SPEC Clutch

Shades · Post by **Shades** » September 27th, 2005, 10:02 am

Sounds like you got a good deal there AtlantaMX3... even cheaper on what they advertise on their website.

Oh what kinda tranny are you running on your BP? MX3 F-series or Protege G-series?

Reason why I ask is that I am looking to follow in your footsteps and order a clutch.

nolig2278 · Post by **nolig2278** » April 20th, 2007, 12:43 am

i know this is an old thread but you guys have no had your spec clutches for a few years.

I am very close to ordering one today for just under 300 a stage 3 for my bpt setup and I wanted to see if you guys stayed happy over the years with your spec clutches.

atlantamx3 · Post by **atlantamx3** » April 20th, 2007, 1:12 am

I still love mine.. but a friend who just bought one (stage 2) for his BPT (still on an F-series tranny though= smaller clutch, etc) Says his is slipping at just over 1000 miles.

I think its just that he's using the wrong clutch for his power level.

Anyway- I know much higher HP cars use them and love them.

JWMotorsports · Post by **JWMotorsports** » April 21st, 2007, 10:57 pm

SPEC makes really good stuff...they also have FANTASTIC customer support!!! I'm running their 9lb Alum. flywheel...used to run ther stage 3 clutch disc with a ACT Heavy Duty pressure plate. It held up to its power rating (around 485lb/ft torque for that setup). I had to upgrade and went with a clutchnet setup for now...later am looking to go to a twin disc and SPEC just might get the nod from me on it! We had a part problem with the replacement face for my flywheel...it took only 3 days total to send them my flywheel with the faulty insert, they fixed & installed it, sent it back to me. That is nearly unheard of service in their industry!!!

nolig2278 · Post by **nolig2278** » April 22nd, 2007, 12:33 am

On monday I am callining up Nipponpower here in Miami to order either the Spec 2, 2+ or a small chance the 3. I am worried my wife will never be able to drive my ca again if I get the 3. I went into Nippon today and they are willing to charge 274 for stage 2 and 324 for 2+ and tax and shipping is about 12 from spec to my door.

Great thing about buying it local is that they have a good relationship with Spec so if anything goes wrong we can work something out.

JWMotorsports you mentioned a flywheel problem, was it noticed before you put the tranny back on? also how long did your stage 3 last?

my fear is bolting tranny back up and then finding an issue or having this clutch not survive at least 2 years of mostly daily driving.

thanks

JWMotorsports · Post by **JWMotorsports** » April 22nd, 2007, 1:52 pm

The clutch life depends on several things. Your driving style, torque, clutch material, etc... A metallic clutch can last anywhere from a year (if your next to its torque capacity and slip it all the time on a stock flywheel) to a couple years. The clutch I had started out in a friend of mines car and was used for about a year before another friend of mine bought the car. Then we turbo'd the BP with a Mitsu small 16G and it lasted about 6 months before he finally cracked a piston in the engine from advancing the timeing to far. Then it went in my drag car and lasted about 8,000 mile with around 400+WHP going to it. This was using the SPEC Alum. Flywheel which has a much harder wear surface than the OEM flywheel.

How much torque are you looking to hold with your clutch? This is the first thing you need to look at. Kevlar faced discs give much longer life as they are not as abrasive as the metallic discs. Make sure you have your flywheel resurfaced before installing the new clutch...also replace the pilot & throw out bearings to prevent any future problems before your clutch wears out.

As for my flywheel problem it was noticed immediately when I tried to bolt it to the flywheel...the holes were slightly miss drilled and then I noticed the plate was also warped from the outside edge towards the inside edge. I used a machinist ruler and feeler gauges with my digital camera to snap some quick pics and send to SPEC's tech support group. Then they gave me two options...they could send another friction face overnight or I could send them my flywheel. I sent the flywheel to be sure it fit and to make sure that I didn't have further down time as the other option was still iffy weather it would fit or not. It was just one of those freak misfits...it happens from time to time unfortunately. This is why measureing and test fitting is so important in the automotive field...ESPECIALLY when building an engine!!!! Never assume anything....if you break that word down it means you make and (a$$ of u & me). This is something I've learned first hand at my day job as a Design Engineer.

nolig2278 · Post by **nolig2278** » April 22nd, 2007, 6:52 pm

are the pilot and throw-out bearings part of the spec clutch kit?

The stage 2+ will be more than enough torque for me for a long time and is starting to sound like what I will be happiest with so as to not have to replace the clutch for a couple years.

someone posted that the tranny could come out without removing axles from the hubs. seems posible, anyone else try it?

just unbolt the jacksaft and I think they send unbolt some part of the driver hub section to be able to pull it out a lil

atlantamx3 · Post by **atlantamx3** » April 22nd, 2007, 7:14 pm

nolig2278 wrote:are the pilot and throw-out bearings part of the spec clutch kit?

Mine had them.

facko · Post by **facko** » April 22nd, 2007, 9:02 pm

i got the same stage kit you did and it came with them, i think the kits come w/ them but if u buy a clutch seperate from the pressure plate then it doesnt

JWMotorsports · Post by **JWMotorsports** » April 22nd, 2007, 10:18 pm

Yes the engine can be pulled with out pulling the axles from the hubs...you have to use a cherry picker and pull it out the top. We drop ours out the bottom as the MX-3's struts only have two bolts to remove which will allow the hub assembly to swing out of the way after the axle nut is removed. With the driver side axle out you simply lower the engine and push it forward then wiggle the trans off from above or below. I recommend you have a friend help for safety reasons. Then you change your clutch and reassemble in the reverse order. If you haven't done this before it will take you probably around 8+ hours to do. The fastest we've ever done it was 3-4 hours...that was removing the trans...tearing it apart to replace the diff and reinstalling it. We've got a lot of experiance doing this...I personally could probably do it blind folded now. Get the trans out and back in takes patience and a little finaggling until your experianced. They like to hange up on the lower crossmember so you want to wiggle the trans out far enough to clear the dowl pins aligning it with the block. Then twist it so the driverside axle input lifts high enough to clear the crossmember. Take your time and look at things it it seems hung up...because it probably is!

nolig2278 · Post by **nolig2278** » November 9th, 2010, 9:07 pm

about to replace my spec stage 2+. it lasted 3yrs and about 25000 miles of daily driving and then another couple thousand miles with occasional slipping. also survived a flood where i can only image water must have been in the bell housing.

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SPEC Clutch

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