Going to buy clutch kit and accessories, please give me final thoughts!

yellowstang1994 said:

Hi guys, I just got my credit card so I can go ahead and purchase a clutch kit and everything I might need to do while i'm under there. So I came up with a nice little game plan and a little list of stuff and where I'm going to get it. Can anyone give me any final thoughts on these products and/or the prices and where i'm getting them from? Just any general comments will help. I'm really new to clutches and I been trying to research it the best I can.

Here goes (I'll post prices just so if anyone knows a better deal)

SPEC Stage 1 Clutch Kit (Directly from SPEC) $199.00

Maximum Motorsports:
Pilot Bearing $15.95
Polyurethane Tranny Mount $29.95
MM Clutch Quadrant & Firewall Adjuster Kit $67.41

and....
Rear Main seal from local parts store $8.99

Total Cost: Around $325

I decided to go with the SPEC clutch because I really don't have the money for a Dual Centerforce and don't really have the application, my car is only lightly modded. Furthermore, I hear a few bad things about king cobra and the FRPP clutch. I decided from most comments that SPEC is a pretty well respected clutch and it fits my pricerange.

Any comments? Anything I shouldn't do that I am, or things I should do that I don't have on the list? I'm planning on using the stock cable on the car with the adjuster and quadrant, is that alright?

Thanks, Ted

Click to expand...

Ted, sounds good. i might suggest a teflon rear main seal (under 20 bucks from parts store, IIRC).

since you have been researching it, what are your thoughts on the stage one? i was gonna go that route, but ive heard not-so-great things about the disk, which is reportedly organic (chatters). thoughts?

you can reuse your stock cable, no problems (since you have a FWA).

as you know, be sure to have the flywheel resurfaced and check the ring gear.
SN's come with steel retainers, right? i think so, so you should be good there.

im tired, but that sounds good to me. have fun.

i too had always thought about getting the SPEC when the time comes, but it does not seem as though many folks run a stage 1. the stage two's are kevlar. i have never figured out if one can run a stage 2 in a stock-ish application (IIRC, when i checked awhile back, the PP's for atleast the stage 1 and 2's were the same. not sure about the stage 3's since the disk is now redesigned from what i gather).

organic disks are more prone to chatter (which is what the Stage one disk is, as i recall).

i have known a few folks who had good luck with the KC with a bit more than stock power. as with anything, it is hard to find a product that everyone universally likes. i bet one cant go too far wrong with any of the big name stuff - just personal preference.

well my post sure helped ya a lot. NOT. LOL. good luck.

HISSIN50 is right on. The Spec Stage 1 disc is organic, and it does chatter quite a bit. Well, at least mine did. I have the Stage 2 with the kevlar disc now, and it doesn't chatter at all. It is a great clutch and it is supposed to hold a ton of power. I haven't had any problems with the stage 2 at all.

The stage 1 was still a good clutch, but it just chattered too much. I used the T/O bearing that came with it so i'm not sure if that had anything to do with it. As far as using the Stage 2 on a stock application, that is not a problem at all. I have nothing more than bolt-ons, and the clutch is perfect. I think it is exactly how a mustang clutch should be.

You can't go wrong with either clutch. Check out jdsperformance.com they have cheaper prices and free shipping. I got my Stage 1 for $189 shipped, and the stage 2 was $289 shipped.

Mustang Mulch, hey thanks for the real world feedback.

though it is a bit more expensive, i think i would almost definately go with the Stage 2. i dont like organic material when used on friction surfaces. personal preference.

i forgot to suggest JD's - good call MM. one of the guys in the SN sub forum has a link for cheap Star clutches too, IIRC. Perky always knows what will work best and is said to have the hook ups too (here is his profile - he is a mod here:http://forums.stangnet.com/member.php?u=9084 ). he has a link in his profile to email him, as i recall.

The Centerforce in on par with the Spec III but not as grabby down low. Pricewise, they're about the same. The Spec II is cheaper than the both of them and from what I've read, should be a good choice for your setup.

Hey Hiss or Mike (or anyone else who knows).... Please explain these "shims" that are you're supposed to get and install with a flywheel that's been resurfaced. I saw reference to these things in another thread a while back but have never seen them. Where and how do they get installed etc...?

If you don't want to spend too much money, get the King Cobra. I have that on both of my foxes. My 89 has the Steeda clutch quadrant and firewall adjuster. It feels awesome. After using that setup on that car for over 2 years, I decided to duplicate it on my 91 coupe. You can get the clutch kit for $169 from D&D Performance. They do more in Mustang transmissions and transmission accessories than anyone.

1. From what I understand, you have to use the longer sn95 cable with the mm adjuster kit. Since you have an sn95, you may have the longer cable, but you've got the 5.0, so ask mm about that when you order to be sure your cable will work.

I have experience with the spec stage 1, centerforce dual friction, king cobra, and two frpp heavy duty clutches.

first off, you simply can't go wrong with the heavy duty or king cobra clutch. the heavy duty is too stiff for most people to depress, but the king cobra is nice. You won't have any chatter issues with it, and it's reliable as all hell. With your power output it will work well. It's a nice upgraded clutch. Where people run into problems is with higher horsepower. When people start running slicks and boost, then you start getting into trouble with the king cobra clutch, however, for mild bolt ons, you simply cannot go wrong with that clutch. One thing about the king cobra clutch is that it is rather boring. It'll grab and hold, but it will NOT hit hard, and is a little boring. However, you often do not want a hard hitting clutch, as that is what destroys transmissions.

I'll move onto spec before centerforce. The spec stage one simply put is garbage. Do a search on the corral too, that's where you'll see tons more feedback. the stage one IS organic, and they are absolutely famous for chattering issues. We had it, and it never went away. Most people will tell you it goes away after the break in period, and I believe this, however, there are a VERY large amount of people who have issues with it never going away, and I was one of those people. If I was to go spec at all, it would definately be the stage two. It's a kevlar clutch, as mentioned. I've heard some chattering complaints, but generally speaking, the stage two has minimal to no chattering problems. I've heard of tons of people using them on stock to mild cars, so it's streetable, just don't go with the stage three. there is one MAJOR problem with the spec clutches in general. These are VERY exciting, fun clutches, that hit with bone jarring, teeth shattering grab, it's just that. SPec clutches are absolutely famous for destroying t5 trannies. Not only that, but gforce and tremec outright tell you not to use a spec with their transmissions. The reason behind this is simple. In your drivetrain, you need a weak link. you want this weak link to be your clutch. Under the right circumstance, if something catastrophic happens, and something MUST break, if you've got a bullit proof spec clutch (which will NOT break, I gaurantee you) then the only thing left to break is really expensive drivetrain parts such as transmissions. Having a softer clutch that doesn't hit as hard, and slips a little more is desireable.

I simply love the centerforce dual friction clutch. I could not believe the pedal effort. Pedal effort was honestly lighter than stock, and I found myself comparing pedal effort to that of a honda. The centerforce grabs a million times better than the king cobra, and hits nice and hard when you want it to, but it's not so unforgiving as the spec clutch, and I'm aware of virtually no chattering issues with that clutch. Downside is the price of course.

hopefully I've helped enough to help you. I may have scared you away from the spec clutch. To be fare, I plan on running a stage two, but I don't mind if it breaks my t5, as I'm teaching myself to rebuild them, and have extra's laying around. (I had a spec pressure plate laying around, so I may as well order up a stage two disc for it)

Whew....

Well Put there v8only!

Well Put there v8only! Great Post!

Great job V-8. As often as people ask about clutches on this forum, you'd think that description would deserve a sticky. The best part is that I can't think of a single thing in that post that's disputable.

BTW... anybody know anything about those shims I'd asked about up there?

thanks guys!!

I've never installed shims with a resurfaced flywheel, i'm very curious about this too.

V8only,
I have been running the Dual Friction for 4 years and agree with you 100%. When I first installed the clutch, my car was mostly stock. I couldn't believe how stock-like the pedal effort was and how smoothly it engages. Now that I'm pushing 310f-lbs torque at the wheels, it still grabs as smooth as stock... Unless I dump the clutch and then nothing but GRAB! The clutch has never slipped with the pedal fully released.

As for the King Cobra... "All hell" must not be very reliable, because I had one on my then-stock engine for less than a year when it decided to fall apart on me while cruising down the highway. When I pulled the pressure plate off, the disk was in 5 pieces. I replaced it with the Centerforce and no problems since. Heck, the King Cobra doesn't even come with a warranty. I think there is a reason for that.

yellowstang1994, remember that your clutch will probably be with you for the next 5 years or so. Your Stang may be stock now, but hopefully that problem won't last too long. Let's say you get a supercharger for your birthday, do you want to replace your clutch to handle the HP? Spend the extra $100. In my opinion, wait until you can afford the Dual Friction.

shims: from what i gather, if one's flywheel is properly resurfaced (Blanchard grinder) and it has not been resurfaced 20 times, shims are not too necessary. i dont want to post incorrect info, but i think i recall Rick (Rick91GT) saying that he has never used shims. i could be wrong, but that is my recollection.

if in doubt, i might just pick up a new flywheel (when you consider the price vs a resurface.........) - not a bad deal.

sorry i dont know more. BTW, V8 nice info in your posts. as someone said, a great clutch to someone is a horrible clutch to another. nice when one person has gone through a few of them and can offer one perspective.

i had always oscillated between the KC and Spec - now im oscillating more than ever (between a Star stage 2 and KC). KC might be the way i go.

This thread was so good I had to bump it.

i just bought a king cobra and havent installed it yet, so i hope it works for me all right.

Bump again for a new asker.