Recommend me a clutch...

[kpatz]

I have an '02 B6 A4 1.8TQ 5spd, and I noticed the clutch starting to slip a little on hard acceleration. I'm thinking, I better get something done before it gets worse, as this car is a DD and of course, I start back at work on Monday.

The only performance mod on my car is APR Stage 1+, which probably helped to accelerate the wear of my stock clutch. I'm thinking going with a Southbend OFE HD or SS, but not sure which, yet... that's where you guys come in.

I'd like to retain the stock feel (not too much stiffer) since I do a lot of stop-and-go city driving (and highway driving during rush hour, which is also all too often stop and go).

I've heard stories of SB clutches having issues, would I be likely to have issues in a daily driver that I don't drive real hard?

Any other recommendations? I'm trying to keep cost in consideration. I could just get another OEM clutch, but I'm thinking something a bit stronger would go well with my APR 1+.

Also, anything else I should have the shop do while they have everything apart? Coolant flange, timing belt (I have 54K on it), yadda yadda?

[Audi Skate Snow]

FX400

[MikTip]

Get the Sach Heavy Duty clutch.

It feels exactly like the OEM clutch however has a higher clamping pressure plate, and a
stronger disk.

Its the same exact pressure plate used by SouthBend for their HD clutch's...


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SACHS...mZ150047865081

Since your Audi is a 2002, you might need a new flywheel...

http://http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotor...mZ390006369626

I've bought from this guy on several occations

[dirtybrd]

R.I.P Still the worlds fastest B6 A4!!!!!! 12/03/2005 12.63@108... stock 1.8 motor W/ GTRS.
With rods!

[dirtybrd]

R.I.P Still the worlds fastest B6 A4!!!!!! 12/03/2005 12.63@108... stock 1.8 motor W/ GTRS.

With rods, or was this before them?

[Audi Skate Snow]

With rods, or was this before them?

way before... 100% bone stock motor. never got a chance to do anything with the built motor

[AudiA4_20T]

With rods, or was this before them?

charlies car? I believe it was stock motor, why are you posting this here?

[Audi Skate Snow]

charlies car? I believe it was stock motor, why are you posting this here?

He likes to try and talk shit to people, but sometimes he doesnt have all of his facts straight. ;)

[kbasham03]

I have an Ofe ss with apr 1+, I love it, grabs like hell. It just takes some getting used to, the pedal travel is way less than stock. It will be stiff as hell for the first 100 miles or so.

[sean1.8t]

it's not even the world fastest anymore though...

but op, i would look into clutchmaster's. or southbend

but stay away from southbend if you like to launch the car

[kpatz]

It's a DD, I don't launch it... I baby it in fact. But with my crappy commute and city driving, that kills a clutch no matter what.

One other question, how much longer do you think I'll get out of the clutch now that it's just starting to slip? Will I be able to drive it to work and back this week (mostly highway)? Since it'll probably take a few days to a week to get the parts and an appointment scheduled.

I'll definitely be taking it easy on it in the meantime.

I'll probably go with a SB OFE HD and a new flywheel, to avoid hassles. Should I get another OEM dual-mass or would a lighter FW suffice?

[dewey527]

i just had the spec stage2 installed with a light weight steel flywheel and it is very nice. quite frankly the pedal stab is very light but the engagement point is still pretty high... you have to really baby it through the break-in period but after that it's grabs awesome.

[Audi Skate Snow]

it's not even the world fastest anymore though...

but op, i would look into clutchmaster's. or southbend

but stay away from southbend if you like to launch the car

At this point its the only one with proof.. that other one didnt have anything to back it up at all... and no one ever even heard of em.

its ok, those guys with fully built 2.0's and bigger turbos should be able to put down more power and run faster times

i know my new setup will ;)

and to stay on topic, im going to run an FX400 in my new setup

[kpatz]

Get the Sach Heavy Duty clutch.

It feels exactly like the OEM clutch however has a higher clamping pressure plate, and a
stronger disk.

Is the disk the friction part that wears out? So would a stronger disk mean a longer lasting clutch? What about material (e.g. metal, organic, kevlar, etc?) Which is best? I want the new clutch to last.

[Papachristou]

I am very happy with my fe ss... I launch frequently without any trouble

[UFfitz56]

i just had the spec stage2 installed with a light weight steel flywheel and it is very nice. quite frankly the pedal stab is very light but the engagement point is still pretty high... you have to really baby it through the break-in period but after that it's grabs awesome.

+1
I had this exact setup and it was awesome...perfect for over 20k miles (maybe longer but I sold the car)

[kpatz]

Should I get an OEM flywheel or should I go lighter? Any benefits/pitfalls?

[Audi Skate Snow]

Should I get an OEM flywheel or should I go lighter? Any benefits/pitfalls?

LWFW you wil rev faster, and depending how light you got you might get chatter at idle.

I had an 11lb flywheel on my avant, and it chattered like a bitch.

[dirtybrd]

Mine does too.

[jessefrank]

Another option is the ECS Rs4 conv kits. If their holiday sale is still going on it really isn't much more than the SB w/ new fly wheel or even OEM for that matter.
I just changed my clutch to the ECS RA4 stg 3 kit. I'm only like 50 miles into the break-in, but am very happy with it thus far. The feel/pedal pressure is just like stock, but it engages much closer to the floor than stock and it is a bit more grabby. I have the steel LWFW (13 lb) and honestly it does rev faster, but not very much faster (can't really test it out yet though). So far only gear chatter I can hear is if i rev the engine in N and it's only from about 1000-1500 rpms....but like I said I'm only in the virgin stages of the brake in period so things may change.

I have a full 1+ setup, but with revo... so knew my oem clutch wouldn't last forever, but my input shaft seal started leaking on my trans and greatly expediated the process. When I refilled my trans I was nearly 1 quart low in a very short period of time. Check for leaks since you also have an 02 5spd; I know Doss had this issue with his clutch when it started slipping too. The dealer said there is a revised seal as there were issues with leaks on the early B6 5spds. I drove on mine slipping for about 300 miles, but can tell it got worse (probably due to the gear oil bath)...but I couldn't pass people because it wouldn't hold any amount of power besides cruising.

[GreyGhost]

[QUOTE=MikTip;3214135]Get the Sach Heavy Duty clutch.

It feels exactly like the OEM clutch however has a higher clamping pressure plate, and a
stronger disk.

Its the same exact pressure plate used by SouthBend for their HD clutch's...


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SACHS...mZ150047865081

hmmm...I wonder if it's the same clutch that AWE sells??

http://awe-tuning.com/pages/shared/p...in&IL=a4stage2

I have the OFE SS, if you're looking for pedal feel similar to stock, this is not the clutch you're looking for.

[Affinitive]

I have an '02 B6 A4 1.8TQ 5spd, and I noticed the clutch starting to slip a little on hard acceleration. I'm thinking, I better get something done before it gets worse, as this car is a DD and of course, I start back at work on Monday.

The only performance mod on my car is APR Stage 1+, which probably helped to accelerate the wear of my stock clutch. I'm thinking going with a Southbend OFE HD or SS, but not sure which, yet... that's where you guys come in.

I'd like to retain the stock feel (not too much stiffer) since I do a lot of stop-and-go city driving (and highway driving during rush hour, which is also all too often stop and go).

I've heard stories of SB clutches having issues, would I be likely to have issues in a daily driver that I don't drive real hard?

Any other recommendations? I'm trying to keep cost in consideration. I could just get another OEM clutch, but I'm thinking something a bit stronger would go well with my APR 1+.

Also, anything else I should have the shop do while they have everything apart? Coolant flange, timing belt (I have 54K on it), yadda yadda?

Get the Valeo Solid Flywheel conversion Kit. Comes with solid flywheel and complete clutch KIT and will be cheaper than OE replacement and you'll love it. You're not built enough for a solid lightweight flywheel but converting to a solid flywheel will definitely benefit you. With this kit the flywheel still has some good mass to it, actually slightly heavier than OE, so you'll gain a slight bit of low end torque plus a little on the high end as well. You'll love it especially if it's your daily driver. I've installed them in a fai share of my customers cars and everyone of them loves it way better than the OE clutch. You can see the the part number in the picture I included. Should be able to get it through quite a few distributors including most all who advertise here. They'll buy it from the place I would ;)
If you go OE or similar make sure to replace the flywheel. The OE flywheels usually don't hold up for the life of a second clutch and if not resufaced poperly, the second clutch won't last long.

C

[mike-2ptzero]

Should I get an OEM flywheel or should I go lighter? Any benefits/pitfalls?

If you go lighter stick with a Billet Steel flywheel, they range from 15-20 lbs. Engine will be more responsive to the throttle and will not be an issue for daily driving.

[A4SoftWalker]

Whatever u end up getting, for peace of mind change out the fllg items:

1) Transmission seal - It is right there and any good mechanic should recommend it while they are in there. The seal will at some point leak as mentioned by others in this thread. Mine was leaking @approx 90k mi when I had my clutch replaced.

2) Clutch slave cylinder - this part is also relatively cheap @ about $70 when I changed mine and is also easily accessible with the tranny out of the car. I have a 550lb-ft clutch which I have no problem driving anywhere in any traffic and I attribute my smooth un-strained clutch action to changing this part (but then again I'm quite a bit healthier than most...)

3) Tranny/other mount(s) - With the tranny out of the car for the clutch job this part is very easy to change and I recommend it for the stability it adds to your shifting. Would also recommend the engine and snub mounts at this time too that is when I did mine. The only way to describe it is that ur car/ur foot/ur mind - feel as one.

4) JHM "Solid" linkage/stabilizer parts - No, not the short shifter but the other weak "links" in the shifting mechanism. Check out the website JHMotorsports

My Spec Stage 3+ clutch took me between 1500 and 2000 miles to break-in to the state it is today. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone but I would urge u to look at some of their other "lighter" offerings here SPECClutch. I had a girl last night that just crashed her long time Civic and now owns a 5-speed Jetta drive my car and compliment the clutch/shifting action. Thats saying something...

[kpatz]

Are those parts (tranny seal, mounts, slave cylinder) available from ECS or someplace else who sponsors here?

Also, should I get my timing belt job done at the same time while everything is apart?

Thanks... I'm leaning toward the Sachs Heavy Duty clutch and OEM DM flywheel right now, will probably order later today...

[A4SoftWalker]

Are those parts (tranny seal, mounts, slave cylinder) available from ECS or someplace else who sponsors here?

Also, should I get my timing belt job done at the same time while everything is apart?

Thanks... I'm leaning toward the Sachs Heavy Duty clutch and OEM DM flywheel right now, will probably order later today...

ECS Tuning should have the seal & slave cylinder. They are just stock replacement parts so the dealers have em too. Try here genuinevwaudiparts.com

The snub, tranny and engine mounts are available here 034motorsport and recommended by almost everyone on here but sadly out of stock at the moment on their more desirable Street Density engine/tranny mounts. Many have used their Track Density tranny mount with no ill-effect and all the benefits. At minimum do that.

Depending on mileage the timing belt should be done about every 75k. With an '02 I would have it checked as its coming up on 7 years . It is not beneficial to do it at this time from a money standpoint as it is under the hood not under the car with the tranny stuff so it cannot be combined UNLESS the shop cuts u a deal.

Hoping all goes well

[jessefrank]

Besides replacing my clutch and trans input shaft seal I also did my pilot bearing and rear main seal. Also the rear coolant flange is very easy to access with the tranny out (if yours is leaking).

I didn't preorder my trans input seal. After getting the trans out I had to find a place to get it fast as my car is a DD. The dealer worked out the best for me. ECS was cheaper for the rear main seal, but the dealer was cheaper for input seal, pilot bearing and a pressure valve I needed...and ECS was going to rape me on overnight shipping (dealer shipping was way cheaper...and they are 400 miles from me). ECS even told me there wasn't a pilot bearing for my car ...but obviously there is (this was the first time that I had any price/part issues with ECS...usually they have always come through on top for me).

[d_maniac]

Get the Sach Heavy Duty clutch.

It feels exactly like the OEM clutch however has a higher clamping pressure plate, and a
stronger disk.

Its the same exact pressure plate used by SouthBend for their HD clutch's...


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SACHS...mZ150047865081

Since your Audi is a 2002, you might need a new flywheel...

http://http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotor...mZ390006369626

I've bought from this guy on several occations

is that clutch good for B/t cars?

[boy412]

i just had the spec stage2 installed with a light weight steel flywheel and it is very nice. quite frankly the pedal stab is very light but the engagement point is still pretty high... you have to really baby it through the break-in period but after that it's grabs awesome.

Huh? My Spec RS4 Stg II clutch (240mm w/ light steel FW) has a REALLY low release point! So much so that most people stall it. There is a little chatter because of the lightened FW, but it doesn't bother me.

The clutch doesn't seem to like the cold weather much. Needs to warm up a bit first. I consider it very drivable, although definitely not as smooth as the OE clutch. That being said my wife handles it just fine. Just takes a little getting used to.

Post back and let us know how it played out!

[A4SoftWalker]

Huh? My Spec RS4 Stg II clutch (240mm w/ light steel FW) has a REALLY low release point! So much so that most people stall it. There is a little chatter because of the lightened FW, but it doesn't bother me.

The clutch doesn't seem to like the cold weather much. Needs to warm up a bit first. I consider it very drivable, although definitely not as smooth as the OE clutch. That being said my wife handles it just fine. Just takes a little getting used to.

Post back and let us know how it played out!

Funny, my Stage 3+ release point is pretty much stock I had it for 90k miles b4 upgrade and now I'm @ 102k miles. I went with the stock diameter not the 240mm upgrade though. Not sure if that makes a difference from a clutch engineering standpoint just puttin my experience out there.

[sean1.8t]

Whatever u end up getting, for peace of mind change out the fllg items:

1) Transmission seal - It is right there and any good mechanic should recommend it while they are in there. The seal will at some point leak as mentioned by others in this thread. Mine was leaking @approx 90k mi when I had my clutch replaced.

2) Clutch slave cylinder - this part is also relatively cheap @ about $70 when I changed mine and is also easily accessible with the tranny out of the car. I have a 550lb-ft clutch which I have no problem driving anywhere in any traffic and I attribute my smooth un-strained clutch action to changing this part (but then again I'm quite a bit healthier than most...)

3) Tranny/other mount(s) - With the tranny out of the car for the clutch job this part is very easy to change and I recommend it for the stability it adds to your shifting. Would also recommend the engine and snub mounts at this time too that is when I did mine. The only way to describe it is that ur car/ur foot/ur mind - feel as one.

4) JHM "Solid" linkage/stabilizer parts - No, not the short shifter but the other weak "links" in the shifting mechanism. Check out the website JHMotorsports

My Spec Stage 3+ clutch took me between 1500 and 2000 miles to break-in to the state it is today. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone but I would urge u to look at some of their other "lighter" offerings here SPECClutch. I had a girl last night that just crashed her long time Civic and now owns a 5-speed Jetta drive my car and compliment the clutch/shifting action. Thats saying something...

by transmission seal do you mean the rear main seal? the one on the block?

either way that one is crutial. it's only like $40 from purems.

also, i would look at your rear coolant flange located on the back of the head. it's usually problematic after ~80k and a bitch to get at from the top. but with the trans out and from the bottom it's right there. i got mine from the dealer for $18

[a2gtinut]

I have this but not installed yet.

[a2gtinut]

Sachs offers this one too but this is too much for me


with organic disk, set is rated at 420 Nm

[boy412]

Funny, my Stage 3+ release point is pretty much stock I had it for 90k miles b4 upgrade and now I'm @ 102k miles. I went with the stock diameter not the 240mm upgrade though. Not sure if that makes a difference from a clutch engineering standpoint just puttin my experience out there.

Yeah. My stock clutch release point was abnormally high...so maybe mine just feels low by comparison. At any rate I really like the clutch and I feel confident it can take anything I might throw at it in terms of torque and hp. At least anything that little 1.8 can produce!

[kpatz]

The stock clutch's release point is high, that's normal.

It's funny, I ordered the Sachs clutch today, should have it Wednesday. Then, driving home from work, on the highway I tried a few times to make it slip.... and it didn't. Held the torque even at WOT. Ok, can someone care to explain how a clutch that slipped 2 days ago isn't slipping now?

Maybe I was getting less power due to warmer temps (35F ambient vs. twenty-something the other day). Or maybe something got on the clutch disc that made it slip? How well protected are the clutch innards from melting ice drippage/splashage?

Or the experts here might have another theory... I'm almost hoping it slips again in order to justify my purchase. Oh well, even if it doesn't, someday I'll need the new clutch.

[mike-2ptzero]

The colder temps could have just been causing the clutch to slip since the surface area of the flywheel/pressure plate were colder.

[kpatz]

Still wasn't able to get it to slip this morning... but nonetheless, the appointment is made to install the new one on Monday. So I'll have to bum rides to work for a couple days next week...

[sean1.8t]

Still wasn't able to get it to slip this morning... but nonetheless, the appointment is made to install the new one on Monday. So I'll have to bum rides to work for a couple days next week...

that's an awesome opportunity!

time to beat the hell out of your car!

[Papachristou]

Mine also "healed" itself after driving easy on it for a week but like u I had already ordered the replacement

[A4SoftWalker]

Mine was off and on for about 6-7mths b4 I finally saved up the money to replace it. I did all of these:

1) dynoed the car the day b4
2) drove it uphill home, and
3) then 15 miles to the shop in the rain.

When the clutch was taken out I was metal-on-metal. Go figure...