MY DRAKES CLUTCH with CM SMFW REVIEW

[canadianA4B7]

got the car back today, with complete K04 and Drakes stage 4 clutch and CM SMFW. And i cannot believe this setup. the engagement of the clutch is so soft/smooth i dont know how to explain it. the builder explained that while putting the pressure plate FW together the engagement was seemless it was "nothing ive ever seen, i questioned how it was going to feel" he got it all together and took it for a drive and he himself was amazed. I hope he reads this and adds his own .02. Now back to my opinion, im no professional driver by any means but this seems to make driving much more enjoyable. It is totally different from stock dual mass, completely utterly much improved from my 2001 allroad which has seen better years but is still in crazy good shape. The ar is a bit stiffer of a clutch which i do like, but not smooth. I know completely different gears and size car but the engagement of the new setup in the A4 i wish i could or will get into the ar. all and all great products the lighter FW the smoothness of engagement have made me a happy B7 owner.

thanx to Drakes performance and autoplicity and to those who suggested the 2!!

[cdn20valve]

I installed the setup in Ryan's car. It is a very interesting pressure plate setup. Ive never seen pressure plate like these before. And I was skeptical on how it will work. After driving the car, I was really impressed with the feel of the clutch and the engagement point.

[canadianA4B7]

There you have it folks words from the horses mouth!

[drumnjuny]

+1 for Drake's clutches! I kind of can't wait for my FX400 to go out lol so i can switch

[DrZEUS]

Reviving an old thread...

Looking into Drake's clutches as we speak. Noticed you are from the Toronto area as am I. Did you get the clutch directly from Drake? And where did you install? I'd be looking for an install place too.

[mec]

Reviving an old thread...

Looking into Drake's clutches as we speak. Noticed you are from the Toronto area as am I. Did you get the clutch directly from Drake? And where did you install? I'd be looking for an install place too.

Drake is out of the business.

[aluthman]

Buy the JHM clutch kit. It's just like running a Drake's clutch and CM SMFW but better.

[mec]

Buy the JHM clutch kit. It's just like running a Drake's clutch and CM SMFW but better.

This is true! I'm running it now, It's basically OEM+. You run an RS4 pressure plate similar to what Drake and Vast used, except the pressure plate isn't shaved down at all, so you can replace it at any time with another RS4 pressure plate and not have to modify it at all. the disk is just a 240mm disk, I think JHM does make these, if not they are from the RS4 as well, the pressure plate is aluminum and cuts the weight of the OEM flywheel in half. I weighed them a while ago but I think it weighed in at 12lbs vs the stock 23lbs. With the lessened weight, it makes rev matching really easy, you can't notice much of a difference when you are in gear, but when you clutch in you can see that the engine does rev up and down faster.

[jsandor91]

who makes a flywheel that will mate up to my drakes stage v clutch? [=(]

[aluthman]

Clutchmasters single-mass steel flywheel, it's what I'm running with my Drake's Stage 4 clutch.

[mec]

yep, thats what I ran with mine, just any OEM sized flywheel. Either OEM or a SMFW from CM I have one laying around if you need it.

[jsandor91]

yep, thats what I ran with mine, just any OEM sized flywheel. Either OEM or a SMFW from CM I have one laying around if you need it.

Hmm how many miles on it and does it need to be resurfaced ?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

[mec]

Hmm how many miles on it and does it need to be resurfaced ?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

The OEM has 55,000 ish on it. The CM SMFW has 5,000 since it was resurfaced. I'm not sure how to tell when it needs to be resurfaced, you can still see the wear marks from the machinist so I would think that it doesn't need it....but I'm sure it couldn't hurt.

[DrZEUS]

I don't think I would want to run a LWFW for fear of chatter and vibrations. Does the JHM clutch kit come with the option of a non-LWFW?

[mec]

I don't think I would want to run a LWFW for fear of chatter and vibrations. Does the JHM clutch kit come with the option of a non-LWFW?

nope, but I run it right now and I had the same fear as you, Doesn't chatter. Im not sure why, but it has 0 chatter. I can send you a video if you want.

[DrZEUS]

I believe you mec...but some others have reported slight chatter. How is the driveability? This is my daily and I use it for work.

[ericpaulyoung]

I believe you mec...but some others have reported slight chatter. How is the driveability? This is my daily and I use it for work.

Martin has to have his GF drive for him as he is still learning to drive manual.

epy

[DrZEUS]

btw, I would assume with my mods, Stage 1 JHM clutch kit would suffice? I am running APR Stage 2+ (APR chip, hpupgrade HPFP, RAI 3" HFC/DP).

[DrZEUS]

...and mec can I see the video for shits and giggles? thanks

[ericpaulyoung]

...and mec can I see the video for shits and giggles? thanks

You mean a video with the GF driving, right? :) hehe

[DrZEUS]

You mean a video with the GF driving, right? :) hehe

lol sure

[mec]

I believe you mec...but some others have reported slight chatter. How is the driveability? This is my daily and I use it for work.

My car is my daily as well...I would say drivability is 100%, you have to change the way you drive a bit, when I first installed it I stalled like 5 times. Now this may have been because prior to installing this kit my old clutch kit had air bubbles so I had a very small engagement point. When I started driving this one and with the system bled properly, the engagement point felt very oem, I mean it essentially is an RS4 clutch kit with a custom flywheel. So it feels very good and engagement is what you would expect in a stock car, but the kicker is that you removed like 10lbs from the engine, so you can actually notice that when you clutch in the engine winds down or revs up faster, which is ideal for rev matching downshifts and even shifting faster. At this point you are only limited by the transmission gearing in speed shifting. I was really hesitant, I bought it on an impulse and when I got home and researched it I was like shit its alumnium im gonna hate it, but its actually really good!


Martin has to have his GF drive for him as he is still learning to drive manual.

epy

http://www.troll.me/images/forever-alone/forever-alone-has-no-gf-thumb.jpg

I'm in the wrong place man...I haven't met a girl that really blew me away, probably because girls in their 20's really aren't that impressive, but also because Colorado girls are too traditional and religious for my tastes, need to move out to oregon where all the crazies are at!



btw, I would assume with my mods, Stage 1 JHM clutch kit would suffice? I am running APR Stage 2+ (APR chip, hpupgrade HPFP, RAI 3" HFC/DP).

Yep, I'm shooting for 450awhp and Jake said this setup would be fine for me, so you should be good.


...and mec can I see the video for shits and giggles? thanks

Yep, I'll snap a few more later, but here is one in a parking garage, low speed in first and second so this is exactly where you would expect chatter.


http://youtu.be/va5MOuF1UYI

[Charles.waite]

I believe you mec...but some others have reported slight chatter. How is the driveability? This is my daily and I use it for work.

I had the same concerns, but apparently this JHM clutch is chatter free, as reported by a number of people.

Could it be that the balance shaft in the engine cancels out enough of the vibration that very little gets transmitted into the transmission?

Because I know that most people DON'T run LWFWs on the 1.8t due to chatter. The JHM flywheel is the same as 034's LWFW (it actually has both their logos etched into it) with a few modifications for the b7 2.0t application (as far as I know, though it could just be a stock 034 LWFW with JHM's logo machine into it...).

[aluthman]

It's not the balance shafts because Martin can haz no balance shafts.

[ericpaulyoung]

Martin, get out here to liberalville! You will love it.

epy

[Jake@JHM]

Thanks for the good words Martin! The stage 1 kit was made for a 440HP V8 so it will be more than enough for most big turbo 2.0Ts since they are not able to produce enough instant torque like a V8 can. Best of all it does not compromise daily driveability even if you are 100% stock!

Charles,

Our 2.0T Flywheel is not the same as the regular 034 2.0T flywheel, as they make them for us to our specifications to perfectly mate to the RS4 pressure plate. [up]

Jake

[Charles.waite]

Thanks for the good words Martin! The stage 1 kit was made for a 440HP V8 so it will be more than enough for most big turbo 2.0Ts since they are not able to produce enough instant torque like a V8 can. Best of all it does not compromise daily driveability even if you are 100% stock!

Charles,

Our 2.0T Flywheel is not the same as the regular 034 2.0T flywheel, as they make them for us to our specifications to perfectly mate to the RS4 pressure plate. [up]

Jake

Ahh. Thanks for the correction Jake. I was just browsing 034 and noticed they don't sell a comparable flywheel to yours even though the sell the same general design for the 1.8t as well as some older Audis, so I was about to post back and correct myself. Thanks for the info.

[mec]

It's not the balance shafts because Martin can haz no balance shafts.
Truth! Good memory

Martin, get out here to liberalville! You will love it.

epy

Find me a finance job? I would love to move, need a change of scenery.


Thanks for the good words Martin!

http://media.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/19928/You-da-man.jpg

[Jake@JHM]

Move out to the good Ol'Cai LOL

[mec]

Move out to the good Ol'Cai LOL

Yeah...Idk man I need to move somewhere pretty soon here...Hopefully find a good job in the next few months and move out! Does JHM have any openings for finance guys?

[Charles.waite]

Seattle is nice Martin. You do outdoor stuff? Unlike Colorado, we haz ocean...

[Jake@JHM]

Yeah...Idk man I need to move somewhere pretty soon here...Hopefully find a good job in the next few months and move out! Does JHM have any openings for finance guys?

Not sure about finance, but we are looking for someone to do take do sales in the VW department!

[mec]

Seattle is nice Martin. You do outdoor stuff? Unlike Colorado, we haz ocean...

I do all the outdoors activities! yeah but the ocean is cold lol...I like that the west coast seems to be more open minded forward thinking people, but the east coast, especially florida has warm water and no winter....


Not sure about finance, but we are looking for someone to do take do sales in the VW department!


Hmm well I'm not very well versed in the VW engines...unless were talking mk5 and golf r lol... Is it a remote job or would I have to move to California?

[Jake@JHM]

I do all the outdoors activities! yeah but the ocean is cold lol...I like that the west coast seems to be more open minded forward thinking people, but the east coast, especially florida has warm water and no winter....




Hmm well I'm not very well versed in the VW engines...unless were talking mk5 and golf r lol... Is it a remote job or would I have to move to California?

Haha, you would have to move to California. You would be helping out in general sales for both Audi and VW but specifically VW along with other tasks in the sales department [up].

[mec]

Haha, you would have to move to California. You would be helping out in general sales for both Audi and VW but specifically VW along with other tasks in the sales department [up].

Well gotta finish school first then we will see where I end up! Remote would have been cool though, I guess hiring someone in person is more valuable than talking on the phone with them haha

[Jake@JHM]

Well gotta finish school first then we will see where I end up! Remote would have been cool though, I guess hiring someone in person is more valuable than talking on the phone with them haha

Yeah! Haha we have hired people from as far as Boston and PA!

[aluthman]

Find me a finance job? I would love to move, need a change of scenery.


If you're ever considering Chicago area, my brother-in-law is a financial headhunter there. You do CPA type shit?

Edit: He might be able to put you somewhere other than Chicago, that's just where he's located.

[mec]

Yeah! Haha we have hired people from as far as Boston and PA!

That's pretty far, I honestly would move to California, I just want to finish my school first, get my MSF and call it done with school!


If you're ever considering Chicago area, my brother-in-law is a financial headhunter there. You do CPA type shit?

Edit: He might be able to put you somewhere other than Chicago, that's just where he's located.

Really? I would definitely appreciate a connection! I haven't done any CPA stuff, but I am not opposed to learning! I've focused mostly around investments and corporate finance, but I wouldn't mind CPA'ing.

[aluthman]

PM'd you with his Linkedin profile. If you're interested, I can give him your contact info and vice-versa.

[mec]

PM'd you with his Linkedin profile. If you're interested, I can give him your contact info and vice-versa.
Thank you good sir!

Dr.Zeus - Here is some daily driving from today when I went to go pick up my wheels.


http://youtu.be/3MJDsZfy5oQ

[DrZEUS]

Thanks for the vid. Hard to hear or not hear chatter but I'll take your word for it.

[mec]

Thanks for the vid. Hard to hear or not hear chatter but I'll take your word for it.

Yeah, that gopro doesn't have a very good microphone. Basically there is no chatter in 1-3, ever. 4 can chatter if you are below 1000RPM's, 5th and 6th can chatter if you are under 1500 RPM's and not moving about 50-60. The 1.8t's had really bad chatter just at regular speed, like second gear going 20 or 15, going through a parking lot, but this kit only chatters when you are in the wrong gear, it doesn't have the same problems that the 1.8t did.

[Charles.waite]

Yeah, that gopro doesn't have a very good microphone. Basically there is no chatter in 1-3, ever. 4 can chatter if you are below 1000RPM's, 5th and 6th can chatter if you are under 1500 RPM's and not moving about 50-60. The 1.8t's had really bad chatter just at regular speed, like second gear going 20 or 15, going through a parking lot, but this kit only chatters when you are in the wrong gear, it doesn't have the same problems that the 1.8t did.

I think (but I'm not positive, as I haven't heard "real" chatter before) that my Valeo Single Mass clutch kit on my b6 chatters below 2k. It kind of sucks, but you get used to it to an extent. And that Flywheel is around 24lbs or so.

Of course it could just be the downpipe rattling or the mounts not being aligned after settling out (i replaced them all with the clutch, and I assembled the downpipe spring/bolt thingie wrong at the time). I've just been too lazy/busy to deal with any of it since I did the job in November...

[mec]

Is it possible that the flywheels are just not balanced? So at low rpm you can feel the imbalance, but at high rpm you can't tell as much? What's the 1.8t guys theory on why it happens? Also if thats the case, can't you 1.8t guys just get a b7 flywheel for cheap, 23 lbs, is lighter than the valeo, a 240mm clutch disk and a b7 pressure plate, that would be a pretty cheap clutch kit.

[aluthman]

My buddy put an aluminum flywheel in his 330ci a few years back and it sounded like a damn helicopter if you sat there in neutral the chatter was so bad.

[Charles.waite]

Is it possible that the flywheels are just not balanced? So at low rpm you can feel the imbalance, but at high rpm you can't tell as much? What's the 1.8t guys theory on why it happens? Also if thats the case, can't you 1.8t guys just get a b7 flywheel for cheap, 23 lbs, is lighter than the valeo, a 240mm clutch disk and a b7 pressure plate, that would be a pretty cheap clutch kit.

The 1.8t parts are generally cheaper than b7 stuff though.

Its very much possible that the flywheel being out of balance could cause that, but it seems nearly every person has chatter, not just a few people that would indicate a variable balancing issue.

I've got no idea what the difference is between the 1.8t and 2.0t clutch/flywheel setups, but I've been led to believe they are not compatible. I know the 1.8t came stock with a 228mm clutch and the b7 is 240mm, but aside from that, I think they aren't cross compatible unfortunately.

If they were, I'd honestly toss a Valeo Single Mass kit on my b7 and call it a day. much more holding power than stock (can handle a k04 1.8t so roughly 300ftlbs) and 100% stock driveability (super easy to modulate and a pleasure to drive in traffic and on the hills in Seattle).

My b6 is dead silent at idle (aside from the unadjusted mount vibration, its when you put load on the driveline that the rattling and whatnot starts.

Edit: My Valeo kit: http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B6_A4-Quattro-1.8T/Drivetrain/Clutch/ES251027/

The 1.8t and 2.0t both share the 6-bolt flywheel mount, but I have no idea if they are interchangeable or what would happen if you bolted a 1.8t flywheel to a 2.0t. I still have my OEM 1.8t 228mm clutch so maybe when it comes time to do my b7's clutch I can test fit it and take some measurements...

[Jake@JHM]

"Chatter" in the Audi community is different than "Chatter" in the Camaro/Mustang community. In muscle cars with an insane clutch you are actually getting a chatter. In these cars you are just hearing the engine noise transferring through the solid flywheel since the rubber and plastic of the dual mass is no longer there to mask it.

[challenger]

For those of you running the JHM LWFW, what stage did you go with? I am shooting for 400awhp and I do beat on my car and race every now and then. What do you recommend going with?

[mec]

The 1.8t parts are generally cheaper than b7 stuff though.

Its very much possible that the flywheel being out of balance could cause that, but it seems nearly every person has chatter, not just a few people that would indicate a variable balancing issue.

I've got no idea what the difference is between the 1.8t and 2.0t clutch/flywheel setups, but I've been led to believe they are not compatible. I know the 1.8t came stock with a 228mm clutch and the b7 is 240mm, but aside from that, I think they aren't cross compatible unfortunately.

If they were, I'd honestly toss a Valeo Single Mass kit on my b7 and call it a day. much more holding power than stock (can handle a k04 1.8t so roughly 300ftlbs) and 100% stock driveability (super easy to modulate and a pleasure to drive in traffic and on the hills in Seattle).

My b6 is dead silent at idle (aside from the unadjusted mount vibration, its when you put load on the driveline that the rattling and whatnot starts.

Edit: My Valeo kit: http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B6_A4-Quattro-1.8T/Drivetrain/Clutch/ES251027/

The 1.8t and 2.0t both share the 6-bolt flywheel mount, but I have no idea if they are interchangeable or what would happen if you bolted a 1.8t flywheel to a 2.0t. I still have my OEM 1.8t 228mm clutch so maybe when it comes time to do my b7's clutch I can test fit it and take some measurements...

the 1.8t guys usually swap to the 2.0t crank, which means the Flywheels are interchangable, you would just need a 240 disk and a pressure plate to fit properly, basically a whole 2.0t setup, I would assume the stack height is the same, that may be an issue?


"Chatter" in the Audi community is different than "Chatter" in the Camaro/Mustang community. In muscle cars with an insane clutch you are actually getting a chatter. In these cars you are just hearing the engine noise transferring through the solid flywheel since the rubber and plastic of the dual mass is no longer there to mask it.

yeah, its just like hard vibrations is what I would describe


For those of you running the JHM LWFW, what stage did you go with? I am shooting for 400awhp and I do beat on my car and race every now and then. What do you recommend going with?
I am stage 1 clutch, should be good enough for 400awhp./

[canadianA4B7]

Wow pretty lame of not noticing my own thread being brought back to life. If my car were still on the road we could take it for a drive and you could just feel it yourself. So i think its just great, theres little/no chatter, unless yer trying to take off in 6th gear which is just a huge fail regarless of clutch. Ill send you lovre's email hes out near barrie, built my engine, installed turbo, connecting rods, clutch flywheel, fluidampr, hpfp, injectors, christ the list goes on. Cost me $2600..... And pfaff $3300 MIN and twins was close 2nd at approx $2800 er so but they didnt get the entire list of upgrades and i didnt feel like calling back. Foregin auto in kitchener was decent price also, but they were like "5 months wait".

Now i can compare myself to a aluminum flywheel the 034 produces which ive got in my allroad, matched to a rs4 pp and drakes stage 2 clutch. Id like to thank him endlessly for his efforts to hook that deal up and hope all the best for him with his work over seas. The setup in my ar does chatter on occasion. The ar gears are so low its kinda odd but if you wanna try that out we could meet somewhere. But shifting is insanly smooth, and if you can throw the gears quick the clutch reacts as good as you can. But it can chatter in the 4th gear in low rpms.