need help choosing a clutch/flywheel set up

[coilover944]

Hey guys, im in the process of building my motor, k27/ big 6, cat bypass, rouge tune, ect but now I am looking at the clutch. I am expecting to make between 350-380 lbtq so what clutch/pressure plate should I get. I almost bought a spec stage 2 but I have heard mixed things. I also just placed an order for a spec allmn flywheel and am having second thoughts. HELP haha any one with first hand experience. BTW the car is mainly a street car with a couple of track events a year.

[Techno Duck]

Sent you a PM about a clutch setup i have for sale.

[nize]

check this for the secret 930 clutch solution;
Porsche 951 (944 turbo) reference list

[333pg333]

Also consider Southbend clutches etc...There's a lot of impressed users of these out there. These guys are good. I'm running a similar tq figure and have one of their setups. Stock feeling. No slip-no chatter.

[tkddave951]

I have a KEP stage 1 pressure plate with a brand new 0 miles, relined 930 clutch disc for sale if interested.

[Tom M'Guinn]

I've run a factory clutch, spec, southbend and KEP/Cup on my car so have some first hand impressions. You don't say wether the 350-380 is at the flywheel or at the wheels. If at the flywheel, you'd be fine with a factory clutch. If at the wheels, you'll most likely be just beyond the factory clutch's ability to hold. So, if you go aftermarket...

SPEC: overall a terrible clutch in my car. It would chatter violently on start off and downshifts and just made for a bad driving experience overall. You could lessen some of the problems with careful rev-matching on downshifts and rev/slips from stop lights, but even that would just make it go from horrible to pretty darn bad. It did hold big power, however. I ran it up to 500 RW torque and it held it all without slipping.

Southbend: The southbend is a great clutch -- perfect for the track or someone who wants "near" factory-like engagement with a light clutch pedal. In my car, it did have a little shudder when starting from a light (which could be eliminated by slipping it from 1200+ rpms) so it wasn't a perfectly smooth factory-like engagement in start and go traffic. Downshifts are factory smooth with or without rev-matching. Pedal pressure very close to stock -- you wouldn't notice the difference unless you compared side-by-side with a factory clutch. I ran my Southbend up to about 400 RW torque and it never slipped.

KEP1/Cup Disk: This clutch engages exactly like a factory clutch -- smooth in all situations, not grabby, no shudder or chatter. The pedal pressure is noticeably higher than a factory clutch, since all the extra holding power comes from the stiffer KEP pressure plate springs. However, I quickly got used to the pressure and have no problems with it even in stop and go traffic. For reference, although the pedal is noticeably stiffer than a factory 951, it is still less stiff than the factory clutch in the '85 911 Carerra I used to own. I've run this clutch up to about 400 RW torque and it has yet to slip, though I suspect the Southbend ultimately has more holding power. In fact, the Spec disk with the KEP pressure plate would make for a reasonably smooth clutch that would hold upwards of 600 RW torque by my estimation...

To me the choice comes down to personal preference. If you like a light pedal and don't mind the possibility of very light shudder, then go with the southbend. If you want a true factory engagement feel, and don't mind some extra stiffness in the pedal, go with the KEP pressure plate and a Cup disk.

[coilover944]

well thanks for all the info but I got a good deal on the spec set up and went with it. I hope Im not ****ed bc once the motor goes back in that clutch is stayin.

[Tom M'Guinn]

Originally Posted by coilover944

well thanks for all the info but I got a good deal on the spec set up and went with it. I hope Im not ****ed bc once the motor goes back in that clutch is stayin.

Well, to be fair, spec makes many different kinds of disks for the 951, and I'm sure some are better than others. Hopefully, yours feels better than the one I tried. Where did you get yours and do you know the material and configuation (4-puck, full disk, etc.)?

[coilover944]

I have a aluminum flywheel and the clutch is a stage 2 with segmented or full faced pure Kevlar disc with steel backing

[JJK78-951]

While I am not familiar with Southbend in particular I have had experience with SPEC and KEP. Just about everything Tom mentioned was spot on. I went with a KEP pressure plate, stage 1, 930 clutch disc and lightened my flywheel by about 7 lbs and could not be happier with the setup. Car makes 351 RWTQ and have had nothing but smooth grippy engagement with that setup, highly recommend KEP~