Clutch Recommendation

[pulsar57]

Hello,

I'm getting the rear main seal replaced in my car, and I figured that I'd replace the clutch as well. My clutch is not terrible, but is showing its age. I wanted to get something that is a little better than OEM. I'd like something that's easy/smooth to engage, isn't too hard to push in, but has more grip than the stock clutch.

Any recommendations would be helpful, I was recommended this clutch by the guy who owns the shop where I'll have the work done. He said he finds these good, and not too hard to push in. Any suggestions would be welcome, probably like to have this replaced in a week or so.

Thanks!

[itsa300zx]

SZ sport clutch gets my vote for stock turbos. Stock pedal feel, very smooth engagment, holds 500bhp and fair price at approw $350 for the kit. I would also recommend the heavy duty clutch fork and pivot ball while your at it.

I had a center force dual friction when I was NA. Decent clutch, pedal was a little stiffer, but I did not like the "floating/movable weights" system they had. Too many parts that could fail, plus price was much higher than other quality brands.

[ThisIsSparTTa]

Get a clutch/flywheel combo with a lighter flywheel to get faster revs. The SZ clutches seem to be well regarded. I have a random Exedy one that seems to work fine.

[pulsar57]

Thanks for the quick response guys. Looks like that's two votes for the Specialty Z clutch then.

I take it you mean this clutch. It looks like this clutch should feel close to stock then according to what you guys have said.

And possibly this flywheel? Is the flywheel worth it? You say rev faster, but will it be so much so that it will be obnoxious to drive on the street, or is it more dependent on how you drive it? Just curious, don't really know too much!

[itsa300zx]

Thats the clutch I was refering to and the one I have. As for flywheel, I think it is more personal preference, most drivers get used to the light wheel in a fews hours of driving. I do not track my car, so I prefer the stock. If HP is your goal, then go for the FW.

[pulsar57]

Thanks for the response. Regarding the flywheel, doing a little research lead me to believe that it's good for racing/etc, but hurts the daily drivablity of your car. Since this is my daily driver, I'll probably just stick with the stock flywheel, and spend my money elsewhere.

[itsa300zx]

Those are the exact reasons why I stuck with the stock flywheel. I spent the extra money on my Selin dual MAF setup and the 350z heavy duty clutch fork

[ThisIsSparTTa]

Read up on it, some. I guess its a personal preference. I like the responsiveness of the engine, and don't have any problems with stalling or similar. The lighter spinning mass allows the engine to rev up faster, which is beneficial. I'd call and talk to Greb/Seb at SZ to help you pick out what will be best for you. Even if you're not chasing power, it will likely be a nice upgrade for not too much $ that you might as well do while you're there.

[NolimitZ32]

I've had LWFWs in all my cars (except my boat of a bimmer), lighter cars don't mind a lightened flywheel, it just takes getting used to and its not as forgiving on the road, but if you have a sprung clutch disk you should be fine.

[RED_DET]

Running the SouthBend Clutch with competition lightweight flywheel. Excellent combination IMHO and we also carry the products and can provide discounted prices for forum members.

[pulsar57]

Just received clutch tonight, decided to go with the SZ clutch. Price was right and people seem to like them in the community. Still a little torn about the flywheel, part of me wants it and part doesn't. Some people (in person, too) have said get it, some have said don't. It's hard to judge since I've never driven a car with one (in fact, I learned manual on this car, so new clutch should come as a surprise (pleasant I hope).

[itsa300zx]

Nice, Be sure to adjust the clutch pedal as per SZ, for max travel/disengagement.

http://specialtyz.com/blog/?page_id=178

[pulsar57]

Nice, Be sure to adjust the clutch pedal as per SZ, for max travel/disengagement.

http://specialtyz.com/blog/?page_id=178

Thanks for the link, I'll make sure to pass that off to the shop.

[pulsar57]

Okay, I've been driving around with the clutch now for a little while now. Feels a lot better than the old one. Stock pedal pressure, but it definitely has a lot more springiness to it than the old one.

The clutch still engages pretty fast and it's not always easy to tell what's going on unless I've driven for awhile. Is that just the way the car drives? Mornings when it's cold are still pretty rough, although went for a drive the other day in the mountains and clutch felt great after driving it, so I don't know.

Next to fix, cluck from the rear when I shift, doesn't happen always, but enough that I want to get it fixed.

Thanks for the recommendation guys, I'm much happier with the new clutch.