Review: Exedy Heavy Duty clutch

GPXXX · Post by **GPXXX** » Tue Feb 24, 2004 1:58 pm

well as some of you already know, I had my clutch replaced with an Exedy Heavy Duty clutch kit yesterday...

there's actually quite a lot of work involved so unless you have your own hoist + tools and you wanna spend the entire day / weekend doing it yourself - leave it to the pros!

once gearbox was removed (and it's actually a very small gearbox!

), the clutch was removed and apparently the previous owner / twat in Japan never bothered to machine the flywheel when he replaced the clutch plate and as such the whole unit wasn't balanced which caused premature slipping... Further inspection also showed that when shaking the clutch plate by hand, there is a vibration from the springs which caused the tapping noise when the clutch is engaged...

on a side note however, did you know the FTO std clutch is actually made by Daikin/Exedy as well? You can see that it has the same DK (and mitsu) logo engraved onto the clutch plate...

ANYWAY, the old clutch kit was removed, the flywheel was sent for machining and the new heavy duty clutch kit was fitted, replaced gearbox oil and refitted the driveshafts + gearbox back in.. all good for about 7hrs worth of labor... (but that's because i forgot to bring the wheel lock nuts hence the entire control arm had to be removed instead LoL)

how does it feel?? i got a real test of the clutch coz by the time i left the mechanic, i was stuck in peak hour bumper to bumper traffic... pedal feel is pretty vague but then again i've only driven with the new clutch for 3hrs so far but the pedal travel is slightly shorter and definitely much lighter than before, yet the pickup is just as smooth as the factory job and it bites a little' better when driven keenly...

since i finish work at midnight this week, i shall practice my launching skills at an undisclosed industrial area

close to my workplace to see how well it can launch (and cross my fingers that nothing breaks

)...

it's almost as if i'm driving a different car but it just takes some getting used to (if i can drive the mechanic's old manual gemini without power steering and without stalling the bastard, then this new clutch kit is a walk in park hehehe...

)

stay tuned for 'performance test' soon haha..

Chiangstar · Post by **Chiangstar** » Tue Feb 24, 2004 8:50 pm

does it actually drive differently to the stock clutch? or is drivability similar?

i'm looking for a heavy duty exedy too....how much did it set you back and where did you get it?

thanks

kni8ht · Post by **kni8ht** » Tue Feb 24, 2004 9:22 pm

GPXXX how much that set you back and who done the job for ya?

and the gearing is smooth now?

FTO338 · Post by **FTO338** » Tue Feb 24, 2004 9:26 pm

Geeeeeee mikey not even a thank you note........... (looking for publicity heheehehe)

GPXXX · Post by **GPXXX** » Tue Feb 24, 2004 9:43 pm

sorry bro, here it is:

a special thank you to my main man Kev for hooking me up with his mechanic at SL Motorsport who did a great job

the whole job was $620 incl labour.

Gearing is smooth as always but the clutch pickup is much better - certainly more responsive on the road and no slippage (yet). Feels lighter on the pedal as well (which should help a little' bit during peak hr traffic)....

Will give it a good fang on the straight tonight after work at midnight to see how well it copes on flat shifts hehehe..!! Hope nothing breaks!

...damn i wish i had an RSM to time it haha!

Nickname · Post by **Nickname** » Wed Feb 25, 2004 12:36 am

I'm driving GR, do you think it's the same gearbox with the GPX? do your clutch fit GR as well ??
by the way, if you can provide the part no. of the clutch, it really helpful to me !!
Thanks very much !!

GPXXX · Post by **GPXXX** » Wed Feb 25, 2004 1:28 am

not sure if it will fit the GR coz i never tried them on but hey I'm 99% certain they are the same gearbox afterall...

anyway, i manage to get some decent 'performance testing' in an isolated industrial area tonight after work... didn't have any timing equipment on me so i just did some brief launching tests...

felt very good actually, for the first time i dialed up to 3500-3700rpm and popped the clutch - slight wheelspin and a shudder at first (for about half a sec) and i was hitting the rev limiter within a blink of an eye...

tried to flat-shift onto 2nd from about 7500rpm and it dipped to just below 5200rpm (after a brief chirp on the tyres)

however let me tell you though', flatshifting on the 2nd-3rd has NO SLIP...

...but i guess it's all a matter of time hehehe...

i won't bullshit about my 0-100 time coz like i said, i don't have any timing equipment on me so rather than pulling figures out of my arse, we'll wait for my timeslips from Heathcote...

now i wonder if the Cusco LSD will help... anybody know if they have 2-way LSDs for the FTO? hehehe...

G1 · Post by G1 » Tue Apr 06, 2004 1:56 pm

im getting an exedy heavy duty fitted tomorrow as well, but they gave me the option to use one of their own kit for the same price with 900kg clamping force as opposed to 650kg on the exedy, what do you guys think i should go for??

They will charge $900 including labour, is that too much for this job? was your job including the transmission oil change Mikey?

d_stroy_r · Post by **d_stroy_r** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 4:59 pm

How many pucks did the Exedy clutch have and also what was the pressure plate rating eg 20%, 25%?

G1 · Post by G1 » Tue Apr 06, 2004 5:20 pm

i think its about 35%-40%

hey mikey, do you know the part number for that clutch kit? i got quoted $640 from another place and they said its part number is 604

GPXXX · Post by **GPXXX** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 5:23 pm

it's 30% greater clamping force and I'm not sure what the part number is but it's a Hyper series single-plate clutch... Mine was fitted along with a complete transmission oil change for around that same price too ($650).

d_stroy_r · Post by **d_stroy_r** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 5:26 pm

Where did you get the actual clutch from?

How many pucks does it have?

d_stroy_r · Post by **d_stroy_r** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 5:27 pm

Was that 40% from normal?

GPXXX · Post by **GPXXX** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 5:41 pm

from visual memory i think it's 4-puck (i could be wrong), and it gives 30% greater clamping force than standard factory item (which is coincidentally made by Daikin as well).

there's a chance I might be selling the one i have now coz i might opt for the carbon-version of the Hyper-series clutch once my car is turbo'd, depending on how well the current one can cope. Stay tuned.

d_stroy_r · Post by **d_stroy_r** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 6:00 pm

so, how much did you buy it for and from where?

G1 · Post by G1 » Wed Apr 07, 2004 12:29 pm

are you sure its the hyper-series single plate clutch? coz apparently they are the original exedy from Japan and cost $1800 the kit includes flywheel

You called them heavy duty, and from what I have been hearing there is a Daiken/Exedy branded Heavy Duty which is more likely the one you actually got (This one has both names on it, whereas the other one is just Exedy)

GPXXX · Post by **GPXXX** » Wed Apr 07, 2004 12:39 pm

Exedy is made by Daikin... some single plates are more expensive than others depending on which car it's for.

I have a feeling the $1800 clutch you mentioned is a carbon-plated clutch kit that i was thinking of getting, but i could be wrong...

G1 · Post by G1 » Wed Apr 07, 2004 12:52 pm

ok i just got off the phone with S-Rally, who will doing doing the job for me.

The Hyper series single plate clutch kit is definitely around the $1800 mark and includes the flywheel upgrade.

Are you sure you got the Hyper series? I know Daikin and Exedy are the same manufacturers, but I am trying say that the Hyper series do not retail for that price from what I have heard, the Daikin/Exedy Heavy Duty however is in that price range.

If you got the Hyper series for that price then you scored the bargain of the century, but thing is what did they do with the flywheel?

GPXXX · Post by **GPXXX** » Wed Apr 07, 2004 1:17 pm

hmmm looks like i've got the Daikin/Exedy heavy duty clutch kit by the sounds of things...

i looked up the exedy.com.au website some months ago and the basic entry level kit that they had advertised was the Hyper-series clutch, so i'm only presuming that's what i got....

dammit... looks like i WILL need that carbon clutch LoL..

G1 · Post by G1 » Wed Apr 07, 2004 1:30 pm

from exedy.com.au

Exedy Hyper Single sports clutch
The Exedy Hyper Single clutch kit boasts a Chrome Moly lightened flywheel, a lightweight 6 paddle sintered ceramic clutch plate and a anodized forged aluminum cover assembly. If you want an advantage this is it.

from some US sites they are selling for around $1000USD just for the kit itself.