What kind of aftermarket clutches? HELP

3314 Views 22 Replies 8 Participants Last post by 9 seconds, Nov 25, 2004

womsterr

Discussion Starter · Nov 22, 2004

Folks the motor should be done in about a month or so. In the meantime the clutch is toasted and I'll have to go aftermarket. I've looked at RPS and Centerforce but really don't know the benefits of one over the other. Any suggestions? Is there a dual disk setup available? Are there other options available?

Do I need to replace the flywheel? I'm still speaking with the tuner about this but he doesn't know too much about whats available for the Ram. Any help would be really appreicated.

I need help!

1 - 20 of 23 Posts

Roktman

· #2 · Nov 22, 2004

I think Boomer is the expert on this.Maybe he will chime in.

womsterr

Discussion Starter · #3 · Nov 23, 2004

Spoke with Roe Racing today. They have an SRT 10 Ram "kit" that includes a Centerforce clutch and viper slave and master cylinders and a couple shims that help the cylinders fit right. Cost is around $700. They suggest going with an aluminum flywheel at the same time.

What do you all think?

9 seconds

· #4 · Nov 23, 2004

womsterr said:
Spoke with Roe Racing today. They have an SRT 10 Ram "kit" that includes a Centerforce clutch and viper slave and master cylinders and a couple shims that help the cylinders fit right. Cost is around $700. They suggest going with an aluminum flywheel at the same time.

What do you all think?

You know what I think, right?

Marc T

· #5 · Nov 23, 2004

Thats exactly what I have with over 5000 miles and no problems!!!

womsterr

Discussion Starter · #6 · Nov 23, 2004

I know what you think 9

Shims are shims... Any new word from Mcloed?

womsterr

Discussion Starter · #7 · Nov 23, 2004

Mark...did you replace the flywheel with alum?

Titan

· #8 · Nov 23, 2004

Marc T said:
Thats exactly what I have with over 5000 miles and no problems!!!

Any 3rd gear issues?

BOOMER

· #9 · Nov 24, 2004

womsterr said:
Spoke with Roe Racing today. They have an SRT 10 Ram "kit" that includes a Centerforce clutch and viper slave and master cylinders and a couple shims that help the cylinders fit right. Cost is around $700. They suggest going with an aluminum flywheel at the same time.

What do you all think?

THAT "KIT" is the EXACT one i put together with for Dave at Roe Racing. i did all of the fitment & ginny pigin for them & it works great. i have had it in there for 2000 miles. Roe had a few dodge dealers call me about trouble shooting clutches for them, & i told them what we did here, & that the flywheel that Roe sells is awesome. i did the homework on this kit for Roe & Roe now stocks it all-do it. Roe Racing are a great bunch of guys-Sean is a little gay, but Dave only does reach arounds if you ask.

Marc T

· #10 · Nov 24, 2004

womsterr said:
Mark...did you replace the flywheel with alum?

Yes. I bought it directly from Roe.

Marc T

· #11 · Nov 24, 2004

Titan said:
Any 3rd gear issues?

Not like before the Clutch upgrade!!

I have gotten pretty good with third, I found that with the torque throughing the tranny to the side it was real easy to go over into fifth. I have been able to nail it regularly but I have to think about it. There is a thread about some more stout centering springs which I think would help!! Or maybe a torque strap?

womsterr

Discussion Starter · #12 · Nov 24, 2004

BOOMER said:
THAT "KIT" is the EXACT one i put together with for Dave at Roe Racing. i did all of the fitment & ginny pigin for them & it works great. i have had it in there for 2000 miles. Roe had a few dodge dealers call me about trouble shooting clutches for them, & i told them what we did here, & that the flywheel that Roe sells is awesome. i did the homework on this kit for Roe & Roe now stocks it all-do it. Roe Racing are a great bunch of guys-Sean is a little gay, but Dave only does reach arounds if you ask.

Boomer you can't source this stuff through you can you?

9 seconds

· #13 · Nov 24, 2004

womsterr said:
I know what you think 9 Shims are shims... Any new word from Mcloed?

It's in the works. It will be a dual disc (not dual friction) with a B&B/long type pressure plate (not diaphram) and aluminum flywheel. Looks like 3 weeks.

womsterr

Discussion Starter · #14 · Nov 24, 2004

Any idea on where the cost is gonna be 9? Ballpark?

BOOMER

· #15 · Nov 24, 2004

9 seconds said:
It's in the works. It will be a dual disc (not dual friction) with a B&B/long type pressure plate (not diaphram) and aluminum flywheel. Looks like 3 weeks.

The shims in question go behind the slave cylinder since the input shaft for the truck tranny is .120 (1/8") longer. no big deaL.

9 seconds

· #16 · Nov 24, 2004

1/8"! That's not shims. That's a spacer.

I'm not against the shims and actually think that they would have made my spec junk clutch work but I didn't think about it. Mostly I think the "centerforce" deal is just a marketing gimmick. That doesn't mean that they can't improve on the factory clutch with tweaks here and there but I don't see how it can create better bite at high rpm (which isn't where we need it any way) and still claim "easy release".

BOOMER

· #17 · Nov 24, 2004

9 seconds said:
1/8"! That's not shims. That's a spacer.

I'm not against the shims and actually think that they would have made my spec junk clutch work but I didn't think about it. Mostly I think the "centerforce" deal is just a marketing gimmick. That doesn't mean that they can't improve on the factory clutch with tweaks here and there but I don't see how it can create better bite at high rpm (which isn't where we need it any way) and still claim "easy release".

centrifigal force. we arent worried about the clutch slipping at low rpms_right? but as the rpms climb & it becomes increasingly difficult to get the clutch to bite, the weights ramp out and forced the clutch fingers to push the clutch assy against the flywheel. this same setup is used in racing motorcycle engines & some top fuel cars have & do use a similar setup.
the 1/8" spacer is no big deal, this just gives the throw bearing enough remove to disengage the pressure plate. THERE IS ABSOULUTLEY NO FRIGGIN WAY YOU CAN GET A STOCK CLUTCH TO HOLD. the manufactor of the stock clutch had 3 failures with them, so why would it work for anyone else? we all are taking a screwing by Chrysler with the stock clutch. in fact just about every big Dodge dealer has had a least one failure. but you dont think dodge is going to fess up up to a problem do you? do what i said & if you dont like it I will give youre money back.

begood

· #18 · Nov 24, 2004

i talked to an ex-dodge engineer who told me they make the clutch weak intentionally to use as a fuss for the drive train, so it lets go before damaging the other parts. i can't say if this is totally true, but thats what he said.

9 seconds

· #19 · Nov 25, 2004

BOOMER said:
centrifigal force. we arent worried about the clutch slipping at low rpms_right? but as the rpms climb & it becomes increasingly difficult to get the clutch to bite, the weights ramp out and forced the clutch fingers to push the clutch assy against the flywheel. this same setup is used in racing motorcycle engines & some top fuel cars have & do use a similar setup.
the 1/8" spacer is no big deal, this just gives the throw bearing enough remove to disengage the pressure plate. THERE IS ABSOULUTLEY NO FRIGGIN WAY YOU CAN GET A STOCK CLUTCH TO HOLD. the manufactor of the stock clutch had 3 failures with them, so why would it work for anyone else? we all are taking a screwing by Chrysler with the stock clutch. in fact just about every big Dodge dealer has had a least one failure. but you dont think dodge is going to fess up up to a problem do you? do what i said & if you dont like it I will give youre money back.

I hope your not angry? I didn't say your clutch was bad or that the stock one was better. That being said, there are no high rpm's when it comes to Viper motors and you can't compare them to a motorcycle or top fuel motor. I'd like to see the top fuel motor that uses a diaphragm clutch like ours and then I'd like to see them depress that clutch to shift gears at that high rpm.

Bottom line, for what I want to do with my truck, I'm going to buy a clutch system engineered to work together with all components and can handle the amount of abuse I plan to give it. That way, I'll only pay for it ($1800 womsterr) once which is good because I'll need that money to fix the next weak link down the line. Do I think that everyone needs a Mcleod dual disc? Of course not. Do I think Craig does? Definitely.

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BOOMER

· #20 · Nov 25, 2004

9 seconds said:
I hope your not angry? I didn't say your clutch was bad or that the stock one was better. That being said, there are no high rpm's when it comes to Viper motors and you can't compare them to a motorcycle or top fuel motor. I'd like to see the top fuel motor that uses a diaphragm clutch like ours and then I'd like to see them depress that clutch to shift gears at that high rpm.

Bottom line, for what I want to do with my truck, I'm going to buy a clutch system engineered to work together with all components and can handle the amount of abuse I plan to give it. That way, I'll only pay for it ($1800 womsterr) once which is good because I'll need that money to fix the next weak link down the line. Do I think that everyone needs a Mcleod dual disc? Of course not. Do I think Craig does? Definitely.

angry-heck no! what i should have said~was as torque values increase_meaning you are making a hell of lot more torque at 4000rpm than 2000 rpm. high rpm is what is it is for the given application. and yes top fuelers are not running our exact clutch at all, but they do run an increasing pressure, centrifigually actuacted clutch. they have even experimented with CVT (constantly variable tranny) clutches, and that comes from snowmobiles.
until AP, or whoever makes an all metal slave cylinder for our application, we will either A: use the plastic craptastic OEM slave, and put up with failures, or B; use a Viper slave with a spacer, or a Keilser unit with variable length. hey if you want to hotrod, you do some modifying. putting a spacer behind the slave cylinder isnt any different than a homemade cold air intake (wink)

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