Need a new clutch?

[JonCarson]

It seems that there are a few of you out there that have mentioned slipping clutches.

If you have specific questions about different aftermarket brands or getting the best install deals, ask them here.

[JonCarson]

"mzf" asked how much it would cost to have new clutch installed, including flywheel resurfacing.

I'm going to say around $280. This does not include the price of the clutch itself, throw out bearing, or any other parts.

I just had a Centerforce Dual Friction installed by McKinney MotorSports in Santee, CA.

I bought the clutch from Courtesy Nissan in Texas for $250 plus $25 for the throw out bearing. I forgot how much S&H cost. That's supposed to be a discounted price for 240sx.org members.
There are also Z clubs and SE-R clubs all over the US that have special deals set up with Courtesy Nissan.

[RPS13]

About two years back, a friend of mine that works at Pro Motion in CA help me design a clutch. It was a 6 or 9 puck(I took it out of the car about a year ago so I don't remember the exact number) ceramic with dual diaphram(sp?). With that baby in the car, I was able to chirp in the first 4 gears. That was pretty fun, but I bet my driveline took a beating. I never had the chance to try it in 5th gear. Unfortunately, it wasn't very streetable. It was also difficult to engage and disengage the clutch when trying to park in a small space or move the car in traffic. The clutch would always try to engage fully. The car would shake like it's about to stall. Pedal was also extremely stiff. So stiff that it broke the welds off the bracket that held clutch pedal to the firewall. That's how I learned to drive manual without using the clutch to shift. My poor tranny. http://forums.freshalloy.com/forum/images/icons/frown.gif They way it grabbed also contribute to more wheel hop on the drag strip. Well, about a year later it began to slip. Guess it wasn't made to last. So I dumped it for a Clutch Masters stage 3 clutch. Nothing too special about it. Single diaphram, full face. Pedal stiffness was only a tad harder than stock with the Clutch Masters. Unfortunately, I could only chirp in 1st and 2nd now. Less wheel hop on the strip, but times didn't improve and I got the same times as the old clutch. That's what I currently have in my car. The 6/9 puck clutch cost me $275 and $150 for install. The Clutch Masters cost me $450 and I forgot how much I paid for install. Think it was roughly the same price. They resurface the flywheel for free when you buy the clutch from Clutch Masters. That first clutch I bought was strictly for drag racing. Driveline will probaly get hurt with it. Sometimes it's difficult for me to get into first gear and I occassionally grind 3rd, even though I have the clutch all the way in. I shouldn't have bought the Clutch Master though. In my opinion, it's not worth the money. But at the time, I needed a clutch ASAP and they had one in stock. It seems like ACT is recommend by quite a few people. I'll probaly go with that if I need a new clutch. Both of my previous purchases included a new OEM throw-out bearing.

[mzf]

I'm not really sure if my clutch is slipping. I'm sure it is a bit but without actually opening it up and looking I'm wondering if there's any way I can tell. Any tell-tale signs that it's about time to replace it. I don't get any funny sounds from it, no problems changing gears, just a sort of loss-of-power kind of feeling. A friend of mine has a 97 Eagle Talon TSI AWD (canadian Mitsu Eclipse) running 21PSI of boost and he just recently replaced his stock clutch with a Centerforce Dual Friction one, and having now driven his car both before and after, it seems to me that there's a definite something missing on mine (besides the 150+ HP difference between his and mine) http://forums.freshalloy.com/forum/images/icons/smile.gif So I guess what I want to know is what the differences are between Centerforce and ACT, because I've heard goods things about both. Also, what kind of performance gains will I see with a new clutch? My car is a daily driver so I never do the 1/4 mile thing. Just lots of street races and stuff like that. So ya... that's about it I think. Thanks http://forums.freshalloy.com/forum/images/icons/smile.gif

(it was clearer the first time I typed this post but I clicked Clear Fields by mistake so this'll have to do) http://forums.freshalloy.com/forum/images/icons/frown.gif

[mzf]

Oh ya... and I can squeal the tires on my stock '92 all the way to the redline in first and chirp in second. That's with absolutely no wheel-hop. I don't get any hopping until it's a bit wet out. Then it's nasty.

[RPS13]

I forgot to mention that the wheel hop only occurs on the drag strip. Probaly because the surface there is covered in VHT and more sticky than normal asphalt.