About 2500 miles ago I had a new CD009 tranny swapped in under warranty and the dealer offered to put in a new clutch/flywheel since they had it all apart anyway. I got roughly 50,000 miles out of the stock clutch and it was due to be replaced so told them to hold the tranny for a week while I obtained parts and did research. They said no problem and the appointment was setup for the Monday after Thanksgiving.

I was looking for something a little more aggressive than the stock feel that would be a good track setup as well as something drivable on the street as the Z is still my DD. I looked at the JWT combo, the ACT 6-puck, and the RPS combos.

General impressions from my research:

- JWT was close to stock feel on the clutch and was more "streetable" but was concerned it wasn't aggressive enough for what I wanted. The 14lb fly was a good fit and was sure I was going with a lightened fly despite the potential for chatter.

- ACT 6-puck was about where I wanted to be; aggressive and yet a sprung 6-puck would be "streetable" for a DD. This was the one I actually was going with until I called Sharif.

- RPS combos were aggressive but had seen some posts about heavy pedal feel. Being in Atlanta traffic a heavy clutch would probably make me regret the decision so I passed.

Since I needed parts pretty quick and it was 2 days before Thanksgiving (car went to dealer the Monday after Thanksgiving) I didn't have a lot of time to order and ship, plus overnight shipping was a killer for parts. So I called Sharif at Forged since he's 15 minutes from my house to see what he had in stock. After talking with Sharif he suggested the Competition Clutch Stage 4 6-puck sprung clutch with a lightweight flywheel (don't know who made the fly wheel, need to get some more info from Sharif). The best part was he had one in stock and I wouldn't have to deal with shipping. It was almost an exact duplicate of the ACT 6-puck I was leaning towards so decided to go down the Competition Clutch route.

I picked up the parts from Sharif before Thanksgiving, dropped them with the car on Monday at the dealer, and all was well by Wednesday when I got the car back.

The first time I drove the car after the swap was horrible because I didn't think it through. I left the dealer at 6pm and sat on GA400 for over an hour in stop-and-go bumper to bumper traffic trying desperately to figure out where the friction point was, figure out how to keep the RPM's at a realistic range while I inched forward, all while wearing a pair of thick soled work boots because I forgot to bring my track shoes to get a better feel for the pedals. Only stalled once so I consider myself fortunate.

The first 500 miles were somewhat tough. It was like trying to learn a stick all over again but once you get the hang of it and find the points its awesome.

So the review:

- Chatter: the clutch/fly combo does have some chatter. At first I thought it was pretty loud but after getting used to it I really don't hear it much over the exhaust. When the car warms up it gets a little louder but nothing to really fret over. I haven't swapped out the fluids in the tranny yet but will do that in the next few weeks. Some Redline or Motul 75w90 should quiet it down a little.

- Streeability: Very easily drivable on the street once you get a) used to it and b) get it broken in. I drive about 30 miles each way to work mostly on roads, only 5-6 miles of highway driving, so hit a lot of stop lights and get a lot of stop and go. Once I figured out how to drive it I love the feel of it. You give it just a tiny bit of gas to about 1400 RPM and just pull you're foot off the clutch pedal and you go. Very easy once you realize you don't have to slip it at all. The pedal feel is about 30-40% lighter than stock (guesstimate).

- Feel: It's on or off. There is not a lot of play in the clutch and it is very grabby. I've noticed a big increase in the available torque from the lightened flywheel and the clutch holds everything (still NA so no surprise there, just the normal breathing mods popcharger/test pipes/exhaust). The car feels incredibly light after the flywheel swap. It revs much more freely and seems to genuinely be "happy" when you get the chance to get on it. It's much easier to break the back end out on turns with the torque but surprisingly isn't a huge deal, just have to remember you got some more power than you're used to.

- On the track: I've got one track day under my belt with the new setup and have to say its awesome. Clutch held great with downshifts; pedal feel was on/off and didn't have to baby it like I did with the stock clutch. It feels like a race car on the track, not a DD doing a track day.

Overall, I have to say this is one of the best mod's I've done to the car. The first 100 miles or so I was mildly disappointed but once you get a chance to adapt to it I can't imagine going back to a stock clutch. The car feels so much better and everything is much more precise on the track. Thanks to Sharif for the recommendation - definitely happy with the choice.

EDIT: Thanks to Sharif for pointing out I'm a retard and Clutchmasters != Competition Clutch.

 

Nice review!! thnx

 

I love my fx400! nice review

 

Just outta curiosity! Why where you steered away from the ACT? What did Shariff say about it?

I ask because mine should be here in a day or two. I didn't get the 6 Puck though. I got the HD Street

 

He said it was a good clutch, pretty much same as what I read about on the boards. Deciding factor was I needed one ASAP and would have had to ship overnight to get in time due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Don't remember what I would have paid for the ACT but the prices were about the same so went with the local pickup option.

 

Glad you are enjoying the Competition Clutch Stage 4. We have tested and installed a lot of these, and finally feel comfortable selling them on our website. Quality is some of the best I have seen, good pricing, and these things will hold 500-550whp on the street without any issues.

Dan was one of our test subjects.....awesome clutch. Once that thing broke in, it was super smooth.

We also offer the full face Stage II, which is totally stock like in terms of feel but holds 400-450whp max....no race use.

 

I just ordered this clutch and flywheel today....can't wait to drive it for myself...thanks for the review

 

I have my Competition Stage 2 Clutch and Light FW combo. At first it was ok but after a few thousand miles, I can't even get my car chirp on 3rd. Maybe it is because it is only a stage 2 but even stage 2 is supposed to hold 470+TQ and I only have around 370TQ. I don't feel the same grab anymore and I have never even Track'ed my car yet. Also since you have to put a little more gas to move the car (Coz of light FW), if you rev a little to high, you can really smell the clutch. I have no problem with it but I had to drop my car to a body shop and the guy kinda did ride the clutch a little just to get it moving. I can smell the clutch for 2 weeks before it went away. I mean, if I was at the track, I would probably slip my clutch that way too so that clutch should be able to handle that kind of abuse.

I may have to change it to a stage 4 or a different kind of brand eventually but I only have 6K miles and 8 month with the car

 

For drag racing, you have to get the Stage 4 most definately.

 

Thanks, Sharif. I wish this info was given to me by one of the Vendor in the beginning

 

The Stage II is great for street driven cars...normally aspirated. But for the guys that want to beat on their cars at track, or heavy FI, then the Stage4 is the way to go.

We sell them both......I usualy feel out the customers, to determine what they would need/want.

 

Sharif installed this combo on my car when it was at Forged for some stuff, and I love it. I took me a while to really get super smooth with it, but now that I have some seat time with it, its a smooth as butter with me driving . I highly recommend this for anyone considering upgrading their clutch/flywheel. Plus I got a sick deal on mine from Forged.

 

I got a stage 6 clutch and flywheel installed by mrc couple of weeks ago and i couldnt be any happier. The clutch is great the response is awesome and i highly recommend this combo. Its not an expensive combo unlike some other clutches out there but it's definately worth the money.

 

next weekend I plan on taking mine to Reynolds and beating the **** out of it. Will see how it works.

 

what are the whp rating on the clutches?

 

Had my CC STG 4 for some time now and I love it. Daily driving is good and it is there for you at the track. I'de say if you are FI on stock block power and tracking the car on a regular basis then STG 4 is a go.. I really dont pay attention to the HP ratings.. just the use that the clutch it is intended for.. My .02

 

It should be rated for torque, not horsepower.
BTW, 3 year old bump...

 

Any info on their twin plate clutch setup ?

 

hey sorry to bring up a dead and old thread but does the stock flywheel work with this clutch of does it have to be an aftermarket lightened flywheel?