What Clutch And FlywheeL??

Y56ITR · Post by **Y56ITR** » January 21st, 2004, 2:15 am

on my 01 typeR, im boutz to get a ACT Clutch WIt heavy duty pressure plate with a street disc and a ACT 9lbs flywheel? is tat a good set?? if u got any better recommendations, please tell me , to handle high rpm n power while still reliable n comfortable.

e r i c s 9 9 s i · January 21st, 2004, 9:49 am

Exedy makes a good organic clutch and flywheel... $590 shipped for the combo on http://www.coximport.com/exedy/hotsheet.html

I've had this same clutch now for about 4 years still no problems. Been through all kinds of boost, nitrous, high rpms, etc... Another great clutch if you as me.

shivers · Post by **shivers** » January 21st, 2004, 5:50 pm

I would caution anyone wanting to use an Exedy clutch on an ITR. There have been a number of issues/failures with this particular clutch and car. Good options to look into are ACT and Action.

On another note, I would recommend that everyone AVOID Cox Import for parts of any kind. They showed very clearly that they do not care about helping people that have had problems with Exedy clutches. They pointed the finger and claimed installation error when in fact the guys that installed the failed clutch have done well over 20 clutch installs (probably more) over the years. The posts were very childish and anything but professional. Buyer beware. There are many other reputable shops to get parts ... Cox is not one of them.

e r i c s 9 9 s i · January 22nd, 2004, 4:47 pm

Tony wrote:I would caution anyone wanting to use an Exedy clutch on an ITR. There have been a number of issues/failures with this particular clutch and car. Good options to look into are ACT and Action.

On another note, I would recommend that everyone AVOID Cox Import for parts of any kind. They showed very clearly that they do not care about helping people that have had problems with Exedy clutches. They pointed the finger and claimed installation error when in fact the guys that installed the failed clutch have done well over 20 clutch installs (probably more) over the years. The posts were very childish and anything but professional. Buyer beware. There are many other reputable shops to get parts ... Cox is not one of them.

Did you personally have a bad experiance from Coximports.com? I've sold literally dozens of exedy clutches, intakes, etc.. from them and have yet to complain personally or from a customer... User error is most often the case concerning a clutch cause they don't break them in properly... I've yet to see a Exedy clutch go bad if you do the propper 500 mile easy drive as your break in then once you've surpassed the 500 mile period then you can start driving a little harder on the car. Also curious, why is the exedy bad on only the "ITR?" the clutches are all interchangeable with any B-series block/tranny so I don't understand why it'd be bad for a particular car in general... Not trying to slam you or take sides on either ACT or Exedy just wondering your reasoning.

shivers · Post by **shivers** » January 22nd, 2004, 5:05 pm

The person that had the failure is one of my best friends, Trey (ITRCA Admin). I didn't help with the installation, but the guys that did are more than qualified (one of them happened to be the '02 Honda Challenge H1 Champion who has worked on and tuned Honda for years).

The clutch went through the proper break-in period and started off fine. At a track day (that both of us attended), my friend's car started to shift poorly and got so bad that it wouldn't go into or out of gear. Tranny was removed shortly there after.

Pics were posted on Honda Tech of the disc. You could see bent PP fingers and scratches on the springs in the disc. In asking for help and theories as to why the clutch basically fell apart, Trey got nothing but grief and finger pointing from Cox. Mike at Cox even went so far as to Photoshop documents to make it appear like they came from Exedy. When other ITR owners claimed to have similar issues, they all got the same story from Cox. Keep in mind that Trey didn't even buy the clutch from Cox, so Mike really had no business flaming in the first place.

It was nothing more than a childish fight where Mike attacked anyone that gave the opinion that Exedy was not up to the standards that they should be. I would expect someone who owns a business to act professionally and offer help rather than accusations. Eventually the post was locked. I don't know if it's still in the archives or not though.

The clutches themselves may be interchangeable, but the problem seems to lie in the clutch pedal/slave cylinder of the ITR. Other ITR owners have expressed the same issue, so it's not an isolated case. I've got an Exedy clutch in my car, and for the most part it's been fine. Lately I've experienced poor shifting and an occassional grinding noise coming from the clutch. If my clutch does fail, I'll go Action or ACT without hesitation.

Long, but that's the story in a nutshell.

e r i c s 9 9 s i · January 22nd, 2004, 5:20 pm

ahh... totally understandable I suppose

I personally have ran my clutch in my car for coming up on 5 years now and its just now starting to chatter you could say just a tad every once in a while so I'm gonna have to purchase another clutch soon I'm thinking... As far as recommendations are concerned, I personally have had good experiance with the Exedy though I'm open to try new things... Any suggestions on what exact clutch to use for a daily driven car that sees high-high RPM drops at the drag strip each weekend of the summer months?

Post by **Trey** » January 22nd, 2004, 5:25 pm

Tony summed things up quite nicely.

There were 2 problems. The first was the clutch failed even after multiple pedal adjustments outlined by Exedy. First question is why is Exedy the only people publishing this need? No other clutch has this issue. This is a fairly common problem (PP fingers contacting throwout bearing best I can figure. Many ITR owners have this. I have read this problem as widely spread as ITRCA to Honda Tech to ITR owners posting on Club SI. There is without argument some fitment issues with Exedy.

That said Exedy doesn't stand behind their product worth a crap. Even worse though and the second issue I had was that I bought the clutch from Clutch City Online and when I posted my woes and suggestions I got insults and accusations from Mike and Cox. He was the rudest person I have encountered on a message board. Not what one would expect from the behavior of an established business person. He blamed the error on install. Not break in, INTALL. He said we aligned the clutch wrong on the splines. Exactly how would one do that?!? The installers were 2 of the most competent ITR mechanics I know, D from Honda-Tech and Jack from P1-Auto. The clutch was installed fine. The problem was described by Exedy and explained how to adjust the clutch to stop it. Despite all my adjusting the clutch failed and Mike did everything in his power including fabricating official documents from Exedy to make us look bad and prove his point. For the record the clutch was 4 months old and had 7000 miles on it and got a 500 mile break in. This was imperative since the new ATS final drive needed the break in period too.

I would say stay away from Exedy at all cost and never buy a thing you think might have a problem from Cox Imports because expecting them to stand behind their product is like waiting for pigs to fly.

Sorry that was so long. I have avoided hashing this out here but Eric you seem dead set on recommending Exedy clutches. They suck in Type-R and Tony who wrote above has one in a Civic SI and it has little to no problems most days. It might work in your car but doesn't do well in ours.

Trey

shivers · Post by **shivers** » January 22nd, 2004, 6:20 pm

e r i c s 9 9 s i wrote:ahh... totally understandable I suppose

I personally have ran my clutch in my car for coming up on 5 years now and its just now starting to chatter you could say just a tad every once in a while so I'm gonna have to purchase another clutch soon I'm thinking... As far as recommendations are concerned, I personally have had good experiance with the Exedy though I'm open to try new things... Any suggestions on what exact clutch to use for a daily driven car that sees high-high RPM drops at the drag strip each weekend of the summer months?

I know you're gunning for 12s at the strip next year, so you'll definitely need something that can take the abuse of your impending motor build up (hooray for big cams and high compression). I'd say a 6 puck will probably be the "best" of both worlds as far as daily driving and track use is concerned. I've seen good things from ACT and Rocket and others have recommended Action, so I'd consider that as an option too. Tilton is definitely at the top of the list, but I don't even think "pricey" describes how expensive it really is ... I guess it's not bad if you consider the fact that you get a clutch and flywheel package, but it'll still hurt the checkbook.

Bbasso · Post by **Bbasso** » January 22nd, 2004, 8:04 pm

I'll be one more person who says that Exedy should not be used in ITRs, I used the Exedy Cerametallic Racing Clutch and it failed with in 7k miles. I was very upset and to this day I would not recommend anyone to use the exedy clutch in their R. I now have ACT xt-ss and like it very much- I would recommend this to most people but some people might say its a bit stiff.

e r i c s 9 9 s i · January 23rd, 2004, 10:02 am

Trey wrote:
Sorry that was so long. I have avoided hashing this out here but Eric you seem dead set on recommending Exedy clutches. They suck in Type-R and Tony who wrote above has one in a Civic SI and it has little to no problems most days. It might work in your car but doesn't do well in ours.

Well that makes since concerning the clutch pedal end of the setup, cause they're prolly some things different between the Si and the ITR like you've stated. Good info to know when I finally make the efforts to get a true R

I won't advice the Exedy product for the R in perticular since its clear that it's been a past problem...

Tony wrote: I know you're gunning for 12s at the strip next year, so you'll definitely need something that can take the abuse of your impending motor build up (hooray for big cams and high compression). I'd say a 6 puck will probably be the "best" of both worlds as far as daily driving and track use is concerned. I've seen good things from ACT and Rocket and others have recommended Action, so I'd consider that as an option too. Tilton is definitely at the top of the list, but I don't even think "pricey" describes how expensive it really is ... I guess it's not bad if you consider the fact that you get a clutch and flywheel package, but it'll still hurt the checkbook.

I'll look into ACT or Actions 6 puck clutch kit... I'll continue to use the Exedy flywheel with whatever clutch I choose (unless for some reason this is a huge no no...). Never heard of Tilton before, and only slightly on the Action clutches so I'd prolly pick ACT over them all if I were to order today since they're more popular in my mind. So definately a 6puck then huh?

bbasso wrote: I'll be one more person who says that Exedy should not be used in ITRs, I used the Exedy Cerametallic Racing Clutch and it failed with in 7k miles. I was very upset and to this day I would not recommend anyone to use the exedy clutch in their R. I now have ACT xt-ss and like it very much- I would recommend this to most people but some people might say its a bit stiff.

Again, I wasn't aware of this common problem so I'll change my advice in the near future... Exedy has worked for me and a half dozen of my other local friends so I only advice what I've personally been through on most cases... (though my friends have either B16A's or B18C1's motors in their cars as well and don't drive R's, plus I have the R motor but not in the R chasis so.)

shivers · Post by **shivers** » January 23rd, 2004, 10:48 am

I'll look into ACT or Actions 6 puck clutch kit... I'll continue to use the Exedy flywheel with whatever clutch I choose (unless for some reason this is a huge no no...). Never heard of Tilton before, and only slightly on the Action clutches so I'd prolly pick ACT over them all if I were to order today since they're more popular in my mind. So definately a 6puck then huh?

Kyle at http://www.wiredspeed.com carries both Tilton and Action clutches. He can give you the run down on both. Rocket knows the guys over at Action, so he's a good guy to talk to about their clutches.

If you don't want to go with a puck style clutch, you can look at Clutch Masters and Action (I think) for a clutch with a segmented disc. It's in between a full face and puck style disc. That should handle daily driving and track stuff fine, but ultimately won't be as strong as a puck.

When it comes to B series motors and Hondas, there's just TOO MANY freaking options for parts.

e r i c s 9 9 s i · January 23rd, 2004, 10:45 pm

Tony wrote: When it comes to B series motors and Hondas, there's just TOO MANY freaking options for parts.

Yes very true... Hey first off thanks for the info. Honestly I'd prolly try out the puck style clutch.. 6puck sounds pretty beafy, but how daily friendly really is it gonna be? chatter chatter grab or more of a smoother stiff street disc?

shivers · Post by **shivers** » January 24th, 2004, 10:01 am

e r i c s 9 9 s i wrote:Yes very true... Hey first off thanks for the info. Honestly I'd prolly try out the puck style clutch.. 6puck sounds pretty beafy, but how daily friendly really is it gonna be? chatter chatter grab or more of a smoother stiff street disc?

A 6 puck will still be manageable for daily driving (a friend of mine had one in his '00 ITR). You shouldn't have any chatter problems, but it will definitely grab a lot quicker and harder ... more like an "on/off" type of action. The pressure plate will determine the clutch pedal stiffness overall and the clamping force of the clutch itself. I'd say my Exedy has the feel of a stock ITR pressure plate. I've driven cars with ACT HD and XT pressure plates, and I liked them both. I actually preferred the XT, but I like the feel of a really heavy clutch pedal.

If anyone around you has a clutch that you might consider buying, see if you can take that car for a spin to get an idea of what the clutch will feel like.

98cwitr · Post by **98cwitr** » January 25th, 2004, 12:29 am

i have the XT press. plate and SS disk on order...along with a ACT prolite flywheel (8.8lb). Install wont be for a while though pending Kenji ECU/Hondata purchase, full review after install

jiahanhao · Post by **jiahanhao** » January 25th, 2004, 10:15 pm

I've been using the clutchmasters stage 2 (dunno if that's what it's still called) for over 2 years and 50,000 miles. I've had no problems with it and have been very happy... just my 2 cents...

EDIT: this was on my 2k si, not my R