I bought a Z about a month ago, I used to and still own a 2000 Ford Ranger, BIG UPGRADE! It is a 03 Red Touring Model 6 speed. My friend has owned one for about 4 years now and every time I drove it, I fell in love with it more and more. Now that I have one of my own with about 60k miles on it, I find myself looking into having to replace the clutch. It is not slipping bad but I know in 5k miles I will have to look into replacing it. I have read up on your forums about being able to replace the clutch without replacing the flywheel and haven't decided if this is the course I would like to take. If I did replace the clutch without a new flywheel, what kind of clutch will I be looking at getting. I see a whole bunch of clutch kits for 200-400 range, but I dont know if I'm setting myself up for a POS or if it will run as well as the stock clutch. I know not to look on ebay, unless I really want to throw money into a fire pit, but are there some good review sites that can tell me whether or not I am making the right purchase? As for now the first thing that came up was this a exedy W0133-1795185 clutch kit. Help me my350z forums, you're my only hope.

Side note, I am super excited to be apart of the Z community!

Safe Driving.

 

Welcome!
Great first post.Sounds as though you are taking the common sense approach
with your new Z.So many new owners see the priority in replacing their head unit.
The hell if the clutch is slipping...
I am sure my fellow members will chime in on clutch advice.My 03 Touring is 5AT.

 

Welcome and congrats on the new toy!

As for your clutch situation you've got a lot of options. If you decide to stick with the OE flywheel, keep the following in mind when you pick your clutch:
1) Take a look at photos of what the OE clutch disc looks like... full faced friction material, sprung center, etc. Any clutch from the major brands (Exedy, ACT, Spec, JWT, etc.) that looks like the stock clutch and is made of similar materials (organic friction material) will perform like the stock clutch or better for daily driving.
2) Unless you have immediate plans to seriously up the power of your motor (like boost, not like an intake and exhaust), or intend for it to be primarily a track car, stick with something labeled as an OE replacement, or "Stage 1"... basically steer clear of harder to manage "puck" style friction surfaces. Generally speaking, the higher power handling a clutch claims, the more difficult it is to drive smoothly on the street (based strictly on construction... friction material and configuration, pressure plate clamping force).

If you decide to replace the flywheel as well, or once you get the clutch off you see that you need to replace the flywheel, do a ton of searching and read reviews on the ever popular "OE dual mass flywheel vs. aftermarket single mass flywheel" decision. The topic has been covered many times over, and there is a wealth of reviews and debate regarding the popular brands that's just a search away.

Kudos for being proactive about maintenance and not letting your first post be one of the "OMG I let my car break! Pls help me fix it!!!111!" threads. Just as I have, you'll quickly find that this forum is full of a wealth of information regarding just about any part you may think about putting on your car.

 

welcome

 

Thanks guys, I am looking at keeping this car for a long time. I am going to change all the fluids in the car and get it back to tip top shape, then sell and arm and a leg for coilovers. I am not really looking to put any boost in it any time soon, just would like a newer clutch in the near future. I have been rummaging around the site and its helping alot! Thanks alot guys!

 

Welcome to the forum. Happy modding.

Time is subjective, depends what you call a long time. Had my Z almost 9 years.