WTB, which Clutch combo?

[Fatboy 18]

OK, probably going to open up a minefield here but am looking at getting a replacement clutch for my gen II 2000 GTS
I have owned the car since 2008 and not had a problem with the clutch but being in the UK I figured it would be wise to have a spare on the shelve for that moment when it finally lets go!

My driving involves mainly going to car meets and charity track joy rides, not really flat out racing on track. I do like to light up the rear rubber every now and again

I have seen Clutch kits start from a couple of hundred dollars on the bay to over a thousand dollars? LUK, Spec clutches? Stage 1, Stage 2, etc.... any of these any good?

Sadly I run the car on a very very tight budget, so going for something that costs thousands is not really an option.

Only been to the drag strip once and ended up breaking a half shaft ! So the clutch worked ok.

I have never had the clutch out of the car, so I don't know what is in there?

So what would you recommend?
Thanks.

[C.J]

Stay with LUK...inexpensive and they work fine.

[Fatboy 18]

Thank you

[XSnake]

LUK and replace the slave while you're in there

[LifeIsGood]

I replaced my clutch last year when the slave cylinder went out...just because I was already dropping the transmission at the time.

As info...OEM for my 2001...

LuK RepSet 05-088 Clutch Set

LuK LSC134 - Slave Cylinder

LuK LMC138 - Master Cylinder

[Fatboy 18]

Great advice thank you guys, I have a brand new Slave cylinder sitting in the garage for that moment.

Out of interest, has anyone used one of these?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FX-STAGE-3-C...orcev4exp=true

[C.J]

Haven't used that clutch, but how would a clutch with a lot less surface area be better than one with more surface area?

[Bugman Jeff]

Less surface area = more pounds of clamping force per square inch.

[coupe]

^^ What he said.

Pressure = Force
............... Area

Force is the pressure plate load which clamps down on the disk. Having a smaller disk surface area means a smaller denominator in the equation, thus increasing the pressure for a given plate clamp force. The higher pressure gives more holding capacity, but also translates to more "bite" and potential for some chatter at takeoff from a stop. Longevity can suffer as well, due to less material there.

[Fatboy 18]

LUK then, thanks. I don't fancy any additional chatter.

[Fatboy 18]

Luk ordered, thanks for the great pics Ken, Ordered a Mopar replacement pilot bearing too Can't find a Luk Master cylinder on the bay, there are others but not that make. Any recomendations

[C.J]

I ordered my clutch master cylinder kit from Sean Roe.

[Fatboy 18]

I ordered my clutch master cylinder kit from Sean Roe.

I will check out the site, thank you.

[LifeIsGood]

I haven't replaced my master cylinder yet. My plan was to get the clutch and the slave cylinder in...get everything working and then install the master. I wanted to have less things to diagnose in case there were issues. You may not need a master...the slave seems to be the weak link the majority of the time.

[95Viper]

LUK - Yea they work fine but wouldn't you want someting better than just fine... it's a viper not a pinto.... with so many better clutches available why choose that.... ie: you got Toddy @ Bad Boyzz who makes a killer set up in various stages for a reasonable price and you will not get better customer service from anyone. and yea I have one and its butter smooth..... Other after market brands as well that are upgrades,,, unless $$ are the main factor. Personally I prefer to choose BETTER parts than just fine. I like knowing that if I beat on my car it's not gonna break. Gen 1 rules

Attachment 5067Attachment 5068

[VoodooRob]

Did the Luk last year, replaced slave, pilot bearing and installed lightweight flywheel. Clutch is smooth as silk, easy install, no issues.

[Fatboy 18]

Got the master cylinder today

Hello 95 Viper, now I do understand where you are coming from, and if budget was no object then I would possably upgrade to something diffrent. But at the moment my budget is at a critical point.

I have a rather hectic couple of months ahead with the car , this weekend I am sprinting the car over 3 days on a closed road course, June I'm off to Le mans, between Le mans I'm doing charity joy rides raising monies for the children's trust on the UK Top Gear track, July I'm back at Le mans this time driving 'On track' so the thought of the clutch giving out around these events is in the back of my mind. I thought it wise to have one in the garage as back up if / when needed.

Sadly at the moment, I'm skint! I'm self employed and I was hoping work would pick up before these events, but sadly it has not, so having booked these events I'm running the car on a shoestring, but Hey, at least I own a Viper ....Need a wining lottery ticket

[99RT10]

Great advice thank you guys, I have a brand new Slave cylinder sitting in the garage for that moment.

Out of interest, has anyone used one of these?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FX-STAGE-3-C...orcev4exp=true

This is the Spec 3 version of that clutch. I have used them in all my cars except the TT, which has a 3+:

http://driveviper.com/classifieds/ac...-3-clutch.html

They will hold 900 HP, but if you are still 550-600HP, the stock LUK is absolutely fine.

[Fatboy 18]

Thanks for the link last time I had the car on the dyno we were hitting just under 500 bhp so Luk should be fine for now. Everything is ordered and on the way.

THANKS EVERYONE.

[LifeIsGood]

The stuff that Bad Boyzz makes/has is absolutely beautiful. I'd love to have a bunch of their stuff on my viper...some day.

[95Viper]

Yo Fatboy,,,, I hear ya loud and clear..... congrats on the car, drive it n have fun and I applaud you on the charity drives,,,

[Fatboy 18]

Again, thank you everyone .
Its info like this that makes a club GREAT

[Coloviper]

Is the pilot bearing a real issue on these cars over time? I have all new parts ready to go in mine: new Spec 3 Clutch, new Fidanza Lightweight Flywheel, new Slave Cylinder, Snake Oyl drain kit, new clutch bearing, new transmission mount and new aluminum cross brace which just leaves master cylinder and pilot bearing to have everything new on that set-up. Thinking maybe I should just go ahead and buy a new master cylinder and pilot bearing to have full peace of mind that nothing else can be done while tranny is out. Coming up on an 18+ year old car so not sure what age and especially heat will have done to what is in there. Only have 26,000 miles on the car but it is used so those could have been harder miles though doesn't really show it.

Just curious if others have seen the pilot bearing and master cylinder fail on a bunch in our cars?

[VoodooRob]

Is the pilot bearing a real issue on these cars over time? I have all new parts ready to go in mine: new Spec 3 Clutch, new Fidanza Lightweight Flywheel, new Slave Cylinder, Snake Oyl drain kit, new clutch bearing, new transmission mount and new aluminum cross brace which just leaves master cylinder and pilot bearing to have everything new on that set-up. Thinking maybe I should just go ahead and buy a new master cylinder and pilot bearing to have full peace of mind that nothing else can be done while tranny is out. Coming up on an 18+ year old car so not sure what age and especially heat will have done to what is in there. Only have 26,000 miles on the car but it is used so those could have been harder miles though doesn't really show it.

Just curious if others have seen the pilot bearing and master cylinder fail on a bunch in our cars?

I heard of some issues from the original pilot bearing after clutch replacement. You are disturbing something that has been in the car for nearly 20 years and is critical if it fails. The master can be done later if need be, the pilot bearing would be a shame to have to tear it all apart just for that.

[Fatboy 18]

I paid $18 for the mopar pilot bearing, that's no money for piece of mind. My car is coming up at 68, 000 miles