seemed to stop and settle in. :)

[groundround]

ordering my vast today prob stage 2 though seeing i will be mostly city driving as well and makes sense.

But I did take a ride in jmarch1122 car last night and loved how the clutch grabbed (vast stg 3).

[quickaudi07]

I'm ordering the clutch today !!! getting my flywheel resurfaced and having the shop drop the new clutch soon.

Thank you all for the help, Vast looks like it one of the better companies when it comes to clutch's... for a good price, I just hope they will last longer than oem.

[quickaudi07]

Car is going in for clutch replacement on wed. Stage 2 and transmission fluid replacement. Total damage 1500$.. and my wife wants to kill me :( JK. She is just sick of my car.

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[a4dc89]

Car is going in for clutch replacement on wed. Stage 2 and transmission fluid replacement. Total damage 1500$.. and my wife wants to kill me :( JK. She is just sick of my car.

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I went to the OEM clutch. If it lasts me another 56k, I'll be happy

[DRAKLORE]

My wife would have killed me if it weren't for the fact that I haven't payed labor on any of my upgrades. I can't even imagine the thousands more I would have spent!

[muniz10@aol.com]

the only grind i get is when i let off the gas i barely hear a faint noise. All the fluids were replaced when the set up was installed. But over the miles it seemed to stop and settle in. :)

nice to know other people have the same grind , i have a small grind only in 1st

[your daddy]

i have had my awe stage 2 (southbend with awe Al flywheel) and its great. drivability like stock. takes over 1000 miles to break in since its kevlar.

[quickaudi07]

I don't have the ability to change the clutch in my garage. Now its a great time because I have my wife is in Arizona for work crap so I have her car till Sunday.
I took my car to tge shop yesterday, @12 pm got update. Clutch was out and flywheele was out for resurface. Great guys! the car will be ready tomorrow but I won't pick my car untill Saturday.

Can't wait! also the tech unlpuged my battery, does that mean I will lose my Apr flash?

Just wondering...... Thanks

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[jmarch1122]

i have had my awe stage 2 (southbend with awe Al flywheel) and its great. drivability like stock. takes over 1000 miles to break in since its kevlar.

you got an aluminum flywheel, and it drives just lie stock? that is total BS. I have a LW steel fly wheel and the difference from stock is very noticeable. And your stage 2 clutch has a kevlar surface? Kind of odd for a s2-what hp is it rated at?

[quickaudi07]

I got my car back after the install. And all I could say I love it! Well worth the miney for stage 2. its little bit harder than oem but but the feel of the padel and the grab is just unreal! I will update this when I get some miles in to it. So far I just want to drive my car!

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[jimrobbington]

Great! Have fun trying not to have fun! lol.

[DRAKLORE]

Good News!
Enjoy it, and keep us posted :-)

[quickaudi07]

Great! Have fun trying not to have fun! lol.

That's the hard part lol

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[JDM EJ1 95]

Thanks Mario, like everyone said have fun for the next 500-1000 miles of granny driving.

BTW this is Ricky.

[ericpaulyoung]

Thanks Mario, like everyone said have fun for the next 500-1000 miles of granny driving.

BTW this is Ricky.

So why is it necessary to "break it in" properly? I drove out of the shop at WOT, and drive it just like I did my old clutch (from day one). It has changed as it broke in itself, and it feels great. That was a few thousand miles ago now (I drive a couple hundred a day for a long ass commute, so I rack them up pretty quickly). Are there other people out there did not "treat her nice" for break in, but ended up fine anyway? Specifically, what is the technical foundation for breaking in a clutch? If it is like bedding break pads, then you shouldn't be easy on it, as this is the analogy of lightly riding the breaks while bedding them, which is wrong. You should jump on the beaach a couple of times to bed the material. Given that the idea behind a break pad and a clutch is essentially the same (friction material rubbing on a steel surface), I would assume the correct process to break them in would be the same.

- Eric

[DRAKLORE]

I did not baby my clutch, but also did not do hard launches until a few weeks of driving

[ericpaulyoung]

Shane - you make a good point, I do not do hard launches at all (rev it up to 4K and drop the clutch), but just drive it hard all the time. So maybe I was "baby treating it" without trying? I don't know. But I do drive the schit out of it daily and the VAST Stage II I put in feels great.
- Eric

[JDM EJ1 95]

So why is it necessary to "break it in" properly? I drove out of the shop at WOT, and drive it just like I did my old clutch (from day one). It has changed as it broke in itself, and it feels great. That was a few thousand miles ago now (I drive a couple hundred a day for a long ass commute, so I rack them up pretty quickly). Are there other people out there did not "treat her nice" for break in, but ended up fine anyway? Specifically, what is the technical foundation for breaking in a clutch? If it is like bedding break pads, then you shouldn't be easy on it, as this is the analogy of lightly riding the breaks while bedding them, which is wrong. You should jump on the beaach a couple of times to bed the material. Given that the idea behind a break pad and a clutch is essentially the same (friction material rubbing on a steel surface), I would assume the correct process to break them in would be the same.

- Eric

There are different materials in clutches, which clutch are you driving on? A good rule of thumb for anyone getting a lightly upgraded clutch is to be easy on it... Everyone has different ideas on what "beating on it" or "normal driving" ... But everyone knows how to granny drive... which a good 500 miles of nice city driving should be sufficient for most clutches. hence why as an installer/mechanic i tell most everyone this(depending on material) because i dont need someone coming back blaming me because their clutch is toast in 100 miles because their idea of not beating on it is doing everything BUT launching it.

[your daddy]

you got an aluminum flywheel, and it drives just lie stock? that is total BS. I have a LW steel fly wheel and the difference from stock is very noticeable. And your stage 2 clutch has a kevlar surface? Kind of odd for a s2-what hp is it rated at?

i know stuff could be hard to believe before reading, or experiencing it. but i can tell you my AWE LWFW drives like stock. though my 8lb unorthodox racing in my gti does not.
heres some literature for you to read. http://dxdracingclutches.com/ go to their info page.

[quickaudi07]

Thanks Mario, like everyone said have fun for the next 500-1000 miles of granny driving.

BTW this is Ricky.

Hey buddy thanks for everything. The car drives great i haven't killed the engine yet! :)

First of, it was lot of money that i spend on the clutch and labor by Ricky which he did a great job thanks once again.
Second i drive my car in the city once in a blue moon i let it rip on the highway.
I baby my car, i never lunch it! I work hard for what i have!
Also my baby drives with me everyday, she is 18 months old and i wont do anything to hurt her. So my driving is very genital. Not only on the car but my little bugger as well.
I had my fun driving fast and stupid, i think its time to grow up... i think it got to me once my family has expended.

So this my little one.... so in other words my baby has changed my style of driving.... i hope you all understand where im coming from.

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[DRAKLORE]

Trust me, a lot of us understand :-)

[JDM EJ1 95]

Hey buddy thanks for everything. The car drives great i haven't killed the engine yet! :)

First of, it was lot of money that i spend on the clutch and labor by Ricky which he did a great job thanks once again.
Second i drive my car in the city once in a blue moon i let it rip on the highway.
I baby my car, i never lunch it! I work hard for what i have!
Also my baby drives with me everyday, she is 18 months old and i wont do anything to hurt her. So my driving is very genital. Not only on the car but my little bugger as well.
I had my fun driving fast and stupid, i think its time to grow up... i think it got to me once my family has expended.

So this my little one.... so in other words my baby has changed my style of driving.... i hope you all understand where im coming from.

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yea my last post wasnt directed at you but just a general post.

glad you like it!

[jmarch1122]

i know stuff could be hard to believe before reading, or experiencing it. but i can tell you my AWE LWFW drives like stock. though my 8lb unorthodox racing in my gti does not.
heres some literature for you to read. http://dxdracingclutches.com/ go to their info page.

I do not don't that your ride is very enjoyable, just that it feels like stock. My steel FW has got to me 5 lbs lighter than your aluminum, and even with the steel there is a very very noticeable change from stock. In neutral, RPMs rise and fall much faster. This makes your shifting window of time that much narrower because it stays in the given RPM range for less time. This allows me to shift quicker too. When I want to be aggressive and sporty, this is a great feature. But if you try to drive it casually, without speed shifting, you need to be more precise than with a stock wheel.

BTW, cure kids guys

[jimrobbington]

I have heard stories of improperly broken in clutches, literally welding itself to the flywheel. I was easy on it for 500 miles. The day I hit 500 was the day I spun all four tires.

[quickaudi07]

I have posted little review if anyone is interested to see about my experience @ e-autowerks.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...91#post7277991

I'm taken it easy on my clutch for some time, at least 500miles before i hit the red line again:)

[your daddy]

cute kids! i got a helper over here too.

and she wants to mow the lawn..in February..

[quickaudi07]

Thats awesome i cant wait till my kiddo starts helping me. ;)

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[b7a4GT30]

Hey guys,

I have 60K miles on my car, I have noticed my clutch started to grab really high, and I also noticed a little slip.

I know my clutch is about to go any time soon, I don't drive my car hard and I do a lot of city driving,,

What would you recommend as far as clutch kit? I'm not looking in to big performance but something maybe better than stock.

Would I need a new fly wheel? or should it get re cut with new clutch kit?

I'm not going to put any more performance parts in my car, it has APR stage 1 right now, and its enough for me... I drive with my little baby so no need for speeding, but its always nice to have the extra power when you need it....

Thanks in Advance...

I wouldnt replace the clutch just because it starts grabbing high... If it slips thats one thing but if it justs grabs high and doesnt slip it sounds fine to me!

[quickaudi07]

From my understanding it didn't look bad at all. But it started to slip. My rpms shooted up high and the car wasn't moving. To late now its replaced and I don't have to worry about it anymor.

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[cory.martin]

Just picked up the FX400 from Clutchmasters...so far I'm happy...just getting it broken in now. Feels like stock, which is something I'm happy about.

[Excelerate]

DXD/South Bend is another great option. That is what we install on our shop vehicles as well as the majority of our customer's vehicles. The pedal effort is pretty similar to stock and even the Stage 3 clutches are only about 20-25% firmer.