Need input on Southbend Stage 4 clutch

[NightRider]

Yo what's good fellas? I'm in need of a new clutch and am planning on purchasing the Southbend Stage 4 clutch and flywheel combo. I've been talking to Jeff about it, it's 20% stiffer than stock apparently, which isn't bad at all. The only issue I'm worried about is that I have a bad knee and I don't want to kick myself in the ass if I spend all the time to install this clutch and find out its too stiff for me. Anybody who has this setup please chime in and let me know how they feel about the stiffness.

And if anybody is in the Williamsport Area that has this setup, let me know if I could meet up with you to test the pedal feel out myself. Thanks in advance guys. Peace

[a4mafia]

my buddy has a stage 5 and its pretty stiff, cant be much stiffer than stage 4. it all depends on how bad ur name is

[NightRider]

I was told stage 4 is the same stiffness as stage 5. My knee is shitty, no cartilage left at the joint between the tibula and femur. I need something stock-like but with enough clamping power to support a k04. Stage 3 would be alright as long as I don't launch it...I'm just wondering if there are any other options.

Does anybody have any input on Spec clutches?

[MikTip]

Its all about the pressure plates!

SouthBends "heavy" clamping pressure plate is their "SS" model, at 170% over stock.

Their "HD" plate is supposedly 70% over stock, but pedal feels stock

SouthBend's Stage 4 uses their SS plate.

If your wanting "stock" feel you need their Stage 3, or OFE HD setup.

Stage 4, with their SS pressure plate is a much harder pedal to push, especially with a bad knee...

Spec uses the same presure plates, however they offer a different disk selection from SouthBend. As does Clutch Masters, ACT, and others...

[Papachristou]

if you have a bad knee, i would advise against the OFE SS or FE SS. ive gotten used to it now but when i got in a new audi the other day, it was so effortless i realized how much harder mine was..... it doesnt bother me at all, i enjoy it rather but if you have a week knee, you might be doing a clutch job twice!

[mike-2ptzero]

I was told stage 4 is the same stiffness as stage 5. My knee is shitty, no cartilage left at the joint between the tibula and femur. I need something stock-like but with enough clamping power to support a k04. Stage 3 would be alright as long as I don't launch it...I'm just wondering if there are any other options.

Does anybody have any input on Spec clutches?

Other option would be a Clutch Masters which does have a softer pedal feel and the clutch engages mid pedal vs the SB which grabs down low.

[NyteEscape]

i have an ofe ss and i can't imagine it being very comfortable w/ a bad knee.

i believe Old Guy has the OFE SS as well as a knee that's not in its prime, so you might want to ask him.

[Jeff]

Alex,

The best and most logical way to get a real answer is to ask someone local who maybe has a Stage 4 clutch setup and take it out for a spin. Should the pedal be "overkill" for you, shoot me an email--for I have another solution for you that will hold the power to your specifications, and have a softer pedal.

[MikTip]

Alex,

The best and most logical way to get a real answer is to ask someone local who maybe has a Stage 4 clutch setup and take it out for a spin. Should the pedal be "overkill" for you, shoot me an email--for I have another solution for you that will hold the power to your specifications, and have a softer pedal.

Care to share your other solutions, that will hold the power, here on the forum?

[jessefrank]

You could also check out ECS's RA4 kits (they are on sale right not too). Susposedly their Stage 1 is pretty stock feeling. Not sure about 2 or 3 though as they both use the RS4 pressure plate.

I have my RA4 stg 3 sitting in my garage waiting for me to have the extra time to install or my clutch to totally fail (which ever comes first ).

I'm orgionally from the St. Mary's area and if I drive back to PA in the Audi any time soon I'd be more than willing to meet up with you (but I don't expect that to be in my future plans as of now).

[doublezero30]

i really wouldnt say the stage 4 ofe ss is that bad in terms of stiffness. if youve ever driven a new civic si, its comparable to that (a little stiffer and a little longer through). shifting for the first 2000 miles sucked though. once it breaks in the shifting gets much easier. although some people havnt had this issue with the shifting. personally, now that its broken in i love it.

[Jeff]

Care to share your other solutions, that will hold the power, here on the forum?

I have had several requests and/or concerns from my customers who are worried about having a stiffer clutch pedal. Though personally the SS pressure plate (~2400lbs clamp load) feels comparable to many other "sporty" cars, there are always those who want a soft "stock-like" feel, and do not plan on making much more power than a K04.

I offer what I call a "Stage 3.5" for these customers. This setup uses the modified HD pressure plate found in the Stage 3 (~1700-1800lbs clamp load) to retain the stock-like pedal, but pairs it with a FE dual-feramic disc as opposed to the OFE. The FE discs offer 10-15% more holding power than the OFE, and also have a higher heat tolerance and coefficient of friction. Expect the holding power of the 3.5 setup to be around 380-400ft/lbs. There are a good dozen of my customers running this setup, who are very happy.

This is a clutch setup not normally offered by South Bend, but can be custom-ordered through me. The Stage 3.5 is basically in between a Stage 3 and a Stage 4 in terms of power, but retains the stock-like pedal feel.

Should anybody be interested in this setup, please feel free to contact me. I have been a South Bend dealer for nearly 4 years, and one of the oldest dealers here on AZ. I have 5 South Bend clutches in all my cars (ranging from Stage 3, to a modified Stage 5) from DSM's to Audi's. And I can stand behind these clutches as much as South Bend does, and have had nothing but positive feedback from all my customers.

-Jeff Lee

[manhertm]

Well he said K04 so OFE HD is more than enough, it can handle 330ft/lbs. I happen to have the HD and I can tell you it will feel lighter than stock after installation. No joke, it's very light.

[Jeff]

Well he said K04 so OFE HD is more than enough, it can handle 330ft/lbs. I happen to have the HD and I can tell you it will feel lighter than stock after installation. No joke, it's very light.

After installation, even a Stage 4 would feel lighter than stock. Because of our hydraulic setup, the pedal tends to stiffen up as the lining wears. Give the clutch about 500 miles, and it will feel stiffer once broken in. I have seen some badly-worn stock clutches with a pedal feel feeling almost as stiff as a SS setup.

Flushing out and changing your brake fluid in the master cylinder will also change your pedal feel as well.

[MikTip]

I have had several requests and/or concerns from my customers who are worried about having a stiffer clutch pedal. Though personally the SS pressure plate (~2400lbs clamp load) feels comparable to many other "sporty" cars, there are always those who want a soft "stock-like" feel, and do not plan on making much more power than a K04.

I offer what I call a "Stage 3.5" for these customers. This setup uses the modified HD pressure plate found in the Stage 3 (~1700-1800lbs clamp load) to retain the stock-like pedal, but pairs it with a FE dual-feramic disc as opposed to the OFE. The FE discs offer 10-15% more holding power than the OFE, and also have a higher heat tolerance and coefficient of friction. Expect the holding power of the 3.5 setup to be around 380-400ft/lbs. There are a good dozen of my customers running this setup, who are very happy.

This is a clutch setup not normally offered by South Bend, but can be custom-ordered through me. The Stage 3.5 is basically in between a Stage 3 and a Stage 4 in terms of power, but retains the stock-like pedal feel.



-Jeff Lee

Thanks Jeff!