King cobra clutch 2 much 4 original trans?

87PonyBoyGT · Feb 10, 2004

I have a stock gt and and plan on replacing the clutch. I was talking it over with a buddy of mine on getting a king cobra and he said that it would be too much for my trans. His is turbocharged and says he has an oem clutch and it holds good. I plan on putting a few bolt on performance parts like an exhaust and gears just to start off. So my question is should I just get an oem clutch like he says to save my trans or get the king cobra anyway

stangbear427 · Feb 10, 2004

It isn't too much. What's his reasoning behind that? For the same amount of money, however, you could get a far better clutch in a SPEC stage I. Just my $.02

87PonyBoyGT · Feb 10, 2004

stangbear427 said:
It isn't too much. What's his reasoning behind that? For the same amount of money, however, you could get a far better clutch in a SPEC stage I. Just my $.02

he explained it to me but it wasnt to clear but his main point was that something would eventually give up because having a strong clutch and an original trans(130,000 miles) is not equally matched. ill ask him again. thanks for the info ill look into a spec stage 1

stangbear427 · Feb 10, 2004

Put it this way- a stock T5 isn't properly matched to a stock 5.0 V8 either. The T5 just plain isn't a great transmission. If you drive it hard with any clutch, the tranny is eventually going to give up. You are less likely to have it happen with a stronger clutch, because a heavy-duty clutch will last longer and still grab better when it starts getting thin. When the stock clutch starts getting thin, it starts slipping. When it slips it's less likely to change gears smoothly and it reeks havoc on your synchros, not to mention your pressure plate and flywheel. A good clutch, strong billet shifter, and finesse are what you need for it to hold up over time, especially once you start upping the horsepower.

92BlackGT · Feb 10, 2004

your clutch won't have anything to do with hurting your tranny unless you dont know how to drive a 5 speed and pop the clutch all the time and jerk the car around.
The engine is what puts out power, the clutch lets you transfer the power to the tranny when you want it to. Any clutch will work...you just have to worry about not putting too much power to the tranny with the mods you will be doing.

voodoo · Feb 10, 2004

I have put a King Cobra in a ProCharged 93 and a mostly stock 94 GT and it worked great in both. The 94 is my current stang and it has around 145,000 on the odometer and I have never had a problem.

90mustangGT · Feb 11, 2004

The thing about T-5's is that some snap the first time someone gives it a hard shift, and others take a licking and keep on ticking. I used to powershift the crap out of mine all the time, and other things that are suposed to kill it, but it has held up. It is the stock borg-warner T5, some earlier models I have heard arn't as good, I guess I am lucky.

I guess a clutch not slipping would put more stress on the tranny, especailly with traction. However, the clutch blowing out the tranny, I doubt it.

fordman54935 · Feb 11, 2004

stangbear427 said:
Put it this way- a stock T5 isn't properly matched to a stock 5.0 V8 either. The T5 just plain isn't a great transmission. If you drive it hard with any clutch, the tranny is eventually going to give up. You are less likely to have it happen with a stronger clutch, because a heavy-duty clutch will last longer and still grab better when it starts getting thin. When the stock clutch starts getting thin, it starts slipping. When it slips it's less likely to change gears smoothly and it reeks havoc on your synchros, not to mention your pressure plate and flywheel. A good clutch, strong billet shifter, and finesse are what you need for it to hold up over time, especially once you start upping the horsepower.

Couldn't have said it better myself. The King Cobra clutch will do fine and is a good upgrade when replacing the original. Go for it. Also as said before, a good aftermarket shifter will go a long ways toward keeping your tranny in good shape. Good Luck!

MrKwik · Feb 11, 2004

One thing I will throw in here is that if you dont have a need for a monster clutch then you might be happier with a stock one. You wont hurt anything but a stronger clutch has a stiffer pedal. That can be a pain in stop and go traffic in a daily driver. Just my .02

autoXr1 · Feb 11, 2004

I will have to agree with some of the posts above. It's not the equipment so much as how it's used. The "King Cobra" does have a stiffer pedal feel than stock, but stiff pedal feel doesn't necessarily make it a better clutch or any harder on the tranny as it is just the overall design of the clutch. A Spec 1 clutch, or my favorite, the ZOOM Kevlar have a relatively soft, stock-like feel to them, but hold up to quite a bit of abuse.

Remember, sometimes clutch failure will prevent tranny, U-joint, and/or axle failure. The clutch, sometimes, acts as a "pop-off" to prevent driveline damage, so keep that in mind when shopping around. Sometimes people get the mindset that they have to have this "killer" clutch, however, when combined with slicks and hard, high RPM launches it often results in driveline failure. Perhaps this is what your friend was eluding to as a "mismatched" combo. That said, a clutch that grabs very hard can live a very long life without driveline failure IF you aren't abusing the car and you know how to shift smoothly. Like I said, it's not the equipment so much as how it's used.

Just me...

IndyBlk5.0 · Feb 11, 2004

I dont see why there would be any problem going with either king cobra or spec stage 1 on stock tranny... I have a buddy that ran a king cobra on a stock borg warner tranny and had no problems. I would personally recommend the spec stage 1.... Best clutch for the money!

iv2jm · Feb 11, 2004

I agree with kwik and autox...

Sounds like this is your daily driver, T5s dont like impact loading ie clutch dropping and powershifting, but then again not many trannys do. unless youre gonna be racing it much, make the clutch the "fuse" in your driveline, not the tranny...king cobra would be fine, little stiffer pedal, a bit grippier, but still completely driveable and smooth.

Good luck

stangbear427 · Feb 12, 2004

And I agree with IndyBlk5.0...

(not that I don't agree with anyone else)

Black331Stang · Feb 12, 2004

i didnt read the full thread caus ei dont have time but i will say...

its not TOO much but it is TOO much of a POS. also u can never tell what "king Cobra" your getting. like 3 companies make them. the pedal is so damn hard its rediculous...might be a freak thing but 2 friends had one with a bolt on car and T5 and teh thing was soo annoying. i say SPEC stage I. just my $.02.

stangbear427 · Feb 12, 2004

And I agree with Black331Stang too... wholeheartedly on all points

King cobra clutch 2 much 4 original trans?

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