Been reviewing new clutches for the past week and although I've read both good and bad on most every clutch offered for C5 replacement, I think a good (honest) poll could help channel those who may be in the market.

The poll will include the consistent names I've come across on the forum. If you've replaced your stock clutch with any of the following, how pleased are you with your purchase? Good, Bad, Indifferent. Please include sub-series you ordered. For example, if you ordered a Monster clutch, please specify Stage 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. in your thread response. The more details you post, the better it may assist others make a more informed decision.

EDITED: When referring to your aftermarket clutch, it could help if you elaborated on the style of driving that you do, what the selected clutch was intended to be used for (daily driver, track), and how well the clutch has held up given your style of driving (did it meet/exceed your expectations or not), and why you selected that clutch. How was customer service before, during, after the purchase?

In alphabetical order:

Katech LS9R/LS9X
Mantic ER2/9000 Series
McCleod RST/RXT
Monster
Other
RPS
Textralia OZ700

 

I started the poll with RPS.

The last clutch I had installed was the RPS Stage 3+ Dual Friction clutch from Carolina Clutch. The flywheel I chose was the aluminum flywheel. At idle, you could hear some chatter, but with longtubes and Bullet exhaust, it was mostly drowned out.

The clutch pedal effort was stiff, but not so overwhelming. Something I got used to very easily.

The clamping load was solid. The pressure plate was 2900 lbs.

The Slave Cylinder that came with the system was factory OEM.

Unfortunately, Carolina Clutch no longer makes this clutch system.

 

Textralia OZ700 with X-Grip disc. No problems.

 

monster stage 1 with an 18lb flywheel. haven't had a chance to install yet but by the looks of things it will drive like stock with a bit stiffer pedal and better clamping force/engagement

 

LS7 with upgraded hydraulics..

 

You'll love it! I have the 18lbs flywheel and the stage 2 Monster and it's been great for 15,000 miles so far. I have the Tick Master so my pedals a tad stiffer than most but with factory hydraulics it should feel more like factory. The 18lbs flywheel makes for a little quicker revs. Did you order a speed bleeder with it too?

 

LS7 with Tilton master

 

i did. the 18" extension will make fluid bleeds something you can actually do rather than trying to ranger the old fluid out

 

Never heard of this master, any more information?

 

Mcleod RXT W/ Billet Steel Flywheel

 

I'm having trouble understanding this thread......first of all RPS is still in business and Carolina clutch never made them, they just sold them. Secondly you're comparing $3,000 clutches to $700 clutches and lastly.....there's more to picking a clutch then the flavor of the week or whatevers on sale. Each one has a specific use and function.

IMO, try to be more objective towards your*clutch*shopping. Who cares what fancy name its called and who makes it. Look at the design of it and material used.....that is what matters. Talk to the*clutch*manufatures about your specific setup and what your intentions and expectaions are with your car.......dont be affraid to ask the hard questions and put them on the spot, its your money....spend it wisely.
Learn about coeffeinct of friction materials (how these relate to needed pressure), multi discs design (floaters and different C/F designs), strap design (flat vs rolled towards the center), pressure plate ratings (with different C/F), the center of mass design in relation to the overall weight......and more importantly.....learn how all of these work together.Then comes your cars specific setup.....suspension tunability ?? tire choice ?? shifting rpm ?? race weight of your car ??

Then comes the dreaded flywheel debate...alum vs steel. Matching your launch rpm with your current power curve for the best 60' results and the inertia required to achieve that. Just remember, your engine has an "almost" unlimited suppy of kinetic energy just waiting to be turned into a moment of inertia. And the energy of the moment is directy related to the density of the object its being transfer to. But also....the kinetic "ability" is directy related to rpm........thus, comes the whole alum vs steel decision. And remember, the moment discusion changes once the car is in motion.
Good luck with your choice.......look at some of the fast lists and record holders to see what really works at the track (if that is your main concern). There are some very tried and trued combos out there......be wary of the "flavor of the month" clutches.*

Thanks.......

.

 

Sounds like LSoholic has given some productive thought about clutch selection.

I have low skills in this area, and was influenced that McCloud had an old time clutch guy design their line. No unproven ideas , just solid working designs. Plus they are easy to contact via phone and knew the application. Can also be rebuilt and is a California product, another plus for me, as I live a couple of hours away if things ever get tough. Money was also a major buying decision. Use concerns were slight, stock street only.

I was primarily seeking a lighter pedal effort, but at my experience level I needed to stay conservative with my buying decisions, so choose from long established solutions to limit risk.

I selected a new steel flywheel and used GM for the other parts. My garage limited their warranty because of non Gm parts. They don't seem to mind Chinese wheels bearings though, I saw a nice stack coming in. Was a little bummed, I favor name brand bearings of American origin, but times change, and I might also , one of these days.

 

Wow. Thank you for your detailed response. Honestly, I never took most of what you are saying into consideration. I only supplied enough information for what would get the job done. "A little over 500 rwtq and 495 rwhp. Mostly spirited street with occasional track." Again, I did not know Carolina Clutch was the distributor, not the source. Now that you pointed that out, I will make contact direct with RPS as I am completely satisfied with the set up I currently have. Zero issues for just over 6 years. That's plenty of mileage on a proven system that worked without flaw (for me).

Thanks again for sharing this information. And yes, you are correct in that I have some clutches compared to others without considering the price point. For me, I was simply looking for long-term reliability as some stories I've read show clutch issues after a few hundred or a few thousand miles. rarely did I come across consistent stories of high mileage clutches with daily street use vs often track abuse.

Thank you again, great information!!!

 

part mentioned about friction co efficient is a big one. i think more people over clutch their cars than the reverse.

monster is a good example. all kinds of stage 2s get sold on cars that make under 450lb torque which the stage 1 is very capable of handling

the more aggressive you get with the friction the worse the car is to drive in traffic.

 

These clutch threads are hard to bring solid info into. The clutch subject can be a very "subjective" discussion. What one guys likes, another guy will think drives like ****...etc..etc. If you have a solid grasp on "what" your looking for then I think it will narrow down your search. Here are some decent articles about the "whole" clutch ideology.

Some pressure plate info.........
http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArticl...et-a-grip.aspx

Some friction plate material info.......
http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArticl...-material.aspx

Disc construction info.............
http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArticl...struction.aspx

Flywheel inertia info........
https://www.highpowermedia.com/artic...ign=newsletter

More disc material info.........
http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/clutch/

Ram's Pat Norica answers some questions..........
http://www.ramclutches.com/Clutch%20U/cl_u_3.htm


A lot of this info ties directly to your specific car and combo. And IMO, almost any performance clutch can get you close to your personal best et goals with your combo. Its seat time and a level of comfortability with your car that will ultimately be the deciding factor.
What I'm trying to say is..........once you get a solid feel for your car, power curve and bang'in the gears.........then put your "high" dollar clutch to the test and extract those last couple tenths out of the combo. But seat time and knowing your combo are the ultimate keys to a successful manual car !!


Of money is not a concern and you want one of the best designs in an performance minded diaphragm clutch then these are the top two IMO.

Rps clutches........
http://www.turboclutch.com/

Ace clutches........
http://ace-mfg.com/


Thanks......

 

That's alot of information. I have a RPS, because that's what LG would trade me straight across, for some ricer clutch I could no longer use. (Exedy IIRC) They sent me the twin carbon with 18lb steel FW. Holds like a mother, but is very twitchy. Might be the Tick MC I installed at the same time.

 

Mantic 9000 twin

Drives like stock, takes a beating. Love it!

 

exedy is a ricer clutch?

mm kay

 

most these links don't work.

 

The only reason I purchased the Monster Stage 2 is because it was only $50 more than the Stage 1 and after talking to a few owners and the company I was told their wouldn't be a difference in feeling really between the two, and I plan on growing too come around next year sometime. Now people who put those puck style Stage 3's in their bolt on cars they daily drive That's crazy!!