Need new clutch for 2000 GT

[jayrw]

I have a stock 2000 GT in need of a new clutch, I was wondering if a Centerforce Dual Friction clutch would be a good choice, I just want something that will last! My current clutch is the original stock clutch and the car has 64K miles. Any ideas appreciated.

 

[Killa]

king cobra is best choice

 

[jayrw]

No other suggestions?

 

[rabidscoobie]

king cobra is best choice

That depends,my 01 gt couldnt use a King Cobra,bought one and it wouldnt fit,Cobra is an 11" and the t45 in mine was a 10.5" or maybe its the other way around...cant remember.I bought a Ram clutch for it from late model resto for $209 for the kit and really liked it.

 

[EPIK]

I just installed the centerforce dual friction in my Mach & its awesome. the pedal effort is like stock, but they hold alot more power. i was skeptical on them, but my buddy has a blown 88 Fox LX running 10.64 @ 135 & he's running the centerforce DF on it. If its good enough for his 500+ hp car, its gotta be good enough for my 315hp Mach...I have a king cobra in my 95 & honestly, I dont like it. It holds well, but its too stiff for a DD... I will let you know how the centerforce really feels after it breaks in, but so far I love it...

Centerforce FTW!!!

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

I installed 3 Center Force Dual Frictions in:

95GT Procharged, HCI...great clutch

91 Notch 5.0L, stock...great clutch

96 Cobra 414RWHP...great clutch

 

[bhuff30]

Why not go with a stock or stock replacement clutch? At stock power levels, a centerforce will only make your wallet lighter. A stock or stock replacement clutch should last as long or longer than anything else too. The stock clutch on my 97GT had 90k miles when it was replaced, and it still had life. Now, I've got 60k miles on the replacement and I have NOT been nice to it (at least 25 passes at the drag strip, launching at 3500 and power shifting everytime... not to mention the fun on the street. The centerforce will clamp harder to allow it to transfer more power, but that's of no use when your car is stock.

 

[twogts4us]

I have a king cobra in my 95 & honestly, I dont like it. It holds well, but its too stiff for a DD...

Dittos man - we put a KC in my wife's 01 and it was horrible. Even I couldn't deal with it as a DD. We replaced that with a stock clutch about a year later and what a relief that was...

Why not go with a stock or stock replacement clutch? At stock power levels, a centerforce will only make your wallet lighter. A stock or stock replacement clutch should last as long or longer than anything else too.

AGREED!

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

Why not go with a stock or stock replacement clutch? At stock power levels, a centerforce will only make your wallet lighter. A stock or stock replacement clutch should last as long or longer than anything else too. The stock clutch on my 97GT had 90k miles when it was replaced, and it still had life. Now, I've got 60k miles on the replacement and I have NOT been nice to it (at least 25 passes at the drag strip, launching at 3500 and power shifting everytime... not to mention the fun on the street. The centerforce will clamp harder to allow it to transfer more power, but that's of no use when your car is stock.

I agree 100%. I only spent the extra money incase I modded my cars.

My 95GT Procharged H/C/I smoked the stock clutch, so I upgraded.

My 91 notch is mostly stock and I think it's staying that way, but who knows.

My 96 Cobra I ended up supercharging so I'm glad I upgraded.

 

[twogts4us]

Yeah, if you have plans to upgrade (beyond your basic bolt ons) this would be a good opportunity to upgrade. A clutch install, at least for me, is something I cannot do myself, and labor aint cheap, so I wouldn't want to do it again anytime soon if I could avoid it

 

[Killa]

That depends,my 01 gt couldnt use a King Cobra,bought one and it wouldnt fit,Cobra is an 11" and the t45 in mine was a 10.5" or maybe its the other way around...cant remember.I bought a Ram clutch for it from late model resto for $209 for the kit and really liked it.

americanmuscle for $179

 

[rabidscoobie]

americanmuscle for $179

s a fidanza clutch for 179,they dont even list the one i bought....My kit didnt come with a TOB either,I bought a ford racing one from late model,so mine was disk,plate and pilot for $209.

 

[lover]

Yeah, that KC is a good clutch if you went to the gym and didn't do legs. It can take the place of lunges and squats. But you're going to have a Popeye left leg.

Stock is good for at least up to 300hp. After that, then I would upgrade to CDF or a Spec(number depends on how much power you're going to make). But better to change the clutch once, instead of doing it twice.

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

I ordered a 10.5 FMS clutch from american muscle. Great clutch but when I got my car apart, somebody upgraded the 10.5 clutch and flywheel to an 11". I was pist off royally. I had a 2001 GT motor and trans, T45, I had the production date off the car, and I even called the dealer. I sent it back. 209.99, free shipping. They refunded me like 175 (20% restocking fee), it cost me 20 to ship it back and 2 days till I got an 11" clutch from a local store for 50 dollars more.

So for the record, I lost 55 dollars all because some a--hole along they way upgraded the clutch in my car!!! Of course I could have took it apart and then ordered the parts, but I can't have my car on the hoist at work for more than 2 consecutive days.

 

[flstang65]

centerforce df are like buttah! i had one on my 95 f150 that i lifted and i had that clutch on the stock 5 speed and the truck was turning 38x15.50's with lockers both front and rear and 4.88 gears. nearly stock pedal feel and superior performance. one is going on my mustang when its time.

 

[twogts4us]

Yeah, I'd opt for the Centerforce Dual Friction if it fits within your budget. As we've said, it's not something that you want to do again any time soon, so get it right the first time. The Centerforce DF is not a cheap unit however...

 

[Killa]

Yeah, I'd opt for the Centerforce Dual Friction if it fits within your budget. As we've said, it's not something that you want to do again any time soon, so get it right the first time. The Centerforce DF is not a cheap unit however...

where do they have good deal on it ?

 

[ADRENLN]

i was going to go with centerforce dfx, i hear the centerforce are great clutches so i would recommend them just based on the many threads i read over the years and everyone liking the centerforce clutches. however, when i was building mine the dfx was backordered so i went with a spec 3 clutch.

i was a little weary of this clutch but so far its great. i only put about 180 miles on it but it was a nice pedal feel for a stage three. i dont know about the grabbing abilities since iv have been breaking it in easy. but there is not a sound comming from it.....not a chatter at all at any time. to me that is the best thing about it. that might have to do with install though. anyway, it is working great for me so far.

 

[blacksheep-1]

While you're in the bellhousing, and especially if you're planning some more mods in the future (especially gears) this would be the time to do some research on an aluminum flywheel. I'm currently using the KC clutch and a Fidanza aluminum wheel in my 99. (it has a KB blower). The blower sort of overides all other mods, but back when it was normally aspirated, the flywheel and a 3.55- 3.90 gear set really made a big difference in acceleration.
Just something to think about.
BTW, the KC clutch doesn't seem like such a big deal to me, but I was hot rodding cars in the 70's when those clutches were much stiffer than todays stuff.

 

[tonytaylor85]

+1 on the aluminum flywheel. I have an 03 cobra aluminum flywheel on my 00 GT and a spec stage 2 clutch. An added bonus for the flywheel upgrade is that you can get a 11" clutch instead of a 10.5". Important note- the pressure plate bolts are different between the two, so get a proper set before hand.

In the book "Chassis Engineering" by Herb Adams, he has a piece on reducing rotating inertia. In his example, 15 lbs off of the flywheel had the same effect as adding 32 hp to the engine, or removing 225 lbs from elsewhere in the car.

I've found my Spec Stage 2 to be perfectly acceptable as a daily driver. I have ~20k miles on it. The fingers on the pressure plate are not all perfectly flat, so the clutch fork will vibrate and rattle and squeak if it isn't adjusted to the right height. That is a pain, but I'm told it is a common problem, and now that I've diagnosed it, maybe it won't be so annoying.

I roasted the 10.5" Stage 1 that I tried first within 5k miles, for the record. If I had the coin, I would love to get their lightweight pressure plate option. I'm told that spec's clutch stages differ only in their disc material. The stage 2's friction material is kevlar and segmented on the solid disc and probably a few ounces lighter where it counts, making life a little bit easier on your synchronizers and possibly speeding up your shifts.