My clutch pedal has had a "rough" feel lately. As if metal parts are rubbing and/or something needs to be lubricated. I was hoping a rod just needed to be cleaned or lubed but alas, I was wrong.

I took it to a pretty reputable shop today and they told me the clutch is almost gone. The car has 55k miles on it which I feel is kind of early for a clutch to be going. However, I'm not the first owner and I also learned how to drive a manual on the car, so it's probably been through some hell.

They quoted me around $1100 for parts and labor to install a new clutch kit. It would be OEM. I'm wondering if I should go ahead and look at an aftermarket clutch?

My three main questions are:

1. Can I use an aftermarket clutch with a stock flywheel?
2. Is it worth getting an aftermarket clutch/flywheel is the car is just a daily driver and not a track car?
3. What brand(s) do you recommend?

Any help is appreciated.

 

Get a JWT clutch/ flywheel combo. Stock clutch is about $700, JWT combo including flywheel is less than $800. Labor runs about $400.

 

Can you elaborate why I should go with the JWT over stock? Just not sure a performance or aftermarket clutch is needed for a daily driver.

 

55,000 miles is early for a new clutch, but if you need one you need one.

Plenty of choices for clutch and flywheel. Do NOT assume that a Aftermarket clutch is better than OEM. Different yes. Better not necessarily.

If the clutch friction plate is worn so the flywheel. Get a new one.

 

Guy at the shop said I would be fine to use same flywheel but I need to replace clutch soon or I'll need a flywheel as well

EDIT: He's speculating the flywheel is okay. He won't be able to see the flywheel until they dismantle the transmission.

 

I asked about aftermarket and he recommended sticking with OEM for a daily driver. He also said he can only warranty parts I order through him. Looks like I'll probably be getting an OEM.

I'm just worried that it's my driving that caused this. If I'm still driving poorly, this siht is just gonna happen again.

 

alot of times when u get an aftermarket clutch... the pedal feel sucks.. it chatters (making others think ur car is ****ed).. and depending on which one u get it catches pretty hard so if ur in traffic it will suck... if ur not planning on upgrading the performance i would go OEM

 

1. yes
2. depends - every aftermarket flywheel will make some degree of noise, but they also can improve engine response (depends on the overall weight). Up to you which is most important
3. depends on budget - if your OEM clutch lasted 55k, and you're not planning on going nuts with the car, another OEM clutch (they are not expensive at all (under $300) would be a great option

 

OEM clutch-flywheel is very "street friendly." Good choice.

 

One last question...

I went to a second shop yesterday just to be safe. They said they same thing (along with the fact that my slave cylinder is leaking)

They went ahead and said I needed to replace the flywheel. I mentioned the other shop said I could possibly just do the clutch and the mechanic recommended strongly against that.

He said that if I just replace the clutch and not the flywheel, the clutch will not last as long (don't remember exact details). He said "a 350z is a not a car you want to half-*** with maintenance." I feel like he's right :/

Do I need to go ahead and replace the flywheel too?

 

Bump.

Lately I am feeling some vibration on the clutch pedal just when the clutch disengages, I believe my clutch will need to be replaced soon on my 06 Z.

I am in the same position as the OP.

Should I also get the OEM flywheel replaced as well when replacing the clutch disc and clutch cover.

By the way, I believe the Release bearing should also be replaced.
Any other clutch parts I missed ?

I want to make sure I have all the necessary clutch parts for my shop when replacing the clutch.

 

If ur CSC is leaking upgrade it it with zspeeds heavy duty. They also offer a southbend clutch and flywheel for around 800.

 

Aftermarket clutches tend to be aimed at racing, so they are going to have more grip which will make the car a little harder to drive for regular traffic. It all depends on the setup...

Depending on how bad the flywheel is you may be able to leave it alone. Our dual mass flywheels are not really something most shops can resurface. It has to be taken to a specialist shop that has the right tooling to do it. In some cases its just easier and cheaper to replace with aftermarket. But again, aftermarket aims at racing so a lighter flywheel may make it easier to stall the car at low revs.

I think you should stick with stock stuff if you aren't racing. If you had time to wait you could order stock parts off the internet and save money, if the dealership is willing to install stuff you bring in. Often times they wont warranty their repair if it is a part you brought in.

I'd say do the work yourself but it is a lot of work... if you don't have the time/inclination I would find some other shops around town and see who can do it for a lower price and let you bring the parts in, or can get parts at good prices. Dealerships have a lot of markup and charge a lot for their service. But they tend to be a little better at that particular brand than your standard run of the mill shop.

Anyway good luck...

BTW klenkart what is the advantage with the "heavy duty" zspeeds release cylinder versus the stock?

Also do you know if our release cylinders have a valve spring in them?

 

there is no CSC on a 2003-2006 350Z

 

Were we talking about the same thing? CSC = clutch slave cylinder right?

 

guess it depends how he was referring to it

typically in the Z world, the CSC refers to the concentric slave cylinder used in the 07 + cars. The 03-06 cars use a totally different setup that, while a general maintenance item, doesn't have the failure rate that the concentric design of the laters cars have

 

None of this is encouraging! I just hit 37k miles and I have had issues with my clutch randomly getting stuck (sure does stink!) It happened again today and now when I step on it there's an odd indescribable noise. It's not a squeak, anyway suppose I will be going to the dealership tomorrow to have it looked at.