is spec a good clutch ?

MK3Racer89

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May 11, 2005
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i am about to buy a new clutch very soon and i am not sure which one to get and i heard from a friend that spec clutches are pretty good but he is a mr2 guy and he said they are good for mr2s. so i was wondering if spec is good for the mk3, i am trying to hit high hp like 450+ so iam thinking about buying stage 3 with a Fidanza Flywheel. but yeah i am not sure this is the best for my car you know and i wanted to check, thankz for your guys help
chris
 

GrimJack

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Dec 31, 1969
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Good choice. I bought mine on advice from DrJonez, Spec stage 3, mated to the RPS billet flywheel. It's been awesome - stock pedal feel, and more power potential. Very little chatter, although it's there a bit in reverse now and again.

I'll buy another when I wear this one out.
 

souprat

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Mar 30, 2005
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wwwooooo! spec stage two sitting on my bed right now!! cant say how it preforms in the car just yet but the preformance in bed......wowza!
hahaha. i'll be putting mine in over the summer. everyone be ready for questions about how to pick my tranny off my head!
 

MRSUPRA

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Apr 11, 2005
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My SPEC 2 held up to all kinds of abuse, at least until I shifted from 3rd to 2nd at 90mph at the track. My clutch feel is different now and I don't think its going to be able to hold at the track any more. I might be going for the horsepower freaks bronze clutch next.
 

MK3Racer89

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May 11, 2005
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for a non turbo it is like 300 somthing and for a turbo it is 400 something without shipping i think
 

drjonez

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Mar 31, 2005
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from what i've researched, it looks like SPEC uses painted stock pressure plate. while it will work, it's pointless to spend the $$ on it. just buy the disc from SPEC (or anyone else, for that matter) and run a stock PP ($50!). that should suffice for 90% of those here. if you have a more hardcore setup, get the ACT or RPS PP- they are the only true "upgraded" pressure plates.
 

northsupra

Normally Insane
Mar 30, 2005
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:bigthumb: I dont have the spec but my clutch kit i must say is superb.
the HPF bronze clutch kit that's in my car work's like a charm with stock like engagement. I have the act pp and sprung disk on a fidanza flywheel.

Changing the clutch isn't a magic trick.
I did every thing myself, exept lifting the R154 back up to the car. Then i needed a friend to jack it up while i pushed it on to the engine.
When changing the clutch you have a nice chance to swap your exhaust.
Remember to change bolts and bearings and order the little green shifter gasket.

1. Remove Shifter.
2. Remove catback exhaust. (Use a lot of rustspray because the nusts is totaly fucked up!)
4. Drain Transmission gear oil.
4. Remove Drive shaft. (her i just tok out the bracket on the wheelbearing on the ds and pulled it down and layed it to the side. no need to unbolt it from the lsd)
5. Remove negative battery terminal.
6. remove starter. ( can be quite a bitch but if you cant get to the top bolt just wait with this untill you'v take out the rear support bracket on the tranny, later in this writeup)
7. Remove clutch slave cyl/ cable if so equipped, also unhook speedo gear,
and any electrical sensors as needed. (dont take of the clutch line just push the sylinder to the side)
8. (7m-gte) Remove clutch fork, unbolt pressure plate from flywheel. (turn the pp bye turning the crank pully i think it was a 20mm bolt)
When taking of the flywheel if you are to do this. You fit a breaker bar on to the crankpully and lay it down on the fender wall. This way you can loosen the fly wheel bolts with out the flywheel turning.
9. remove bellhousing bolts. And remeber the one on the topp you can bearly see it from the engine bay. If you can't reach them support the tranny with a jack and loosen the rear tranny mount and tilt it. The you should get your extensions up there.
10. Support Tranny with a good Jack, Car should be high enough in the air on
jackstands before step one so that the bellhousing will clear the unibody.
11. Remove the third engine mount (tranny support brace)
12. loosten the two engine mounts so the engine can rock.( i didnt do this but if the tranny does not tilt enugh it may do the trick) You could just use the jack and wood'n piece trick. Lifting the crank pully with it and then tilting the motor.
I din't do this before i was mounting the tranny back on to the car.
13. Lower the jack SLOWLY, have someone under the bellhousing to pry it away
from the engine, and support it's weight when the input shaft is free from
the engine.
14. Remove tranny from car.
15. On the W58 you have to remove the tranny before unbolting the pressure plate from the flywheel, if so, this is the time to unbolt the pressure plate, and remove the clutch disk.
16. Pack pilot bearing hole with grease, and with a good fitting dowel and
hammer, drive the grease behind the pilot bearing, forcing the bearing out.
Repack with gease as needed until bearing is all the way out. (i used a special tool so i don't know any thing on this one)
17. Clean crank shaft of grease, tap in new pilot bearing.
18. Assemble Pressure plate and throw out bearing package. If you have the R154.
19. If you removed the tranny, then the pressure plate. Install pressure
plate over clutch disk with clutch tool centering the disk on the flywheel.
20. reasemble.

Use Brake cleaner to clean the flywheel and pressure plate and clean up the bellhousing.

Torque specs and other use full info in the Tsrm.

Transmision Removal
The clutch

And good luck!! :bigthumb:
 

souprat

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Mar 30, 2005
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drjonez said:
from what i've researched, it looks like SPEC uses painted stock pressure plate. while it will work, it's pointless to spend the $$ on it. just buy the disc from SPEC (or anyone else, for that matter) and run a stock PP ($50!). that should suffice for 90% of those here. if you have a more hardcore setup, get the ACT or RPS PP- they are the only true "upgraded" pressure plates.


Dr. J, i could have sworn that i read somewhere on your site that the stock pp has a clamping force of 1800lbs and that the spec pp had a force of 2500lbs. Now i realize that that is your site and you are alot more expirianced than me but i thought i saw that somewhere. :dunno:
 

souprat

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Mar 30, 2005
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so did anyone ever send out the spec, rps, and stock pp's for independent testing like some were suggesting in the SM thread? what were the results? and even if the spec pp has stock clamping does it still hold the 450ft/lbs that spec claims? cuz i could forgive spec alittle if they used a stock pp and it held the power they claimed and lasted as long as it does.

edit: when i said SM i ment SF
 
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MK3Racer89

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May 11, 2005
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thankz for all the in fo guys, so the rps sport pp works good for the kind of power i am going to make ? i am trying to hit 450+ to the wheels, or do i need something stronger like a act, thankz guys
chris