Valeo clutch kit
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 296
Likes: 113
From: Norway, Hallingby
Valeo clutch kit
My 2003 C5 Z06 needs a new clutch at 110k miles. Main use is circuit racing, but the engine is only lightly tuned and the stock clutch has worked well - except that it has developed the "clutch pedal stuck to floor".
I've sourced a lightweight flywheel and now need an OEM spec clutch kit. Does anyone have experience with the Valeo clutch kit? Seems like very good value.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/402086732312
It looks like most aftermarket stage 2-> clutch kits are non self adjusting, as is this Valeo pressure plate. Fewer parts that can fail...
I've sourced a lightweight flywheel and now need an OEM spec clutch kit. Does anyone have experience with the Valeo clutch kit? Seems like very good value.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/402086732312
It looks like most aftermarket stage 2-> clutch kits are non self adjusting, as is this Valeo pressure plate. Fewer parts that can fail...
Last edited by hmhaga; Mar 19, 2023 at 12:25 PM.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 296
Likes: 113
From: Norway, Hallingby
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: Akron Ohio
2025 Corvette of the Year Finalist - Modified
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St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11
The LS7 is a stupid replacement for anyone concerned about weight. Especially at a stock power level. You dont need any additional holding power.
I used a Fidanza aluminum flywheel and stock Luk clutch and pressure plate when I needed a clutch last year. It shaved 14lbs ish off the rotating assembly and still drives similar to stock on the street. I have headers and a tune making 394hp to the tire and it hold up just fine to road course use.
I used a Fidanza aluminum flywheel and stock Luk clutch and pressure plate when I needed a clutch last year. It shaved 14lbs ish off the rotating assembly and still drives similar to stock on the street. I have headers and a tune making 394hp to the tire and it hold up just fine to road course use.
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2023
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The LS7 is a stupid replacement for anyone concerned about weight. Especially at a stock power level. You dont need any additional holding power.
I used a Fidanza aluminum flywheel and stock Luk clutch and pressure plate when I needed a clutch last year. It shaved 14lbs ish off the rotating assembly and still drives similar to stock on the street. I have headers and a tune making 394hp to the tire and it hold up just fine to road course use.
I used a Fidanza aluminum flywheel and stock Luk clutch and pressure plate when I needed a clutch last year. It shaved 14lbs ish off the rotating assembly and still drives similar to stock on the street. I have headers and a tune making 394hp to the tire and it hold up just fine to road course use.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 9,682
Likes: 3,434
From: Akron Ohio
2025 Corvette of the Year Finalist - Modified
2024 C5 of the Year Winner - Modified
2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2022 C5 of the Year Finalist - Modified
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11
For those of us who track the cars, 14lbs is HUGE. It transformed how the car revs and accelerates. If I didnt street drive it I would have taken another 20lbs out and gone with a small Quartermaster or something.
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2023
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i don’t know I see most drivers at the track eating breakfast burritos so the few pounds don’t matter. 😂 Nevertheless, just a blanket statement that an ls7 clutch is “stupid” is is a misconception especially with lightweight flywheels they sell. Not a speed shop in the country would recommend a Fandango clutch.
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Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2017
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From: Orlando Florida
It’s not the 14 lbs. the car loses, it’s the 14 lbs. less mass the engine has to spin. Quicker throttle response — both up and down. Increased need for accurate friction zone transition. My next clutch will have a light flywheel, and I don’t really race.
Intermediate
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Drifting
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,959
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From: Avon Lake OH
The LS7 is a stupid replacement for anyone concerned about weight. Especially at a stock power level. You dont need any additional holding power.
I used a Fidanza aluminum flywheel and stock Luk clutch and pressure plate when I needed a clutch last year. It shaved 14lbs ish off the rotating assembly and still drives similar to stock on the street. I have headers and a tune making 394hp to the tire and it hold up just fine to road course use.
I used a Fidanza aluminum flywheel and stock Luk clutch and pressure plate when I needed a clutch last year. It shaved 14lbs ish off the rotating assembly and still drives similar to stock on the street. I have headers and a tune making 394hp to the tire and it hold up just fine to road course use.
As a point of reference, the stock factory LS1 and LS6 clutch & flywheel assemblies weighs about 51-53 lbs, while the stock factory LS2/3/7 clutch & flywheel assembly is about 58-59 lbs. If you were to swap in the RAM aluminum flywheel with the factory LS2/3/7 clutch, than that would drop the combo back down to around 52 lbs. With an even lighter Fidanza aluminum flywheel, the combo would drop down into the 46-47 lbs range.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 296
Likes: 113
From: Norway, Hallingby
I used a Fidanza aluminum flywheel and stock Luk clutch and pressure plate when I needed a clutch last year. It shaved 14lbs ish off the rotating assembly and still drives similar to stock on the street. I have headers and a tune making 394hp to the tire and it hold up just fine to road course use.
Last edited by hmhaga; Mar 21, 2023 at 07:14 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: Akron Ohio
2025 Corvette of the Year Finalist - Modified
2024 C5 of the Year Winner - Modified
2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2022 C5 of the Year Finalist - Modified
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11
Which is still very nominal. If your track car comes down to the weight of your flywheel, that’s splitting hairs. Most guys at track days weigh 235 and have sound systems in their trunk. 😂 Fast reviving motor or not, it really doesn’t matter at the end of the day. That aside, my original point was I’d rather have an ls7 clutch with a lightweight flywheel than a fandago clutch.
My statement of the LS7 being a stupid replacement is still accurate for those concerned about weight.
However, your statement about staying away from aftermarket clutches is no less of a misconception. Spec, ACT, RAM, Tilton, Quartermaster, etc. all have proven results. Not all aftermarket clutches are junk, but I would agree with you to stay away from some off brands.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 296
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From: Norway, Hallingby
Reducing the weight of the car is really not the key thing with a lightweight aluminum flywheel.
Originally Posted by http://www.motortrend.com/how-to/imp...act-or-fiction
Lightened flywheels reduce the amount of energy produced by an engine that's spent in moving its components (parasitic loss). Since flywheels are solid, unsprung components of a vehicle's driveline, a lightweight flywheel will decrease parasitic loss at a constant rate, improving a vehicle's horsepower and torque output (measured after the flywheel) throughout it's entire rev range.
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,959
Likes: 690
From: Avon Lake OH
I think you are really missing the point here, but thats ok.
My statement of the LS7 being a stupid replacement is still accurate for those concerned about weight.
However, your statement about staying away from aftermarket clutches is no less of a misconception. Spec, ACT, RAM, Tilton, Quartermaster, etc. all have proven results. Not all aftermarket clutches are junk, but I would agree with you to stay away from some off brands.
My statement of the LS7 being a stupid replacement is still accurate for those concerned about weight.
However, your statement about staying away from aftermarket clutches is no less of a misconception. Spec, ACT, RAM, Tilton, Quartermaster, etc. all have proven results. Not all aftermarket clutches are junk, but I would agree with you to stay away from some off brands.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,722
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From: Florida
St. Jude Donor '09
I went down the "replacing the clutch due to the clutch pedal stuck to the floor" rabbit hole with my first C5. Once I removed the drive line, I discovered that the pressure plate, clutch disk, and flywheel were in excellent condition and did not need replacing. Since I had already purchased the parts (LUK LS1/6 replacement clutch kit, new slave and release bearing) I replaced them anyways. Knowing now what I did not know then, I should have bled the clutch's hydraulic system from the slave cylinder before embarking on replacing the clutch assembly. My current C5, a 2002 Z06 with 82K miles, exhibited the same symptoms when I purchased it. I bled the hydraulics from the slave cylinder and the clutch pedal has not been a problem for the past year.